Esther

 

 

The book of Esther is not about Esther

God would have us understand,

Rather, it is about God whose name is not,

And His wonderful redemptive plan.

 

God is not mentioned, that you can see

But He is definitely behind the scenes,

Behind every act and every scene involved

The God of the Bible can be seen.

 

Let us note the four principal characters

And the roll each one plays

As they negatively or positively portray

God’s miraculous power to save.

 

Many see it as just a great story

But it can be easily checked for its truth,

The event involves Medo-Persia and Israel

And history supplies the proof.

 

Over one hundred twenty-seven provinces:

From India to Ethiopia Ahasuerus reigned,

Such was the might of the Medes and Persians

Having risen to second world-power fame.

 

 

Haman is the villain as we all can see

And he solicits the support of the King,

His objective is to execute Mordecai

And genocide to all of Israel bring.

 

 

Mordecai on the other hand is a Jew

And he will not take this sitting down,

The King at this time desires a new queen

Hence, a ring and a wedding gown.

 

And here enters the beautiful Esther

A descendant of the Benjamin tribe,

Emerging top of the list of the prospective queens

Esther becomes King Ahasuerus’ bride.

 

This was the scarlet thread for Mordecai

As he put his rescue plan in place,

If he does not counter wicked Haman’s plot

Of the Jews there would not be a trace.

 

Hence, a dangerous job for the new queen,

Before King Ahasuerus she must stand

But in order for her to do such a thing

This must be at the King’s demand.

 

To do such a thing could mean her death

But Mordecai determined that she must,

If something was not done, and very soon,

Every Jew would lie in the dust.

 

Can you not see what that would mean?

There would be no promised Messiah,

Perhaps Mordecai also knew this

And that’s why he persuaded Queen Esther.

 

However, he was convinced if she refused,

Deliverance would come some other way

But that Esther had come to the throne for this

And King Ahasuerus she could sway.

 

 

If I perish I perish, were Esther’s words

And into the king’s presence she went,

He received her with such acknowledgement

You would think that for her he had sent.

 

The king had issued an irreversible decree

On information Haman had supplied,

He knew not that the information was false

And so, every single Jew must die.

 

However, Mordecai had saved Ahasuerus’ life

When he told of a plot to overthrow the king

And while reading his diary one sleepless night

The king came upon this very thing.

 

On this information he sent for Mordecai

And offered to make amends

But because the decree could not be retracted

He could not reverse that trend.

 

Instead, he made a counter decree

That allowed the Jews themselves to defend,

And with that a massive victory they won

That throughout the provinces extend. 

 

 

As for Haman, he died on his own gallows:

The one he had built for Mordecai,

Like Pharaoh, Herod and many others,

Any attempt to prevent the Messiah with them died.

 

So, Esther is not some fairy tale

Around which Hollywood movies are made,

But it takes its rightful place in the Canon

And deserves the highest grade.

 

It appears to be around the same period

As that of Ezra and Nehemiah

And clearly from these two prophets

That’s when the 70-year exile expired.

 

 

They were able to rebuild the temple

And repair the breeches in the walls

After King Cyrus in adherence to the prophecy

Suggested they should no longer stall.

 

However, not all the Jews had returned

From Daniel and Ezekiel’s time

So, Jerusalem was still under Medo-Persia rule

And this we must keep in mind.

 

Eventually, however, most did return

And the city of Jerusalem was reestablished,

The rituals and ceremonies were done again

Just like the devout Jews would wish.

 

The dry bones had come to life again

Just like the prophet Ezekiel saw,

That these events were this prophetic fulfilment

Is the conclusion I now draw.

 

There are still a lot of questions

To which I do not have the answers

But the idea this will occur at some future time,

Now, that’s a different matter.

 

Stewart Russell © August 31, 2021

 

Ezekiel 38 and 39

 

 

 

Ezekiel 38 and 39

Where does it fit?

A prophecy yet to be fulfilled?

Not from where we sit.

 

A restoration of Israel

At the end of time?

In the light of Holy Scripture

Nothing of this kind.

 

A modern day battle?

It does not appear so

For when we take a careful look

It surely does not show.

 

Note the weapons used:

Not of modern day,

Chariots, horses, bows and spears?

Definitely not, no way!

 

This cannot be a war

To be fought in modern days,

Modern day weapons are far superior

In so many different ways.

 

They are more powerful

And much more accurate,

They are far more long range

And can obliterate.

 

There are some, however,

That attempt to convert

The ancient weapons to modern day

But this does not work.

 

Chariots may be tanks

Horses as horsepower,

Arrows and spears are missiles

A bow: a missile launcher.

 

Very clever I would say

But far from making sense

Since God is sharing with Ezekiel

Regarding Israel’s defense.

 

Notice too, the spoils:

Gold, silver, goods and cattle;

Not likely to be the spoils taken

In a modern-day battle.

 

If not in our future

Where does this battle fit?

A reading of the book of Esther

Should be adequate.

 

 

Taken captive to Babylon

Most of Israel not all,

But the Persian empire took over

After the Babylonian fall.

 

Seventy years in exile

The Israelites had been

When Haman, on becoming a prince

Tried to wipe them off the scene.

 

First Queen Esther

And her uncle, Mordecai,

Then all the Jews in the Persian empire;

Each one was to die.

 

Haman built the gallows

On which to hang Mordecai

Not knowing with a twist of fate,

On it he would die.

 

Esther 8:11-12

 

A decree was given

To slaughter Israel’s foes

And throughout the Persian Empire

They were taken out in droves.

 

Thus ended Haman’s plot

To commit genocide

When God intervened on Israel’s behalf

Miraculously turning the tide.

 

Compare Ezra 1 verse 4

With Ezekiel 38:13,

The exact same spoils are itemized

Implying the same scene.

 

In both, the same spoils:

Gold, silver, goods and cattle;

For sure these won’t be the spoils taken

In a modern-day battle.

 

Ezekiel 38 and 39

Have already passed

And the proof this is a future battle

Disappears quite fast.

 

Stewart Russell © July 20, 2024

 

No Mere Coincidence

 

 

It was no mere coincidence

That Queen Vashti did not go

When ordered by King Ahasuerus

To put on a show.

 

He showed off his kingdom

And all that he had owned,

Finally, he wanted Vashti to dance

In her crown alone.

 

So, Queen Vashti said no

And hence, was a no-show,

To the king this was a great blow

So, Vashti had to go.

 

It was no mere coincidence

That Esther was on hand

When suddenly the king wanted

A queen on demand.

 

The competition was set,

It was a most gripping scene

But Esther outshone them all

To become the next queen.

 

This provided Mordecai

A chance to upstage Haman

And a plan was set in motion

To get rid of this villain.

 

 

It was no mere coincidence

That Esther went into the king

Despite knowing she could die

For doing such a thing.

 

But Mordecai persuaded her

To grant him this wish

And she went in with the resolve

If I perish, I perish.

 

The king received her with joy

And granted her request

Which saw Haman’s plan ruined

Followed by his death.

 

It was no mere coincidence

The king could not sleep

And consequently, taking his diary,

He would would have a peep.

 

An entry grabbed his attention

With the name Mordecai

And it was then he remembered

Why he did not die.

 

The king sent for Mordecai

And he made amends

And from then much happened

To reverse the trends.

 

 

It was no mere coincidence

That Haman’s plan backfired

And the Jews were all delivered

From a proverbial fire.

 

That the gallows Haman built

To hang the Jew, Mordecai,

Would instead be reserved for him

And there he would die.

 

That the Jews won a battle

They were expected to lose

And it all started with Queen Vashti

When Ahasuerus she refused.

 

When coincidences happen

Especially in abundance

God is in the midst

Working out our deliverance.

 

So, despite the mounting odds

And how situations present

God has already accomplished

His purpose and intent.

 

Stewart Russell © September 2, 2021

 

 

Esther

 

 

The book of Esther is not about Esther

God would have us understand,

Rather, it is about God whose name is not,

And His wonderful redemptive plan.

 

God is not mentioned, that you can see

But He is definitely behind the scenes,

Behind every act and every scene involved

The God of the Bible can be seen.

 

Let us note the four principal characters

And the roll each one plays

As they negatively or positively portray

God’s miraculous power to save.

 

Many see it as just a great story

But it can be easily checked for its truth,

The event involves Medo-Persia and Israel

And secular history supplies the proof.

 

 

Over one hundred twenty-seven provinces:

From India to Ethiopia Ahasuerus reigned,

Such was the might of the Medes and Persians

Having risen to second world-power fame.

 

Haman is the villain as we all can see

And he solicits the support of the King,

His objective is to execute Mordecai

And genocide to all of Israel bring.

 

Mordecai on the other hand is a Jew

And he will not take this sitting down,

The King at this time desires a new queen

Hence, a ring and a wedding gown.

 

And here enters the beautiful Esther

A descendant of the Benjamin tribe,

Emerging top of the list of the prospective queens

Esther becomes King Ahasuerus’ bride.

 

This was the scarlet thread for Mordecai

As he put his rescue plan in place,

If he does not counter wicked Haman’s plot

Of the Jews there would not be a trace.

 

Hence, a dangerous job for the new queen,

Before King Ahasuerus she must stand

But in order for her to do such a thing

This must be at the King’s demand.

 

To do such a thing could mean her death

But Mordecai determined that she must,

If something was not done, and very soon,

Every Jew would lie in the dust.

 

Can you not see what that would mean?

There would be no promised Messiah,

Perhaps Mordecai also knew this

And that’s why he persuaded Queen Esther.

 

However, he was convinced if she refused,

Deliverance would come some other way

But if Esther had come to the throne for this

Then King Ahasuerus she could sway.

 

If I perish I perish, were Esther’s words

And into the king’s presence she went,

He received her with such acknowledgement

You would think that for her he had sent.

 

The king had issued an irreversible decree

On information Haman had supplied,

He knew not that the information was false

And so, every single Jew must die.

 

However, Mordecai had saved Ahasuerus' life

When he told of plot to overthrow the king

And while reading his diary one sleepless night

The king came upon this very thing.

 

On this information he sent for Mordecai

And offered to make amends

But because the decree could not be retracted

He could not reverse that trend.

 

Instead, he made a counter decree

That allowed the Jews themselves to defend,

And with that a massive victory they won

That throughout the provinces extend.

 

As for Haman, he died on his own gallows:

The one he had built for Mordecai,

Like Pharaoh, Herod and many others,

To stymie Messiah's coming is to die.

So, Esther is not some fairy tale

Around which Hollywood movies are made,

But it takes its rightful place in the Canon

And deserves the highest grade.

 

It appears to be around the same period

As that of Ezra and Nehemiah

And clearly from these two prophets

That’s when the 70-year exile expired.

 

They were able to rebuild the temple

And repair the breeches in the walls

After King Cyrus in adherence to the prophecy

Suggested they should no longer stall.

 

 

However, not all the Jews had returned

From Daniel and Ezekiel’s time

So, Jerusalem was still under Medo-Persia rule

And this we must keep in mind.

 

Eventually, however, most did return

And the city of Jerusalem was reestablished,

The rituals and ceremonies were done again

Just like the devout Jews would wish.

 

The dry bones had come to life again

Just like the prophet Ezekiel saw,

That these events were this prophetic fulfilment

Is the conclusion I now draw.

 

There are still a lot of questions

To which I do not have the answers

But the idea this will occur at some future time,

Now, that’s a different matter.

 

Stewart Russell © August 31, 2021