The Serpent and the Seed: Week 4

The Battle for Christmas

Esther 1

• 1:3 Xerces called the feast to plan the invasion of Greece. It took 3 years to prepare for the war.
• 1:11 The Talmud identifies Vashti as the daughter of Belshazzar, grandaughter of Nebuchadnezzar, rescued from the slaughter of the politicians.

Esther 2

• 2:1 Xerces is in a bad way.
• 2:5 2 Samuel 16 - Shimei curses David, David spares Shimei, descendent of Saul and ancestor of Mordecai.
• 2:6 Kish carried away with Daniel.
• 2:7 Esther means "star", and is named after Ishtar, the goddess of pagan Easter.
• 2:8 Hegai was a eunuch.
• 2:10 Hadassah means "myrtle tree", but also "hidden". Esther hides her heritage. Coincidence is the hidden working of God. God and prayer are not named in Esther (some point to acrostics). In Deuteronomy 32, God predicts the faithlessness of Israel, and that he will hide His face from them. But He continues to provide for them in secret.
• 2:16 7th year of Xerces. Xerces reigns for 21 years.
• 2:21 There was widespread talk of assassination after the disastrous Greek war which bankrupted the empire. Xerces was, in fact, eventually assassinated. In August 465 BC, Artabanus assassinated Xerxes with the help of a eunuch, Aspamitres. Greek historians give contradicting accounts of events. According to Ctesias (in Persica 20), Artabanus then accused the Crown Prince Darius, Xerxes's eldest son, of the murder and persuaded another of Xerxes's sons, Artaxerxes, to avenge the patricide by killing Darius. But according to Aristotle (in Politics 5.1311b), Artabanus killed Darius first and then killed Xerxes. After Artaxerxes discovered the murder, he killed Artabanus and his sons.
• 2:23 There is no reward for Mordecai at that time. The reward will come at the perfect time.

Esther 3

Exo 17:8-16 Amalek will be utterly blotted out.
1 Sam 15 Saul instructed to destroy Amalekites, spares Agag ancestor of Haman. Samuel kills Agag, but some of his sons escape.

• 3:1 The descendent of Agag vs the descendent of Saul. The rematch.
• 3:3 Mordecai puts entire nation at risk.
• 3:9 Haman offers funds, because Xerces bankrupted the empire with the Greek war (also attempting to eliminate a "troublesome people").
• 3:13 And, yet another attempt to destroy the Seed by wiping out all Jews.
• 3:15 The Greek war was bad enough, this new genocide seems senseless even to pagans. It is Satanically inspired.

Esther 4

• 4:8 Mordecai tells Hatach about Esther's heritage. He keeps her secret. The king does not find out until Esther reveals it
• 4:14 Deliverance will arise from another place. God has prepared ahead of time a response to every possible human choice, and will always accomplish His will.
• 4:16 Esther's attendants worship the God of the Jews also. How did this come about?

Esther 5-7 The Long Day