Esther: God’s Plan Unfolds

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

In our first article in this two-part series, we discussed events leading up to the discovery and unfolding of Haman’s evil plan to not only kill by hanging Mordecai on a 75 foot tall gallows, but to also eradicate all Jews. He was a Hitler before Hitler was even born. It is absolutely fascinating to me that Satan works so hard to destroy the Jews. One might almost understand this (while still believing it to be unconscionable), before the Messiah came into this world. Even during Jesus’ lifetime, Satan worked hard to either get rid of Jesus before He was born or tempt Him to sin, thereby falling away and disqualifying Him from dying for our sin.

It’s easy to “get” that, to understand why this would have been so important for Satan to accomplish his objectives. This is why he used Haman then during the Persian Empire as well as others throughout history. After Jesus was born, lived, died a sinless death and was resurrected, it was really all over, wasn’t it? Satan had nothing more to gain by destroying Jews, did he? Then comes Hitler who made it his goal to kill all Jews. I’ll come back to this subject toward the end of this article and longtime readers will catch the fact that I’ve previously answered this question before, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it.

Previously, we left off with this paragraph:

This is more than Haman can bear but he does it of course. He then returns home and complains again to his wife, who now offers this tidbit of wisdom: “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him” (6:13b). Wow, where was this wisdom before when all they could think of was a huge gallows to hang Mordecai on?

According to the book of Esther, chapter six ends with messengers coming to take Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared. Chapter seven tells us that this feast was at least a two-day affair.

So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled. (vv 1-2 ESV)

Again, the king offers Esther anything she wants up to half of his kingdom because he is so happy with her. Esther then takes the time to present her request to the king.

If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king. (vv 3-4)

Queen Esther is essentially asking that her life and the life of her people be spared. She’s beginning to unravel to the king the plan that had put into place to destroy all Jews. Notice she says that if the plan had simply been to enslave her and her people (“we”), she would not have said anything. However, the plan to literally annihilate all Jews was too much and she had to say something.

Of course, the king is outraged at this revelation! Who would do such a thing and I’m sure the king was even shocked to hear about and know that not a whisper of it had come to his ears before that day.

Esther was quick to point the finger at Haman. “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” (v 6) The next sentence tells us that Haman was absolutely terrified of the king and well he should’ve been.

In fact, the king was so angry that he left the room for a few minutes and during that time, Haman was begging Queen Esther for his life as she sat on the couch. When the king returned, he mistook what Haman was doing as though he was actually trying to force himself sexually on Esther. This only increased King Ahasuerus’ anger and led him to fully believe that Haman was as evil as he had just discovered. It wasn’t bad enough he wanted to kill Jews (including Queen Esther), but he also wanted to seduce the queen as well!

A eunuch standing by pointed out the gallows that Haman had built to hang Mordecai on and the king decided to use it to kill Haman instead. It was only after Haman had been executed was the king’s wrath abated.

Chapter 8 tells us how Mordecai was elevated to essentially the second in command over the Persian Empire, much the way Joseph became Pharaoh’s second in command over Egypt. This of course led to great honor for Mordecai.

Chapter 9 tells us again how things work in the Persian Empire. Once a law was made by a king it could not be rescinded. King Ahasuerus could not simply cancel the previously law he had unwittingly signed that sentenced all Jews to death. What he could do and did was to issue another decree insisting that the Jews could take up arms and fight against those who might come against them. While the king could not call off the impending war against Jews, he could and did level the playing field.

God had a hand in this of course, and instilled fear and dread in the hearts of those would stand against Jews. In this way, the playing field leaned in favor of Jews. Thousands of non-Jews were killed by Jews who came to their own defense – over 75,000 killed (v 16). This is huge. God was making a serious point and it wasn’t just for human beings to notice. Every being in the spirit realm would take serious note as well. How many times did God have to come to the defense of Israel even when they were wayward or rebellious? As often as necessary.

Chapter 9 also outlines that these events marked the beginning of what became known as the Feast of Purim. This was a feast celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar on the Jewish calendar. It would be a time of celebration and a time when they exchanged gifts with one another and with the poor. This decree came from Mordecai himself.

Chapter 10, the last chapter of the book of Esther ends with these three verses:

King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coast lands of the sea. And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

It’s really a fascinating book and as I’ve stated, moves along at a very quick pace. One can easily see this being converted into a theatrical production or television movie and many have been made based on Esther. It has everything for a good drama.

But of course it’s more than simply a historical drama. It’s reality; truth as expressed in God’s Word. We see in it the marks of Satan as he attempts through a corrupt person to overcome and destroy God’s chosen people – the Israelites. It is interesting that during this time, the Israelites had been taken out of the Promised Land (by Nebuchadnezzar because of their rebellion against God’s commands), so that the Land could enjoy its Sabbaths that the Jews had ignored for 70 years.

But we live not only on the other side of Esther but of Jesus’ earthly life as well. Hitler tried to destroy the Jews and succeeded in killing over six million of them but he was not able to kill them all. Others have tried throughout history including Antiochus Epiphanes much earlier (168 BC), and all have been types of Antichrists.

As bad as these individuals have been, there remains another to come onto the scene who will not be a “type” of Antichrist, but will be the real deal. His hatred for God and God’s chosen people will know no bounds. The book of Revelation (chapters 6 -18 deal with the Tribulation), tells us that at the midpoint of this coming seven year period, the Antichrist, who will by then be ruling over the final one-world (global) empire first spoken of in Daniel 2, will rise against Israel and do what he can to destroy them. God steps in to save His remnant so Antichrist turns to others to exact his vengeance.

But why would Satan (who empowers Antichrist fully), continue to seek after and destroy all Jews? Is it just “sour grapes”? Does he carry that big of a grudge?

Well, he does certainly carry a grudge, but that isn’t the real reason why he wants to destroy Jews since it appears on the surface that destroying them would gain him nothing. In reality, Satan believes if he can successfully destroy all Jews, then there will be no living Jews alive at the end of the Tribulation to go into and enjoy the Promised Land during the coming Thousand Year Millennial Kingdom. If Satan can accomplish that – killing every last Jew on earth; admittedly an extremely tall order – he can then announce that God is a LIAR because it is God who promised that His people – the Jews – would go in and inhabit the Land fully and this will happen during the Millennial Kingdom.

Don’t take my word for it. Read Revelation chapters 6 – 18 for the whole story. Then read Daniel and then jump over to the book of Ezekiel. I fully realize that there are those who see the Millennial Kingdom as little more than a metaphor or allegorical language meaning something other than what the text literally portrays. They are certainly welcome to their opinion and they are responsible for it just as I am responsible for mine.

Satan isn’t going to quit. He won’t fold. He won’t crumble in a heap of despair. He will continue working until the very end even though he will be constantly defeated. At the end of the Tribulation, he will be captured and tossed into the Bottomless Pit. He will reside their for the duration of the Millennial Kingdom. Once that is over, he will be released for a short time to do what he can to deceive all the people who will be born during the Millennial Kingdom. Many will come over to his side. Ultimately, this leads to a huge battle and God will gain the victory in short order.

Satan will then be tossed alive into the Lake of Fire where the Antichrist and Beast already exist. This is part of the future that God Himself has decreed. It will happen just as certainly as the other things prophesied in God’s Word will happen.

God directs this world in many ways, while still allowing us (and Satan) to use our free will. In spite of our free will usage, God continues to bring His will to fruition.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective