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479 BC ESTHER BECOMES QUEEN OF PERSIA
During the third year of his reign, King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) of Persia gave a banquet for the leaders of his kingdom. On the seventh day of the feast, the king requested that Queen Vashti be brought before him. She refused to come, which infuriated the king. Following the counsel of his wise men, the king decided to replace the queen. As part of his search, all the beautiful, young virgins of the land were brought into the royal harem. Young Esther was in that group. Her family had been taken captive from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar brought the Jews into exile. Esther had been adopted by her older cousin Mordecai. After undergoing an entire year of beautification, Esther was brought before the king. He was so captivated by her that he chose her above all the other women to replace Vashti as his queen (Esther 1-2).
474 BC XERXES ALLOWS THE JEWS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES
Haman, prime minister to King Xerxes of the Persian Empire, was infuriated by the refusal of Mordecai, a Jew, to bow down to him. In retaliation, Haman plotted to have all Jews in the empire executed. He received permission from the king to set a date for the mass execution of the Jews eleven months later. Mordecai persuaded Queen Esther, his adopted daughter, to risk going before the king and ask him to spare their people. Esther found favor with the king, and he agreed to her request. However, since a Persian law could not be changed, the king issued another decree on June 25, 474 BC, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves from attack. Haman was hanged on the gallows that he built for Mordecai, and Mordecai replaced Haman as prime minister (Esther 1-8).
THE COST OF INCOMPLETE OBEDIENCE
June 25, 474 BC
It all began with King Saul.
In the fifth century BC, all the Jews in the world lived under the rule of the Persian Empire, which controlled the entire Near East. In 474 BC, the Jews were in a desperate situation. Xerxes was king of the empire, and his prime minister, Haman, hated the Jews. Incensed that a Jew named Mordecai refused to kneel down before him, Haman vindictively plotted to have not only Mordecai put to death, but also all the Jews in the empire. He received permission from Xerxes to issue a decree setting a date for the extermination of the Jews eleven months later (Esther 3:1-15). Because all Jews lived within the Persian Empire, this decree was a direct threat to God's program of redemption.
The key to understanding this confrontation between Haman and Mordecai, and all the Jews, can be found in the name of Haman's father: Hammedatha the Agagite (Esther 3:1). The name indicates that Haman and his father descended from Agag, the king of Amalek (1 Samuel 15:20). Thus Haman was an Amalekite. The Amalekites had been the first nation to attack Israel after the exodus from Egypt. As a result, God commanded Israel, "Never forget what the Amalekites did to you as you came from Egypt. . . . You are to destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this!" (Deuteronomy 25:17, 19). Years later, Saul, Israel's first king, disobeyed God and spared Agag, rather than putting him to death as God had commanded. Because of this disobedience, God rejected Saul as king (1 Samuel 15:1-35; cf. 30:1-18).
Mordecai is described as a descendant of Kish (Esther 2:5), who was the father of Saul (1 Samuel 9:1-2). So, five hundred years after King Saul lived, his descendant Mordecai continued to battle the Amalekites.
Mordecai persuaded his cousin, Queen Esther, to risk her life by going uninvited to King Xerxes' court to petition him to spare her people, the Jews, from Haman's decree. She found favor with the king and he granted her an audience. The king listened and agreed to her petition; however, because Persian laws could not be revoked, he had to issue another one. On June 25, 474 BC, King Xerxes issued a decree granting the Jews authority to defend themselves against their enemies when the attack mandated by his first decree commenced (Esther 4:1-8:16).
The book of Esther thus describes the final chapter in God's holy war on the Amalekites.
Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:1-10), and Mordecai replaced him as prime minister (Esther 8:2, 15; 10:3).
When the Jews were attacked the following year, they successfully defended themselves, killing seventy-five thousand of their enemies, including all the sons of Haman (Esther 9:1-17). God's command to exterminate the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:2-3) was thus fulfilled
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
473 BC FIRST PURIM IS CELEBRATED
The feast of Purim celebrated Esther and Mordecai's prevention of a plot to eradicate the Jewish people. Since 473 BC, the Jewish people have celebrated the annual festival in remembrance of that deliverance (Esther 3:2-7; 9:26). The name Purim comes from the word pur, the lots that were cast by the Persians to pick the day for the annihilation of the Jews (Esther 3:7; 9:26).
458 BC EZRA ARRIVES IN JERUSALEM
After the Temple had been completed, King Artaxerxes sent Ezra to Jerusalem in 458 BC, to be in charge of Jewish affairs on behalf of the Persian government. Ezra's main responsibility was to teach the law of God to the Jews of Jerusalem and to set up magistrates and judges to oversee the people. The king sent Ezra with large amounts of silver and gold to buy anything needed for Temple worship. He also gave Ezra authority to take money from the region's treasuries for anything else that was needed. Ezra went to Jerusalem with approximately fifteen hundred men, along with Levites to serve in the Temple. Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra called the people to return to God and dealt with the problem of Jewish men who had married pagan wives (Ezra 7:1-28; 9-10).
457 BC JEWS DIVORCE THEIR PAGAN WIVES
In 458 BC, Ezra was commissioned by the Persian government to return to Jerusalem and oversee the Jews to ensure the observance of the Mosaic Law. Soon after Ezra's arrival, the Jewish leaders complained to him that the men were marrying foreign wives. Intermarriage was strictly forbidden to the Jews, for it threatened the survival of their faith. Therefore, Ezra offered a prayer of repentance for people's sin. As he prayed and wept, the people gathered around him and joined in his weeping. They confessed their sin and said they would divorce their foreign wives. Three days later, Ezra stood in Jerusalem's Temple square and called out for repentance and for the people to put away their foreign wives. They affirmed his call, and by March 27, 457 BC, the divorces were confirmed.
444 BC NEHEMIAH APPROACHES THE KING
Nehemiah was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. He heard news from his brother Hanani, who had returned from Judah, regarding the situation of the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem. When Nehemiah learned about the great distress of his people and how the wall of Jerusalem was still broken down, he was moved to prayer and fasting. A few months later Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah why he looked sad. Nehemiah told the king about the plight of Jerusalem and sought the king's help. God granted Nehemiah favor with Artaxerxes, and the king appointed him governor, sending him to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and the city (Nehemiah 1:1-2:10).
444 BC EZRA LEADS A PUBLIC ASSEMBLY
After the Babylonian captivity, many Jews returned to Jerusalem. In 444 BC, on the first day of the Jewish civil calendar, Ezra stood before an assembly of the Jews in Jerusalem. As daybreak came, Ezra unrolled the scroll and all of the people stood up, lifted their hands in the air, and shouted, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed and worshiped the Lord. When they stood up again, Ezra began to read the Law. As Ezra read, the people began to realize how they had sinned against God. They began weeping over their disobedience. However, Ezra responded by telling them to rejoice, for God was doing a work of restoration. The people left the assembly and prepared a feast to celebrate their new understanding of what God was saying to them (Nehemiah 8).
444 BC JERUSALEM WALL IS COMPLETED
The walls of Jerusalem had been in ruin since their destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (r. 605-562 BC) in 586 BC. However, after Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem in 444 BC, the walls were rebuilt in fifty-two days. This was particularly remarkable considering people like Sanballat, governor of Samaria; Tobiah, from a powerful family in Ammon; and Geshem, king of the Arabian tribe Kedar, were in strong opposition. The key to Nehemiah's success was that he planned his work and then worked his plan, trusting God for the results (Nehemiah 1:1-6:15).
440 BC 1 AND 2 CHRONICLES ARE WRITTEN
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one volume in the Hebrew Bible. The Words of the Days, as the book is called in Hebrew, recounts the events that are also recorded in 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings. This book is the last in the Hebrew canon. Although the author is not definitively known, historical tradition attributes the book to Ezra the priest, who likely wrote it around 440 BC. The book emphasizes the southern kingdom of Judah and the Davidic line. First Chronicles deals exclusively with the ascent of David. Second Chronicles recounts the glory of Solomon's reign, including the construction and dedication of the Temple, the tragic failure of the kings and the kingdom until Judah's exile and return, and the decree of Cyrus (r. 559-530 BC) allowing Jews to return from Babylon.
440 BC THE BOOK OF EZRA IS WRITTEN
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah originally formed one book in the Hebrew Bible. However, most likely they were written separately and by different men. The book of Ezra, probably written by Ezra around 440 BC, recounts the history of the Jewish people after their return from the Babylonian exile. The first half of the book (chapters 1-6) describes the first return of the people under Zerubbabel's leadership. When they returned to Jerusalem, the people began planning reconstruction of the Temple. Although their enemies opposed their plan, God ultimately allowed them to complete the work. The second part of the book (chapters 7-10) occurs some sixty years after the first and tells of Ezra's journey back to Palestine and his leadership during subsequent reforms after the people began to intermarry with surrounding nations.
430 BC THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH IS WRITTEN
The book of Nehemiah was written by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1) in about 430 BC and centers on his return to the Promised Land. The book is essentially a story of restoration—first of Jerusalem's walls (chapters 1-7) and then of God's covenant people (chapters 8-13). The book opens with Nehemiah, the cupbearer of the king of Persia, hearing a report of Jerusalem's broken walls. He petitions the king for permission to return to his homeland. The king grants Nehemiah's request, and Nehemiah leads the people in rebuilding the walls in spite of foreign opposition. The renewal theme continues in the second part of the book as the people hear the Law read aloud and commit themselves to obeying it and being faithful to the covenant.
430 BC MALACHI WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Following a long period of captivity, the Jewish nation finally returned to the Promised Land under the leadership of Zerubbabel and rebuilt the Temple (516 BC). Israel waited with renewed loyalty for their Lord to return to his holy Temple and restore the nation to glory. However, more than a century passed while the people grew complacent. The prophet Malachi exhorted them, especially the priesthood, to repent and renew their commitment to God. Malachi warned them that even though God loved them, he was not indifferent to their complacency and would return like a raging furnace on the glorious Day of the Lord, sending his prophet Elijah before him. With these words, written about 430 BC, the prophetic voice in the Old Testament ceased for more than 430 years, until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to his Temple (Malachi 1:2; 3:1; 4:1, 5).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
During the third year of his reign, King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) of Persia gave a banquet for the leaders of his kingdom. On the seventh day of the feast, the king requested that Queen Vashti be brought before him. She refused to come, which infuriated the king. Following the counsel of his wise men, the king decided to replace the queen. As part of his search, all the beautiful, young virgins of the land were brought into the royal harem. Young Esther was in that group. Her family had been taken captive from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar brought the Jews into exile. Esther had been adopted by her older cousin Mordecai. After undergoing an entire year of beautification, Esther was brought before the king. He was so captivated by her that he chose her above all the other women to replace Vashti as his queen (Esther 1-2).
474 BC XERXES ALLOWS THE JEWS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES
Haman, prime minister to King Xerxes of the Persian Empire, was infuriated by the refusal of Mordecai, a Jew, to bow down to him. In retaliation, Haman plotted to have all Jews in the empire executed. He received permission from the king to set a date for the mass execution of the Jews eleven months later. Mordecai persuaded Queen Esther, his adopted daughter, to risk going before the king and ask him to spare their people. Esther found favor with the king, and he agreed to her request. However, since a Persian law could not be changed, the king issued another decree on June 25, 474 BC, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves from attack. Haman was hanged on the gallows that he built for Mordecai, and Mordecai replaced Haman as prime minister (Esther 1-8).
THE COST OF INCOMPLETE OBEDIENCE
June 25, 474 BC
It all began with King Saul.
In the fifth century BC, all the Jews in the world lived under the rule of the Persian Empire, which controlled the entire Near East. In 474 BC, the Jews were in a desperate situation. Xerxes was king of the empire, and his prime minister, Haman, hated the Jews. Incensed that a Jew named Mordecai refused to kneel down before him, Haman vindictively plotted to have not only Mordecai put to death, but also all the Jews in the empire. He received permission from Xerxes to issue a decree setting a date for the extermination of the Jews eleven months later (Esther 3:1-15). Because all Jews lived within the Persian Empire, this decree was a direct threat to God's program of redemption.
The key to understanding this confrontation between Haman and Mordecai, and all the Jews, can be found in the name of Haman's father: Hammedatha the Agagite (Esther 3:1). The name indicates that Haman and his father descended from Agag, the king of Amalek (1 Samuel 15:20). Thus Haman was an Amalekite. The Amalekites had been the first nation to attack Israel after the exodus from Egypt. As a result, God commanded Israel, "Never forget what the Amalekites did to you as you came from Egypt. . . . You are to destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this!" (Deuteronomy 25:17, 19). Years later, Saul, Israel's first king, disobeyed God and spared Agag, rather than putting him to death as God had commanded. Because of this disobedience, God rejected Saul as king (1 Samuel 15:1-35; cf. 30:1-18).
Mordecai is described as a descendant of Kish (Esther 2:5), who was the father of Saul (1 Samuel 9:1-2). So, five hundred years after King Saul lived, his descendant Mordecai continued to battle the Amalekites.
Mordecai persuaded his cousin, Queen Esther, to risk her life by going uninvited to King Xerxes' court to petition him to spare her people, the Jews, from Haman's decree. She found favor with the king and he granted her an audience. The king listened and agreed to her petition; however, because Persian laws could not be revoked, he had to issue another one. On June 25, 474 BC, King Xerxes issued a decree granting the Jews authority to defend themselves against their enemies when the attack mandated by his first decree commenced (Esther 4:1-8:16).
The book of Esther thus describes the final chapter in God's holy war on the Amalekites.
Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:1-10), and Mordecai replaced him as prime minister (Esther 8:2, 15; 10:3).
When the Jews were attacked the following year, they successfully defended themselves, killing seventy-five thousand of their enemies, including all the sons of Haman (Esther 9:1-17). God's command to exterminate the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:2-3) was thus fulfilled
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
473 BC FIRST PURIM IS CELEBRATED
The feast of Purim celebrated Esther and Mordecai's prevention of a plot to eradicate the Jewish people. Since 473 BC, the Jewish people have celebrated the annual festival in remembrance of that deliverance (Esther 3:2-7; 9:26). The name Purim comes from the word pur, the lots that were cast by the Persians to pick the day for the annihilation of the Jews (Esther 3:7; 9:26).
458 BC EZRA ARRIVES IN JERUSALEM
After the Temple had been completed, King Artaxerxes sent Ezra to Jerusalem in 458 BC, to be in charge of Jewish affairs on behalf of the Persian government. Ezra's main responsibility was to teach the law of God to the Jews of Jerusalem and to set up magistrates and judges to oversee the people. The king sent Ezra with large amounts of silver and gold to buy anything needed for Temple worship. He also gave Ezra authority to take money from the region's treasuries for anything else that was needed. Ezra went to Jerusalem with approximately fifteen hundred men, along with Levites to serve in the Temple. Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra called the people to return to God and dealt with the problem of Jewish men who had married pagan wives (Ezra 7:1-28; 9-10).
457 BC JEWS DIVORCE THEIR PAGAN WIVES
In 458 BC, Ezra was commissioned by the Persian government to return to Jerusalem and oversee the Jews to ensure the observance of the Mosaic Law. Soon after Ezra's arrival, the Jewish leaders complained to him that the men were marrying foreign wives. Intermarriage was strictly forbidden to the Jews, for it threatened the survival of their faith. Therefore, Ezra offered a prayer of repentance for people's sin. As he prayed and wept, the people gathered around him and joined in his weeping. They confessed their sin and said they would divorce their foreign wives. Three days later, Ezra stood in Jerusalem's Temple square and called out for repentance and for the people to put away their foreign wives. They affirmed his call, and by March 27, 457 BC, the divorces were confirmed.
444 BC NEHEMIAH APPROACHES THE KING
Nehemiah was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. He heard news from his brother Hanani, who had returned from Judah, regarding the situation of the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem. When Nehemiah learned about the great distress of his people and how the wall of Jerusalem was still broken down, he was moved to prayer and fasting. A few months later Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah why he looked sad. Nehemiah told the king about the plight of Jerusalem and sought the king's help. God granted Nehemiah favor with Artaxerxes, and the king appointed him governor, sending him to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and the city (Nehemiah 1:1-2:10).
444 BC EZRA LEADS A PUBLIC ASSEMBLY
After the Babylonian captivity, many Jews returned to Jerusalem. In 444 BC, on the first day of the Jewish civil calendar, Ezra stood before an assembly of the Jews in Jerusalem. As daybreak came, Ezra unrolled the scroll and all of the people stood up, lifted their hands in the air, and shouted, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed and worshiped the Lord. When they stood up again, Ezra began to read the Law. As Ezra read, the people began to realize how they had sinned against God. They began weeping over their disobedience. However, Ezra responded by telling them to rejoice, for God was doing a work of restoration. The people left the assembly and prepared a feast to celebrate their new understanding of what God was saying to them (Nehemiah 8).
444 BC JERUSALEM WALL IS COMPLETED
The walls of Jerusalem had been in ruin since their destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (r. 605-562 BC) in 586 BC. However, after Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem in 444 BC, the walls were rebuilt in fifty-two days. This was particularly remarkable considering people like Sanballat, governor of Samaria; Tobiah, from a powerful family in Ammon; and Geshem, king of the Arabian tribe Kedar, were in strong opposition. The key to Nehemiah's success was that he planned his work and then worked his plan, trusting God for the results (Nehemiah 1:1-6:15).
440 BC 1 AND 2 CHRONICLES ARE WRITTEN
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one volume in the Hebrew Bible. The Words of the Days, as the book is called in Hebrew, recounts the events that are also recorded in 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings. This book is the last in the Hebrew canon. Although the author is not definitively known, historical tradition attributes the book to Ezra the priest, who likely wrote it around 440 BC. The book emphasizes the southern kingdom of Judah and the Davidic line. First Chronicles deals exclusively with the ascent of David. Second Chronicles recounts the glory of Solomon's reign, including the construction and dedication of the Temple, the tragic failure of the kings and the kingdom until Judah's exile and return, and the decree of Cyrus (r. 559-530 BC) allowing Jews to return from Babylon.
440 BC THE BOOK OF EZRA IS WRITTEN
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah originally formed one book in the Hebrew Bible. However, most likely they were written separately and by different men. The book of Ezra, probably written by Ezra around 440 BC, recounts the history of the Jewish people after their return from the Babylonian exile. The first half of the book (chapters 1-6) describes the first return of the people under Zerubbabel's leadership. When they returned to Jerusalem, the people began planning reconstruction of the Temple. Although their enemies opposed their plan, God ultimately allowed them to complete the work. The second part of the book (chapters 7-10) occurs some sixty years after the first and tells of Ezra's journey back to Palestine and his leadership during subsequent reforms after the people began to intermarry with surrounding nations.
430 BC THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH IS WRITTEN
The book of Nehemiah was written by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1) in about 430 BC and centers on his return to the Promised Land. The book is essentially a story of restoration—first of Jerusalem's walls (chapters 1-7) and then of God's covenant people (chapters 8-13). The book opens with Nehemiah, the cupbearer of the king of Persia, hearing a report of Jerusalem's broken walls. He petitions the king for permission to return to his homeland. The king grants Nehemiah's request, and Nehemiah leads the people in rebuilding the walls in spite of foreign opposition. The renewal theme continues in the second part of the book as the people hear the Law read aloud and commit themselves to obeying it and being faithful to the covenant.
430 BC MALACHI WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Following a long period of captivity, the Jewish nation finally returned to the Promised Land under the leadership of Zerubbabel and rebuilt the Temple (516 BC). Israel waited with renewed loyalty for their Lord to return to his holy Temple and restore the nation to glory. However, more than a century passed while the people grew complacent. The prophet Malachi exhorted them, especially the priesthood, to repent and renew their commitment to God. Malachi warned them that even though God loved them, he was not indifferent to their complacency and would return like a raging furnace on the glorious Day of the Lord, sending his prophet Elijah before him. With these words, written about 430 BC, the prophetic voice in the Old Testament ceased for more than 430 years, until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to his Temple (Malachi 1:2; 3:1; 4:1, 5).
—Complete Book of When and Where, The