By Mary Vee
Esther 9
From A Nobles' Journal
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| Photo Courtesy |
This is the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.
The day Haman's decree gave permission to the army to attack and kill all the Jews.
You may wonder, why did I join with the Jews then? Did I want to be killed?
No way.
Haman was found guilty of several crimes against the king and was hung. The king promoted Mordecai, a Jew to take his place. In the last several months Mordecai has proven himself to be an honorable and wise man. The king gave him permission to write a new decree. One that gave the Jews permission to defend themselves.
The Jews, on their own, may not have had the power to fight off the army. BUT, Mordecai had grown in favor with the king. Other nobles, administrators, and leaders feared him, as did I. Not because he was cruel--he wasn't. It was because the king favored him, and the king had the power to punish anyone he pleased with death.
Most of the leaders and nobles chose to side with the Jews on this day. Only the fools did not. This morning, I ate breakfast then went out to the city square with my sword and stood with the Jews, ready to fight their enemy with them.
Just as I suspected, the fools who let their hate for the Jews consume them attacked.
The Jews and those of us who supported them raised our weapons. The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them. Five hundred foolish men lay dead in the citadel of Susa alone.
More were killed in cities across the Babylonian empire.
The decree gave the Jews permission to go to the houses of their enemies and take whatever they wanted. I was surprised to see that they didn't. They had no interest in taking those things. I must admit, their actions gave me great respect for them.
Clearly this battle belonged to the Jews and their God.
The story has much more to tell...come back to read what happens next.
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sources: New International Version, New King James Version
1. What was the date?
2. What two decrees took effect on this date?
3 What did many nobles and administrators do on this date?
4. Why did the nobles and administrators choose to side with the Jews?
5. Who won the battle?
2. What two decrees took effect on this date?
3 What did many nobles and administrators do on this date?
4. Why did the nobles and administrators choose to side with the Jews?
5. Who won the battle?
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