Day 37

"It seems odd that the awareness of God, or even the people of God, brings out the worst in some people. God, the source of all goodness and blessing and joy, at times becomes the occasion for nearly unimaginable acts of cruelty, atrocity, and evil."
~Eugene Peterson


King Xerxes ruled from India to Ethopia and his palace was in Susa. In his 3rd year of reigning these 127 provinces, he held a banquet for all the officials and ministers. Military personnel from Persia and Media were also invited as well as each prince and governor from each province. Xerxes showcased his palace for 6 mths and thew a party for everyone in Susa that lasted an entire week. The kings summer house was the location of the party and no expense was spared. White and blue linen curtains w/ purple and silver cords lined the marble columns in the courtyard. Couches made of silver and gold rested on beautiful mosaic pavement consisting of porphyry, marble, mother of pearl, and a variety of colored stones. The guests could drink as much wine as they wanted with wait staff readily available. However, Queen Vashti (wife to Xerxes), threw her own party for women inside the palace. A drunken king Xerxes had his 7 personal servants, all eunuchs, bring him his queen wearing her royal crown b/c he wanted to show her off. Vashti refused, which angered the king. Xerxes summoned his counsel, which consisted of the 7 highest ranking princes in Persia and Media. His counselors were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. King Xerxes wanted to see if there was anything legal he could do to Vashti for denying his request. Memucan stated, "It's not only the king Queen Vashti insulted, it's all of us, leaders and people alike in every last one of king Xerxes' provinces...when the women hear if they'll start treating their husbands with contempt...is this what we want, a country of angry women who don't know their place?" In my opinion, Memucan needs a good slap for that comment. King Xerxes liked what Memucan proposed so he recorded in the laws of Persia and Medes that queen Vashti was permanently banned from his presence and her royal position would be given to a woman who knew her place. A notice was sent to each province stating men were the master of the house. Xerxes regretted his decision once he cooled off. His attendants began searching for virgins to present to the king and had officials from each province bring them to Susa. Hegai, one of the kings eunuchs, would be in charge of the women and would make sure they did their beauty treatments in order to look their best when presented to the king.

Mordecai was a Benjamanite, who lived in the palace in Susa. His ancestors were taken from Jerusalem with the exiled Israelites and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. Mordecai raised his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her and raised her as his own daughter. Esther was one of the beautiful women given to Hegai for Xerxes. Hegai favored Esther and started her beauty treatments, ordered food, and even gave her 7 maids from the palace. She was given the best room to stay in as well. However, Esther didn't reveal her Jewish background as advised by Modecai, who checked on her daily. After each girl completed 1 year of beauty treatments, they were allowed to see king Xerxes. I wonder what the beauty treatments consisted of...laser hair removal, permanent make up, botox? Just kidding :) The ladies endured 6 months of myrrh oil treatments initially and then 6 months with perfume and various cosmetics (http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-myrrh-essential-oil.html). When it was time for the girl to go to the king, she was given whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the king's quarters. She would go there in the evening. Come morning, she would return to a second harem overseen by Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. Unless the king liked you and asked specifically for you, you'd never go back to the king. When it was Esther's turn, she didn't take anything that Hegai didn't suggest and was taken to the royal palace in the tenth month in the seventh year of the king's reign. Xerxes fell in love with her and was crazy about her. He put a crown on her head and she was made queen. A banquet was held in her honor and a holiday was proclaimed in all provinces and gifts were given out. Although it was a time of celebration, Bigthana and Teresh, 2 of the kings eunuchs who guarded the entrance of the kings gate, schemed up a plan to kill Xerxes. Guess who just happened to be sitting close by...Mordecai! Mordecai told Esther the plan and she reported to Xerxes. The 2 eunuchs were hanged after further investigation was completed.

King Xerxes made Haman the highest ranking official in the government and commanded his servants to bow down before him. Mordecai refused and the kings servants asked him over and over why he wouldn't. They ended up going to Haman and he was outraged by Mordecai's disobedience. In the meantime he also learned Mordecai's ethnic background. From that moment on, Haman began looking for a way to eliminate Jews, including Mordecai, throughout Xerxes' kingdom. Haman went straight to king Xerxes and spoke badly about the Jews. He told the king the Jews were odd, explained how different their customs were, and tattled about their disregard for the kings laws. Haman told Xerxes the Jews weren't to be tolerated and asked if he could take them out. He even volunteered to fund the operation himself putting 375 tons of silver in the royal bank. Xerxes gave Haman his signet (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/signet) and told him to do what he wanted. The king's secretaries wrote up a bulletin and couriers set out for all the provinces in Xerxes' kingdom. The bulletin stated the elimination of all Jews all in one day-the 13th day of the 12th month (Adar:the sixth month of the civil year; the twelfth month of the ecclesiastic year in the Jewish calendar (in February and March)).

Mordecai ripped his clothes and dressed in sackcloth and ashes when he learned of Haman's execution plan. He cried loudly in the streets and went only a little ways from the kings gate for no one wearing sackcloth was allowed to enter. The Jews of the land wept and fasted. One of Esther's maids and eunuchs informed her of this terrible event and she was completely shocked. Mordecai didn't accept the clean clothes she sent to him. Hathach, Esther's royal eunuch, was sent to Mordecai to get the scoop. Hathach learned of the money Haman was depositing and also retrieved a copy of the bulletin. Mordecai wanted Esther to go on behalf of the Jews to the king and plead for their lives. She reported back to him that the penalty to an uninvited visit to the king was death. Mordecai, through Hathach, sent her a message saying, "Don't think that just because you live in the king's house you're the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this." Esther's answer to Mordecai was to gather all the Jews living in Susa and instruct them to fast. They weren't to eat or drink for 3 whole days. Esther and her maids would also fast. If everyone did this, she'd go to the king.

Three days passed and Esther dressed in royal attire and took a seat in the inner court in front of the kings throne room. Xerxes was on his throne facing the entrance and was pleased to see her. She approached him and touched his golden scepter. Xerxes asked,"And what's your desire Queen Esther? What do you want? Ask and it's yours-even if it's half my kingdom!" Esther replied, "If it may please the king, let the king come with Haman to a dinner I've prepared for him." The king and Haman joined Esther for dinner that evening. Xerxes asked Esther again waht she wanted and she suggested they come the next night and she'd give him a straight answer. Haman was carefree when he left the palace, then saw Mordecai by the kings gate. Holding in his anger, he went home and bragged about his wealth, his sons, and being honored by the king. He even boasted about their dinner with Esther but claimed he couldn't enjoy anything because of Mordecai. Zeresh, Haman's wife, and his friends suggested building a 75 ft gallow and speak to Xerxes in the morning about getting an order for Mordecai's death and then he would have a good time at dinner.

That night, Xerxes was restless and couldn't sleep. The day to day journal of events were read to him and the story about Mordecai exposing the plot of Xerxes' death was told. The king asked if he'd been given anything in honor of this and his servants said no. Xerxes asked if anyone was out in the court and just about the time is when Haman came into the outer court of his palace to talk to him about the hanging. His servants told him Haman was there and Xerxes asked,"What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?" Haman, extremely full of himself, assumed the king was referring to him so he said the man should get a royal robe worn by the king. He should also receive a horse ridden by the king and then given the robe and the horse to the kings most noble prince. He would then robe the man who was to be honored and the prince should lead him on horseback through the city, proclaiming his honor. Delighted, the king told Haman to not waste any time and do what he proposed to Mordecai. Haman did this promptly, then fled to his home in shame. Haman told Zeresh and his friends. Zeresh said,"If this Mordecai is in fact a Jew, your bad luck has only begun. You don't stand a chance against him. You're as good as ruined."

At the second dinner with Esther, she told the king, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it please the king, give me my life, and give my people their lives. We've been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed-sold to be massacred, eliminated. If we had just been sold into slavery, I wouldn't even have brought it up; our troubles wouldn't have been worth bothering the king over." Upon hearing this, Xerxes exploded with anger asking who could've possible done this. Um, hello you told Haman he could do this! Must've had a brain fart. Anyway, Esther told Xerxes it was Haman. I'm sure Haman wanted to crawl in a hole and die at this point. Xerxes stormed out into the garden and Haman pleaded with Esther for his life. Xerxes walked in seeing him grovel and shouted,"Will he even molest the Queen while I'm just around the corner?" Just then Harbona, one of the king's eunuchs, exclaimed,"Look over there! There's the gallows that Haman built for Mordecai, who saved the kings life." Xerxes wanted Haman hanged on them so that's what happened.