King Xerxes gave orders for these letters to be posted where they could be seen by everyone all over the kingdom. The king's command was obeyed, and one of the letters was read aloud to the people in the walled city of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink together, but no one in the city could figure out what was going on.
(Esther 3:14-15, CEV)
The edict is posted in Nisan, the seventh month of the Babylonian civil calendar. The destruction of the people of Israel is to take place in Adar, the sixth month. Twelve months later.
In some ways, this is more cruel than the orders themselves. The people have received a death sentence and have a year to fearfully await their annihilation. And because they’re captives, there is nothing they can do to overturn the king’s command.
And in an astonishing bit of irony, as the city writhes in confusion, the king and Haman congratulate each other and enjoy a drink. Or perhaps I should say an “expected” bit of irony. Haman has already shown his desire to destroy God’s people, so his celebrating is predictable. And the king seems to just love a reason to imbibe.
So as the royals pat each other on the back and begin the countdown toward the fruition of Haman’s plan, the people of Israel mournfully begin a countdown of their own.
No comments:
Post a Comment