Esther 9:32
So Esther's decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.
Sermons
Valuable Lessons from Unpromising MaterialsF. Hastings Esther 9:32
The Effects of DeliveranceW. Dinwiddle Esther 9:17-32














The book. The Book of Esther is secular in its tone, has no mention of the name of God, and no recognition in the Gospels or Epistles; still it is of great value.

I. It gives A VALUABLE PICTURE OF LIFE at a certain period of the world's history. The luxury of an Oriental court, the tyranny of rulers, the emptiness of regal pomp, the danger from conspiracies, the plottings of politicians, and misery of oppressed peoples, are well depicted in this book. Hints are given of the means provided for dissipating ennui by reading (Esther 6:1), of the correct recording of public events (Esther 9:32), and of the facilities provided for rapid communication (Esther 8:10-14).

II. It gives A CLEAR INDICATION OF THE WORKING OF GOD IN THE INTERESTS OF MEN.

1. In a nation outside the pale of the covenant people.

2. In preserving at a most critical period the nation selected by himself to be the means of keeping up a knowledge of the unity of the Godhead and the hope of a Messiah. Hence, if God's name is not mentioned, his working is seen. As the name of the Queen of England is not written in full on all the ships, forts, guns, carriages, etc., but only a V. R. or the broad arrow, so the name of God may not be mentioned in the whole Book of Esther, yet his cipher is in every chapter, verse, and word. The shady parts of the Bible are to be studied as well as the bright; its valleys are to be explored as well as its heights to be scaled. - H.

The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities.
The Jews acted —

1. Wisely. They acted in unison. "They gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives." Union is power: concentration of strength is mighty for good and for evil. How awful the extent of the mischief perpetrated by the evil spirits, because they act it, concert — unitedly: whereas disunion would cause even their kingdom to fall. Union and co-operation are likewise powerful for the production of good. Hence copies of the Divine writings are flying to all parts of the world, and missionaries to unfold their precious contents to those who are perishing for lack of knowledge. What would individual efforts do in cases like these?

2. Manfully. "They laid hands on all such as sought their hurt, and no man could withstand them." They were acting legally: for the royal law permitted them to defend themselves. Trust in God, in His power and faithfulness, is the only source of true magnanimity. It is this alone that makes man undaunted on rational grounds. St. Paul tells us of the ancient believers, that "out of weakness they were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens." And this, he tells us, was the effect of relying on God.

3. Moreover, they acted forbearingly, or self-denyingly. They merely defended themselves, and Seized not upon the spoils of their enemies: "On the spoil they lay not their hand." They wanted only their lives and their own possessions, and not the riches of their neighbours. We find that great believer, Abraham, acting thus self-denyingly in Genesis 14. The victory which the Jews obtained on this occasion was a very signal one. "The Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them." "In Shushan, the palace, the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men." At the request of the queen, three hundred more were slain in the royal city. And in the different provinces of the empire they slew of their foes seventy and five thousand. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! Behold the fruits of the wickedness of one individual!

(J. Hughes.)

I. DIVINE HELP. In this narrative we see all along that the Jews were helped of God.

II. DIVINE HELP FOSTERS AND SUCCEEDS SELF-HELP. Divine help must first work, and then there can be successful self-help. These Jews helped themselves —

1. By cooperation.

2. By active agency.

3. By a name of power.

4. By aggressive measures.

III. SELF-HELP SECURES THE HELP OF OTHERS.

(W. Burrows, B. A.)

People
Abihail, Adalia, Ahasuerus, Aridai, Aridatha, Arisai, Aspatha, Dalphon, Esther, Haman, Hammedatha, Mordecai, Parmashta, Parshandatha, Poratha, Vajezatha
Places
Susa
Topics
Book, Command, Commandment, Confirmed, Customs, Decree, Established, Esther, Fixed, Force, Law, Matters, Order, Practices, Purim, Queen, Recorded, Records, Regulations, Rules, Saying, Writing, Written
Outline
1. The Jews slay their enemies, with the ten sons of Haman.
12. Xerxes, at the request of Esther,
14. grants another day of slaughter, and Haman's sons to be hanged.
20. The two days of Purim are instituted.

Dictionary of Bible Themes
Esther 9:29-32

     7915   confirmation

Library
Of the Practice of Piety in Holy Feasting.
Holy feasting is a solemn thanksgiving, appointed by authority, to be rendered to God on some special day, for some extraordinary blessings or deliverances received. Such among the Jews was the feast of the Passover (Exod. xii. 15), to remember to praise God for their deliverance out of Egypt's bondage; or the feast of Purim (Esth. ix. 19, 21), to give thanks for their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy. Such amongst us is the fifth of November, to praise God for the deliverance of the king and
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Tiberias.
All the Jews declare, almost with one consent, that this was a fortified city from ancient times, even from the days of Joshua, and was the same with Rakkath, of which mention is made, Joshua 19:35. "Rakkath is Tiberias," say the Jerusalem Gemarists. And those of Babylon say the same, and that more largely: "It is clear to us that Rakkath is Tiberias." And when, after a few lines, this of Rabbi Jochanan was objected, "When I was a boy, I said a certain thing, concerning which I asked the elders,
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Some Miscellaneous Matters Respecting the Face of the Land.
I. Let us begin with that canon concerning reading the Book of Esther in the feast of Purim. "Towns that were begirt with walls from the days of Joshua read it on the fifteenth day" of the month Adar: "Villages and great cities read it the fourteenth day": "Unless that the villages anticipate it, to the day of the congregation." You see a threefold distinction of cities and towns: 1. Fortifications, or towns girt with walls from the days of Joshua. But whence shall we know them? They are those which
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Place of Jesus in the History of the World.
The great event of the History of the world is the revolution by which the noblest portions of humanity have passed from the ancient religions, comprised under the vague name of Paganism, to a religion founded on the Divine Unity, the Trinity, and the Incarnation of the Son of God. It has taken nearly a thousand years to accomplish this conversion. The new religion had itself taken at least three hundred years in its formation. But the origin of the revolution in question with which we have to do
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

Esther
The spirit of the book of Esther is anything but attractive. It is never quoted or referred to by Jesus or His apostles, and it is a satisfaction to think that in very early times, and even among Jewish scholars, its right to a place in the canon was hotly contested. Its aggressive fanaticism and fierce hatred of all that lay outside of Judaism were felt by the finer spirits to be false to the more generous instincts that lay at the heart of the Hebrew religion; but by virtue of its very intensity
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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