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COMMENT. The prime minister, or Grand Vizier of Ahasuerus, was Haman the Agagite, that is, the Amalekite, one of the robber nation specially hateful to Israel, and accursed by God, because of their treacherously lying in wait in the wilderness to cut off the stragglers who were faint and weary (Deut. xxv. 17). With them had been the battle of Rephidim, and they were the first great emblem of the enemies of God and His Church. Besides, they were the nation whom Saul had been commanded to destroy, and who only existed through the disobedience that had caused his rejection. As a Benjamite, therefore, and perhaps of the family of Saul, Mordecai felt above all bound to refuse all obeisance to the descendant of Agag.

Haman's rage at this refusal on the part of the Jew made him contrive a murderous scheme for cutting off the whole nation. Amalekites, Samaritans, Philistines, Edomites, and many another tribe under the government of the Great King, would be enchanted to fall on the Jews in their unwalled cities at home, slay, plunder, and sell for slaves; while throughout Assyria and Media lived hosts of prosperous merchants and artificers, whose wealth would tempt the mob to rise and lay hands on them. Haman, accusing them of enmity to the king, undertook that their spoil should produce the huge sum of ten thousand silver talents, besides satisfying the murderers.

The bribe contented Ahasuerus, and his decree against the Jews was placed among the unalterable laws of the Medes and Persians. What could save the Jews?

Now the first step with these superstitious people in every undertaking was to secure a propitious day, and accordingly lots were cast to find when the favourable time would be. The Persian word for lot is "Pârah”—Pur, as our Bible has it. It was the month Nisan, answering to March or April, the first of the year, and by the will of Him who guides the lot, no fortunate day appeared to present itself till Adar, the twelfth month, so that there was almost a year to wait before Haman's wicked purpose could be effected. But what could the Jews do against the whole force of the empire? The day fixed was the thirteenth of the twelfth month, namely, the eve of the Passover, the memorial of the great deliverance. Did they see hope in this?

One Jewish woman knew not of the dreadful sentence on her people, until she was told that her beloved guardian, Mordecai, was lying before the gate, in sackcloth, with ashes on his head. She might not speak to him, but she sent her attendant, Hatach, to carry him robes, and to comfort him. In return, he sent her the copy of the decree, and charged her to do her utmost to save her people. For now Mordecai began to perceive why, in the providence of God, his Myrtle blossom had been torn from him to endure the miserable splendour of the Star of a Persian court.

LESSON VIII.

THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE.

B. C. 484.-ESTHER iv. 10-17 ; v. I—14.

Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;

All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house; and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.

And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to

Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.

Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that

Esther had prepared.

And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.

Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;

If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said.

Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.

Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, be sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.

And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow am I invited unto her also with the king,

Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the

gallows to be made.

COMMENT.-Esther's reply to the message of Mordecai showed that even the favourite wife durst not, without a summons, come near the Great King in his inner court, where he sat on his golden throne. Except for the seven noblemen who had stipulated for the privilege when Darius was raised to the throne, it was death to enter uninvited unless the king held out his golden sceptre.

Mordecai's answer stirred up her love and devotion to her people, and bade her remember that if the savage decree took effect, she herself, the object of so much jealousy, could not hope to escape. She entreated that a great fast might be held by all the Jews, in

preparation for her dangerous effort; but it is remarkable that not a word is said of prayer, nor is the name of God once mentioned in the book. Some have thought this was because it is merely an extract from the Persian chronicles, and that prayers accompanied the fast; others hold that the omission proves how far Esther and Mordecai had fallen from the devotion of their fathers, and how much spirituality and true religion was lost by those who preferred the godless prosperity of Shushan to the affliction of the people of God at Jerusalem.

When the history of Esther was yearly read in the synagogues, this lack of devotion was felt, and the supplications both of Mordecai and Esther were added, possibly from tradition, but far more probably from invention. They are to be found in the Apocrypha, with the other unauthorized fragments, cut off from the book, because they were not in the best and earliest copies.

Esther was, however, a gentle, true-hearted, and noble creature, full of the right kind of woman's courage, shrinking, yet obedient, and whatever may have been wanting in her religious training, was Mordecai's fault rather than her own. There is something very touching in her simple words-"And if I perish, I perish."

From the Apocryphal book is subjoined the description of her appearance before the king, a scene which has delighted many imaginations, and some have seen the likeness of the Church in bondage entreating for her children

And upon the third day, when she had ended her prayer, she laid away her mourning garments, and put on her glorious apparel.

And being gloriously adorned, after she had called upon God, who is the beholder and saviour of all things, she took two maids with her : And upon the one she leaned, as carrying herself daintily; And the other followed, bearing up her train.

And she was ruddy through the perfection of her beauty, and her countenance was cheerful and very amiable but her heart was in anguish for fear. Then having passed through all the doors, she stood before the king, who sat upon his royal throne, and was clothed with all his robes of majesty, all glittering with gold and precious stones; and he was very dreadful.

Then lifting up his countenance that shone with majesty, he looked very fiercely upon her: and the queen fell down, and was pale, and fainted, and bowed herself upon the head of the maid that went before her.

Then God changed the spirit of the king into mildness, who in a fear leaped from his throne, and took her in his arms, till she came to herself again, and comforted her with loving words, and said unto her,

Esther, what is the matter? I am thy brother, be of good cheer :
Thou shalt not die, though our commandment be general: come near.
And so he held up his golden sceptre, and laid it upon her neck,
And embraced her, and said, Speak unto me.

Then said she unto him, I saw thee, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled for fear of thy majesty.

For wonderful art thou, lord, and thy countenance is full of grace.
And as she was speaking, she fell down for faintness.

Then the king was troubled, and all his servants comforted her.

To prefer her request before all the court was impossible, so Esther could only invite the king to a banquet, it being the custom of the kings to grant requests at such times. As, however, no favourable opportunity offered itself, she had to beg him to come to another banquet, and in the meantime Haman's wife, who is said to have been Tatnai's daughter, incited her husband to prepare a huge gallows, or more properly a cross, on which to crucify Mordecai, the object of his malice.

LESSON IX.

THE RECOIL ON HAMAN.

B.C. 484.-ESTHER vi. and vii.

On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.

So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,

Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the

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