Introduction
We have arrived at the conclusion of this gripping story, and we are now in a position to take from it the central lesson. That lesson has to do with the driving force of Haman’s malice, and how Mordecai’s leadership prevented the Jews from falling into the same trap as did Haman.
The Text
“Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people . . .” (Esther 9:1–10:3).
Summary of the Text
The day of reckoning came, the day when the Jews’ enemies hoped (vainly) to put an end to them (v. 1) The Jews banded together in all the cities of the provinces for defense, and fear of them fell upon all (v. 2). The officials of the empires lined up behind the Jews, for fear of Mordecai (v. 3). This was because Mordecai was “waxing great” (v. 4). The Jews slew with great slaughter those who attacked (v. 5), 500 in the palace (v. 6), along with a bunch of named notables (vv.7-9), along with Haman’s ten sons (v. 10). But they did not take the spoil (v. 10). The number of the palace dead was reported to the king (v. 11). Esther is still in favor with him because the king asks her what else she wants, although there is no mention of half the kingdom this time (v. 12). He appears ready to wrap up. Esther asks for a one-day extension of the battle (v. 13), along with Haman’s (deceased) sons being hanged on the gallows (v. 13), and it was done (v. 14). So the next day, the Shushan Jews killed 300 more, but did not touch the spoil (v. 15). The Jews in the other provinces killed 75,000, but did not touch the spoil (v. 16). On both days after the fighting, they rested, feasted, and were glad (v. 17). In Shushan, the Jews assembled on those days, but held their feasting on the third day (v. 18). The small-town Jews made Adar 14 the day of celebration and gift-giving (v. 19). Mordecai wrote an official letter to regularize it, making Adar 14-15 an official holiday (vv. 20-21). The day celebrated the reversal of fortune, and was to be celebrated with feasting, sending portions, and generosity—alms for the poor (v. 22). And so the Jews obeyed, calling in Purim after Pur (which means lots), retelling the whole story of Esther, the king, Mordecai, and Haman (vv. 23-26). They resolved to celebrate this event annually, everywhere, and forever (vv. 27-28), a decision ratified by letter by Esther and Mordecai (vv. 29-31). Esther decreed it, and it was written in the book (v. 31).
The king laid a tribute on the land and on the isles of the sea (10:1). His power and might, and the greatness of Mordecai, were all recorded in the official histories (v. 2). For Mordecai was next to the king, great among the Jews, and well regarded by his kinsmen. He sought their wealth and welfare, and he spoke peace to them (v. 3).
The Structure of the Book
Now that we are wrapping up, it would be good to note that the entire book, as David Dorsey notes, is a carefully crafted chiasm.
A The king’s feast (1:1-22)
B Esther is made queen (2:1-18)
C The king’s life is saved (2:19-23)
D Haman’s plot enacted (3:1-4:3)
E Mordecai learns of the plot against the king (4:4-17)
F Esther issues invitation to her first banquet (5:1-14)
G Haman’s fortunes collapse (6:1-14)
F’ Esther issues invitation to her second banquet (7:1-10)
E’ Mordecai put in charge of Haman’s estate (8:1-2)
D’ Haman’s plot foiled (8:3-17)
C’ The Jews’ lives are saved (9:1-10)
B’ Esther secures a second day for the Jews (9:11-19)
A’ The Jews’ great feast (9:20-10:3)
Malice and Envy
There are two sins that we should always understand as conjoined twins, and they are malice and envy (Tit. 3:3). This is certainly the case with Haman. Now one of the ways that the envious “keep score” is through money and honors. Haman offers the king ten thousand talents of silver (Esther 3:9), that being the coin of his realm, and he brags to his wife and friends about all his money and his honors (Esther 5:11). But look at how competitive it was for him (Esther 5:13).
Now we need to understand that this Haman had a constituency throughout the empire. He offered them what he knew they wanted, which was to pillage the Jews (Esther 3:13)—which means that the Jews had to have been thriving, and provoking envy. The Jews throughout the empire were to Haman’s constituency what Mordecai was to Haman. But after Haman was dead, they still wanted it. The leader of the envious tribe was dead, but his tribe was still envious, and therefore necessarily hostile.
Now there is a critical element here. In the counter decree that Mordecai issued, the Jews were given express permission to make a spoil of all the enemies who came after them (Esther 8:11). But here’s the key thing. They refused to do it, and we are told three times that they refused to do it (Esther 9:10,15,16). The Jews had been thriving in the empire, which had fed the envy, but when this conflict came, the Jews were careful not to feed it unnecessarily. Like their father Abraham, they did not want people to be able to say that the king of Sodom made Abraham rich (Gen. 14:22-24). Like the apostle Paul later, they did not want anyone to be able to deprive them of their boast (2 Cor. 11:10).
And the problem was not the material blessing—Mordecai was certainly willing to receive Haman’s station and goods (Esther 8:2). And the book concludes with him seeking the wealth of the Jews (Esther 10:3). But it needed to be done honestly, not through pillage—even when they had the legal permission to pillage. That would only feed the monster of envy and make slandering the Jews that much easier in the future.
Deuteronomic Blessings
As citizens of the new Israel, we are called to live in such a way as to invite and pull down the blessings of Deuteronomy. “Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store” (Deuteronomy 28:5). And we do this thing, know that the only true Israelite ever to merit the blessings of Deuteronomy was the Lord Jesus. We live out whatever it is we live out through faith in Him.
Now the Jews in this story were the people of God, and the Persians (and Agagites) who hated them were hating them from below, seething in malevolent envy. In the new covenant, the Christian church is the new Israel, and the Jews are estranged from their covenantal heritage. But the professing Christians who have given way to the canker of antisemitism are trying to drag the name of Christ down lower than the level of Haman—envying Jews who are no longer under the Mosaic blessings. Haman envied them when they were under the blessing. So this is about the most profound anti-gospel frame of mind that can be imagined.
Paul teaches that our strategy needs to be the exact reversal of this. If we are the new Israel in Christ, then the blessings of Israel are ours—Deuteronomic blessings. And have we written off the Jews? Not a bit of it. But we do want to provoke them to envy. “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy” (Romans 11:11). This is not done so that they would respond to it like Haman, but rather so that they might come to Christ and join us—for far of the Jews (Esther 8:17).