The book of Esther: A study of God in action when nothing appears
to be happening!
by Patsy Norwood (c) 2023
All Rights Reserved
We ended last week’s lesson by recapping what each of
the young ‘perspective’ future queens faced before and after their night with
the king.
This week we’re going to meet the one who would become the
king’s future queen as well as her cousin who played a vital role in the future
queen’s life! Let's pick up with verse 5 of chapter 2 ...
5 In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew
whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a
Benjamite.
“In Shushan the citadel” … this is the palace in Susa/Shushan
were King Ahasuerus lived. Remember,
Susa/Shushan was the Persian capital.
“there was a certain Jew” … here is the Jewish connection
through which all of this is going to play out.
Up to this point the book of Esther has been about Persian royalty, but
now a Jew is introduced into the narrative.
“whose name was Mordecai” … commentaries that I read agreed
that Mordecai’s name was most likely derived from the pagan god, Marduk, a
Babylonian and Assyrian god. Mordecai’s
name suggests that he was born in Babylon.
Josephus, a Greek historian, in The Works of Josephus tells us that Mordecai was one of the principal persons among the Jews.
“the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, A Benjamite”
… Mordecai’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather, descendants of the tribe
of Benjamin.
Sidenote: It is
generally believed that Mordecai (and consequently Esther) lived in or around Shushan/Susa or even possibly somewhere between Babylon and Shushan which were some 200 miles apart.
6 Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with
the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
“Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem” … this carrying
away occurred more than 100 years earlier when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
fought against Judah and consequently Jerusalem where Mordecai’s ancestors
lived. King Nebuchadnezzar won the war,
and the captives were carried away in 3 stages.
Mordecai’s ancestors were carried away in the second stage along with
the then king of Judah, Jeconiah. This
became known as the Babylonian captivity and lasted 70 years.
According to the Bible (Jeremiah 25: 1-11), Wikipedia, and
other secular history sources, the Babylonian captivity was punishment by God
for idolatry and disobedience to God.
Let that sink in! (I like it when secular history supports what the Bible says!)
7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is,
Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young
woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took
her as his own daughter.
Let’s meet the future queen of Persia … Esther
Esther was her Persian name; Hadassah was her Hebrew name.
She was an orphan; we don’t know at what age she became an
orphan.
She was raised by Mordecai, her 1st cousin who was likely
much older than her.
She was lovely and beautiful.
The New American Standard version reads, ‘beautiful of form and face.’
She was approximately 15 years old at the time of the
‘roundup.’ (She could have been as young as 13 and as old as 18 or 19, but most of my research indicated that she was about 15 years of age.)
She lived in the Shushan/Susa with Mordecai.
Josephus tells us that Esther was the most beautiful of all the rest, and that the grace of her countenance drew the eyes of the spectators principally upon her. "Spectators" ... that makes me think that there was a big turnout for a 'look' at the young ladies' arrivals! I don't know that I would have liked to be 'gawked' at and sized up in that manner!
Mordecai was simply a Jew living out his years in captivity,
raising his uncle’s child. It sounds so mundane,
doesn’t it? Who would have guessed by
watching events unfold that nothing could have been further from the
truth? Who would have guessed that while
Mordecai and Esther were busy going about their daily lives, that the God of
creation was moving and orchestrating events that would save them, along with
the rest of the Jewish people, from annihilation. Annihilation, that at this point, they had no
idea was coming!
Do you see God providentially working behind the scenes in
today’s lesson?
Next week we’ll look at verses 8 - 11 and see Esther move
closer to her future role as queen and Mordecai literally walking the floor!
I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson, what are your thoughts
on it?
Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this
class, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as
well.
Links to previous lessons:
Until the next class ...
patsy @ From This Heart of Mine
(c) 2023 by Patsy Norwood ~ All Rights Reserved.
Lots to think about but my vacation brain has nothing to add.
ReplyDeleteLana, vacations are so nice aren't they! For me, it takes a few days to get back in the grove of my non-vacation life though once we get home, so I understand!
DeleteWhat caught my attention the most was Mordecai. To me he appeared generous and maybe selfless by the very fact he was bringing up Esther as his own when she was orphaned. It seems to me that God was providentially working behind the scenes with Mordecai. Cookie
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