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Good Friday and Purim (Part 2)

© John L. Hoh, Jr.

But all was not lost. One night (in divine intervention?) Xerxes couldn't sleep. He had the official government reports read to him. Anyone who has read government publications can understand how this can be a cure for insomnia. Anyway, it was read that a Mordecai had thwarted a plot against the king. Xerxes remembered he had not repaid this kindness. Thus, Xerxes set out to rectify this oversight.

The next day, who should walk in by our "friend" Haman? So the king decides to get Haman's counsel on a very important matter. Xerxes asks Haman, "How should I honor him in whom I find pleasure? Now Haman believes he's the king's meow and states that the honored person should ride in the king's chariot, wearing the king's robes and ring, and have a courier announce the special dignitary.

Now, imagine Haman's spirit falling when he's told, "Go and do this for Mordecai the Jew." How would you feel?

Anyway, there is still that nasty little edit out there. Here one must understand the rule of the Medes and Persians. If a king passed a law, it could not be revoked. Nope, there were no amendments in the Persian constitution. What's a Persian king to do?

Well, the only thing a Persian king can do is issue another edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. Fortunately, very little blood was shed. In other words, the two laws produced a draw.

So why is Purim celebrated?

In Esther we read:

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

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