This whole OT book - Esther - is a contradiction in terms.
The whole situation is set up because the arrogant Mordicia won't bow to Haman, the second in command of the Persia and Mede Empire. However, prior to this Mordicia offers his niece to the harem of King Xerxes where she is likely to whore herself for the chance of becoming queen.
The results of this is that Haman decideds to kill all the jews within the Persian Empire but the tables turn on him and he is executed himself as are thousands of others.
If he would not bow to Haman why would he want his niece married to a pagan? This is hypocritical and goes against the grain of everything the OT teaches regarding garding oneself from heathens.
Esther had unjustly summoned the execution of Haman's ten sons. This is typical OT butchery of innocents. This makes Esther as evil a Haman. She was obviously expecting pay back so nipped it in the bud by doing away with the sons.
Justice in the OT is very arbitrary and therefore cannot come from a just God
Esther as evil as Haman.
by ghostbuster 3 Replies latest watchtower bible
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ghostbuster
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Satanus
Mordicai wouldn't bow to haman because he was a traditional enemy of jews. Jewish nature back then was to keep grudges for as long as humanly possible. Of course, this attribute is credited to the jew invented conglomerate god, yhwh, the god of the bible. It's a spendid example of anthropomorphism.
S
Ps, Maybe the mafia got the idea of including the relatives in the killings from the bible.
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ghostbuster
Satanus,
If Haman was a traditional enemy to Mordicia then where does that leave Xerxes who signed the edict to massacre all the jews. Mordicia he later worked for him as Xerxes number two man. It's hypocritical to the core.
Digression.
I've uploaded my jpg logo but it is not visible any hints. -
Shining One
You must be another ex-JW with and 'axe to grind' against God. You have selectively ignored some critical parts of this story. Here are some excerpts from the Book of Esther. Please try to make a critical analysis of scripture before you let your own attitude to violence to the text!
21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana [b] and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 22 But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. 23 And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. [c] All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.
Esther had become queen due to her beauty and had not told the king of what heritage she was.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.
Jews would not bow down to any man in reverence, surely you remember the idolatry prohibition? Haman sought to destroy all of the Jews.
8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents [b] of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business." 10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 "Keep the money," the king said to Haman, "and do with the people as you please." 12 Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman's orders to the king's satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and little children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day. 15 Spurred on by the king's command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.
The plot has begun and is being carried out….
4 When Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
She was trying to protect Mordecai.
6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to urge her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. 9 Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king." 12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Yep, Queen Esther was thinking of her own skin but Mordecai put that concern to rest with some persuasion.
5 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions.
She does the right thing here and so does Mordecai. Prayers to God for deliverance are a common theme in scripture, are they not?
4 "If it pleases the king," replied Esther, "let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him." 5 "Bring Haman at once," the king said, "so that we may do what Esther asks." So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, "Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted." 7 Esther replied, "My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king's question."
9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 "And that's not all," Haman added. "I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate." 14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet [a] high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy." This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built.
So, now we see that Esther is setting Haman up and Haman in his wickedness steps right into the trap. When one is trying to save their own skin plus that of their family it is serious business. Who can blame her?
I don’t see any need to recite the rest of the story. Your lack of methodical analysis of scripture is regretful. Quit whining about God and look at your own drawbacks. Anyone can look at scripture and see what they think is injustice. It is especially easy to apply this to God when you lack the perception of your own peers, much less His eternal viewpoint!
BTW, where did you see any 'thus saith the Lord' in this story to give you the idea that God approved of what went on? The whole point of the story is that even with our own weaknesses and sin, if we worship the one, true God he will assist us in times of tribulation.
Rex