We have now come to the point in our study, when the Jews, empowered by the king to defend themselves, put the king’s decree into practice. The day had come when, originally, Haman sought to destroy every last Jew in the Persian Empire, whether men, women or children. It was to be a state sanctioned civil war, genocide if you will, whereby the citizens of the empire, aided by the state’s military, would exterminate its Jewish population. Nevertheless, the book’s heroine, Queen Esther, was able to influence the king to neutralize Haman’s order to destroy the Jews in the king’s name. Therefore, on the very day, in which they were supposed to be exterminated, the Jews were commanded by the king to defend themselves, and they would be aided by the state’s military force to destroy their enemies who planned to destroy them.
As we wind down our study of the Book of Esther, we come to the 13th day of the 12th month, the events taking place occur nearly a year after Haman wrote out his edict to destroy the Jewish population in the Persian Empire (Esther 3:7, 12), or about nine months after Mordecai wrote his edict to permit the Jews to defend themselves, aided by the Persian military and destroy all those who come against them as their enemies (Esther 8:7-9; cp. 9:1). So, instead of the Jews’ enemies having the upper hand to destroy the Jews, it was the Jews who gained the upper hand to destroy their enemies (Esther 9:1-2).
Moreover, all the empire’s satraps, provincial officials and governors who served the king’s business helped the Jews out of fear of Mordecai, for he had become great in the king’s palace, and as his power increased more and more, respect for him grew, also, and spread throughout the king’s provinces (Esther 9:3-4)
Therefore, when the day came, when the king’s decree was to be enforced, the Jews struck down all their enemies, whomsoever came against them. In Shushan, the capital of the empire, where it seems the power of the Jew’s enemies was centered, the Jews struck down 500 men, which included the ten sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, but the Jews didn’t take advantage of the spoil that was allowed them in the decree (Esther 9:5-10; cp. 8:11).
Why wouldn’t they take the spoil? There are a number of possible answers to this question, but the one that seems the most probable is that this whole event was due to the efforts of Haman the Agagite, who was a descendant of Amalek. Saul was commanded to destroy them and take nothing of theirs. However, Saul didn’t obey and was rejected by God (1Samuel 15:3, 9-11, 23). Centuries later, with the destruction of Haman and his house, and including all the Agagites,[1] whom Saul spared, the command of the Lord was to take nothing,[2] so the Jews, during the days of Queen Esther, obeyed the word of the Lord.
It seems that the king required the statistics of what was done be brought before him, and either Esther, the queen, brought that information to him, or Ahasuerus called for the queen to tell her what was done, for she was there with him (Esther 9:11-12). Moreover, the king asked Esther what else should be done, and if more, then it would be granted her, for he was disposed to honor her, because the decree of Haman had threatened her life (Esther 9:12).
Then, Esther asked the king for an additional day to slay the enemies of the Jews in the Persian capital, where the power of their enemies was centered. Moreover, she asked that the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hung in public as an example for those who would think to harm the Jews again (Esther 9:13), and Ahasuerus commanded that Esther’s request be done (Esther 9:14).
Obviously, word could not have reached all 127 provinces in the Persian Empire to use an additional day to slaughter the Jews’ enemies. Therefore, the queen’s request was granted only for the Persian capital, and an additional 300 men were slain in Shushan, but no one laid their hands on the spoils (Esther 9:15).
As for the Jews in the other provinces in the empire, they fought their enemies, 75000, on the 13th day of the 12th month (Adar), but they refused to take the spoils. However, they called for a celebration on the 14th day of the month (Esther 9:16-17). The Jews in Shushan, on the other hand, slew their enemies on both the 13th and the 14th day of the month and rested and celebrated on the 15th of Adar (Esther 9:18), and the Jews in the towns throughout the empire made the 14th day of the month of Adar a day of memorial and feasting (Esther 9:19).
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[1] This would also include any who were allied to them.
[2] The idea is that the moral issue behind the Jews’ vengeance would have been marred, if they had gained their’ enemies’ wealth in doing so
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