Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Book of Esther: Just a Few Questions

With ALL of these questions posed in regards to the Bible wouldn't it be nice to be able to access the questions in one place instead of flipping between blog postings? Now you can! The questions for the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch are now in one compilation, and there is no need whatsoever to flip-flop between various posts! Go here for your copy:
http://www.amazon.com/Turkey-Broth-Spirit-Questions-Pentateuch-ebook/dp/B00GVLQ0CY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385585976&sr=8-1&keywords=ester+lighthorse


The Shortest Yet

If you thought the posts for Ezra and Nehemiah are short then you are in for a real treat with the book of Esther. This one is mega short. Granted, it is a fairly short book of the Bible, but the book of Ruth is shorter and even that book produced more questions than Esther which is considerably longer. Sooo...here we go, right? Girdeth thee thou thy loins and let us get on witha da show, no?

1. Esther 1:10-11
10 On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him--Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas--

11 to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman.

Questions
     1) Is this where we get the term trophy wife?

     2) Verse ten totally sounds like something from those Sleeping Beauty novels about sex, doesn't it?

2. Esther 1:19-22
19 "So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of King Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she.

20 When this decree is published throughout the king's vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!"

21 The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan's counsel. 

22 He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.

Questions
     1) Aha...a LITTLE problem with women, hummm?

     2) Husbands should receive proper respect from the wives but not the other way around, hummm? Tell me again how this works, how does God/the LORD figure that this is proper treatment of women?

3. Esther 4:3
And as news of the king's decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.

Questions
     1) And this helps HOW?

     2) Did God/the LORD ever tell people to behave/mourn in this fashion when situations like the one presented in this particular story occur? What is the purpose and aim of this foolishness? 

4. Esther 8:2
The king took off his signet ring--which he had taken back from Haman--and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's property.

Questions
     1) Hummm...another recycled story? Isn't this very similar to what happened to Joseph in Genesis 41:42?

5. Esther 8:17
17 In every province and city, wherever the king's decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.

Questions
     1) Well isn't this wonderfully fucked up, hummm? Many people of the land became Jews because of what they feared the Jews would do to them? You mean like how many of the Native Americans became Christians and Catholics because they were afraid of what might be done (and unfortunately still WAS) to them?

     2) What makes the Jews who did this shit so right or so special or so privileged to do something so fucked up? Because they are supposed to be GOD's people, is that it? 

6. Esther 9:2-3
The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king's provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them. But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them.

And all the nobles of the provinces, the highest officers, the governors, and the royal officials helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai.

Questions
     1) Sooo...is this FEAR thing something Mordecai learned from his God/LORD? And people who believe this way wonder why there are people who hate them? I am NOT saying they deserve the hate, but what I am asking is do they really wonder why some people are so angry with them and harbor great disdain for them?

     2) Do people who fear others normally love those they fear? Following this line of thinking, how in the fuckey-doo do Christians figure to get people to really love God/the LORD if what they are teaching is fear this and fear that or God will do this or that?




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