Esther 9:28

20-32 The observance of the Jewish feasts, is a public declaration of the truth of the Old Testament Scriptures. And as the Old Testament Scriptures are true, the Messiah expected by the Jews is come long ago; and none but Jesus of Nazareth can be that Messiah. The festival was appointed by authority, yet under the direction of the Spirit of God. It was called the feast of Purim, from a Persian word, which signifies a lot. The name of this festival would remind them of the almighty power of the God of Israel, who served his own purposes by the superstitions of the heathen. In reviewing our mercies, we should advert to former fears and distresses. When our mercies are personal, we should not by forgetfulness lose the comfort of them, or withhold from the Lord the glory due to his name. May the Lord teach us to rejoice, with that holy joy which anticipates and prepares for the blessedness...

EXPOSITION RESULT OF THE SECOND EDICT' THE JEWS RESIST THEIR ENEMIES, AND EFFECT A GREAT SLAUGHTER OF THEM, BUT DO NOT LAY HAND ON THEIR GOODS (Esther 9:1). The Jews of all the provinces, having had ample time to prepare themselves, "gathered themselves together in their cities," as the day fixed by the first edict approached (Esther 9:2), and made their arrangements. Their "enemies"_ _no doub

AND THAT THESE DAYS SHOULD BE REMEMBERED, AND KEPT THROUGHOUT EVERY GENERATION, EVERY FAMILY, EVERY PROVINCE, AND EVERY CITY,.... And accordingly these days are commemorated by them now, and by all their families, and all in their families capable of it; and these words, "every province", and "every city", are used, as Aben Ezra observes, lest a man should think he was not bound to keep this feast where there were no Jews; for, let him be where he may, he is obliged to keep it: AND THAT THESE DAYS OF PURIM SHOULD NOT FAIL AMONG THE JEWS; or the observance of them be neglected and cease: NOR THE MEMORIAL OF THEM PERISH FROM THEIR SEED; neither the memorial of them, nor of the reason of keeping them; wherefore on those days they read the whole book of Esther, fairly written on a roll of parchment, and are careful that none omit the reading of it; rather, they say w, the reading and learn...

THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF ADAR AND THE FEAST OF PURIM CHAPTER 9 _ 1. The resistance and victory of the Jews (Esther 9:1)_ 2. Esther's petition (Esther 9:12) 3. The institution of Purim (Esther 9:17) 4. The messages of Mordecai and Esther (Esther 9:20) Esther 9:1. The fateful day, the thirteenth day of Adar, came and with it the retribution for the enemies of the Jews. On that day they gathered together to withstand all who would assault them. The princes and governors and all other officials of the king helped the Jews,

THE JEWS SUCCESSFUL AGAINST THEIR ENEMIES. Adar 13th, the dreadful day, comes at last. What were the Jews to do? There were many partisans of Haman, some 500 at least in the city alone; there were thousands more in the land, ready to carry out the first decree. Should Mordecai and all Jews sit still and see their wives and children butchered, and be butchered themselves? The Hamanites attack: the Jews defend themselves. There fell of those who attacked, in Shushan itself, some 500, and in all the empire 15,000 as the LXX says, although the Heb. exaggerates and says 75,000. Was this mere wanton bloodshed on the Jews-' part? The tale rather pictured for the suffering people of Judah how their brave comrades, the Maccabees, had faced and fought and felled the cruel armies of Antiochus under Nicanor. And now the writer adds a touch of fine national self-respect, saying: No Jew took booty of...

SHOULD NOT FAIL. This sounds like. prophecy, and sets. seal on the inspiration of the book. PERISH. come to an end. See note on Esther 3:13....

Mordecai's injunctions for the keeping of Purim 20. _And Mordecai wrote these things_ Mordecai's position as a Jew, who had attained to the office of grand vizier, seems to have been regarded as giving him, under the circumstances, a right to impose upon the Jews within the king of Persia's dominions a new annual celebration. It is best to take -these things" to mean so much of the story as appeared needful by way of explanation of the circumstances of the deliverance, as calling for a commemorative festival. We may notice that in _this_letter, unlike the second (Esther 9:29), there is no reference to any but the joyous side of the commemoration....

DISCOURSE: 448 THE FEAST OF PURIM 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 too days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year; 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_. IT has been observed of the Book of Esther, that the name of God is not in it: and certainly there is not the same strain of piety pervading it as is found in the Book of Nehemiah. This perhaps may be accounted for from the circumstance of its having been written in the court of Persia, where Jehovah, the God of Israel, was not known or acknow

AND MORDECAI WROTE THESE THINGS, &C.— See the introductory note to this book. It is from the 20th verse that some have supposed Mordecai to have been the author of it: but it is very evident, that these words relate not to the book itself, but to the circular letters which Mordecai sent to the Jews in all the provinces of the Persian empire; signifying what a mighty deliverance God had vouchsafed them, and appointing in commemoration thereof an annual festival to be observed for ever. This festival was called פורים _Purim,_ (Esther 9:26.) or _the feast of lots; Pur_ in the Persian language signifying _a lot,_ from the event mentioned Esther 9:24 and chap. Esther 3:7 and it is to this very day celebrated by the Jews

B. Perpetuated TEXT: Esther 9:23-28 23 And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them; 24 because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; 25 but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows, 26 Wherefore they called these days of Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them, 27 the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all su