Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Apr 5, 2012 13:09:24 GMT -5
CHAPTER IV.
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
Haman's love of distinction and
favour was so great that it did
not matter from whom he received
it,—to him it was all a sign of his
greatness and grandeur; so that when
Queen Esther chose him to come with the
king to her banquet it puffed him up with.
pride, because he believed she deemed him
more worthy of honour than any other
prince or noble of the court.
He went home from that first feast in
high good-humour, intending to boast to
all whom he knew of the favour which
60 HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
was shown him; but as he passed through
the outer gate of the palace all the joy
faded from his countenance, for he caught
a glimpse of Mordecai, the detested and
despised Jew, sitting there without showing
him one mark of respect, though all others
saluted him on bended knee. Haman
was very angry; it seemed to touch him
then as a sort of silent proof that he was
not so great as he considered himself, and
that one man dared to show him this.
However, he tried to turn his mind to
the great revenge which he should have
ere long; and then, with the Jews exting
uished from the nation and Mordecai
destroyed, there could surely be nothing
in the way of his greatness and dignity.
So Haman passed on to his own house,
and to gratify his self-esteem he called for
his wife and his friends and gave a history
of his wealth and glory, boasting that he
ESTHER ACC.US
1
HAMAN’S PTINISHMENT. 61
was second only to Ahasuerus; and then
he added that Queen Esther favoured him
above every prince or noble of Persia,
for that she had invited him alone to
accompany the king to a banquet, and
that he was again bidden to be her guest
upon the succeeding day.
At last he could think of nothing more
of which to boast, and so his mind came
back to the annoyance he had received
after quitting the royal presence that very
day, and he declared that his, wealth and
power and favour lost all their pleasure
and sweetness so long as Mordecai the
Jew was sitting at the palace-gate.
It is always so with people who give
themselves up to ambition; their time is
spent in grasping what they covet so
greedily, and then, after all the effort and
anxiety and misery of the struggle, when
the prize they have tried for seems withirL
62 HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
their grasp, there is always some secret
annoyance or some open grievance which
they feel keeps them from the enjoyment
of all they have gained. This is God’s
punishment of this eager, covetous spirit.
Though he likes to see us active, industrio
us, and brave in seeking to accomplish
any good purpose we have in view, our
desires must be kept under his most holy
will. We are to work and to strive for the
high and the noble, to do our best in the life-
work which is ours; and then, having done
all we can, we must patiently and quietly
wait for God to give or withhold success
as he deems right. But all this refers to
the effort which has in view some proper
end: the labour to secure favour, and
power, and empty honour can surely never
secure God’s help and blessing. As it
was in Haman’s case, so it will be always:
even if the desire be granted us it will
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 63
bring its own misery with it; and the
great, rich, royal favourite was a wretched
man that night as he sat and complained
to his friends that Mordecai refused to
yield him the homage which was his due.
His wife, and those who listened to his
murmuring, strove to soothe his anger b,y
putting into his mind a means of very
quickly ridding himself of the offender;
and their advice was that he should have
an immense beam prepared, fifty cubits
high, and that the very next morning he
should obtain the king’s permission to
have Mordecai hanged upon it.
It did not seem at all probable that
Ahasuerus would refuse his favourite s
request: having granted the edict against
the Jews, he would surely not set any
value upon the life of one among them,
and therefore Haman expected to go joyf
ully to Esther’s second banquet, after hay-
64 H&MAN’S PUNISHMENT.
ing witnessed the death of Mordecai. So
he ordered the beam to be prepared—a
great strong beam, which lay in his house
all night in readiness for his evil purpose.
He never thought that his scheme could
be thwarted, because he felt certain of
gaining the permission of Ahasuerus, and
no fear of God’s interposition crossed his
mind; 80 he rested calmly and happily till
morning—happy in the horrible certainty
of speedy revenge!
That night there was perhaps some dist
urbance in the royal household, for Ahasu
erus, whose will was law, and who might
not be contradicted in the smallest desire,
coald not sleep; and though he was great,
and grand, and powerful, and surrounded
by crowds of attendants who flew to do
his bidding, the king was as powerless
then as any poor weak little infant in his
mighty empire to force his eyes to close
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 65
in quiet rest. At last, in his impatience
and weariness, he called one of his attenda
nts to read to him from the records of
the events of the lives of the Persian
monarchs; and by chance, as it seemed,—
though God’s hand was in it all unseen,—
the book was opened at that time in his
own history when the two royal porters
had planned to take his life, and had been
overheard by Mordecai as he sat at the
palace-gate.
Ahasuerus listened, and his brow darke
ned with the remembrance of that daring
treachery; and then a strange, sudden
light, seemed thrown upon Mordecai’s
share in the business, and for the first
time he realized that he really owed the
preservation of his life to that man. So
he stopped the reader, and bade him pass
on to the record of his reward. The pages
were scanned, but nothing at& k
(4D) 5
b
66 HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
show what had been done in return for
his fidelity to the king; so they answered,
“He hath received no reward at all.”
Either Ahasuerus saw the injustice of
such treatment, or else his proud spirit
chafed at the thought that he—the great
ruler—was under any obligation to this
unknown man. He was about to speak,
when a step sounded upon the marble
pavement of the inner court; and knowing
it must be one of his counsellors, the king
commanded that he should approach.
It was Haman—cruel, crafty Haman—
who had come thus early to petition for
the execution of Mordecai, because it
seemed that the time of revenge could not
come soon enough for his impatience; and
so he passed into the presence of Ahasuer
us, little imagining the thought which was
uppermost in the king’s mind.
Then said the king, “What shall be
1AMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 67
done to the man whom the king del
ights to honour ?“ Haman was so filled
with self-love, that it would have been
impossible for him to think there was a
man throughout the kingdom excepting
himself whom Ahasuerus should desire to
favour; so he answered quickly that the
man whom the king delighted to honour
ought to be clothed in royal apparel, and
set upon one of the horses belonging to
Ahasuerus, and that a golden crown should
be placed upon his head. But even this
was not enough glory for a nature such as
his: he added, that the first among the
princes should lead the horse, and go thus
through the chief streets of the city, cryi
ng aloud, “Thus shall he be honoured
whom the king delighteth to honour.”
How great must have been the humil
iation to this ambitious man, when in the
ears of all the listening attendants Ahz
68 HAMAIN’S PUNISHMENT.
uerus spoke, and instead of hearing the
mention of his own name, Haman was
startled by the sound of that name which
was uppermost in his own mind, because
of the wicked purpose he was expecting to
carry out that very day! “Make haste,
and do as thou hast spoken, to Mordecai
the Jew, who sitteth before the gate of
the palace,” said the king. Yes; it was
indeed so. The very man whom he hated,
whom he had plotted to kill, was to be
exalted thus, and by his own words too.
Much as Haman could influence the king,
he dared not utter a word against this comm
and. He had overreached himself by his
grasping ambition, as such people always
do sooner or later; and nothing remained
but to go forth and array Mordecai in
royal garments, and lead the horse upon
which he sat through the city, proclaimi
ng the honour in which he was held by
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 69
Ahasuerus. As he did so, Haman was
cursing his rival in his heart; and when
the triumphal procession had passed
through all the streets of Shushan, and
Mordecai returned to the palace-gate, he
hastened to his own home, mourning and
covering his head, as the sign of sorrow
and humiliation.
In his misery and envy, the wretched
man again consulted his wife and his
friends; but they had neither comfort nor
help to offer him. Indeed, they prophes
ied that as he had once begun to fall
before a man who belonged to the Jewish
nation, he would sink lower and lower,
until he perished in Mordecai’s sight.
Haman heard them with dismay; the
honour and glory which he prized so much,
and for which he had striven, seemed turni
ng to dust and ashes beneath his touch.
But as they spoke, the king’s serv&u*
70 TIAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
came hastily in, saying that the queen’s
banquet was ready. Haman had expected
to feast that day with a merry heart, after
seeing his enemy die upon the gallows
he had prepared; now he must still go,
in the midst of his rage and shame, for
the royal command could not be evaded.
His garments were rich, he reclined on
the downy cushions of the Eastern couches,
dainty meats were served, and rare wine
was poured out by the attendants; yet,
in the midst of all the luxury and splend
our, Haman was suffering the terrible
torments of envy and revenge, and the
wickedness of his heart became greater
than before. No one knew all this exc
epting God, who had already begun his
punishment, and who so soon was about
to destroy him for his great sins. If his
countenance was sad, Ahasuerus did not
notice it, for he was metr 3f4et feasting;
TTAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 71
and said once more that any request
Queen Esther had to make should be
granted her; however great might be the
favour, she should receive it, even to the
half of his kingdom.
Then Esther knew it was the time—
God’s time—for her to plead boldly for
the Jewish nation, and she made her req
uest for her own life and the lives of her
people. She told how they were given
up to be slain upon a certain day, and this
by one man—an enemy whose cruelty was
very great, and who exercised it in the
name of the king. It would seem that
Ahasuerus had forgotten the time when
Haman had asked for the destruction of
the Jews. Perhaps he had thought so
lightly of the lives of those Israelitish
men and women, with their children, that
they were as nothing to him. But now,
when Esther, in all the grace and. be*
72 IrAMAN’S PUNIS1TMNT.
which pleased his eye, claimed them as
her kindred, her very own with whom she
must live or die, the injustice and cruelty
impressed him; and he asked who was
this one cruel enemy of whom the queen
spoke, and by what power he did such
things.
Then Esther rose up from her place at
the feet of Ahasuerus, and standing by
him, pointed to Haman. “This is the man
who has persecuted us; this is our enemy,
this most wicked Haman,” she exclaimed.
At that moment the wretched Haman
thought of the prophecy of his wife and
friends: it was coming true already. He
had begun to fall when Mordecai was led
by his own hand in triumph round the
city; he was sinking fast now when Esther
denounced him to the king. Rage, shame,
despair, all the bitter feelings of his heart,
were expressed in his face then. He could
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 73
not bear the glance of the queen, or the
angry countenance of Ahasuerus, and he
raised his hands to his head, as one who
was undone and would tear his hair in his
utter misery.
The hail in which the feast had been
held led into a garden set with trees, and
the king rose up from the table and strode
past Esther and past Haman in his anger,
and went into the garden, to think there
alone how he should punish his former
favotirite.
Although he knew his danger, and felt
sure he should fall under the sentence of
his royal master, Haman had still one
hope. Honour, glory, and position were
gone, but he loved life even then; and he
fell prostrate at the feet of Esther, as she
reclined upon her couch, and entreated her
to beg that he might be spared from death.
Thus Ahasuerus found him, and his wrath
74 ITAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
burst out afresh, because Haman should
dare approach his queen. One of the
servants who were standing by saw that
the king was furiously angry, and he spoke
and said, “Behold the gibbet which he
hath prepared for Mordecai, who spoke
for the king, standeth in Haman’s house,
being fifty cubits high.”
In a moment Ahasuerus answered,
“Hang him upon it.” The man whom
he had favoured and raised above every
prince and noble of the kingdom was det
estable to him then, for hatred had come
in the place of favour; and thus the
wretched Haman was dragged out from
the king’s presence, and hanged upon the
very gallows he had made ready with exu
ltation for Mordecai.
We do not hear that any one mourned
for him. The many who had bent the
knee before him when he was great in
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 75
authority, forgot him in the moment of
his degradation—perhaps even rejoiced
over his downfalL What a lesson we
have here of the worthlessness of human
esteem—that esteem which we, every one
in our own way, prize so much! We may
not be ambitious of high honour and dign
ity like Haman, we may not be envious
of those who seem to stand in the way of
our advancement,, but we do all think too
highly of the favour of man. We are too
anxious to secure it, and too much cast
down when it is withheld; yet God is cons
tantly teaching us, by our own experience
as well as by many a history of past days,
that only one thing is worth desiring, only
one thing is to be sought after; and that
is his almighty favour and protection.
CHAPTER V.
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI.
IAMAN, the once great prince and
favourite, was dead; but Aliasu
erus did not repent of the
sentence which had been exec
uted upon him: that very day he gave
his house to Queen Esther as her own
property, which she should use as she
would. She had told the king her history
then, for there was no longer any reason
to withhold it; and she was glad to claim
her people and her God once more. And
then she spoke of Mordecai,—of his care
and love when she was left without father
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 77
and mother, and how he had watched over
her up to the time when she found favour
with Ahasuerus, and became a queen.
Perhaps all this would have been a cause
of offence to the king at another time; but
Esther was high in his favour then, and
all that she said pleased him, and he sent
for Mordecai to come into his presence.
The ring which had been given to
Haman, with which to seal the orders for
the execution of the sentence against the
Jews, had been taken from him when he
was hanged, and returned to the king; so,
when Mordecai knelt before him, Ahasu
erus gave this ring into his hands as a
sign of his royal favour. How happy
Esther must have been to see her uncle
receiving honour from the king! She had
pleaded for the lives of her kindred, but
she had asked no advancement for her
own household, yet it had come unsought1
78 TUE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
and Mordecai was in the place of Haman,
who had hated him so bitterly.
She too could now, in a measure, repay
the kindness which had shielded her
childhood; so she placed Mordecai at the
head of the house of Haman, which was
her own by the gift of Ahasuerus. To
the palaces of the great there always bel
onged an officer who superintended all
matters, and had the control over the
domestics, and whose apartments were
spacious and handsome. This was the
position, therefore, which Esther gave to
her uncle; and his elevation was a cause
of delight to her, and to all the Jewish
people who dwelt in Shushan.
Yet she was not satisfied. That terrible
edict was still posted on the city walls,
and upon the walls of every city througho
ut the kingdom; and as the Israelitish
people passed to and fro, and looked upon
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 79
the order for their destruction, they wept
for themselves and for their children.
And Esther knew this, knew the deso
lation which ifiled the hearts of Jewish
women, as they thought of the fate of
their little ones; and though she was safe
and high in favour with her royal husb
and, while her uncle Mordecai ruled over
the house which belonged to her, she
could not forget her kindred, and their
sorrow was also hers.
So the young queen ventured to appeal
again to Ahasuerus; and casting herself
down at his feet she wept, and moaned,
and entreated him to undo the work of
Haman, and command all the governors
of the provinces to take down the edicts
which were posted upon the walls, and
declare them to be of no effect.
Ahasuerus had already granted much
to Esther, and, with a nature like hi h*
80 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
would not have been wonderful had ho
become angry at her renewed pleading,
and destroyed both her and those whom
she loved. But God’s power over his hard,
cruel heart was infinite, and once more he
stooped from his throne and extended the
golden sceptre to her. Then Esther rose
from the ground, and begged still harder:
she told the king that the day was app
roaching upon which the Jews were to
be slain according to the decree issued in
his name by Ham an, and she implored
him to send new letters throughout the
kingdom which should prevent the mass
acre of her people.
Ahasuerus pitied her distress. It was
not that he cared for the Jews who dwelt
in his kingdom; but Esther was dear to
him, and he was willing to grant any req
uest which should dry her tears. So he
spoke to Mordecai, atd bade him write to
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 81
the Jewish people according to his own
pleasure, and the letters should be sealed
with the royal ring; because no one dared
disobey any command which went out
bearing this sign of the king’s consent to it.
A number of men were kept in the
household as scribes, to whom was ent
rusted the writing of all the letters and
papers which were necessary to be sent
from Ahasuerus to his servants and
officers in distant parts of hiB kingdom;
and Mordecai immediately went out from
the royal presence and called for these
scribes, and letters were written accordi
ng to his own pleasure. They were
written first to the Jewish people who
were scattered about in the great kingd
om, bidding them lament no more, but
put off their sackcloth, and take the ashes
from their heads, and rejoice, because
Haman, who had sought their kcsc
(497) 6
82 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
had been himself destroyed, while the
king regarded them with favour, and rev
ersed the commands which had been
before sent out. And then every govern
or, and judge, and ruler—all who had any
authority throughout the provinces which
belonged to Ahasuerus—received the order,
sealed with the king’s ring, bidding them
not only to spare the Jewish people, but to
assist them to rise and destroy those who
had been their enemies. It was a mighty
kingdom, extending from India to Ethio
pia, and letters took long to travel in
those ancient times; for they were conv
eyed by men who could run swiftly, and
who, after going a certain distance, were
replaced by others, and thus they reached
at last the place for which they were int
ended. But Mordecai was in haste to put
an end to the fear of the Jewish people,
and to make their triunl?h known through-
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 8$
out the land; so camels and dromedaries
were sought for which should travel more
speedily, and thus the new messages were
taken to the different rulers of the nation
which was subject to King Ahasuerus.
There was great joy among the Jews
in Shushan when the changed order was
seen upon the city walls; and Mordecal
went out from the king’s palace dressed
in royal apparel, such as befitted his new
position. We hear that he wore a garment
of violet and blue, and a cloak of silk
and purple, and a golden crown was upon
his head; and as he rode on horseback
through the streets of the city, with his
guard of soldiers around him, the Israeliti
sh people flocked out from their homes to
greet him with every mark of honour and
reverence, while Esther looked on from
the outer court of her apartments, well
pleased at his triumph..
84 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
As soon as the king’s commandment
was known throughout all the provinces,
there was wonderful rejoicing in the fami
lies which had so lately dwelt in fear and
distress. Every one, according to their
rank, prepared feasts, and there were
dancing and many signs of outward joy.
In that country, when any public festival
is held, the houses are adorned with rich
carpets and cushions, and the court-yards
blaze with illuminations; and it is proba
ble that the Jewish people would celeb
rate their great triumph with all the
magnificence of the Persians, among
whom they had dwelt so long. It was
also made the occasion of great religious
ceremonies; for the Jews rightly felt that
it had been God’s doing that they were
thus delivered from the sentence of death,
and they accordingly thanked and praised
him. And many ecc ‘who did not
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 85
belong to their nation were desirous of
joining in their worship; for they felt a
great fear of offending the God of the
Jews, who had shown himself so great an
avenger.
Now, as Ahasuerus had given orders
throughout the kingdom for the governors
of the cities to assist the people of Israel
to fall upon their enemies, they gathered
themselves together on the day which
Haman had fixed to destroy them, ready
to attack those who had sought to shed
their blood. It seems sad that they,
the chosen people of God, whom he had
so mercifully delivered from those who
oppressed them, should immediately rise
against their enemies; but those were the
days of the old law, when death was
the punishment of nearly every offence,
and Christ, the Prince of Peace, had not
yet come into the world to tect
86 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
.
giveness of enemies, and the return of
good for evil by pardoning those who
offend us. Therefore, at this time, by.
the permission of Ahasuerus, the Jewish
people were made the means of executing
public justice; for, as the plot of destroyi
ng their whole nation would be deemed
a crime which must be punished by the
very same death, they would feel thems
elves only engaged in a righteous act,
because they were ridding the world of
bad and sinful men. The governors and
rulers of the different cities of the empire
durst not protect their own people, because
they feared to fall into disgrace with
Mordecai, who was now the favourite of
the king; so, to please him and stand
well with him, they were forced to assist
the Jews to gather themselves together
for this terrible work, and to extol them
and praise them befote all men. So the
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 87
day came, and there was a fearful
slaughter; those who had planned against
the Jewish people were now striving to
escape from their hands; the sound of
mourning and desolation rose from the
hearts and lips of Medes and Persians,
instead of the exultant sounds of victory
they had expected to proclaim upon that
day. The city of Shushan was a scene of
confusion and bloodshed; men were struck
down by hundreds within its walls, some
aged and infirm, others young, strong, and
noble.
The Jewish people did not touch the
goods of the slain. They had permission
to do so, and to keep as their own the
property of those who had been at enmity
with them; but theirs was not a contest
for wealth or gain. They believed thems
elves to be avenging the cause of God;
and though they wished to take th li’
88 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI.
of those who had offended him, they
would not have anything to do with their
riches.
When the news was taken to Aha8-
uerus that in Shushan alone five hundred
men of the city had been slain in that
one day, besides the ten sons of Haman,
he knew that there must have been still
greater bloodshed throughout the prov
inces over which he ruled, and sending
for the queen, he asked her if she wa
now content, or whether she had any
further favour to beg at his hands.
To us who live in modern days, when,
happily, people have learned to dread
scenes of strife and bloodshed, it seems
almost impossible to understand how
Esther could desire more. We should
rather hear that she wept for the desolat
ion throughout the land, even though it
was not among het own kindred, and be-
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 89
sought Ahasuerus to command that the
struggle should be stayed. But the
young queen had been trained up under
the old strict law of Hebrew justice; in
those Median and Persian people she saw
the enemies who had planned to destroy
the Jewish nation, God’s nation; she
saw in them those who might on some
other occasion recover the favour of the
fickle-minded king, and then wreak their
fury upon her own race; and it seemed
to her that death was the fitting return
for their wicked scheming, and that their
death would be the greatest safeguard for
the Jewish nation. So, though Esther
was young, and fair, and good, and truly
served God, she had but the spirit of
those early days, which called for justice,
and not mercy; and she begged her royal
• husband to allow the Jews to slay their
enemies during one more day, and. fittsx
90 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MOBDECAI.
that the ten Sons of Haman might be
hanged upon the gibbet, so that thus hi
name might perish for ever.
Ahasuerus acceded to Esther’s request,
and upon the next day the Jews in the
city of Shushan killed three hundred men.
But again they did not lay hands upon
their goods; and in every town the
Persians were falling in such numbers
that more than seventy-five thousand were
slain throughout the empire of the great
king.
CHAPTER VI.
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
lEE changes which had taken place
in the city of Shushan were very
wonderful,—so wonderful that
God’s overruling providence alone
could have brought them about.
Only a short time before, and Esther
had been living a quiet, secluded life, under
the care of Mordecai; the Jews were a
people but little esteemed in that country
where once they had been captives; while
Haman was the chief friend and counsellor
of the king, with no apparent danger
threateni:ig him or his househo1d so
92 M0RDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
as he was clever enough to keep in the
favour of Ahasuerus. But the greatness
of the honours heaped upon him had made
him proud and insolent. If ever he had
been grateful, that gratitude was lost in
desire for further honours and advancem
ent; and to secure his own ends, he
would not scruple to commit any sin or
injustice. No one throughout the country
dared speak against the royal favourite;
no one would have ventured to accuse
him, or to appeal against his cruelty. But
though the friendship of Ahasuerus prot
ected him from men, he could not be
concealed from God, who was looking
down upon him from heaven, with the det
ermination of punishing him.
When the royal marriage of the king
with Esther was proclaimed, Haman
joined in the feasting and rejoicing, little
knowing that the young Jewish queen
• 1J
;-:-
S
MOURN,16 Q MORD
E%rberW
• 1:
•1I
I’’
• II
• yl
‘II
I •
—
• _..1
MORDEAI REMEMBERS HiS DREAM. 93
would be the means, under Almigifty
God, of working his ruin, and the ruin
of his family. But it was the divine
purpose that Esther should, by her grace
and beauty, win power over the heart of
Ahasuerus, which was too dark and dull
to be gained by anything higher and
nobler than mere fairness of appearance;
and thus she should gain a hearing when
she begged for the lives of the Jewish
people, and accused Haman of conspiring
against her and them.
There are many histories and examples
of the protection with which God overs
hadowed his people in ancient days, but
no more striking example than this which
is contained in the life of Esther; so that
as he looked round the city of Shushan,
after the great day of death there, and
saw the exaltation of the Jews, Mordecai
might well say, “God hath done these
94 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
things,” for he knew that with men it
would have been impossible.
The people of Israel always desired
that their descendants should rightly
understand the great events which befell
them; so the history of all these things
was carefully written down that it might
never be forgotten in after-years, and
Mordecai sent the papers far and near to
the Jewish families, who would preserve
them carefully, and bequeath them to
their children.
He also gave command that the days
upon which they had been allowed to
attack and slay their enemies, should not
only be a time of feasting and rejoicing
for that once, but that each year, as the
time came round, they should make a
solemn holiday to be celebrated with rel
igious ceremonies, in remembrance of the
great goodness of God, h i’iiu them the
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM. 95
victory over those who longed for their
destruction.
Besides rejoicing themselves when the
anniversary came round, they were to
share their gladness and feasting with
others, not forgetting gifts to the poor
and friendless. The Jews very willingly
undertook to observe all these commands
given by Mordecai; and it ‘was ordained
that any one who disregarded them should
be destroyed by sword and by fire, because
it would be forgetful of the merciful
providence of God, who had turned the
day,of mourning and sadness into joy for
them.
The memory of this great deliverance
has always been, and still is, celebrated
by the Jews. The festival is called that
of Purim, because on that day Haman
cast the lot (Pur) to destroy them; and it
is preceded by a strict fast, after which
96 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the
twelfth month are given up to universal
and unbounded rejoicings. The Book of
Esther is then read aloud in the synag
ogue, where Jews of all ages are bound
to be present; and every time the name
of Haman occurs in the reading, the
whole congregation clap their hands and
stamp their feet, and answer, “Let his
memory perish!
The history of Esther would hardly be
complete, without speaking of a wonderful
dream which Mordecai had, long before
Esther was chosen to be the queen of
Ahasuerus. One night, in a deep sleep, it
seemed to him that there was a great
tumult in the earth, which quaked and
trembled, while thunder and lightning
disturbed the air; and in the midst of the
noise, two great dragons appeared, ready
to fight with each other. At their cry,
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM. 97
all the nations seemed to rise up against
one nation, and that one was greatly
troubled and distressed, fearing death and
making preparation for it. But in their
fear the people cried to God; and as they
were crying, a little fountain which was
in that land suddenly grew into a river,
which became more and more abundant,
and spread into many waters; and a
glorious light shone out over the troubled
nation, and great power seemed to be
given it, so that it overcame the other
nations and destroyed them altogether.
This was the dream of Mordecai when he
was sleeping quietly in his bed one night;
and when the morning came, he rose
thinking very much about this vision,
which had seemed so clear and plain, and
he wondered what it might signify, and
whether God was going to bring some
strange thing to pass.
98 MORDECAI RMMRERS HIS DREAM
We know it to be both foolish and
wrong to attribute any importance to the
dreams which, in the ordinary way, visit
us during the hours of sleep; people who
are always thinking there is some meaning
m such thrngs, are neither good nor happy.
But it may happen, as a rare and unusual
thing, that God spe9.kM in the visions of
the night; and in former generations it
was more common for him to do so, and
we find many instances in the Old Testam
ent of good and holy men receiving
divine prophecies and messages thus.
Knowing the histories of the patriarchs
of earlier times, and remembering instances
wherein God made known his will by the
hidden meaning of a dream, Mordecai
pondered much over the vision in which
he had seen these two powerful dragons,
and the nations which sought to destroy
a weaker and smaller people; and while
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM. 99
he thought, he grew more arid more cert
am that at some future time it would all
be made plain to him.
When all the wonderful events wo have
been speaking of had taken place,—when
the Jews were rejoicing and triumphant,
and Mordecai was the highest person after
Ahasuerus throughout the city of Shushan,
—he recollected the dream which had once
visited him in the days when he was little
known or esteemed among the Persians.
Now he understood what those things
signified. The little fountain which spread
into the great river, refreshing and wateri
ng the land, was a sort of figure or liken
ess of Esther, who had, by the royal
marriage, been raised from her quiet,
hidden life, to great honour and usefulness,
and who had been the means of causing
the sunlight of prosperity to shine out
brightly and cheeringly upon the k’’cs
100 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM
people. The two dragons ready for comb
at were himself and Haman; and the
troubled and oppressed nation was Israel,
which cried in its fear and misery to the
Lord, and he saved it from all evil, and
gave it the victory over its enemies.
We do not hear any more of Esther or
of Mordecai in the Scriptures; we leave
them in their joy and exaltation, dwelling
in the spacious courts of the Eastern palace,
with its soft divans and gold-embroidered
cushions, its gardens planted with beaut
iful trees and flowering shrubs, where
fountains play upon mosaic pavements,
and the hot air is scented with the frag
rance of the rare blossoms of that land.
But in closing our story of the strange
events of their lives, we must seek to lay
firm hold of the many lessons which are
put before us. We see that although
proud and wicked. eoI may appear to
MORDECAI REME?BERS HIS DREAM. 101
be prosperous and honoured, while God’s
people are despised and forgotten, it is
only for a time. Even in this world the
faithful servants of our Lord often meet
with their reward; but if we do not see it
here, we shall do so in the next world,
where they receive more than sufficient to
make up for all they have suffered in
their lives. But God hates pride, and
although sometimes he only punishes it
in this world by the misery of heart
which none escape who are not in his
grace and favour, it is almost always seen
that the punishment of such people comes
even before •the eyes of men, and they
lose the riches, or power, or esteem, they
tried so hard to gain; just as wicked Ham
an did when his plot was discovered,
and he sunk down from his high estate,
and met the very doom he had devised for
Mordecai. Besides the lesson of God’
102 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
love for the humble of heart, we learn
the reward of fidelity. Had Esther forg
otten her uncle and her own Jewish
people when she was raised to the dignity
of a queen,—had she turned from them in
their distress, and refused to plead for
them, or to own herself as one of their
kindred,—God would surely have caused
her to lose the favour of Ahasuerus, and
be thrust down and disgraced like Vashti.
But she was faithful to her religion and
to her people,—in their danger and distress
she clung to them, and resolved to share
in their sentence of death if it was carried
out; and this faithfulness pleased God,
and by his infinite power he brought
abouL the deliverance of the Jews. That
Mordecai should discover the treason of
Bigthan and Teresh; that the king some
time after should be unable to sleep, and
cause the history of liiz tiu to be read
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM 103
to him, and thus recall the service the
Jewish man had rendered him,—all hap-.
pened by the special order of Divine
Providence. And so we come to the
great, chief lesson, of the protecting care
of our good God. He is always watching
over his children, amidst their dangers,
and difficulties, and sorrows, ready to help
when their need is greatest, just as he
helped his Jewish people when a violent
death seemed certainly their doom. With
God for our friend, nothing can really
harm us. Troubles may come—for in
some way they always do happen to those
he loves best—but he will bring us safely
through every one, and give us peace and
joy at last. People may try to injure us,
speak falsely of us, and cost us many a
grief and tear; but the knowledge that
God loves us will make up for all the
unkindness of fellow - creatures, whose
104 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAV
friendship is so uncertain and of so little
value. Thus, if we are but faithful in our
love to our Father in heaven, faithful in
doing our duty as we pass through life,
however hard and difficult it may seem,
we, like Queen Esther of Scripture, shall
receive an answer to our prayers; we shall
be preserved by the same divine prot
ection, and receive a reward far more to
be desired than her bright crown of roy..
alty—the unfading crown which is waiti
ng for each one of God’s own children.
“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a èrown of life.”
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
Haman's love of distinction and
favour was so great that it did
not matter from whom he received
it,—to him it was all a sign of his
greatness and grandeur; so that when
Queen Esther chose him to come with the
king to her banquet it puffed him up with.
pride, because he believed she deemed him
more worthy of honour than any other
prince or noble of the court.
He went home from that first feast in
high good-humour, intending to boast to
all whom he knew of the favour which
60 HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
was shown him; but as he passed through
the outer gate of the palace all the joy
faded from his countenance, for he caught
a glimpse of Mordecai, the detested and
despised Jew, sitting there without showing
him one mark of respect, though all others
saluted him on bended knee. Haman
was very angry; it seemed to touch him
then as a sort of silent proof that he was
not so great as he considered himself, and
that one man dared to show him this.
However, he tried to turn his mind to
the great revenge which he should have
ere long; and then, with the Jews exting
uished from the nation and Mordecai
destroyed, there could surely be nothing
in the way of his greatness and dignity.
So Haman passed on to his own house,
and to gratify his self-esteem he called for
his wife and his friends and gave a history
of his wealth and glory, boasting that he
ESTHER ACC.US
1
HAMAN’S PTINISHMENT. 61
was second only to Ahasuerus; and then
he added that Queen Esther favoured him
above every prince or noble of Persia,
for that she had invited him alone to
accompany the king to a banquet, and
that he was again bidden to be her guest
upon the succeeding day.
At last he could think of nothing more
of which to boast, and so his mind came
back to the annoyance he had received
after quitting the royal presence that very
day, and he declared that his, wealth and
power and favour lost all their pleasure
and sweetness so long as Mordecai the
Jew was sitting at the palace-gate.
It is always so with people who give
themselves up to ambition; their time is
spent in grasping what they covet so
greedily, and then, after all the effort and
anxiety and misery of the struggle, when
the prize they have tried for seems withirL
62 HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
their grasp, there is always some secret
annoyance or some open grievance which
they feel keeps them from the enjoyment
of all they have gained. This is God’s
punishment of this eager, covetous spirit.
Though he likes to see us active, industrio
us, and brave in seeking to accomplish
any good purpose we have in view, our
desires must be kept under his most holy
will. We are to work and to strive for the
high and the noble, to do our best in the life-
work which is ours; and then, having done
all we can, we must patiently and quietly
wait for God to give or withhold success
as he deems right. But all this refers to
the effort which has in view some proper
end: the labour to secure favour, and
power, and empty honour can surely never
secure God’s help and blessing. As it
was in Haman’s case, so it will be always:
even if the desire be granted us it will
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 63
bring its own misery with it; and the
great, rich, royal favourite was a wretched
man that night as he sat and complained
to his friends that Mordecai refused to
yield him the homage which was his due.
His wife, and those who listened to his
murmuring, strove to soothe his anger b,y
putting into his mind a means of very
quickly ridding himself of the offender;
and their advice was that he should have
an immense beam prepared, fifty cubits
high, and that the very next morning he
should obtain the king’s permission to
have Mordecai hanged upon it.
It did not seem at all probable that
Ahasuerus would refuse his favourite s
request: having granted the edict against
the Jews, he would surely not set any
value upon the life of one among them,
and therefore Haman expected to go joyf
ully to Esther’s second banquet, after hay-
64 H&MAN’S PUNISHMENT.
ing witnessed the death of Mordecai. So
he ordered the beam to be prepared—a
great strong beam, which lay in his house
all night in readiness for his evil purpose.
He never thought that his scheme could
be thwarted, because he felt certain of
gaining the permission of Ahasuerus, and
no fear of God’s interposition crossed his
mind; 80 he rested calmly and happily till
morning—happy in the horrible certainty
of speedy revenge!
That night there was perhaps some dist
urbance in the royal household, for Ahasu
erus, whose will was law, and who might
not be contradicted in the smallest desire,
coald not sleep; and though he was great,
and grand, and powerful, and surrounded
by crowds of attendants who flew to do
his bidding, the king was as powerless
then as any poor weak little infant in his
mighty empire to force his eyes to close
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 65
in quiet rest. At last, in his impatience
and weariness, he called one of his attenda
nts to read to him from the records of
the events of the lives of the Persian
monarchs; and by chance, as it seemed,—
though God’s hand was in it all unseen,—
the book was opened at that time in his
own history when the two royal porters
had planned to take his life, and had been
overheard by Mordecai as he sat at the
palace-gate.
Ahasuerus listened, and his brow darke
ned with the remembrance of that daring
treachery; and then a strange, sudden
light, seemed thrown upon Mordecai’s
share in the business, and for the first
time he realized that he really owed the
preservation of his life to that man. So
he stopped the reader, and bade him pass
on to the record of his reward. The pages
were scanned, but nothing at& k
(4D) 5
b
66 HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
show what had been done in return for
his fidelity to the king; so they answered,
“He hath received no reward at all.”
Either Ahasuerus saw the injustice of
such treatment, or else his proud spirit
chafed at the thought that he—the great
ruler—was under any obligation to this
unknown man. He was about to speak,
when a step sounded upon the marble
pavement of the inner court; and knowing
it must be one of his counsellors, the king
commanded that he should approach.
It was Haman—cruel, crafty Haman—
who had come thus early to petition for
the execution of Mordecai, because it
seemed that the time of revenge could not
come soon enough for his impatience; and
so he passed into the presence of Ahasuer
us, little imagining the thought which was
uppermost in the king’s mind.
Then said the king, “What shall be
1AMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 67
done to the man whom the king del
ights to honour ?“ Haman was so filled
with self-love, that it would have been
impossible for him to think there was a
man throughout the kingdom excepting
himself whom Ahasuerus should desire to
favour; so he answered quickly that the
man whom the king delighted to honour
ought to be clothed in royal apparel, and
set upon one of the horses belonging to
Ahasuerus, and that a golden crown should
be placed upon his head. But even this
was not enough glory for a nature such as
his: he added, that the first among the
princes should lead the horse, and go thus
through the chief streets of the city, cryi
ng aloud, “Thus shall he be honoured
whom the king delighteth to honour.”
How great must have been the humil
iation to this ambitious man, when in the
ears of all the listening attendants Ahz
68 HAMAIN’S PUNISHMENT.
uerus spoke, and instead of hearing the
mention of his own name, Haman was
startled by the sound of that name which
was uppermost in his own mind, because
of the wicked purpose he was expecting to
carry out that very day! “Make haste,
and do as thou hast spoken, to Mordecai
the Jew, who sitteth before the gate of
the palace,” said the king. Yes; it was
indeed so. The very man whom he hated,
whom he had plotted to kill, was to be
exalted thus, and by his own words too.
Much as Haman could influence the king,
he dared not utter a word against this comm
and. He had overreached himself by his
grasping ambition, as such people always
do sooner or later; and nothing remained
but to go forth and array Mordecai in
royal garments, and lead the horse upon
which he sat through the city, proclaimi
ng the honour in which he was held by
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 69
Ahasuerus. As he did so, Haman was
cursing his rival in his heart; and when
the triumphal procession had passed
through all the streets of Shushan, and
Mordecai returned to the palace-gate, he
hastened to his own home, mourning and
covering his head, as the sign of sorrow
and humiliation.
In his misery and envy, the wretched
man again consulted his wife and his
friends; but they had neither comfort nor
help to offer him. Indeed, they prophes
ied that as he had once begun to fall
before a man who belonged to the Jewish
nation, he would sink lower and lower,
until he perished in Mordecai’s sight.
Haman heard them with dismay; the
honour and glory which he prized so much,
and for which he had striven, seemed turni
ng to dust and ashes beneath his touch.
But as they spoke, the king’s serv&u*
70 TIAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
came hastily in, saying that the queen’s
banquet was ready. Haman had expected
to feast that day with a merry heart, after
seeing his enemy die upon the gallows
he had prepared; now he must still go,
in the midst of his rage and shame, for
the royal command could not be evaded.
His garments were rich, he reclined on
the downy cushions of the Eastern couches,
dainty meats were served, and rare wine
was poured out by the attendants; yet,
in the midst of all the luxury and splend
our, Haman was suffering the terrible
torments of envy and revenge, and the
wickedness of his heart became greater
than before. No one knew all this exc
epting God, who had already begun his
punishment, and who so soon was about
to destroy him for his great sins. If his
countenance was sad, Ahasuerus did not
notice it, for he was metr 3f4et feasting;
TTAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 71
and said once more that any request
Queen Esther had to make should be
granted her; however great might be the
favour, she should receive it, even to the
half of his kingdom.
Then Esther knew it was the time—
God’s time—for her to plead boldly for
the Jewish nation, and she made her req
uest for her own life and the lives of her
people. She told how they were given
up to be slain upon a certain day, and this
by one man—an enemy whose cruelty was
very great, and who exercised it in the
name of the king. It would seem that
Ahasuerus had forgotten the time when
Haman had asked for the destruction of
the Jews. Perhaps he had thought so
lightly of the lives of those Israelitish
men and women, with their children, that
they were as nothing to him. But now,
when Esther, in all the grace and. be*
72 IrAMAN’S PUNIS1TMNT.
which pleased his eye, claimed them as
her kindred, her very own with whom she
must live or die, the injustice and cruelty
impressed him; and he asked who was
this one cruel enemy of whom the queen
spoke, and by what power he did such
things.
Then Esther rose up from her place at
the feet of Ahasuerus, and standing by
him, pointed to Haman. “This is the man
who has persecuted us; this is our enemy,
this most wicked Haman,” she exclaimed.
At that moment the wretched Haman
thought of the prophecy of his wife and
friends: it was coming true already. He
had begun to fall when Mordecai was led
by his own hand in triumph round the
city; he was sinking fast now when Esther
denounced him to the king. Rage, shame,
despair, all the bitter feelings of his heart,
were expressed in his face then. He could
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 73
not bear the glance of the queen, or the
angry countenance of Ahasuerus, and he
raised his hands to his head, as one who
was undone and would tear his hair in his
utter misery.
The hail in which the feast had been
held led into a garden set with trees, and
the king rose up from the table and strode
past Esther and past Haman in his anger,
and went into the garden, to think there
alone how he should punish his former
favotirite.
Although he knew his danger, and felt
sure he should fall under the sentence of
his royal master, Haman had still one
hope. Honour, glory, and position were
gone, but he loved life even then; and he
fell prostrate at the feet of Esther, as she
reclined upon her couch, and entreated her
to beg that he might be spared from death.
Thus Ahasuerus found him, and his wrath
74 ITAMAN’S PUNISHMENT.
burst out afresh, because Haman should
dare approach his queen. One of the
servants who were standing by saw that
the king was furiously angry, and he spoke
and said, “Behold the gibbet which he
hath prepared for Mordecai, who spoke
for the king, standeth in Haman’s house,
being fifty cubits high.”
In a moment Ahasuerus answered,
“Hang him upon it.” The man whom
he had favoured and raised above every
prince and noble of the kingdom was det
estable to him then, for hatred had come
in the place of favour; and thus the
wretched Haman was dragged out from
the king’s presence, and hanged upon the
very gallows he had made ready with exu
ltation for Mordecai.
We do not hear that any one mourned
for him. The many who had bent the
knee before him when he was great in
HAMAN’S PUNISHMENT. 75
authority, forgot him in the moment of
his degradation—perhaps even rejoiced
over his downfalL What a lesson we
have here of the worthlessness of human
esteem—that esteem which we, every one
in our own way, prize so much! We may
not be ambitious of high honour and dign
ity like Haman, we may not be envious
of those who seem to stand in the way of
our advancement,, but we do all think too
highly of the favour of man. We are too
anxious to secure it, and too much cast
down when it is withheld; yet God is cons
tantly teaching us, by our own experience
as well as by many a history of past days,
that only one thing is worth desiring, only
one thing is to be sought after; and that
is his almighty favour and protection.
CHAPTER V.
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI.
IAMAN, the once great prince and
favourite, was dead; but Aliasu
erus did not repent of the
sentence which had been exec
uted upon him: that very day he gave
his house to Queen Esther as her own
property, which she should use as she
would. She had told the king her history
then, for there was no longer any reason
to withhold it; and she was glad to claim
her people and her God once more. And
then she spoke of Mordecai,—of his care
and love when she was left without father
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 77
and mother, and how he had watched over
her up to the time when she found favour
with Ahasuerus, and became a queen.
Perhaps all this would have been a cause
of offence to the king at another time; but
Esther was high in his favour then, and
all that she said pleased him, and he sent
for Mordecai to come into his presence.
The ring which had been given to
Haman, with which to seal the orders for
the execution of the sentence against the
Jews, had been taken from him when he
was hanged, and returned to the king; so,
when Mordecai knelt before him, Ahasu
erus gave this ring into his hands as a
sign of his royal favour. How happy
Esther must have been to see her uncle
receiving honour from the king! She had
pleaded for the lives of her kindred, but
she had asked no advancement for her
own household, yet it had come unsought1
78 TUE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
and Mordecai was in the place of Haman,
who had hated him so bitterly.
She too could now, in a measure, repay
the kindness which had shielded her
childhood; so she placed Mordecai at the
head of the house of Haman, which was
her own by the gift of Ahasuerus. To
the palaces of the great there always bel
onged an officer who superintended all
matters, and had the control over the
domestics, and whose apartments were
spacious and handsome. This was the
position, therefore, which Esther gave to
her uncle; and his elevation was a cause
of delight to her, and to all the Jewish
people who dwelt in Shushan.
Yet she was not satisfied. That terrible
edict was still posted on the city walls,
and upon the walls of every city througho
ut the kingdom; and as the Israelitish
people passed to and fro, and looked upon
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 79
the order for their destruction, they wept
for themselves and for their children.
And Esther knew this, knew the deso
lation which ifiled the hearts of Jewish
women, as they thought of the fate of
their little ones; and though she was safe
and high in favour with her royal husb
and, while her uncle Mordecai ruled over
the house which belonged to her, she
could not forget her kindred, and their
sorrow was also hers.
So the young queen ventured to appeal
again to Ahasuerus; and casting herself
down at his feet she wept, and moaned,
and entreated him to undo the work of
Haman, and command all the governors
of the provinces to take down the edicts
which were posted upon the walls, and
declare them to be of no effect.
Ahasuerus had already granted much
to Esther, and, with a nature like hi h*
80 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
would not have been wonderful had ho
become angry at her renewed pleading,
and destroyed both her and those whom
she loved. But God’s power over his hard,
cruel heart was infinite, and once more he
stooped from his throne and extended the
golden sceptre to her. Then Esther rose
from the ground, and begged still harder:
she told the king that the day was app
roaching upon which the Jews were to
be slain according to the decree issued in
his name by Ham an, and she implored
him to send new letters throughout the
kingdom which should prevent the mass
acre of her people.
Ahasuerus pitied her distress. It was
not that he cared for the Jews who dwelt
in his kingdom; but Esther was dear to
him, and he was willing to grant any req
uest which should dry her tears. So he
spoke to Mordecai, atd bade him write to
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 81
the Jewish people according to his own
pleasure, and the letters should be sealed
with the royal ring; because no one dared
disobey any command which went out
bearing this sign of the king’s consent to it.
A number of men were kept in the
household as scribes, to whom was ent
rusted the writing of all the letters and
papers which were necessary to be sent
from Ahasuerus to his servants and
officers in distant parts of hiB kingdom;
and Mordecai immediately went out from
the royal presence and called for these
scribes, and letters were written accordi
ng to his own pleasure. They were
written first to the Jewish people who
were scattered about in the great kingd
om, bidding them lament no more, but
put off their sackcloth, and take the ashes
from their heads, and rejoice, because
Haman, who had sought their kcsc
(497) 6
82 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
had been himself destroyed, while the
king regarded them with favour, and rev
ersed the commands which had been
before sent out. And then every govern
or, and judge, and ruler—all who had any
authority throughout the provinces which
belonged to Ahasuerus—received the order,
sealed with the king’s ring, bidding them
not only to spare the Jewish people, but to
assist them to rise and destroy those who
had been their enemies. It was a mighty
kingdom, extending from India to Ethio
pia, and letters took long to travel in
those ancient times; for they were conv
eyed by men who could run swiftly, and
who, after going a certain distance, were
replaced by others, and thus they reached
at last the place for which they were int
ended. But Mordecai was in haste to put
an end to the fear of the Jewish people,
and to make their triunl?h known through-
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 8$
out the land; so camels and dromedaries
were sought for which should travel more
speedily, and thus the new messages were
taken to the different rulers of the nation
which was subject to King Ahasuerus.
There was great joy among the Jews
in Shushan when the changed order was
seen upon the city walls; and Mordecal
went out from the king’s palace dressed
in royal apparel, such as befitted his new
position. We hear that he wore a garment
of violet and blue, and a cloak of silk
and purple, and a golden crown was upon
his head; and as he rode on horseback
through the streets of the city, with his
guard of soldiers around him, the Israeliti
sh people flocked out from their homes to
greet him with every mark of honour and
reverence, while Esther looked on from
the outer court of her apartments, well
pleased at his triumph..
84 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
As soon as the king’s commandment
was known throughout all the provinces,
there was wonderful rejoicing in the fami
lies which had so lately dwelt in fear and
distress. Every one, according to their
rank, prepared feasts, and there were
dancing and many signs of outward joy.
In that country, when any public festival
is held, the houses are adorned with rich
carpets and cushions, and the court-yards
blaze with illuminations; and it is proba
ble that the Jewish people would celeb
rate their great triumph with all the
magnificence of the Persians, among
whom they had dwelt so long. It was
also made the occasion of great religious
ceremonies; for the Jews rightly felt that
it had been God’s doing that they were
thus delivered from the sentence of death,
and they accordingly thanked and praised
him. And many ecc ‘who did not
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 85
belong to their nation were desirous of
joining in their worship; for they felt a
great fear of offending the God of the
Jews, who had shown himself so great an
avenger.
Now, as Ahasuerus had given orders
throughout the kingdom for the governors
of the cities to assist the people of Israel
to fall upon their enemies, they gathered
themselves together on the day which
Haman had fixed to destroy them, ready
to attack those who had sought to shed
their blood. It seems sad that they,
the chosen people of God, whom he had
so mercifully delivered from those who
oppressed them, should immediately rise
against their enemies; but those were the
days of the old law, when death was
the punishment of nearly every offence,
and Christ, the Prince of Peace, had not
yet come into the world to tect
86 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAL
.
giveness of enemies, and the return of
good for evil by pardoning those who
offend us. Therefore, at this time, by.
the permission of Ahasuerus, the Jewish
people were made the means of executing
public justice; for, as the plot of destroyi
ng their whole nation would be deemed
a crime which must be punished by the
very same death, they would feel thems
elves only engaged in a righteous act,
because they were ridding the world of
bad and sinful men. The governors and
rulers of the different cities of the empire
durst not protect their own people, because
they feared to fall into disgrace with
Mordecai, who was now the favourite of
the king; so, to please him and stand
well with him, they were forced to assist
the Jews to gather themselves together
for this terrible work, and to extol them
and praise them befote all men. So the
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 87
day came, and there was a fearful
slaughter; those who had planned against
the Jewish people were now striving to
escape from their hands; the sound of
mourning and desolation rose from the
hearts and lips of Medes and Persians,
instead of the exultant sounds of victory
they had expected to proclaim upon that
day. The city of Shushan was a scene of
confusion and bloodshed; men were struck
down by hundreds within its walls, some
aged and infirm, others young, strong, and
noble.
The Jewish people did not touch the
goods of the slain. They had permission
to do so, and to keep as their own the
property of those who had been at enmity
with them; but theirs was not a contest
for wealth or gain. They believed thems
elves to be avenging the cause of God;
and though they wished to take th li’
88 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI.
of those who had offended him, they
would not have anything to do with their
riches.
When the news was taken to Aha8-
uerus that in Shushan alone five hundred
men of the city had been slain in that
one day, besides the ten sons of Haman,
he knew that there must have been still
greater bloodshed throughout the prov
inces over which he ruled, and sending
for the queen, he asked her if she wa
now content, or whether she had any
further favour to beg at his hands.
To us who live in modern days, when,
happily, people have learned to dread
scenes of strife and bloodshed, it seems
almost impossible to understand how
Esther could desire more. We should
rather hear that she wept for the desolat
ion throughout the land, even though it
was not among het own kindred, and be-
THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI. 89
sought Ahasuerus to command that the
struggle should be stayed. But the
young queen had been trained up under
the old strict law of Hebrew justice; in
those Median and Persian people she saw
the enemies who had planned to destroy
the Jewish nation, God’s nation; she
saw in them those who might on some
other occasion recover the favour of the
fickle-minded king, and then wreak their
fury upon her own race; and it seemed
to her that death was the fitting return
for their wicked scheming, and that their
death would be the greatest safeguard for
the Jewish nation. So, though Esther
was young, and fair, and good, and truly
served God, she had but the spirit of
those early days, which called for justice,
and not mercy; and she begged her royal
• husband to allow the Jews to slay their
enemies during one more day, and. fittsx
90 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MOBDECAI.
that the ten Sons of Haman might be
hanged upon the gibbet, so that thus hi
name might perish for ever.
Ahasuerus acceded to Esther’s request,
and upon the next day the Jews in the
city of Shushan killed three hundred men.
But again they did not lay hands upon
their goods; and in every town the
Persians were falling in such numbers
that more than seventy-five thousand were
slain throughout the empire of the great
king.
CHAPTER VI.
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
lEE changes which had taken place
in the city of Shushan were very
wonderful,—so wonderful that
God’s overruling providence alone
could have brought them about.
Only a short time before, and Esther
had been living a quiet, secluded life, under
the care of Mordecai; the Jews were a
people but little esteemed in that country
where once they had been captives; while
Haman was the chief friend and counsellor
of the king, with no apparent danger
threateni:ig him or his househo1d so
92 M0RDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
as he was clever enough to keep in the
favour of Ahasuerus. But the greatness
of the honours heaped upon him had made
him proud and insolent. If ever he had
been grateful, that gratitude was lost in
desire for further honours and advancem
ent; and to secure his own ends, he
would not scruple to commit any sin or
injustice. No one throughout the country
dared speak against the royal favourite;
no one would have ventured to accuse
him, or to appeal against his cruelty. But
though the friendship of Ahasuerus prot
ected him from men, he could not be
concealed from God, who was looking
down upon him from heaven, with the det
ermination of punishing him.
When the royal marriage of the king
with Esther was proclaimed, Haman
joined in the feasting and rejoicing, little
knowing that the young Jewish queen
• 1J
;-:-
S
MOURN,16 Q MORD
E%rberW
• 1:
•1I
I’’
• II
• yl
‘II
I •
—
• _..1
MORDEAI REMEMBERS HiS DREAM. 93
would be the means, under Almigifty
God, of working his ruin, and the ruin
of his family. But it was the divine
purpose that Esther should, by her grace
and beauty, win power over the heart of
Ahasuerus, which was too dark and dull
to be gained by anything higher and
nobler than mere fairness of appearance;
and thus she should gain a hearing when
she begged for the lives of the Jewish
people, and accused Haman of conspiring
against her and them.
There are many histories and examples
of the protection with which God overs
hadowed his people in ancient days, but
no more striking example than this which
is contained in the life of Esther; so that
as he looked round the city of Shushan,
after the great day of death there, and
saw the exaltation of the Jews, Mordecai
might well say, “God hath done these
94 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
things,” for he knew that with men it
would have been impossible.
The people of Israel always desired
that their descendants should rightly
understand the great events which befell
them; so the history of all these things
was carefully written down that it might
never be forgotten in after-years, and
Mordecai sent the papers far and near to
the Jewish families, who would preserve
them carefully, and bequeath them to
their children.
He also gave command that the days
upon which they had been allowed to
attack and slay their enemies, should not
only be a time of feasting and rejoicing
for that once, but that each year, as the
time came round, they should make a
solemn holiday to be celebrated with rel
igious ceremonies, in remembrance of the
great goodness of God, h i’iiu them the
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM. 95
victory over those who longed for their
destruction.
Besides rejoicing themselves when the
anniversary came round, they were to
share their gladness and feasting with
others, not forgetting gifts to the poor
and friendless. The Jews very willingly
undertook to observe all these commands
given by Mordecai; and it ‘was ordained
that any one who disregarded them should
be destroyed by sword and by fire, because
it would be forgetful of the merciful
providence of God, who had turned the
day,of mourning and sadness into joy for
them.
The memory of this great deliverance
has always been, and still is, celebrated
by the Jews. The festival is called that
of Purim, because on that day Haman
cast the lot (Pur) to destroy them; and it
is preceded by a strict fast, after which
96 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the
twelfth month are given up to universal
and unbounded rejoicings. The Book of
Esther is then read aloud in the synag
ogue, where Jews of all ages are bound
to be present; and every time the name
of Haman occurs in the reading, the
whole congregation clap their hands and
stamp their feet, and answer, “Let his
memory perish!
The history of Esther would hardly be
complete, without speaking of a wonderful
dream which Mordecai had, long before
Esther was chosen to be the queen of
Ahasuerus. One night, in a deep sleep, it
seemed to him that there was a great
tumult in the earth, which quaked and
trembled, while thunder and lightning
disturbed the air; and in the midst of the
noise, two great dragons appeared, ready
to fight with each other. At their cry,
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM. 97
all the nations seemed to rise up against
one nation, and that one was greatly
troubled and distressed, fearing death and
making preparation for it. But in their
fear the people cried to God; and as they
were crying, a little fountain which was
in that land suddenly grew into a river,
which became more and more abundant,
and spread into many waters; and a
glorious light shone out over the troubled
nation, and great power seemed to be
given it, so that it overcame the other
nations and destroyed them altogether.
This was the dream of Mordecai when he
was sleeping quietly in his bed one night;
and when the morning came, he rose
thinking very much about this vision,
which had seemed so clear and plain, and
he wondered what it might signify, and
whether God was going to bring some
strange thing to pass.
98 MORDECAI RMMRERS HIS DREAM
We know it to be both foolish and
wrong to attribute any importance to the
dreams which, in the ordinary way, visit
us during the hours of sleep; people who
are always thinking there is some meaning
m such thrngs, are neither good nor happy.
But it may happen, as a rare and unusual
thing, that God spe9.kM in the visions of
the night; and in former generations it
was more common for him to do so, and
we find many instances in the Old Testam
ent of good and holy men receiving
divine prophecies and messages thus.
Knowing the histories of the patriarchs
of earlier times, and remembering instances
wherein God made known his will by the
hidden meaning of a dream, Mordecai
pondered much over the vision in which
he had seen these two powerful dragons,
and the nations which sought to destroy
a weaker and smaller people; and while
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM. 99
he thought, he grew more arid more cert
am that at some future time it would all
be made plain to him.
When all the wonderful events wo have
been speaking of had taken place,—when
the Jews were rejoicing and triumphant,
and Mordecai was the highest person after
Ahasuerus throughout the city of Shushan,
—he recollected the dream which had once
visited him in the days when he was little
known or esteemed among the Persians.
Now he understood what those things
signified. The little fountain which spread
into the great river, refreshing and wateri
ng the land, was a sort of figure or liken
ess of Esther, who had, by the royal
marriage, been raised from her quiet,
hidden life, to great honour and usefulness,
and who had been the means of causing
the sunlight of prosperity to shine out
brightly and cheeringly upon the k’’cs
100 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM
people. The two dragons ready for comb
at were himself and Haman; and the
troubled and oppressed nation was Israel,
which cried in its fear and misery to the
Lord, and he saved it from all evil, and
gave it the victory over its enemies.
We do not hear any more of Esther or
of Mordecai in the Scriptures; we leave
them in their joy and exaltation, dwelling
in the spacious courts of the Eastern palace,
with its soft divans and gold-embroidered
cushions, its gardens planted with beaut
iful trees and flowering shrubs, where
fountains play upon mosaic pavements,
and the hot air is scented with the frag
rance of the rare blossoms of that land.
But in closing our story of the strange
events of their lives, we must seek to lay
firm hold of the many lessons which are
put before us. We see that although
proud and wicked. eoI may appear to
MORDECAI REME?BERS HIS DREAM. 101
be prosperous and honoured, while God’s
people are despised and forgotten, it is
only for a time. Even in this world the
faithful servants of our Lord often meet
with their reward; but if we do not see it
here, we shall do so in the next world,
where they receive more than sufficient to
make up for all they have suffered in
their lives. But God hates pride, and
although sometimes he only punishes it
in this world by the misery of heart
which none escape who are not in his
grace and favour, it is almost always seen
that the punishment of such people comes
even before •the eyes of men, and they
lose the riches, or power, or esteem, they
tried so hard to gain; just as wicked Ham
an did when his plot was discovered,
and he sunk down from his high estate,
and met the very doom he had devised for
Mordecai. Besides the lesson of God’
102 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM.
love for the humble of heart, we learn
the reward of fidelity. Had Esther forg
otten her uncle and her own Jewish
people when she was raised to the dignity
of a queen,—had she turned from them in
their distress, and refused to plead for
them, or to own herself as one of their
kindred,—God would surely have caused
her to lose the favour of Ahasuerus, and
be thrust down and disgraced like Vashti.
But she was faithful to her religion and
to her people,—in their danger and distress
she clung to them, and resolved to share
in their sentence of death if it was carried
out; and this faithfulness pleased God,
and by his infinite power he brought
abouL the deliverance of the Jews. That
Mordecai should discover the treason of
Bigthan and Teresh; that the king some
time after should be unable to sleep, and
cause the history of liiz tiu to be read
MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAM 103
to him, and thus recall the service the
Jewish man had rendered him,—all hap-.
pened by the special order of Divine
Providence. And so we come to the
great, chief lesson, of the protecting care
of our good God. He is always watching
over his children, amidst their dangers,
and difficulties, and sorrows, ready to help
when their need is greatest, just as he
helped his Jewish people when a violent
death seemed certainly their doom. With
God for our friend, nothing can really
harm us. Troubles may come—for in
some way they always do happen to those
he loves best—but he will bring us safely
through every one, and give us peace and
joy at last. People may try to injure us,
speak falsely of us, and cost us many a
grief and tear; but the knowledge that
God loves us will make up for all the
unkindness of fellow - creatures, whose
104 MORDECAI REMEMBERS HIS DREAV
friendship is so uncertain and of so little
value. Thus, if we are but faithful in our
love to our Father in heaven, faithful in
doing our duty as we pass through life,
however hard and difficult it may seem,
we, like Queen Esther of Scripture, shall
receive an answer to our prayers; we shall
be preserved by the same divine prot
ection, and receive a reward far more to
be desired than her bright crown of roy..
alty—the unfading crown which is waiti
ng for each one of God’s own children.
“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a èrown of life.”