Bible 911 Esther

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Esther 9:11 On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king. (KJV)

In studying and pondering this Bible 911, I see this verse as “an end” and “a start”. An internet search will reveal movies, controversies, agendas, and extra verses for Esther, not bad for only ten chapters. I choose to leave those alone.

A Start

No matter what anyone says, the celebration that started in the ninth chapter, Purim, is still observed. That speaks volumes if you will let it. A pur is like some dice. It is the same idea as the Disciples “casting a lot” to pick the replacement for Judas. It is possible that is also the idea behind the Urim and Thummim.

An End

Mordecai and Esther ended the family line of Agag the Amalekite, which is something their ancestors King Saul and his son Jonathan did not do. Agag is the king of the Amalekites whom Saul was to kill in 1 Samuel 15. Please read Amalek Part 1 and Part 2.

The great victory in Esther 9:11 did not end the family of Esau/Edom and it probably did not end the Amalekites (I think). They are descendants of Abraham with a lot of history. God was not pleased with them, as shown in Exodus 17:16 and Hebrews 12:16. Even Malachi 1 has much to say about them, if Ezra did write Malachi that would fit in with the ideas in Esther 9. Most of the prophets were given words that were against Esau, Edom, and Mount Seir.

Samples of Amalekites being around after 1 Samuel 15:

  • They raided Ziklag and David fought against them in 1 Samuel 29.
  • One killed King Saul-2 Samuel 1.
  • 1 Chronicles 4:43 has a story from the time of Hezekiah about them.

Agag’s Family Connections

  • Genesis 36: 12 and 16
  • 1 Samuel 15 – Agag and the homeland of Havilah to Shur (verse 7). Ishmael and the Philistines also have connections to this area.
  • Esther 3:1
  • Exodus 17 and Deuteronomy 25 tell the story of the Amalek attack on Israel as it left Egypt.
  • Ephraim and Manasseh, while in Egypt, had raiding bands that may have terrorized the area from Shur and Havilah – 1 Chronicles 7:21 – 22. 
  • Ezekiel 35:5-6 speaks of an “ancient hostility” that bloomed as Jerusalem fell to Babylon. The hostility may have been Saul’s attack, or the raid in Exodus 17 that could have come from those raids in 1 Chronicles 7:21 – 22, but I have a feeling it was Esau selling and being tricked out of the right of the firstborn – Genesis 27. Amalek may have caught the offense of his grandfather and never let it alone.

If you want a study, the story and history of Esau would keep you busy for a while. Esau’s family line is recorded in Genesis 36. Reseach the Prophets also.

Esther’s Family

Esther is a Benjamite. Her uncle Mordecai’s genealogy is in Esther 2:6 and it is indicated that he was carried off with Jehoiachin. They are related to Jonathan and Saul. The Benjamite genealogy is found in 1 Chronicles 8; the very next section is the captives who returned from Babylon (that is probably from Ezra). Saul and Jonathan’s family tree is 1 Chronicles 9: 35-44. Between these passages and tradition, we believe that Esther was a granddaughter of Jonathan through Mephibosheth and his son Micah. (Please view Why Hide a Grandson There and Lo Debar a Second Look. Lo Debar was not a dump and I believe Mephibosheth was with family that was protecting him and providing for him. The last story in the Book of Judges changed a lot for the tribe of Benjamin.)

Some about Benjamin:

  1. He is the only progenitor of the Tribes that was born in the Promised Land. The rest were born in Paddan Aram/Haran or Egypt.
  2. Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives are in the territory allotted to Benjamin.
  3. He was the thirteenth child of Jacob. (12 sons, 1 daughter)

127 Providences

The Persian kingdom was huge. It wrapped the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and went to India. Jerusalem and Shushan were just two of the 127 providences, so how many actually had Jews in them? The couriers and the horses had a serious trip to take.

Times

The years in Esther are referenced by Xerxes’ rule of Persia. I wonder if the “months” are from the Jewish calendar. Movies crunch the years to fit it into a two-hour time slot.

  • 1:3 is the third year of his rule, so he throws a party.
  • 2:12 has twelve months of beauty treatments for the maidens.
  • 2:16 is the seventh year of his reign. There was no big rush to pick a new queen.
  • 3:7 is the twelfth year of Xerxes’ reign.
  • 3:12 and 13 are the days of the months for the writing of the letters and the day picked to kill the Jews.

The first celebration would have been in the thirteenth year. The day of writing the letters in 3:12 would have been just before Passover.

Hebrew Jewish Months in the Old Testament – Bible History (bible-history.com)

Things that caught my attention

  1. Where the action and setting of the Books took place. (This is not a complete list.) No part of Esther takes place in the Promised Land. For the most part, Exodus through Deuteronomy is not in Israel. Daniel and Ezekiel are set outside of Israel with references to the Land. Jonah starts in the Land and goes to Nineveh.
  2. Acrostics found in Esther. The name of God is not found in Esther, but there are acrostics for it in the text. This site actually listed them, if you go searching the internet, please know there are many agendas out there.  Q&A: Is God in Esther? (thirdmill.org)  
  3. Haman, Agag, and Amalek are people who did not do right by Israel. We need to remember the real enemy from Isaiah 14:12, it is Lucifer who stirs people to attack the Jews because they are God’s chosen people through Abraham.

What is your Amalek?

This is a metaphorical question. Amalek was the first thing to attack Israel after they passed through the Red Sea leaving Egypt. They plagued Israel and the Father promised them He would fight against them. I believe they are one thing that will be put under the feet of Jesus. So, what attacked you after you repented and were baptized and is still warring against you?

Purpose or Prothesis

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My Purpose or agenda is to encourage people to study their Bible readings and the sermons they listen to during the week. I will get to the term “purpose” in the New Testament because that is where my study, this morning, landed. My study did not start out there and to be honest, it went all over the place, but it was good, and I had great takeaways.

Because I have used the word purpose in this post, I feel it is important for you to believe Exodus 34:5-7. Knowing and believing He is a good God has to be your foundation. Having questions and problems is part of our journey in the Way. God said all of these things to Moses after he messed up big time. In a moment of anger, he literally broke all of the commandments at one time. (That is a little Mark humor.) it is about two years since the burning bush and Moses is still learning God and His ways. God invited Moses back up the mountain, anger and all, to teach him about Himself and reissue the Law to the Community.

My study, this morning, started with the word pagan. A person said it came from the phrase “the people of the country” or those who lived outside the cities. I found that pagan, heathen, and Gentile in the New Testament are the same word and that translators change the word ethnikos and ethnos to fit their writing. God bless translators who are trying to do right. Not every Christian likes to think they were a pagan or a heathen at one time in their life. (Take away #1.)

That led to the thought there may be agendas attached to writing, translations, and sermons. So, I looked up the word agenda in Bible Gateway. I did not find it except in the Amplified version, and they seemed to be in the commentaries they like to add. But that brought me to purpose.

Purpose (one of several words for that idea) in the First Testament is H 6098, in Strong’s, and is translated as counsel, plan, or purpose. Take some time to study that word, you won’t be sorry.

In the Gospels and the Epistles, the Greek word prothesis and its various forms are translated as purpose and shewbread. That is the twelve loaves that are associated with the Tabernacle. The number is G 4286 and use this as a reference: πρόθεσις | billmounce.com. That word looks like prosthesis or artificial joints and limbs, I am not sure of the etymology and if they are related.

Shewbread and God’s purpose for my life being related is my second and big takeaway. Those loaves in the Tabernacle, that were eaten by the priest, were there to keep the Tribes before God. My Strong’s/Vine’s concordance draws a conclusion about it representing God’s plan for our daily bread. I appreciate that thought, but mine goes in a different direction. My purpose, like those loaves, is always before the Father. He has a plan for me and will see it to completion, Amen and Amen.

The Gospels and Hebrews are the books with the shewbread, and Paul’s Epistles and Acts use the word purpose.

My morning study did not end there. Bread is H 3899 and is lechem. From another study I read Deuteronomy 29:6 which says the Children had eaten no bread in their wanderings around the desert. That word has many working meanings; I will go with the grain the bread is made from. Friendly dealings with neighbors were not happening, so how could they get grain? Manna could be the answer, it was boiled or baked. It is possible they may have grown it but that is iffy. I know the Law was for then and the future, so consider Exodus 25:30 and Leviticus 24:5. The bread of the Presence was to always be before God and the twelve loaves had to come from the finest flour.

My purpose for the prothesis is to ask your opinion. During the time of wandering did they use manna for those thirty-eight years, or trade, or grow grain to make those large, round loaves of bread?  

Finger of God

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What is the most powerful part of God? His fingers do miracles and cast out demons, His breath gave us life, His right hand and extended arm do battle for us, and His face will kill you. Okay, I am not going there just because. So, back to the title of this post – The Finger of God. (Yes, I left out a few like His heart and voice.)

This study is from my Deuteronomy 911 background research. With His finger, God wrote the commands, laws, and instructions on a pair of stone tablets for His people to live in a community as free people. There are two references to this story: Deuteronomy 9:10 and Exodus 31:18. The phrase “finger of God” is used in two other places; this is consistent through all of the translations I looked at. Altogether, I think, they tell an interesting story.

Exodus 8:19 – Pharaoh’s magicians told him that the plague of gnats was from the finger of God. I looked at several commentaries and stopped! The main thought was that the magicians of Egypt would not have said that or believed in Moses’ God. Why not? They had to go get new walking sticks because the rod of God had swallowed theirs. They maybe did turn water to blood, but a bowl full is not the Nile and they could not undo Moses’ act. (Personally, I am thinking red coloring, but we will stay with blood.) The Egyptians had a frog goddess, so, who knows what experiments they had done to get frogs out of the water? Once again, they could offer no relief to the people. As one commentary noted, the gnats required them to create life. Jannes and Jambes (2 Timothy 3:8) were not up to that task and they knew they had been beaten. (See Frogs, Yeast, Plagues, The Wonders that Plagued Egypt, and Reflections)

A very common thought about fingers in our reference materials and commentaries is they point or scratch, and they do. Another use for the finger, in ancient times, was a unit of measurement or etsba. This is the width of the finger and not the length. Etsba or Strong’s H676 is the Hebrew for finger, you will have to look to find the measurement part. My Strong’s reference table lists a finger as a unit of length but gives no Hebrew name, and the given length has to be a finger width.

So, what if they were acknowledging the power of God and also saying this may just be a small measurement of that power? I doubt they converted, but other Egyptians did believe and got their people and animals out of the fields before the hailstorm (9:20). The magicians lasted until Exodus 9:11 and are not heard from again.

After they made that statement, God started treating Israel and Egypt differently. This leads to my BIG TAKEAWAY from this post. The three times the finger of God is used He is working to start His kingdom of priests and the holy nation. This one is measuring the Egyptians as guilty of enslaving His people and He will free them.                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Exodus 31:18 and Deuteronomy 9:10

God used His extended finger to write on two stone tablets the rules His holy nation needed to live as free men and women. STOP! Think about that for a minute or two. The Father wrote for His people (twice) the commandments He had spoken to them. How do we know that God is everything He said He was in Exodus 34: 6+7? Moses broke all of the commandments at the same and God still loved and used him. If you want a good study, find the traditions and legends that surround those tablets.

Moses wrote a book; God wrote stone tablets. Why stone and not rock? Rock is unaltered and in its natural state. Stone has been shaped for man to use.

Luke 11:20

This verse says it all, the extended finger of God casting out demons by the power of God measures the Kingdom is nearby. Daktylos is the word for finger, Strong’s G1147, and it has Hebrew roots. Luke does not name the crowd in the passage, but they sound like the Pharisees. Because of that, I am sure that this is one of Jesus’ multilevel revelations for them. “Frogs” getting pushed out by the finger of God. The same powerful finger that wrote the Law is bringing in the kingdom of God. He is also claiming to have the power of the finger of God, even as He ignores their demand for a sign from Heaven. Yes, the Pharisees were not happy with that righteous reminder of the finger of God.

Priest 2

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Priest 2 has made me realize just how important the priesthood was and is in the Kingdom. Without realizing it I have written many posts that included the priest, Levities, and other learned men who were the scribes, lawyers, and teachers of the Law (names and titles vary).

Ruling/judging the people of Israel changed several times in Israel, but changing the priesthood required a change in the Law. The sin of Jeroboam was changing the priesthood, which did not work out too well. Moses started it all in Exodus 18 when he took the advice of Jethro. God started the priesthood of Aaron in Exodus 28. Wow, all the thoughts that just popped up.

So far, I have done a “skim-read” of the topic of priests, and Priest 2 is another small step into this topic. Since this is a “study” I am sure knowledge has been added; I hope I have stayed on course and topic. Here are some of my posts that have dealt with priests.

This small step into the topic of priest will focus on the New Testament and the Greek word hiereus Strong’s G2409. It is the word for priest; chief or high priest and priesthood are related to it. I will encourage you to be very Berean about my study. ἱερεύς | billmounce.com

Hierateia # G2405 – This word is used in Luke 1:9 and Hebrews 7:5. The priest are doing some aspect of their duties in these verses. Zechariah was going behind the curtain and the others were collecting the tithe. ἱερατεία | billmounce.com

Hierosyne # G2420 – It is used in Hebrews 7:11, 12, and 24. The connection, for me, is these three deal with the Law. In verse 24, Jesus’ permanent priesthood is because He fulfilled the requirements of the Law. ἱερωσύνη | billmounce.com

Hierateuma #2406 – Peter uses this form of priesthood in 1 Peter 2: 2, 9. He is referring to us and what we are and will be. ἱεράτευμα | billmounce.com This one is important because it fulfills Exodus 19:6 where God tells Moses He wants a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Revelations 1:6, 5:10, and 20:6 also states that we will be the priest of God. In Romans 15:16 Paul’s serving as a minister of the Gospel has a term that is related to doing priestly duties – G2418.

Melchizedek was a priest in Genesis, and we will be priests in Revelations because we are in Jesus. Sounds like the Father has had a plan all along.

Other terms to look up: high or chief priest ἀρχιερεύς | billmounce.com, scribes G1122, and elders G4245.

Bible 911 – Ezra

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This Bible 911 is from a man I would add to the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews, Ezra’s 911 is in a prayer that is coming from a distressed heart. The personal story of Ezra, son of Seraiah, (the High Priest family) starts in Ezra 7 with his family tree and a letter from Artaxerxes. His return to Jerusalem (8:15) is the story of faith that earns him a place in the Hall of Faith.

He bragged (spoke out in faith) to the king that the Lord would look with favor towards them and protect the people on the journey. The king was ready to send soldiers to guard them and the fortune they were carrying, but Ezra did not take them. Instead, he called for a fast and sought God (8:21). The magnitude of this must be viewed in light of 8:31 and remembering Haman, from Esther, the Samaritans, and the opposition to the builds in Ezra and Nehemiah. Satan did not want Israel worshipping or walking with the Lord again.

Bible Map: Ahava (bibleatlas.org)      

A little history –

  • Ezra is in two parts. Chapters 1-6 are about rebuilding the Temple. 7-10 focuses on Ezra and the mixed marriage problem.
  • Haggai and Zechariah are associated with Chapters 1-6.
  • Esther’s story is mixed in the time period from Ezra to Nehemiah.
  • There are about 100 years from Ezra 1 to the end of Nehemiah. That really depends on which expert you look at.
  • There are about thirty-four years between Ezra and Nehemiah. (Expert dependent)
  • There were three groups that returned, two in Ezra and one in Nehemiah.
  • Many of the Persian officials have non-Biblical confirmation that they existed. (BAR)
  • Malachi may have been written by Ezra. 1:8 talks about animal sacrifice and a “Persian” word for governor. Malachi at that time may have been a title and not a name (it means messenger).
  • The prophet Zechariah was killed after the altar and temple were finished – Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51. These are the only mention of that event.  

Ezra 9:11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. (KJV)

Ezra and the returning exiles had barely unpacked when he was told that the priest, Levities, Jewish officials, and other men were repeating the sin that led to the fall of Jerusalem and Judah. They are intermarrying with the people around them and bringing in the abominations of their enemies, not walking righteously with God. Ezra is gut-punched and mourning for several hours before he starts praying in verses 6 to 15. He thanks the Lord for His mercy and kindness towards them and builds his case as to why it must stop. The prayer was to the Father, but the people were instructed as well.

A little leaven – The issue is not how many men and families are involved; it is the fact that it has happened. The second chance that Ezra was thankful for had already been ignored. Yes, I counted. A total of 111 men were at fault, which is a small percent of the population that was the first wave of returnees. The Enemy started small but it included eighteen priests and nine Levities, the spiritual examples of the community. The Father wanted and still loves righteousness. He wants a people who will choose Him and willingly walk with Him. Ezra was there to raise that standard again.

Ruth – Ruth is a granddaughter of Lot; she is a Moabite. They did not do right by Israel in the years of the Exodus. Her marriage to Boaz should have been a mixed marriage and forbidden under the Law (Deuteronomy 23). With questions about the Law, I will offer IDK. How is this marriage different from most of the ones Solomon had? There is one thing that Ruth did that Solomon’s wives did not do, she chose Jehovah and left the gods of Moab on the east side of the Dead Sea. That walk to Bethlehem was literally a righteous faith walk into a new life. Solomon made temples so his wives could continue worshipping their demons (1 Kings 11:2, 7-8).  

A Nehemiah Note – Just because the Temple was in service again and the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt, the attacks on righteousness did not stop. The meeting in Ezra is not the meeting in Nehemiah. Ezra did read at Nehemiah’s meeting. Nehemiah had priests who had intermarried and provided space in the Temple complex for a local heathen official. He ended that problem and drove them away from Jerusalem. His problem was the attack on the Sabbath, with the buying and selling of goods. Resting with God and staying pure extend from the commandments of “Love God and your neighbor”.

These attacks on the Family of God have not stopped. The enemy still wants to pollute the Family and pull us away from walking and resting with Jesus and the Father. Righteousness and godly offspring are the desire of the Father for His Children. Remember Ruth before you judge a new Family member.