Day 121 – February 6, 2024: Esther 8-10 and Psalms 12, 14 & 15

I had forgotten what happened at the end of Esther, and I’m kinda wishing I had kept forgetting it. So, yes, the Jews are saved which is really the point of the story that Esther was able to, in her position as Queen and a Hebrew woman, save her people because she was willing to risk her life. But then the roles are reversed where the Jewish people not only are saved, but they go on a rampage against their enemies. I know Old Testament, right, but this one line really bother me and reminds me of what happened in the worst of times in Christian history. Look at Esther 8:17 where we read that many professed to be Jews, even when they weren’t, because they were afraid of the people of descendants of Abraham. Now this is troubling. Does God really want people who aren’t really His followers but rather are only professing to be His people because otherwise they just might be killed. I would think not.

So Esther ends with the people of God killing all of their enemies and this celebration has been passed down to generations to even today. I didn’t realize this dark side of the story of Esther or this dark side of the story of Purim, which would be the decimation of the enemies. Is there no in between instead of full peace or full destruction? It seemed like here there wasn’t. It does remind me a bit of what is happening in Gaza today. History certainly does have a way of repeating itself.