Purim Teaching

THE BOOK OF ESTHER: PURIM

What is Purim:

This Year Purim begins Monday March 6, 2023 and Ends at Sundown Tuesday March 7, 2023.

Purim is the celebration of the events that transpired in the book of Esther and the Jewish people being saved from complete annihilation. The Lord working behind the scenes and raising up Esther and her uncle Mordecai to be used as instruments by the Lord to help save the Jewish people. The book of Esther is just another example Biblically of the Lord using flawed, broken people to be raised up to do mighty things for the Kingdom of God.

Haman is the villain and the one who wanted to completely wipe the Jews off the map.

“Pur” literally means in Hebrew to cast lots and that is exactly what Haman did is cast lots, to see what day he would annihilate the Jews manipulating King Ahasuerus to do this through a royal sealed decree.

Now the line of Haman to understand why this man had a hatred for the Jewish people we need to go back to 1 Samuel 15 where King Saul in his disobedience defies a direct command and order from Almighty God. The Lord through the prophet Samuel told Saul that he was to destroy all the Amalekites including their king, livestock wipe out everything. The Lord had good reason for this, and we will see why in just a moment.

Saul disobeys and not only keeps the best of the livestock alive BUT spares King Agag’s life, the King of the Amalekites. Before Samuel arrived King Agag, who was captive, ended up raping a female servant who was bringing him a meal and Haman was birthed through that line. When Samuel arrives and realizes what Saul has done the severity in disobeying the Lord God, Samuel executes King Agag. I believe it was that day that the anointing departed from Saul; the Kingdom was torn away from him, and the Lord had already chosen another, David, to take his place on the throne.

The Celebration of Purim:

The Entire Book of Esther is read in temples across the country.

When Haman's name is mentioned the entire congregation make a ton of noise to blot out his name. There are Purim parties where people dress up in costumes. I believe it’s because the Lord’s hand was hidden, under cover, behind the scenes working. Money and food are given to the less fortunate, also gifts are sent and exchanged as they did in the book of Esther when the Jews were saved from annihilation. The tradition started then of giving gifts on Purim and has continued to today. They also celebrate with a very large meal or feast.

The letters for tree and the letters for gallows are the same.

Now God’s name is NEVER mentioned in the book of Esther, not even once. It is the only book in the bible where the name of the Lord is never mentioned, and we will get into why:

The Holy Spirit is at work throughout the book of Esther except they do not know it is him, the unseen, the Ruach Elohim. The SPIRIT of the Living God: The book of Esther begins on page 777 of the Bible. 777 is the jubilee. Every number 7 is beloved in Hebrew

On the jubilee everything is restored the way it was, Israel was restored on the jubilee.

King Ahasuerus displayed his wealth for 180 days and then held a 7-day feast 6 months then 7 days, if you add that you get 13, the 13 of Adar will become integral in this

7th day of Adar, which was when the lot was cast by Haman, which we will get into…

Now at this time in history, the Persians had come in and defeated and subdued the Babylonians and cleaned them out of the area. The Persian Empire then becomes the largest on earth.

There were 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia, which is MASSIVE, and King Ahasuerus, also known as King Xerxes, was king over the whole empire. 1+2+7=10 this number will also be very important. Esther, or Hadassah which was her Jewish name, her parents are killed–something happens to them. Her uncle Mordecai adopts Esther and raises her as his own daughter. Esther grows up to be an incredibly beautiful woman full of the wisdom of the Lord. The name Hadassah is derived from the Hebrew word hadas (Heb. הדס), a myrtle tree

The Talmud explains why Queen Esther was also called Hadassah:

Why was she called Hadassah? Because the righteous are called myrtles. As it states (Zechariah 1:8), “And he was standing among the myrtles [the righteous prophets Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah].”4

The sages in the Midrash take this one step further:

Just as a myrtle has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (“sweet”) to the righteous Mordechai, and was adverse (“bitter”) to the wicked Haman.5

In the meantime, King Ahasuerus brings the provinces together for parties to display the wealth of the Kingdom. The king uses this social medium to keep people’s minds beholden to him. So, after much fun, and drinking, the King decides he wants to bring Queens Vashti out to display her beauty before the people and put her on display as the beautiful Queen and mother of Persia, However, his display of pomp and circumstance hits a snag when Vashti flat out refuses to come.

Esther 1:10-12 NKJV

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.

So here is The King over 127 (which if added equals the number 10, this is important) provinces completely humiliated because the queen defied him and a direct command that he had given. Queens Vashti’s behavior, was the beginnings of third-wave feminism at that time, she disobeyed, and she dishonored the King. So, King Ahasuerus gets so infuriated because he looks like a fool in front of all the province heads and the people that he Banishes Vashti from the palace and the area. Because of this huge scandal, like this is the type of scandal that would be on the front of every kind of People magazine–a headline like THE ROYAL FAMILY DIVED (sound familiar) the position of Queen is now open. This is no accident. God is working behind the scenes. His name is Hidden because he is working all things together for good for the Jewish people, his firstborn, to save them. KEY: God’s name is so hidden because it’s such a high revelation! Even if Esther is incredibly intelligent and beautiful, it still could not have happened without the hand of God what's about to take place. God runs the world, and He is in charge is the moral of the story, meaning the Lord does what he pleases and uses WHOM he pleases in order to work things together for the good of His people.

Jeremiah 29:11-13: For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13 Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. And we will see this play out with Esther, Mordecai, and the Jewish people. We are told that Mordecai was a refuge before he cared for Esther, he was exiled from Jerusalem brought to a foreign land against his will just as Joseph was brought to Egypt against his will, a new and unpleasant reality is placed upon him, the same with Daniel was taken to Babylon against his will, and Daniel was plotted against by others servants of the King as well. So this is a theme. Vashti for her insubordination is legally removed as Queen, and now the search begins for a suitable replacement

Esther 2:1-4 

After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; 3 and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to [a]Shushan the [b]citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of [c]Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” 

Esther is one of the women taken into the King's court. When the wise men around the King suggested he becomes the bachelor and do a province-wide search for young beautiful virgins and whom he likes best, it will be like Esther will you accept this final rose sort of thing, so Esther ends up being taken from Mordecai as one of the women. Now they do not go to the king right away. They endure a year’s worth of beauty and cosmetic treatments, including infusing perfumed oils into their skin until they just had that smell coming from all their pores. Esther receives the Favor first of Hegai, who was in charge of the women, and he ensured Esther got the best area for living, that she received her beauty treatments first. Because the favor of the Lord will compel people to help you. When it is time for Esther to go spend the night with the King, women were allowed to choose whatever clothes and jewels they wanted and got to keep what they chose which will breed greed. HOWEVER, Esther not only had the favor of the Lord but had been given great insight and wisdom by God for such a time, Esther asks Hegai what the KING would like, you see Esther was more CONCERNED about what would please the King than what would please her which is a perfect example for us of how we should be when it comes to serving Almighty God. We should be more concerned with what the Lord wants than what we want and that in turn, causes the KING to become FAVORED toward us.

Esther 2:15 15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.

Now we need to understand Mordecai is grieving and we will see this shortly. He is grieving because once a woman is taken by the king and enters the Harem she is never seen again. This was Mordecai’s only one and only child and he gives her up and lets her go to fulfill the call the Lord has on her life to position her to be used as an instrument to help save the Jewish people. However, MORDECAI thinks because Esther is in a Persian environment that she would lose her Jewishness. It is in fact her Jewishness, that the Lord will operate through to save an entire nation–it emphasizes the sacrifice on Mordechai’s part, shadowing the sacrifice the Lord himself would make by giving up His one and ONLY son to come to the earth and die on the cross for the sins of humanity to save us from the terrible fate that would have befallen us all, just as the Jews were staring the terrible fate of annihilation in the face, so was humanity when the Lord made the hard decision to let Jesus go so we all could LIVE.

Now this is a DIVINE appointment, Esther and the KING, because the Lord already knows what type of women the King would favor so this is an arranged a meeting by God working behind the scenes, and the King loved Esther more than any other woman and she becomes Queen. Now keep in mind the King has NO CLUE that she is Jewish, Mordecai told her to conceal this. This orphaned girl taken in by her uncle, a Jew, is now Queen of Persia, another example is Joseph, a Jewish boy abandoned by his brothers because of the Lord’s hand, becomes, as a Jew, 2nd in command over ALL of Egypt. So, when the Lord’s hand is involved, it does not matter the nation, or the circumstance, if Almighty God has ordained it so!

Esther is Positioned, now Mordecai is about to be positioned too, there was a plot against the King by 2 of his Eunuchs at the end of chapter 2, Mordecai just happens to be positioned at the gate where these two were boldly planning the execution. Mordecai hears the plot and reports it to Esther, who tells the King and the plot is valid!! Now, this in turn is written in the book of memorable deeds which will be PIVOTAL later on. 

This is the precursor to what Haman is about to execute and why the Lord has positioned both Esther and Mordecai. Haman’s Plot Against the Jews starts in Esther Chapter3.

Esther 3:1-2 

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.

Here is the question with Mordecai, why won’t this man bow to Haman?

Haman was elevated to viceroy 2nd in command to the king. It appears, keyword, there is a decree issued that all servants were to bow to Haman when he passes in the streets. However, Mordecai REFUSES to bow to Haman, there is a major clue in this! Why does Mordecai do this, why risk your life just to thumb your nose at Haman? Could it be that bowing down is idolatry and Mordecai is standing up for his faith and the commandment, do not worship other gods? Does the Torah consider it idolatry? The Torah is full of examples of humans bowing before another human as an example–Abraham bowed? It’s a way of showing respect in that time of history. And we do not hear anything about the supposed idol around Haman’s neck-the Midrash reported? The book of Esther, however, does not state this in detail. You see Haman gave that decree because haman REALLY wanted to be King. Haman was systematically and methodically planning to take the position of King from Ahasuerus and stage a coup. Mordecai would not bow because Mordecai discerned this and his loyalty was to God first and King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) second, Haman was not the KING THEREFORE Mordecai would not take part in this exercise. Central to the book is a decree of genocide formed by Haman that Mordecai helped to stop. He was an instrument of Almighty God. The only reason Haman made the decree is because Mordecai refuses to bow to him because Mordecai knew it was a deception, a false decree!!

So Mordechai’s refusal to bow births a plot to annihilate the whole people. Haman knew these people were standing in his way of the crown. They saw through him and that was a problem. The first clash between these two men Mordecai and Haman. Servants of the king were to bow to Haman, those at the palace gates. So, the courtiers asked Mordecai why he is not listening to this supposedly valid decree.

Esther 3:4

Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew.

Maybe Mordecai’s silence is an explanation because Mordecai remains silent. He does not listen to them. This appears 1 other time–this exact Hebrew phrase: And it happened day after day he didn’t hear. The phrase appears in the Joseph story (he is faced with the greatest trial of his life, Joseph is approached by Potiphar’s wife to seduce him, and she badgers him day after day. Then it happened as she spoke to Joseph day after day and he did not listen to her. The Midrash (Ancient Commentary) noticed parallels between Mordecai and Joseph. The rabbis notice the protagonist in these stories were related, as in blood-related. Joseph was the child of Rachael; Mordecai was from the Tribe of Benjamin. Their trial was the same and their reward was going to be the same. Both are given the signet ring of the most powerful rulers of their time. Joseph was given Pharaoh’s signet ring, and Mordecai as you will see, is given King Ahasuerus’s signet ring which is coming. Somehow Mordecai’s choice as to whether to bow to Haman was a latter-day choice of Joseph's choosing not to be intimate with Potiphar’s wife. In both cases, the men would not bow to the deceptions being placed before them!! And would not partake of the plan to usurp the authorities of their time, for Joseph it was Potiphar, for Mordecai it is King Xerxes (Ahasuerus). Potiphar’s wife should be reserved for Potiphar and by Mordecai resisting the demands of the courtiers and refusing to bow to Haman was showing a deep loyalty that bowing should ONLY be reserved for the King. The king decrees that all should bow to Haman and at the same time Mordecai is exhibiting loyalty to the king by defying the decree because Mordecai knows it is a false decree, a fabrication by Haman. By Mordecai refusing to bow he is exposing the deception of Haman. And Mordecai is also exposing that Haman wants all around him to begin to VIEW him as being just LIKE the king because Haman wants to be the king. Kind of like lucifer wants to be LIKE God but will never be. At the tree in Genesis when the serpent says to Eve “if you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will become LIKE God knowing good from evil”. It’s the same deception repackaged…This is Haman’s first not-so-subtle attempt to begin to turn public opinion in his favor. And Mordecai is standing in the way of this plan. How did this decree, that all should bow to Haman, get legislated in the first place? After Mordecai foils the assassination plot of the king, the king elevates Haman and placed him second in command to the king. Suddenly at that point, the servants started bowing to Haman because, so the king commanded him. The last verse, there seems to be a misplaced pronoun! Who did the king command to bow to Haman?

Esther 3:2

And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.

The text translates “for so the king commanded him” the King was talking to only 1 person. What is the text implying? The only person the king could have commanded about this was Haman himself. Why was the decree issued to Haman and not sent out as a royal decree with the king’s signet ring? How did the courtiers know about this decree? Haman would be the only source of information. Haman is going around telling the servants the king said they are all to bow to him. The king didn’t give this order–NOTICE it was Haman who gave the order not the king and so the king should have given that order if it were true. This shows Haman is taking liberties the king did not order or grant. And thus begins the ABUSE OF POWER. Haman is engineering a power grab here with this bowing he wants to be seen as the king, he wants the servants to begin to view him–Haman as the king. Idolatry started with the mistake in the notion that you could bow to the servant to honor the master and that is what Haman is doing exactly. This is likened to those who began worshiping the sun as a way to worship God and then forgot all about God and just worshiped the Sun. KEY: Same idea here! 

Esther 3:7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

The month of Nisan…Pharaoh went to kill the Jews who left Egypt through the red sea in Nissan 19 and was Nissan 19 when Adolf Hitler was born.

Where is the hint to Esther in the 5 books of Moses, being Esther lived so long after these 5 books were written? Where is the hint to Esther, Haman, and Mordecai in the Torah? If God has seen all of it, the beginning, the end, then the Torah would have Hinted at this.

Haman, the hint of Haman according to the sages, comes from the story of the tree of the knowledge of the good of evil. They find a word that is similar in spelling.

Hey mem nun appearance in Genesis 3 is a hint to the hey mem nun to Haman in the Torah. The verse pointed to is after Adam has eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:11: God says Hamin ha’eitz “have you eaten from the tree I have commanded you not to eat from” hey mem nun. When you think about this Haman is an evil individual plotting genocide, and well Adam, we do not think of him as such a bad guy, he eats from the tree that’s not such a good thing, but it’s not like he’s plotting genocide. So why this comparison which seems a bit shocking, puzzling even? What are the sages (Jewish philosophers, wise men) trying to say about the book of Esther? Here is the way it went: Haman has everything–a powerful position with the king, riches, wealth, and the one thing he cannot have is Mordecai, killing Mordecai for refusing to bow. Mordecai is the forbidden fruit, the fruit Haman is NOT supposed to touch. Adam had everything in the garden and the one thing he could not have was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. EVE is the one who deceives Adam into eating from the tree, likewise Zeresh, Haman's wife, convinces him to hang Mordecai and kill him in Esther 5:14, encouraging him to build a gallows 50 cubits high. The tree and gallows are from the same word in Hebrew.

Esther 5:14

Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows[a] be made, [b]fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.”

And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.

They want to hang Mordecai on a 50-cubit gallows, a 50-cubit tree. 50 the number of the Jubilee, where the captives are set free and what is stolen is returned. Haman is the thief, attempting to steal the crown and kill and destroy the Jewishjewish people.

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

10, 10 the number 10 links this verse to what is going to be executed against the line of Haman!

Esther Chapter 6: is where things begin to take a MASSIVE TURN, where we begin to see the reversal the divine reversal takes place as the Lord continues to work behind the scenes for his people. This was because Mordecai will not bow Haman not only wants to lay hands on Mordecai BUT annihilate the ENTIRE JEWISH PEOPLE. Esther 3 Haman casts lots (PUR) and he gets the month of Adar (February to March). Haman approaches the king with a deceptive proposal. Haman presents the argument that the Jews do not follow the king’s laws and that there is diversity and showing that one is better than the other. Meaning the Jews are not unified. Diversity is the opposite of Purim. Truly, Purim is coming to include one another that is why package gifts are sent to be closer to others. Haman also argues their laws are different, meaning God’s laws, and it is in the kings best interest to NOT let them remain in the provinces and if the king does so, Haman would pay 330 tons (complete Jewish bible) of silver into the king’s treasury so Haman is playing to the king’s side of wanting riches of displaying his wealth so in a way Haman makes the king an offer he cannot refuse. Haman was using a large amount of silver to attempt to deceive and betray the king. The 330 tons of silver there is much revelation here!! The 330 tons of silver represents the two betrayals of Jesus in the gospels. Number 3- before the rooster crowed Peter would deny Jesus 3 times, he is told by Jesus this before the events that lead to Calvary take place in Matthew 26:34. Number 30-was the number of pieces of silver Judas was offered to betray Jesus to the Pharisees and hand Him over to them.

Haman was attempting to destroy the king by getting him to betray the Jews and sign the Jews death sentence, adding a huge amount of silver to lure the king in, because Haman wanted to be the king. The betrayal of Jesus himself is foreshadowed within these scriptures. The decree goes out on the 13th day of the 12th month the Jews are to be annihilated and destroyed. The main reason for such a decree even going out according to a Hasidic rabbi why the Jews deserved it--they went to the party of Ahasuerus. It was not kosher and it was a grave sin but it’s not the main reason. It was that they were so carried away with the society of this world; it took away what the Jews were they got carried away with the party and forgot the message of the creator of the world.

Esther 4: Mordecai tears his clothes when the decree goes out and puts on sackcloth and ashes to mourn Esther now learns of Haman’s plot and initially is seized with great fear which is what the enemy wants to strike fear so then we lose faith. She attempts to send Mordecai clothes BUT he refuses because he is in mourning. He is mourning the loss of Esther, losing his people, and that Esther will completely lose her Jewishness in this. Finally, Esther sends Hathach, a eunuch, to find out from Mordecai why he is so distraught.

READ ESTHER 4:5-17 

So Ester summoned Hatakh, one of the king’s officials attending her, and instructed him to go to Mordekhai and find out what this was all about and why. 6 Hatakh went out to Mordekhai in the open space in front of the King’s Gate, 7 and Mordekhai told him everything that had happened to him and exactly how much silver Haman had promised to put in the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the decree for their destruction issued in Shushan; so that he could show it to Ester, explain it to her, and then instruct her to approach the king, intercede with him and implore his favor on behalf of her people. 9 Hatakh returned and told Ester what Mordekhai had said.

10 Then Ester spoke to Hatakh and gave him this message for Mordekhai: 11 “All the king’s officials, as well as the people in the royal provinces, know that if anyone, man or woman, approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being summoned, there is just one law — he must be put to death — unless the king holds out the gold scepter for him to remain alive; and I haven’t been summoned to the king for the past thirty days.”

12 Upon being told what Ester had said, Mordekhai 13 asked them to give Ester this answer: “Don’t suppose that merely because you happen to be in the royal palace you will escape any more than the other Jews. 14 For if you fail to speak up now, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from a different direction; but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows whether you didn’t come into your royal position precisely for such a time as this.”

15 Ester had them return this answer to Mordekhai: 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews to be found in Shushan, and have them fast for me, neither eating nor drinking for three days, night and day; also I and the girls attending me will fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Then Mordekhai went his way and did everything Ester had ordered him to do

This is crucial--this is where Esther gives herself over completely as an instrument to be used by Almighty God! She fully Commits! Esther fasts 3 days, with no food, and no water, along with those around her including Mordecai and the Jews. She has been fasting 3 days she is weak; she is pale she doesn’t look her best. She puts on her royal robes and she takes her life into her hands and goes and stands before the king in the inner court. However, Esther has the supernatural favor of God on her life. She has fasted and prayed because this is the moment where she needs the Lord to go before her. She needs the FAVOR OF THE KING.

Esther 5:1-5 READ

Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the [a]house. 2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”

4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

This is a PIVOTAL point because had the king NOT extended the gold scepter, all would have been lost and the Jews may have been annihilated. It hinged on Esther finding favor in the site of the King. Remember Esther and Mordecai are instruments of Almighty God right now, he is working through them. It is after this banquet the first banquet the King cannot sleep, as Esther has invited them to a second banquet and only then will she make her request known. Haman leaves joyful thinking he has EVERYTHING IN THE BAG. That night the king cannot sleep, he cannot sleep after what has transpired with Esther appearing suddenly in his court, the extending of the gold scepter, and of anything Esther could of asked the king for, he offered up to half his kingdom, she invites the King and Haman to a banquet. 

This is the virtual living and walking out of Psalm 23:4-5

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

A table is being prepared before Esther, Mordechai, and the Jews in the PRESENCE of their enemies, and the presence of Haman at the banquet…

Chapter 6 begins with King Ahasuerus fighting an intentional bought of insomnia, intentional on the Lord’s part. It was out of the ordinary that he could not sleep reflects God the King of Kings does not sleep nor slumber. When a person is up vs sleeping--when a person is up everything functions normally in a normal way. While at sleep you are not in an alert state! God neither sleeps nor slumbers because He is protecting us!

Ahasuerus is a reference to God aharit-end resh-beginning so end beginning God is the end from the beginning, and beginning from end, Ahasuerus can’t sleep, the Lord cannot rest because He knows His people the Jewish people are in danger. His children are in danger. At the same time, Haman cannot sleep, by God’s design, because the Lord knows what Haman is coming to ask the king for. So, the king asks for the book of records and memorable deeds to be read to him because, truly, his spirit is being stirred by the Lord. Haman cannot sleep because he has just been convinced by Zeresh his wife (a shadow of the tempting of Adam by Eve), to go to the king and ask for Mordecai’s head. The serpent tells Eve and Adam will be LIKE God if they eat from the tree, that they would not die they would be like God. Likewise Haman wants to be like the King Mordecai is standing in the way of that. During the reading of memorable deeds, the King realizes Mordechai was never honored for uncovering the plot of the eunuchs against the King's life. It is at this PIVOTAL moment Haman enters to speak with the king about Mordechai. And the king poses a question to Hamanin chapter 6: what is to be done for a man the king desires to honor. So Haman, thinking it's all about him, tells the king to honor such a man to give him a royal crown, royal robe, and a royal horse and put the person on the horse and walk him around announcing this is what shall be done for a man the king chooses to honor. Haman wants to be LIKE the king, he wants to be THE KING, just as Adam and Eve wanted to be LIKE GOD. NOW the King begins to recognize the evil in Haman, and the reverse happens, and the King turns to Haman and says go do this for Mordecai. Now things are beginning to reverse on Haman. Haman MUST NOW parade Mordecai through the streets being forced to HONOR the very man he wants to destroy along with his people. Haman returns home distraught and his wife Zeresh, the very one who lured him to hang Mordecai makes a very prophetic statement.

Esther 6:13 READ

When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.”

However, Haman is hurried to the second banquet that Esther requests, so he has NO TIME to take down the gallows or attempt to correct what he has done. Haman makes the mistake that later on the officials that wanted to destroy Daniel  would make as well, through tricking King Darius into a decree, those officials would make the same mistake and a Purim-like situation unfolds there as well in the book of Daniel. The second banquet in chapter 7 Queen Esther makes her plea and has to break the news to the King that she herself is a Jew.

Esther7:3-6 READ:

Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4 For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”

5 So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

6 And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”

So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

The King gets up infuriated, I think he is just as infuriated at himself for allowing himself to be tricked in such a manner by Haman. And at this point the king's servants speak up, betray Haman, show their loyalty to the king, and point to the 50ft gallows which is no coincidence, 50 is the jubilee, the captives get set free, things are rectified, on that tree, the mistake in the garden was rectified on the 50ft, jubilee, gallows. The 50-cubit gallows that was built for Mordecai and the king orders Haman be hung on it. Here is the mistake--it is being corrected that we made in the garden, repairing what’s wrong, the serpent is being hung on the tree. KEY: The letters for tree and the letters for gallows are the same in Hebrew. On Purim things were made right, the serpent was hung on the tree. It’s all about correcting the mistakes we have made in the world God’s name does not appear in Esther, the Lord is Hiding. Esther starts out hiding; hiding her actual identity if she conveys who she is to the king she will go from hiding to reveal. Back in the garden things did not go so well, Adam and Eve started out in the open and they ended up hiding from God after eating from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, now the reverse in the book of Esther the Lord will hide and we have to find him. Better yet, Esther comes out into the open--she reveals who she really is to her husband and that she is a Jew. She does this successfully. After she makes the argument, the king does not jump up and say SURE I can save the Jews. The law and decree cannot be reversed! BUT, the king gives the signet ring to Mordechai and Esther and basically says do what is good. At that point, their fate rests with God, who has been hiding all along. Mordecai pulls off the almost impossible, and he takes the King's ring and issues a counter decree for the Jews to defend themselves. Mordecai is sowing a contradictory decree of the king and the king favors it. Mordecai gets dressed in royal robes, goes out into the open, and celebrates public relations what does it really look like while Mordecai is doing this, he is attempting to make it look like the King is for the Jews! After Esther has done her work and comes out of hiding, the Lord comes out of hiding too.

• The 12 month, Adar, on the 13th day the Jews take up arms to defend themselves.

• Mordecai’s role in the tree of knowledge.

• Two competing views of the tree of knowledge are Adam and Eve.

• Mordecai and Esther.

• Mordecai is the forbidden fruit and through the decrees creates something that becomes forbidden.

• The story of Purim is about making it right again and correcting the mistakes made in the garden.

• The mistake of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that cost humanity so much was rectified when instead the serpent, Haman was hung from the 50-foot gallows, instead of Mordecai.

• This Purim is very prophetically significant.