GATHERING FOR THE FIGHT
The fateful thirteenth clay of the twelfth month approached, when the great fight must take place. "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." (9:1,2) Immediately following the issuance of the decree to "stand for their life", the Jews would be organizing and fortifying themselves for the fight. Likewise in these last
days 'the way of the kings of the east is prepared' for the final assault upon Satan's organization. (Rev. 16:12) God's true people gather together to fight shoulder to shoulder in the warfare, and this they do in obedience to God's commandment. (Rev. 19:17,18) No man can withstand them, because they are his own. Confidently trusting in the Lord they joyfully anticipate the great fight just ahead.
The officers of King Ahasuerus helped the Jews. "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." (9: 3) This does not have reference to the officers of Satan's organization, nor foreshadow the officers of this world aiding God's people. The king here pictures God's anointed King, Christ Jesus, and the 'rulers, lieutenants and deputies' have reference. to the retinue of the holy angels of Christ Jesus, and to the resurrected members of his body, all of whom will have a part in the fight and will be used by the Lord God to help his remnant now upon the earth. All these unseen forces are gathering for the great battle. The remnant is now doing its part to make known what is about to come to pass.
The fame of Mordecai spread throughout the provinces, because it is evident that the people saw that God was with him. (9:4) Mordecai and his popularity here picture the faithful "servant" or remnant class as described in the prophecy of Micah (5:7-9). When the day arrived, the Jews not only defended themselves
but took the offensive and had their own way with their enemies. "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." — 9: 5.
Christ and those of his risen body members, and all of his holy angels, will do the actual slaughter work of the enemy at Armageddon. The remnant will not do that, because their weapons are not carnal. (2 Cor. 10:4) The remnant has a specific part to perform, and their part is to sing the praises of Jehovah while preparation is being made for the fight and while the fight goes on. This God beautifully illustrates in another experience with Israel. — 2 Chron. 20:21-24.
On the day of battle fighting took place in the immediate vicinity of the palace where Esther and Mordecai were. (9:6) This seems to say that the great battle of the day of God Almighty will center around God's people and that the chief objective of the enemy will be to destroy those who are on the side of Jehovah, but instead the. enemy will suffer complete defeat. Those at the palace who had conspired against the Jews fell in the slaughter on that fateful day. Their position of honor and trust or office was no protection whatsoever to them. Even so now at the end of the world, all the anti-kingdom forces of Jehovah must be and will be destroyed regardless of office or previous position. This necessarily will include the "evil servant" class, "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," and those who have become offended and who
are gathered out and are ready for destruction as the Lord said. — Matt. 13:41,42; 2 Thess. 1:8,9; 2:3,8.
When the people of Israel were delivered from their oppressors on a former occasion, and the oppressors perished at the hand of the Lord, the song of Deborah and Barak was sung, which contained these words appropriate to God's people when the victory of Armageddon is complete with the downfall of the enemy: "So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah; but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might." — Judg. 5: 31, A.R.V. See also Matthew 13: 43.
The king took the side of Esther and Mordecai and the other Jews, which is further evidence that in this part of the drama he pictures the Lord Jehovah. Those slain at Shushan were reported to the king. "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." (9:12) Esther then requested that another day be devoted to the work of making a clean-up of the enemies of the Jews. The king granted this request and the fighting went on for another day and three hundred more of the enemy fell. — 9:13-16.
This suggests that God's remnant have a special zeal for the Lord impelling them on to fully complete the work God has assigned to them to
do and to not become weary in well doing. "Therefore, we should not flag in doing well; for we shall reap, at the proper season, if we do not relax." — Gal. 6: 9, Diag.
The request of Esther corresponds to Joshua's prayer to Jehovah that he would cause the sun and the moon to stand still to give time for the complete destruction of the enemy. (Josh. 10: 10-14) As Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses that the Israelites might whip the Amalekites to a finish (Ex. 17:8-16), even so did Esther uphold the hands of her brethren that they might make a complete rout and cleanup of their enemies at the royal capital. This is an indication that the true remnant will engage in that fight with full faith in God and with a burning zeal, following the Lamb whithersoever he leads, and will with joy continue the work until complete victory is won.
The ten sons of Haman were hanged on a gallows, probably the very one their father had caused to be erected for Mordecai. Ten being a symbol of completeness, this seems to represent the complete destruction of God's enemies. These sons of Haman were Amalekites, and under Jehovah's decree all must perish. God's faithful servant Samuel spared not Agag the king, but hewed him to pieces (1 Sam. 15:32, 33); and even so now God's elect servant, in whom he delights, will completely destroy all of Jehovah's enemies: "Let there be none to extend mercy unto him; neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation follow-
ing let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord: and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth." — Ps. 109:12-15.
At the capital city of Shushan the Jews went after their enemies on the fourteenth day with the same vigor as they had the day previous. They did not balk, kick or complain against "more service". They had the zeal peculiar to the Lord's house. (Ps. 69:9) A like zeal was exhibited by the sons of Simeon who went to Mount Seir, in the days of King Hezekiah, and smote the Amalekites. (1 Chron. 4:41-43) God's word of vengeance follows the Amalekite until his word and name are completely vindicated.
At the slaughter in Persia the Jews 'laid not their hand on the prey', even though they were authorized by the king to do so. Whatsoever gain or prey there was went to the king. This foreshadows that in this day the motive of God's remnant is not self-enrichment, but their objective is the honor of Jehovah's name. To the same effect it is written: "And thou shalt devote their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth." — Mic. 4:13, R.V.
Self-interest does not enter into the matter at all. The personal salvation and glory of God's people is merely incidental. The great all-important thing is the vindication of Jehovah's name.
THE FEAST
In all the provinces outside of the capital city the slaughter ended with the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and the fourteenth day was a day of rest, feasting and gladness. At the capital city both the thirteenth and fourteenth days were given to slaughter and the fifteenth day was a day of rest, feasting and gladness. (9:17,18) This act on the part of the Jews is in exact harmony with the words of the Psalm which show that the Jews mentioned in the book of Esther were in God's favor and that God directed the great drama. "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." (Ps. 30:11,12) The Jews at the capital city were at headquarters, and it was fitting that they should put in double time.
Who wrote the book of Esther does not appear from the divine record, but it is probable that Mordecai wrote it. It was Mordecai who arranged for the feast day and directed all the Jews of the provinces to observe it. "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, to stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 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." — 9: 20-22.
Haman had employed the pur or lot as a wicked device against the Jews, and, this being turned upon his own head and he and his sons hanged, the feast had of the Jews, that followed, was called the feast of Pur-im. "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 tune 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. And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book." — 9: 27, 28, 32.
Josephus, in his commentaries, mentions the fact that in his time all the Jews of the inhabited world kept the feast of Purim. This feast of the Jews continued to be celebrated, and this fact is another proof that the book of Esther is of divine origin and has a proper place amongst the books of the Bible.
God had given the Jews the victory, and they gave an expression of their gratitude and appreciation thereof in fixing feast days and making them perpetual. The faithful Jews, Mordecai and Esther, had to do with the establishing
of the feast, and the other Jews who worshiped Jehovah joined them in the festival. It was the mere fact that Mordecai was a Jew that brought down upon his head the wrath of Haman. Manifestly, therefore, it was his faithfulness to Jehovah God that thus marked Mordecai for slaughter.
The critics of the book of Esther therefore have no argument left. The book is entirely authentic and a part of the divine Scriptures, intended to teach and teaching a lesson to God's people now on the earth.
The feast of jubilation of the Jews seems to foreshadow that some of the remnant will be on the earth even after Armageddon, and that they will greatly rejoice because of the complete vindication of Jehovah's holy name. Also that the remnant will then be used to help the people that have been brought through that terrible time of trouble. The people will look to them for help, and God will use them. "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth, for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver." — Mic. 5:7, 8.
Then, as never before, God's remnant on the earth will engage in "sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor", for there will
be many needy ones then to help. The commandment to the Jews to perpetually observe the feast of Purim suggests that the people during the reign of Christ will keep in mind the foul work of the Haman class that has defamed God's word and name. The multitudes that will come forth from the tomb will be taught of and concerning it, and will feast and rejoice at the remembrance of God's great victory. The prophet of the Lord declares that 'Jehovah of hosts shall make unto all the people a feast'. (Isa. 25: 6) These words imply that it is Jehovah the. mighty and victorious Warrior that makes the feast and in commemoration of his great victory and the deliverance of his people. Surely the feast will not be merely to gratify the animal appetite of man for food, but it will be a feast of rejoicing, as pictured particularly by the 'refined wines upon the lees'. Throughout the millennial reign of Christ this feast will be continued. Then at the end of the thousand years, when Satan the invisible head of the Haman class, and Haman himself, and all the others of that crowd whom he represented, are released from death and go up to attack again the people of the Lord, Jehovah's word in the past concerning Satan's nefarious work will not fail. The people will have it in mind, and they will trust Jehovah for preservation, and because of their love for him he will preserve them and deliver them. Then the Haman class, all the forces of Gog and Magog, and the Devil himself, will be completely annihilated, and Jehovah's name will be exalted for ever. (Rev. 20:1-9) It is interest-
ing to note that the feast of Purim was celebrated in the last month of the year and at the full moon, picturing the fullness of the complete vindication of God's Word or law, and it reminds us of the song of the sweet singer of Israel: "Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing." — Ps. 65:11-13.
The book of Esther concludes with the statement that "king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land and upon the isles of the sea". (10:1) Following Armageddon all the earth shall be subdued under Christ, the King and executive officer of Jehovah, and all humankind will be required to render tribute unto the great Prince to the glory of Jehovah God the King eternal.
It is stated that Mordecai was next to the king and went about seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace to all his seed. —10: 3.
May not this mean that after Armageddon God will have some of his faithful remnant or servant class on the earth, and assign them to some honorable work for the good of the people; and that they will also be used to the glory of God in speaking peace to the people, and probably that will be the due time for God to bring forth the princes of the earth, the faithful prophets, and even Mordecai himself, to join in the work for the general welfare of the people? — Ps. 45:16; Isa. 32:1.
Esther here disappears from the scene, suggesting that the remnant are not so much concerned with the prospect of personal gain and glory in the kingdom, but are deeply concerned with the work which God has given them to do to the honor and vindication of his name. It is even so today with those who are fully devoted to the Lord. They are not concerning themselves about when they are going to reach the kingdom, but they are concerned about being faithful and true to the Lord in performing the duties that he has now laid upon them. They appreciate their privileges and are eager to show forth their appreciation thereof.
The book of Esther is a striking dramatic picture of God's provision for the care of his own people. Being in the world but not of it, they are surrounded on every side by the wicked enemy that seeks their destruction; but the remnant need not fear. "Our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver" and will deliver his own people. Let each one of the remnant be fully concerned with the work of proving his love for God and for his kingdom. The Lord is feeding his people upon these things convenient for them in these last days, that the remnant may be encouraged and strengthened to press on and that their hope may be strong, looking to that blessed day when they shall see the name of Jehovah completely vindicated. He has given his Word, and his Word is sure and his promises certain to be kept. Now let all the remnant be fully assured that "Jehovah preserveth all them that love him".
Long ago Jehovah caused this dramatic picture to be set down in the book of Esther and made it a part of the Holy Scriptures. The time has come to reveal its meaning to his men of loving-kindness, who are his remnant now on the earth. That which guarantees preservation is love for Jehovah, and the remnant prove their love by their unselfish devotion to God, in this, that they joyfully obey his commandments. They must 'do good and hate wrong' and be wholly on the side of Jehovah, standing shoulder to shoulder in harmonious action in his organization. Therefore he says to them: "Ye lovers of Jehovah! hate ye wrong. He preserveth the lives of his men of kindness, from the hand of lawless ones he rescueth them." (Ps. 97:10, Roth.) Let the high praises of Jehovah be proclaimed, and his name extolled henceforth and for evermore.
