A Spiritual Exposition of the Book of Esther, Chapter 9
Introduction
This post is the ninth of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).
The Theme of Esther Chapter 9 is Judgment Day and the Transition to Eternity (Esther 9:1-5) Please see Revelation 19:11-19
Psalm 37:38-40, “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.”
With this concept in mind let’s look at Esther, Chapter 9. There we read of a slaughter of Haman’s ten sons (a probable spiritual reference to the ten horns/ten kings that “completely” rule in the apostate corporate churches with the beast/antichrist during the final tribulation according to Revelation 17:12) on the thirteenth day of the last month of the year, which spiritually typifies the end that lineage that will occur on Judgment Day.
A Great Turnabout
Esther 9:1, “¶Now in the twelfth month, that [is], the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)“
Biblical Irony
The Bible is replete with ironies (please see Biblical Ironies and Psalm 9:16 for a few key examples). Just as we saw earlier where Haman was hung on the very gallows that he had constructed for Mordecai, this is another irony, in that the enemies of the Jews who sought the Jews annihilation were themselves set up to be annihilated.
This verse also points us once again to the fact that it is the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day, which is a reminder that:
1) The first decree went forth into all the great kingdom of Ahasuerus to be carried out in the end of the year on the 13th day of the twelfth month, Adar. Isn’t it interesting that just as it is obvious that the twelfth month in the Book of Esther can be equated to the end of the year, God Himself defines the “end of the year” to a time of harvest. In Exodus 23:16 we read, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.” Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 that, “the harvest is in the end of the world.” The harvest that is equated to “the end of the world” refers to the completion of the final harvest wherein the believers’ souls, the “wheat,” are gathered into God’s barn, while the unsaved, the “tares,” are gathered together and taken out to be burned as we read in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” At the end of time, the last Trump should herald the end of this creation and the transition to eternity wherein the true “Jews” (Christians from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues) will celebrate the eternal Jubilee brought about by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and the new Earth in the presence of Almighty God.
Why the “Thirteenth” Day?
1) The reader should, by now, be aware that numbers in the Bible can convey spiritual concepts. The number 13 is a particularly interesting number in the Bible from several vantage points. The number thirteen (“13“) is a prime number that represents “Completion” or “Super Fullness” (quite possibly with implications for the end of time, thus the “completion and super fullness of time”). This is particularly important when we consider that the Biblical calendar of history, as provided by God using patriarchal genealogies, strongly suggests that it had been 11000 years from creation to the coming of Jesus. And given that it is now two thousand years since Jesus was on earth, creation must be very close to being 13000 years old in our day (see the “Numbers” post how the calendar can be Biblically determined). Please keep in mind the spiritual (and literal) implications of what we read in 2 Peter 3:8, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Why are we being told by God to not be ignorant of “this one thing“?
2) Have you ever realized that the walls of Jericho fell only after National Israel circumnavigated (compassed) the city thirteen times? Moreover, that event was a prefigurement of Judgment Day! Joshua 6:2-5, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram’s horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.“
3) Given that we are very close to Judgment Day, and that this creation is very close to being slightly more than 13,000 years old (please see the two charts in the Postscript to the study of Numbers), could it be that we have been given another time clue in Esther that is telling us that the end of the year (Judgment Day) is linked (both literally and spiritually) with the number 13, as we find in both the Fall of Jericho and in the Book of Esther? Time will tell.
4) In Joseph’s second dream, thirteen celestial objects (the sun, moon, and eleven stars) bow down to him in Genesis 37:9&10. His brothers and father quickly interpreted the dreams to mean they would one day be under Joseph’s authority. This dream (together with the first dream in Genesis 37:6-8) effectively became reality in Genesis 42:6and Genesis 42:9 . And we should also remember that at the end of time, according to Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ Seth, in the original Hebrew (שֵׁת (šēṯ))H8352 meaning “compensation” or “substitute”), the third son of Adam, was born to Adam when Adam was 130 (13 X10) years old. Genesis 5:3, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name (קָרָא (qārā’)H7121שֵׁם (šēm)H8034) Seth:“
THE NUMBER 13: Did you ever wonder about the superstition regarding the number 13? Why are people so afraid of that number? Well, right away we should be aware that the definition of “superstition” is “fear of the supernatural“. Is not that interesting? It is a fear of something forboding and ominous that is beyond this world. You see, the unsaved of the world have good reason to “fear the supernatural” that is associated with the number 13, because from Creation to Judgment Day is almost exactly 13,000 years (the very era in which we know live). For the unsaved, the number 13 points to Judgment Day! That is the time when all of the unsaved will be supernaturally judged, and found guilty of their sins, and cast into Hell. However, for the believer, the number 13 holds positive supernatural connotations…the 13 tribes (with two tribes of Joseph) and the 13 Apostles (with the Apostle Paul), which both represent the Eternal Church of God. Moreover, the end of 13,000 years, while heralding Judgment Day for the unsaved means that for the believers, the second coming of The Lord Jesus Christ will usher in the new heavens, and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and they will be forever in the presence of Jesus, their Saviour. Again dear reader, please bear in mind the spiritual (and literal) implications of what we read in 2 Peter 3:8, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” The 13th day can therefore be correlated to 13,000 years.
Esther 9:2, “The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.“
Here we see the Jews being able to ‘gather together’ from throughout the entire kingdom of the king. This teacher is led to believe that this is actually a prefigurement of the gathering together of all the saints who have ever lived at the resurrection of the dead whereby they join with Jesus Christ to assist Him in bringing Judgment on the unbelievers who hate God and who are in fact in league with the devil. Please see this post for more detail: “The Believers (The “Saints”) Will Be With Jesus in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day!”
Esther 9:3, “And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.“
From a temporal historical perspective this makes perfect sense. The nobles saw the writing on the wall so to speak and allied with the people of Mordecai because he had been given the authority of the king. The Spiritual implications of this verse are less clear, but it would seem at least possible that it is reflective of a great conversion, which occurred after the king’s second decree went forth, which could spiritually represent all those who became Christians during the the New Testament era. Just as the “rulers” received the fear of Mordecai, so too do all those who become believers upon receiving the fear of God Who is Jesus. And remember that all believers are “rulers” in the kingdom of God.
Believers are also considered to be “Princes”, as they are made “heirs” with The King, Jesus Christ
Psalm 113:7&8, “He (God in Jesus) raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set [him] with princes, [even] with the princes of his people.“
Isaiah 32:1, “¶Behold, a king (Jesus Christ) shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.“
Exodus 35:5, “Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever [is] of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,” Note that the word “willing” in the original Hebrew is נָדִיב (nāḏîḇ)H5081, which means “princely” or “noble”.
Revelation 22:5, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.“
Esther 9:4, “For Mordecai [was] great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.“
Jesus now sits at the Right Hand of God the Father in Heaven. Jesus is now known throughout the world through the spreading of Jesus’ Gospel message of Salvation as set forth in the Bible to every nation, people, and tongue. The body of believers has grown tremendously over the past 2000 years.
Esther 9:5, “Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.“
Judgment Day Previewed
This verse provides a prefigurement of “Judgment Day” being wrought upon all the world who are the enemies of Christ, and therefore the enemies of His people, who spiritually are the eternal Jews. Moreover we see it clearly stated that the Jews, who represent the believers, are involved in bringing Judgment consistent with the fact that the believers, the Saints, will be with Jesus bringing Judgment on Judgment Day as is explained in this post: “The Believers (The “Saints”) Will Be With Jesus in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day!” For more on the meaning of Judgment Day, please see these posts “Judgment Day Is Coming Soon“, “The Battle of Armageddon Prefigured“, “Lightning, Swords, and Arrows“, and “The Great Sacrifice of judgment Day“. Remember what we find in Hosea 9:5, “What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?“
Esther 9:6-10, “¶And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.“
This verse comes to mind: 2 Samuel 22:28, “And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.“
Haman’s Ten Sons
Before we proceed with this exposition of Chapter 9, we should consider the fact that God specifically named all of Haman’s ten sons. Why did God do that? Let us take at each name in order of appearance.
The verses include Esther 9:6-10, with the last verse reading, “The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.“
It has been said by at least one other commentator that each of the following names of the sons of Haman point to some form of self-righteousness (hence pride and folly):
- Parshandatha, פַּרְשַׁנְדָּתָא (paršandāṯā’H6577 said to be Chaldean origin, “Breaker of the decree“?
- Dalphon, דַּלְפוֹן (dalp̄ôn)H1813 “Dripping” (as in Proverbs 19:13, “A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife [are] a continual dropping (דֶּלֶף (delep̄))H1812.” and Proverbs 27:15, “A continual dropping (דֶּלֶף (delep̄))H1812 in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.“
- Aspatha, אַסְפָּתָא (‘aspāṯā’)H630 “the Enticed Gathered“
- Poratha, פּוֹרָתָא (pôrāṯā’)H6334 “Frustration“?
- Adalia, אֲדַלְיָא (‘ăḏalyā’)H118 “I shall be drawn up of Jah“
- Aridatha, אֲרִידָתָא (‘ărîḏāṯā’)H743 “the Lion of the Decree“
- Parmashta, פַּרְמַשְׁתָּא (parmaštā’)H6534 “Superior” (or “Spoiled is the banquet”)
- Arisai, אֲרִיסַי (‘ărîsay)H747 “Lion of my banners (?)”
- Aridai, אֲרִידַי (‘ărîḏay)H742 “the Lion is enough“
- Vajezatha, וַיְזָתָא (vayzāṯā’)H2055 “Strong as the wind” (or “Sprinkled there”?)
This above played out of exactly as God had told us in Psalm 21:8-13, “Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, [which] they are not able [to perform]. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, [when] thou shalt make ready [thine arrows] upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.“ Again please refer to the post: “Lightning, Swords, and Arrows“
“on the spoil laid they not their hand.“
It is important to note that when the tens sons of Haman, who represent all those in league with the devil are killed, that the Jews did not take any “spoil“. The most likely reason is that when Judgment Day comes, the true believers take nothing with them, and moreover desire nothing of the treasures from this world when going into the next. This world, and all of creation, will dissolve and “the elements will melt with fervent heat“. This world is sin cursed, and will, and must, be completely removed. The believers only look for a “new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:12&13, “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.“
And this is also consistent with the fact that God, Alone, Is the focus of the believer’s desire: Psalm 76:4, “Thou [art] more glorious [and] excellent than the mountains of prey.“
Esther 9:11, “¶On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.“
Clearly, God knows exactly how many people, all the unsaved sons and daughters of Adam, will have been destroyed on Judgment Day.
Esther 9:12, “And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? now what [is] thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what [is] thy request further? and it shall be done.“
It must simply be stated that the believers’ desire (typified by Esther’s petition) is only to have God’s Will be done. Clearly God has told us that it is His Will to destroy this world by fire on Judgment day and cast His enemies into Hell.
Esther 9:13, “¶Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which [are] in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.“
The hanging of the ten sons of Haman represents a two-fold damnation:
- First, in the temporal/historical sense, it marks the absolute end of the blood line of King Agag who God hated and whom King Saul (a Benjamite) failed to bring to an end hundreds of years earlier but now is being brought to and end by distantly related Benjamites, Mordecai and Esther.
- Second, it is a fitting prefigurement of the final Judgment of the enemies of God who are cursed (typified by being hung on a gallows/tree as we read in Galatians 3:13, “…Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:“
Esther 9:14, “¶And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.“
This is the final act as will be when the enemies of God are cast into the Lake of Fire that we read about in Revelation 20:14&15, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.“
Esther 9:15, “¶For the Jews that [were] in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.”
This verse is making clear that the final slaughter, the second death, takes place on the fourteenth day.
Esther 9:16, “¶But the other Jews that [were] in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,“
This is the third time we read “They laid not their hands on the prey“, but, more importantly, they “had rest from their enemies.” No more sin, no more dying, and the threat of death and hell is over. Hallelujah!
The “Last Days” Previewed
Esther 9:17, “On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”
Here we are given a transitional period that begins on the thirteenth day, progresses to the fourteenth day and (as stated in the next verse) on into the Fifteenth day (or three days total). From a spiritual perspective we might say that:
- The Thirteenth day is the first Day of Judgment (at the end of 13000 years since creation), which would typify the Final Tribulation period when God first pours out his wrath against the corporate church to punish the corporate church for its apostasy during the “Final Tribulation”… which occurs immediately prior to “Judgment Day”. Please note that the only people killed, numbering “500“, were only those enemies of the Jews found within “Shushan the palace“. Given that the palace represents God’s habitation/house, it would not be wrong to say that it can also represent the “corporate church” (much like National Israel of the Old Testament). 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?“
- The Fourteenth day is reminiscent of the Passover Day (full moon) when Jesus died and descended into Hell for the sins of His Elect Church. Therefore it might represent when The Lord Jesus Christ returns on the clouds of Glory with all of His Saints, and the casting of all of God’s enemies throughout the whole world (including the devil and his seed) into Hell for all eternity. The Fourteenth day could therefore also signal the transition to the beginning of the “new Millennium”, which is the beginning of eternity. Just as Jesus atoned for the sins of His elect on Passover Day, so too will all the unsaved have to atone for their own sins in Hell for eternity on Judgment Day.
- The Fifteenth day is reminiscent and emblematic of the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles which is representative of the believers having “come up” and entered into Heaven for eternity.
Esther 9:18, “¶But the Jews that [were] at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth [day] thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth [day] of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”
Note the reiteration of the two specific days (13th and 14th), but now with the addition of a third day (the 15th) where the Jews rested, and joyfully feasted. We read here in Esther 9:18, “But the Jews that [were] at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth [day] thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth [day] of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.“
In this verse, God mentions a three day period ending on the 15th day with the same words, “they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”
The Wedding Feast/Marriage Feast
Remember the Parable of the Wedding Feast? Without any doubt this parable of Jesus in referring to the “marriage/wedding feast/dinner” points us directly back to Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ¶And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.“ For more on this please see: “Jesus’ Parables of the Two Feasts“.
It is also noteworthy that the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” (which presaged the partaking of Jesus Christ) also began on the fourteenth day coincident with the Passover (that was Judgment Day for Jesus and hence the believers, but then we read in Leviticus 23:5&6, “In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD’S passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.” And then in Numbers 28:16&17, “And in the fourteenth day of the first month [is] the passover of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month [is] the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.”
Please note how it was also on the fifteenth day that God declares the children of Israel departed from their bondage in Egypt, because of what we read in Numbers 33:3&4 “And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.” And is not this quite interesting, in the Book of Revelation 11:12, we find almost the exact same kind of wording, “And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” So God was clearly presaging “the end of the world” in both Esther Chapter 9 and Numbers 33, in that the children of Israel represented the body of Believers going up to Heaven and the Egyptians, represented all the unsaved of the world, watching them depart and being prepared for Judgment!
The Fifteenth Day?
The fifteenth day has other profound Biblical significance. The fifteenth day is the day of the seventh month (Ethanim/Tishri) that begins the last of the three holy feasts (the only one not yet fulfilled), the Feast of Tabernacles!
The Feast of Tabernacles (also called Feast of Booths or Sukkot in Hebrew when those celebrating the feast would do so while living in booths made from tree branches) was the seventh and final feast commanded in the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). Most significantly, it was the third of and final of the three yearly occasions when all Jewish men were to appear in Jerusalem before the Lord to worship as we read in Deuteronomy 16:16, “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread (starting with Passover), and in the feast of weeks (Pentecost), and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:”. It was also when the temple in Jerusalem was being dedicated during this time as we read in 1 Kings 8:2, “And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim (איתנים (‘yṯnym))H388, which [is] the seventh month.” and later, that at the end of that observance (which was the 23rd day of the seventh month that marked the 8th day), we read in 1Kings 8:66, “On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful (שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ))H8056 and glad (טוֹב (ṭôḇ))H2896 of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.” This would seem to be a beautiful picture of the transition into eternity in Heaven with the blessings of God Almighty.
And similarly, The Feast of Tabernacles was when the Jews returned from captivity to rebuild the temple during the time of Ezra as we read in Ezra 3:1-6, “And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel [were] in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as [it is]written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear [was] upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, [even] burnt offerings morning and evening. They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as [it is]written, and [offered] the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; And afterward [offered] the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not [yet] laid.“
Zechariah Chapter 14 also makes clear that only the elect of God go to Heaven, and hence are the only ones who will “come up” “to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” for eternity as we read in Zechariah 14:16, “And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” and Zechariah 14:18&19, “And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that [have no rain]; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.“
In the New Testament, Jesus preached during the Feast of Tabernacles (see John 7:2) in John 7:37-39, “In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (Note: Interestingly enough, the seventh month was then called “Ethanim” (איתנים (‘yṯnym))H388 (but now “Tishri”), which means “enduring” “strong” “valiant” or “constantly flowing” as pertaining to “living water”.)
In Leviticus 23:33-43, the Feast of Tabernacles was established to take place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, lasting for seven days. The Feast of Tabernacles begins just five days after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and 15 days after the Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), and all three convocations in the seventh month are pointers to heralding the end of the world, Judgment Day, and subsequent abiding in Heaven for the believers). The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, shortly after the completion of the fall harvest period, and continues for seven more days and ends on the 23rd day of the month. The time marked a celebration of the harvest as well as a remembrance of God’s provision during Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness living in tents (or tabernacles). It was also the time that the participants would bring in a tenth of their harvest (tithe) to Jerusalem. It was also a holy day or Sabbath wherein no work could occur. Each day included offerings to the Lord, with the eighth day (the 23rd day) marking another holy day when no work is done.
What does all this mean?…The Feast of Tabernacles points to the completion of the Eternal Temple of God, The New Jerusalem, all of the work is done, the departing of the believers from the bondage to sin and death, and it consists of all of the believers in Heaven praising God forever!
NOTE also that Esther 9:27, is speaking again of these converts that were first mentioned back in Esther 8:17 (who spiritually represent the believers from the Gentile world), “The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined (לָוָה (lāvâ))H3867themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their [appointed] time every year;” Compare with Isaiah 56:6-8, “Also the sons of the stranger, that join (לָוָה (lāvâ))H3867 themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather [others] to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.” And also Zechariah 2:11, “And many nations shall be joined (לָוָה (lāvâ))H3867to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.”
Esther 9:19, “Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar [a day of] gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.“
The End of the Year is When Eternity Begins
In the Book of Esther, the first decree went forth into all the great kingdom of Ahasuerus to be carried out in the end of the year on the 13th day of the twelfth month, Adar.
Reiterating what has been posted in the exposition of Esther Chapter 8, is it not interesting that just as it is obvious that the twelfth month in the Book of Esther can be equated to the end of the year, God Himself defines the “end of the year” to a time of harvest. In Exodus 23:16 we read, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.” Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 that, “the harvest is in the end of the world.” The harvest that is equated to “the end of the world” refers to the completion of the final harvest wherein the believers’ souls, the “wheat,” are gathered into God’s barn, while the unsaved, the “tares,” are gathered together and taken out to be burned as we read in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” At the end of time, the last Trump should herald the end of this creation and the transition to eternity wherein the true “Jews” (Christians from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues) will celebrate the eternal Jubilee brought about by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and the new Earth in the presence of Almighty God.
The Feast of Purim Instituted
Esther 9:20, “¶And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, [both] nigh and far,“
Jesus, shortly after His Resurrection and just before His Ascension, spoke as follows to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “¶And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.” and in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“
Esther 9:21, “To stablish [this] among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,“
These letters of Mordecai established what the Jews call the Feast of Purim to be celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of that same month every year in perpetuity.
Esther 9:22, “As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.“
This verse explains some of the joyful attributes to be associated with the Feast of Purim, because the day of destruction (sorrow) was turned to a day of peace and security (joy). The Good Day for the true Jews is when Jesus comes back the second time to establish His Kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth, because this creation and all the wicked of the world will be eternally destroyed on the Judgment Day that would have also destroyed the eternal Jews, had not Jesus Atoning Sacrifice intervened on their behalf.
Esther 9:23, “And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;“
The Jews set forth to defeat and destroy their enemies in accordance with decree issued by Mordecai. It is a Devine Irony because of this unimagined reversal of fate. But should we not consider that the decree, if it really representative of the New Testament, also made it possible through the spreading of Good News of the Gospel to defeat their enemies (the devil and his minions)? And it should also be noted that the saints, the elect of God, the true eternal Jews will be with The Lord Jesus Christ on Judgment Day to participate in that Divine Judgment. Please see: “Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day.”
Again we are reminded of the similarity of this language with what Jesus commanded in Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” and Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” In Revelation 14:6&7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
Esther 9:24, “Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that [is], the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;“
We should again remember that the devil sought to not only destroy Jesus, but also every believer who would, as a result, be without hope and destroyed too, if Jesus had not fulfilled His role as the Lamb of God and Kinsman Redeemer.
Esther 9:25, “But when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.“
The above verses from verse 20-25 make the point that the very book we are reading from, the Book of Esther, is the temporal fulfillment of this historical account. It is part and parcel of God’s Word to mankind throughout the entire world to bring these temporal/historical events into remembrance and to learn from it. The Book of Esther has profound spiritual implications that require careful study by the child of God. God is not mocked.
In the last of these verses, regarding Haman and “his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head,…”, we are reminded of Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“ The devil devised to usurp the authority of God through the subordination and destruction of Adam and all humankind, but will be destroyed himself as a result. More on the implications of Psalm 9:16 in this post: “Biblical Irony: Understanding Temporal vs Eternal Judgment and Justice“.
The Feast of Purim
Esther 9:26, “¶Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and [of that] which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,“
The Great Conversion/Ingathering of the Gentiles Foretold
Esther 9:27, “The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their [appointed] time every year;“
It should also be noted here that the word translated as “joined” is לָוָה (lāvâ)H3867, which means to “cleave” or “to become one with”, but that it is also translated as “lendeth” in Psalm 37:26, “[He is] (The LORD Is) ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.” This joining is talking about those who were converted and became Jews. And we know that this is also the case for believers because as we read in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.“
Esther 9:28, “And [that] these days [should be] remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.”
Although the Feast of Purim is not a Levitical ordinance, it has been fully adopted and celebrated in Jewish tradition, which continues to this very day. The reading of the Book of Esther, also know today as the Megillah, is part of that Celebration.
Esther 9:29, “¶Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.“
The New Decree as authorized by Mordecai in the king’s name is referred to here as the “second letter of Purim” because the First Decree (the first letter of Purim), which had been authorized by Haman, was initially established by the casting of Pur (the lot) to determine the date of the destruction of the Jews at the end of the year on the 13th day of Adar.
Esther 9:30, “And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, [with] words of peace and truth,“
The above three verses must be viewed spiritually as a prefigurement of the Gospel going forth to the entire world as proclaimed in God’s Word, the Bible. Jesus Is The Word of God (John 1:1-5 and John 1:14); Jesus Is The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and He is the Truth (John 14:6).
Esther 9:31, “To confirm these days of Purim in their times [appointed], according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.”
From a spiritual standpoint we can see how this relates to God’s perfect timing (the days appointed) to establish an everlasting memorial that commemorates God’s Divine Grace in saving a people for Himself. So we can say that the Feast of Purim will be spiritually fulfilled on Judgment Day when it ushers in an eternal day of gladness for those trust in Jesus as their Lord, God, and Savior.
Esther 9:32, “And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.”
The decree (notably referred to here as the “decree of Esther“), its confirmation, and its being written “in a book”, all point to the recording of he Book of Esther into God’s Word, the Bible, which has been carried to every corner of the world.
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