Esther 9
Chapter Nine, in which the Jewish people have the revenge that only a history of persecution could necessitate. On the day in which Haman's edict was supposed to go into effect, the new edict (overturning the old one) goes into effect, and the Jews are allowed to defend themselves against anyone who comes against them. Presumably, there are still some people who intended to enforce Haman's edict. However, the Jews didn't stop with them, as they killed many others, most likely including those who might potentially rise up against them. Their fury at their history of persecution was finally being given an outlet, and even the King was impressed. Upon hearing the number of people killed just in his own city, the King asked Esther if there was anything else she would ask of him. Her request was for the King to extend his edict to the following day, extending it across both the thirteenth and fourteenth of Adar. She also requested that the ten sons of Haman being hanged, and since they were already dead, this could only have been to warn others. It is important to note that specific mention is made of the Jews not taking the property of those they killed, even though the King's edict allowed it. The killing here was not for personal gain, as there was an ancient Hebrew law that stated that personal gain was not to be at the expense of an enemy in a holy war. This was considered a holy war by the Jews.
The remainder of this chapter is devoted to the establishment of the celebration of Purim. This celebration is still carried out today and apparently is quite boisterous! A quick web search will show you what I mean.
Nine chapters down; one to go! Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of the book of Esther. In actuality, it's not that exciting, but it is the conclusion! Thanks for reading today!
God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net