Sermon Notes on the Book of Esther

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Sermon Notes on the Book of Esther

Trevor Peterson

c. September 11, 2001

The story seems to originate from a mind conflicted over social identity.

The central character, as a woman in a male-dominated culture, stands pas-sively in the middle of a struggle between her familial heritage and culturalconformity. The power of her self-interest is by default on the side of externalculture, which forces her to take action in favor of heritage. The conflict isonly resolved when she openly identifies herself, thereby shifting self-interestin the other direction. There does not seem to be any way for the two sidesof the struggle to coexist, as the only options presented in the story are theannihilation of one or the other.

The book presumes an audience that experiences, or at least can identifywith, similar conflict in a context of cultural subjugation. The connection tothe feast of Purim suggests an occasion for the public reading of the story,even if that was not the original intention. While the central character isa woman, the reality of a male-dominated culture is that men would havehad the ability to choose their own identity and influence others. This is notto say that women could not have benefited from the story, but it is not somuch about them as it might appear on the surface.

As a story, the book can be analyzed according to a four-part devel-opment: exposition, complication, resolution, and coda. The exposition isexcessively long, which points to the significance of the Vashti episode andthe involved treatment of the selection process for the rest of the story. Thelength of the resolution is also significant, weaving together issues of law and

violence that need to be addressed.Overridingly, the story deals with power politics. The setting is almost

exclusively in the palace and its immediate vicinity. Degrees of power andstation are pictured through motifs of banquet and fasting, clothing styles,and relative proximity to the king (although there is a significant shift on

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this last motif when power leaves the palace with Mordecai). The women

in the story also point to issues of power. Vashtis refusal to appear at thekings banquet shows an exercise of her own willno excuse is given, andthe only reaction the king can come up with is anger. He has no recourseto lawhis primary source of powerexcept to make a new one that reallyends up condemning her to what she wanted in the first place. Where Vashtidrops out of the story after coming into direct conflict with the king, however,Esther does a better job of playing the political game. She uses her position(which she wins on her good looks) in an exercise of power. This exercise ofpower, however, is not without its price. Although Mordecai and Esther areable to gain control of Persian affairs, they seem to be tainted by the process.Mordecai takes on the very role he refused to acknowledge in Haman, backed

by the law of the same king. Instead of the Jews being killed by Hamansdecree, they kill others by Mordecais.

Although the Jews win in the end, the story deconstructs itself on a fewpoints. Their identity as a race is central to the conflict, but it is Mordecaisnationalism that causes the problem to begin with, and it is only throughEsthers concealment of her identity that the opportunity ever presents itselffor them to be saved. Their use of Persian law to achieve their ends isanother problem, not only in that they should not need the writing thatbinds together the culturally diverse empire, but also in that Mordecaissolution to the problem is to find a way around what the writing has bound.

Usually the law and the king are more or less the same. The Vashti storysets up the importance of the law in the life of the Persian palace and thepride of the king, against whom Vashti stands in direct opposition. It isHamans portrayal of the Jews as lawbreakers that moves the king againstthem. It is, however, the more directly personal affront to the king in thedanger posed to his queen that moves him against Haman instead. Again,the Vashti story anticipates this move, since the king is clearly not beyondshaping law to his personal preference. Vashti thus shows what can happenwhen the king and the law are aligned against a person, whereas Esthershows what can happen when they are with her.

The real key to the intractable Persian legal system is the masculinity of

the king. His proud display of opulence and indignation at Vashtis refusal(despite the absence of a law governing such circumstances), combined withthe fear of a general female uprising, anticipate the significance. The pageant,too, focuses on the kings masculine desire for a beautiful queenone whowill impress him apart from any legal considerations. And in the end, it is

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this woman who has the ability to reach the king as a man.

In the end, the violence of the resolution is problematic. As far as thestory is concerned, the Jews have experienced no real persecutiononly thethreat in Hamans decree. The extent of their retaliation therefore seemsunduly harsh. Further, it seems that Esthers concealed then later revealedidentity results in the whole problem of death and destruction. Haman maystill have been the evil character that he is in the story, but if he knewfrom the start that Mordecai was a relative of the queen, he would probablynever have dreamed of genocide. And who is to say whether the Jews couldnot have achieved an influential position through her efforts, without all thebloodshed?

The opening episode ends with the kings written judgment upon Vashti

(1:22), prompting in turn an edict to assemble candidates for the next queen(2:8). The incident reported by Mordecai is recorded in the daily chronicles(2:23) and later read to the king when he has trouble sleeping (6:12). Pre-sumably the king issued a command regarding the payment of homage toHaman (3:3), which Mordecai refuses to observe. Hamans proposal to theking results in the writing and dissemination of an edict for the slaughterof the Jews (3:1215), which provokes mourning in the Jewish community,and of which Mordecai gives a copy to Esther (4:8). Likewise, the responseto Hamans edict is a new edict authorizing the use of violent force on thepart of the Jews (8:514), which is then extended in Susa by an extra day

(9:14). Mordecai codifies the celebration of Purim (9:20ff.), which Estheralso confirms in public record (9:29-32). Finally, the book closes by referringthe reader to the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia for the detailsof Ahashueruss reign and a statement about Mordecai (10:2).

5:3; 7:2only instances of a woman addressed with deferential languagein Scripture

1 Marginal Lessons from Esther

No one can take a womans right to choose.

The most direct strategy is not always the best.

Kings are men, too.

Sometimes you can get there on your good looks.

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Never miss an opportunity to save a life.

Dont believe everything you read.

Clothes do make the man.

You are what you eat.

2 Comparing America

Similar:

Threatened by a foreign entity

Enemy in terms of individuals/civilians, not nation vs. nation

Use of politics

Use of covert operations

Use of deadly force

Need to enlist help of potentially dangerous allies

Unclearly religious in time of crisis

National identity bolstered by conflict

Threat centralized in one person (but involving others)

Protagonists stand to gain political standing

Allies stand to lose power by helping protagonists

Legal issues involved

Only options are destruction of one side or the other

Locations are significant in terms of power Danger of becoming like the enemy

Deconstructive relationship between the source of and solution to theproblem

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Peripherally, cf. Ahasueruss strong reaction to Vashti?

Enemy action based on response to individuals, extended tonation by attitude

Past role of protagonist with enemys associates makes things worse

Enemy needs backing of powerful associates

Realization that no one is safe is central to the campaign

Many side with the protagonists out of fear

Dissimilar: Powerful govt, not powerless minority

Religiously motivated enemy

Enemy not quite clear

Attack has already happened (and possibly ongoing?)

Less stress on writing/law

No specifically man-based strategy to gain allies (but who knows?)

I want to begin by telling you a story this morning. I hope youll bearwith me, because Im by no means a great story-teller. But I think its astory we all need to hear. Its about a girl named Ester and her people,the Yhudim. Through a series of events that we dont have time to discuss,Ester became the queen of Paras. It was not because of her education orexperience or familyfrom all we can tell, it was mostly because the Kingliked the way she looked. (Now, we like to say that looks dont matter, butall too often in the real world they do.) But what the King didnt know,what none of the Parsim knew, was that Ester was Yhudi. Really, as far aswe can tell, no one knew except her cousin, Mordoxay, who had raised her

and told her to keep her identity secret. We dont know why he told her todo this, but she was obedient without knowing the reason, so perhaps we canlive without one as well.

We dont know either how long Ester had a chance to enjoy her role asqueen, but there eventually came into the story a man named Haman. Haman

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was not Parsi either, but for some reason the King harbored him and gave

him a high position. You would think hed have appreciated that fact andbeen happy enough to overlook a disturbance here and there, but he wasnt.You see, Haman had a problem; or rather, he developed a problem. Esterscousin, Mordoxay, did some things that Haman thought were disrespectful.Mordoxay did not hide his identity like he had instructed Ester, but hemade quite clear that his disrespect was because of his national identity.Mordoxay was Yhudian arrogant people who felt that their own interestsand concerns took priority over the laws and customs of other nations, whothought nothing of trampling the dignity of others for the sake of their ownadvancementor so it appeared to Haman by looking at Mordoxay. Hamanwas furious and knew that something must be done. Not only must Mordoxay

pay, but his (presumably) insolent people must pay. No distinction wouldbe made. Thousands would die, including men, women, and children. Theymust be hurt economically and physically, and if not altogether wiped out,so terrorized that they would think twice before ever being so arrogant.

So Haman devised a plan. Being just a man, not a nation, he knew thathe would need the backing of powerful forces. He would need the protectionand financial resources that could only come through successful alliance. Andhe would need others to do the dirty work for him. So he went to the King,who had been so helpful already, and he secured the means to enact his plan.He would not pit nation against nation, for the situation was too complex

for that. Instead, he would make this a battle of individuals and civilians.Neighbors who had never given one another a second thought would becomeenemies. It would be harder to see the sides involved, and harder to wage aresponse.

When Haman began to put his plan into action, it had immediate effects.Mordoxay and the other Yhudim knew that this was a very serious matter.The move was totally unexpected and left them stunned. At first, theycould do little more than mourn. Their response was deeply religious, asthey fasted and prayed (although were not told to what godindeed, nogod is mentioned throughout the story). They came together in solidarity asa nation, as a people. We dont know how many up to this point had been

like Ester, hiding their identity, or perhaps taking it for granted, and howmany had been like Mordoxay, more vocal and defiant. But now, in the faceof this new threata threat to their very existencethere was nothing to dobut stand together, for they were Yhudim, their freedom had been attacked,and their enemy was evil.

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Ester did not find out as quickly as the others what was going on. When

she heard that Mordoxay was mourning, she tried to cheer him up until heinformed her of the attack. This was a time for all Yhudim to actto dotheir part in defense of their people, their freedom, their lives. Ester wasafraid, but Mordoxay made it clear to her that she could not remain neutral.She may have thought she was safe in the palacethat no one could harmher therethat the walls would deter any invasionbut clearly the stakeshad been raised. Hamans campaign of terror left no one safe or secure. Theonly answer was swift retaliation. They would have to use all of the politicalmeans at their disposal, and hers was the greatest. Why else had she beenmade queen except to fight for her people in their hour of need?

Ester realized what she had to do. It would mean risking death, but

she had no choice. Clearly, they would need to respond with force. To dothat, there was no way but to form strategic alliances. The King himselfwould need to be won to their side. He would have to see the seriousnessof Hamans campaign. It would have to be brought home to him that, ifhe did nothing, he would be harming himself. There could be no neutralityfor anyone. Either he was for Haman or he was for the Yhudim. One orthe other would be destroyed. Ester drove the point home. A threat to theYhudim was a threat to her, and a threat to her was a threat to the King;and if the threat could be eliminated by ridding the world of Haman, thenclearly he would have to go. The King wholeheartedly saw Haman executed.

But the death of Haman did not solve the problem. Yes, one murderousfanatic had been eliminatedand an important one at thatbut what hehad set in motion still remained to be dealt with. Hamans campaign ofterror was by now a movement bigger than one man, and the response wouldhave to be just as big. Reluctantly, the King gave Ester and Mordoxay theauthority and freedom to retaliate as they saw fit. They rallied the Yhudimto take up arms against all possible enemies. Just as Haman had sought tokill the Yhudim indiscriminately, they would stop at nothing to wipe out thethreat of another such attack. Many of the people of Paras were afraid of theYhudim and came to their side to avoid annihilation. Clearly, the King wasno longer the one in chargeMordoxay was the new center of power, and the

Yhudim were in control. On the day that Hamans planned attack was tohave been unleashed, the Yhudim instead won over their enemies. Mordoxaywent down in history as a great leader, and his people memorialized thecampaign through succeeding generations.

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1. The book of Ester is about power and politics.

2. The book of Ester is a story.

3. The book of Ester is Gods Word.

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Sermon Notes on the Book of Esther

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