When the day of judgement comes

Text Esther 9, 10 Date 16/02/14 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have been looking at the Book of Esther and we have come almost to the end. The book begins by telling us about Queen Vashti and her refusal to do what her husband King Xerxes, King of Persia required. This leads to the appointment of a Jewish girl Esther to be queen. We then learn of Haman, the villain of this whole story and his unhappiness with the man who brought Esther up Mordecai and his plans to kill not only Mordecai but the whole Jewish race, not that he then knew that Esther would be included.

Anyway, by the grace if God and through a series of amazing providences the planned destruction of the Jews never happens. Haman is found out and out to death through the work of Mordecai and Esther and in answer to the prayers of the people.

By the end of Chapter 8 we have almost come to the end of the story but for one or two things. The most obvious things is how it all works out as by the end of Chapter 8 the law that says all the Jews should be killed on a certain day but they have permission to defend themselves.

What we learn is that they inflict a mass slaughter on their enemies and they rejoice and celebrate in their victory. The feast of Purim, which is still celebrated today, is established to commemorate what happened.

These chapters are a reminder that we are fast approaching the day when the final judgement comes. The day spoken of here was fixed by Haman using lots, what in a Hebrew loan word are called purim. He thought it was a day chosen by sheer chance but from everything else we read in this book we know that God was in control even of that. As the proverb says (16:33) The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. In a similar way he has set a day for judgement. It is known only to him but that day will come and we need to be ready for that day as the Jews in this story clearly were and as many others were clearly not. We want to say three things then.

1. A great judgement is coming for this world – are you ready?

Chapter 9 begins with a reminder that it was

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them

which is the story of the whole book and indeed of the Bible. The enemies of God's people hope to overpower them but they will not succeed. A day is coming when the tables will be turned, when God's people will have the upper hand over those who hate them and the meek will inherit the earth. Do realise that.

What happened at that time was that (2

The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. It turned out that No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them.

Why were they afraid? Not just because they had power but because they could also see their God was at work. Not only did the Jews help themselves but (3)

all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's administrators who could see which way the wind was blowing helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them.

Something similar will happen at the end of the world. Not only will believers be strong but they will be helped by God's angels and by other heavenly creatures and even the rulers of this earth will feel compelled to support the cause.

Just as Mordecai rose to eminence at this time so Christ will be pre-eminent at the end. We will say something more about that later. For now note how (5, 6)

The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.

There is also a final list of Persian names – the 10 sons of Haman who were all killed too.

By the new law the Jews were allowed to plunder goods

But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

Then in verse 12b King Xerxes once again asks his Queen

Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.

She says

If it pleases the king, Esther answered, give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day's edict tomorrow also, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows.

So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.

They had killed 500 in the citadel of Susa the day before and on this second day they kill 300 more, 800 in all, again not taking any plunder.

Outside Susa some 75,000 are put to death across the whole empire on the thirteenth. Some have thought this number too high and have spoken of exaggeration. It was a vast empire, however, and there is no reason to doubt its accuracy.

All this killing sounds distasteful to us but we must remember that this was a situation of kill or be killed and the Jews chose to kill the anti-semites who tried to kill them. It sounds pretty horrible but is surely better than 750, 000 Jews dying at the hands of their oppressors.

A day is coming when there will be an even greater slaughter, when men and women will be thrown body and soul into hell, forever. Although this work will be done by angels it will be in some senses on behalf of believers who have for so long been trampled under. If you are a Christian you will look forward to that day. If not, you need to be aware of what is going to happen.

2. A great celebration is coming for this world – will you be involved?

In verse 17 we are that this slaughter

happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they the Jews rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

Verse 18 makes a distinction.

The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

Verse 19 adds

That is why rural Jews - those living in villages - observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.

Verses 20-28 tell us that Mordecai recorded these events, so presumably he wrote this Book of Esther or set down its basic story

and … sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the two days 14, 15 Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. It was Mordecai who encouraged them to do what they spontaneously had begun to do -

to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

The Jews agreed to it, as it says here, because

Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the "pur" (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king's attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word "pur".)

So it was due to this letter describing what had happened that

the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. The writer adds These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.

Queen Esther was also in on this letter writing and wrote to confirm this is what should happen.

Again, in a similar way a great day of feasting is soon to come. When the great day of judgement comes Christians will be spared by the grace of God and they will celebrate God's goodness and there will be feasting and great joy. The Jews often thought of heaven as a a great celebration and in the New Testament we read of it as the Marriage supper of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus. The celebration will go on for ever and forever. Are we looking forward to that day? If we are trusting in Christ then we ought to be.

3. A Jewish man will be held in great esteem – did you know?

In 9:4 we read that

Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

He is the one who sends out these authoritative letters throughout the empire.

In Chapter 10 we have a brief postscript that tells us that

King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.

He was a powerful king though his reign brought its own benefits.

And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?

Yes, this can be proved by reference to these documents we are told.

Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, so with this powerful king was a Jew let it be noted. He was understandably pre-eminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

So Mordecai the Jews replaced Haman and took the very highest place in the kingdom. People spoke of his greatness and we are told that he was held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews. We are told that this was

because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

A Christian is immediately drawn to think of Jesus. He too was Jewish and he too is said to be great and held in high esteem for much the same reason. He too worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of them all. He worked for their good by dying on the cross in their place and he speaks up for their welfare in heaven itself. When the day of judgement comes not only will there be judgement for the wicked and celebration among believers but Jesus Christ will be held in great esteem by all and will be worshipped for who he is and all he has done.