Susa

He ruled over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia.

And in the royal city of Susa, at the heart of the vast Persian empire, Xerxes has thrown two parties.

The first party runs for 180 days.

Six months in which we're told, he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty.

Insecure, reactive, cruel, and more than a little bit absurd.

Which brings us to the question, well, where are God's people in the midst of this story? And chapter 2 answers this by telling us they are scattered.

2 verse 5 starts, Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai, son of Jer, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, amongst those taken captive with Jehoiachin, king of Judah.

Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother.

So we move to, we're done with the Aser Espeni Haman, that was Perik Test, Pasek Zion, and the Megillah, and we jump to Pasek Yudah Beis.

This is where Ahashverosh says to Esther, you've done an awful lot of damage, what else do you want? The king says to Esther, Then Shushan, the Jews killed, and then he goes on to describe the destruction.

And he asks her, what do you want? So Rashi says what we're picking up on in the next line is how he switches from starting with, you guys did all this damage, to asking, What do you want? So Amr Rabiavo, Rabiavo says, That teaches that a malach came and slapped him on the mouth to get him to change his tone.

This is just like, remember we had the medrash about Esther starting to point last week at Achashverosh and then the malach of the hand.

Our text is Esther chapter two, verses five through seven.

Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shammai, son of Kish, a Benjamite.

who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives, carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, so there's your enemy king, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away.

He was bringing up Hadashah, So this is Esther's Jewish name.

Her family had already experienced, we would say, displacement, captivity, and grief before Hadashah.

She ever entered the palace.

Mordecai now was living in Susa, far away from Jerusalem because his family had been carried into exile too.

Then Esther lost both of her parents and Mordecai took her into his home, raised her like she was his own daughter.

I find it interesting, the final verse of chapter 3, we see Haman and the king sitting down and having a drink.

Their wickedness had blinded them to the reality that many lives were to be taken, this mass genocide was going to take place, and instead they just sit down and have a drink together while all of Susa goes into chaos and confusion.

And now we're brought into chapter 4 and we see that Mordecai hears this news.

He hears about this motive, this bribe that Haman has brought together to the king and that this decree had been sent out.

Crazy.

But Mordecai tells him exactly what had happened, the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.

Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.

Mordecai tells the eunuch all that has happened, and he pleads.

children and women included, and to plunder their goods, on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies." So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.

Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple.

And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

the Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor.

And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday.

For the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful.

The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them.