As we have noted already, king Ahasuerus was just a figurehead. He did not seem to have any interest in real policies. He was concerned about partying and immorality. He took a keen interest in drunkenness.. He did not care about the well being of those who lived in his empire. As long as he was safe, that seemed to be all that mattered.
He did show concern when Esther’s life was threatened. That spurned his interest in the Jews. We noted yesterday that 500 Gentiles were killed in Shushan. We also noted that Haman’s ten sons were killed. Now the king wanted to know what else Esther wanted. He was not done yet with consenting to her requests.
Her request now was for another day for the Jews to defend themselves and to take the offence against the Gentiles in Sushan. Her request included hanging Haman’s ten sons on the gallows.
The king consented to this request as well. He wanted to please his new queen and he wanted to show his superficial support for the Jews.
This week there were continued protests at U.S. universities. The protests were antisemitic. The president of Columbia University was called before a committee to answer to the current situation at her university. She claimed there were no anti-Jewish demonstrations at her university. She tried to defend her non-response to the pro Islamic demonstrations. This president has a strange name and a simple google search tells us that she is a Muslim. It is ludicrous to expect a Muslim to stop Muslim protests. Due to the current pressure being put on her, she is rattling some paper sabres to try to appease those who do not like what is going on. Columbia University is the “canary in the coal mine” revealing the brain-dead attitude that many have toward Islam and the danger it is to all people, and in particular toward Jews. The ground is being prepared for the arrival of the antichrist, that is for certain.
Back to the Bible. The Persian empire eventually fell. It was replaced by the Greek empire. The Roman empire would eventually replace the Greek empire. That empire would survive for a time, but it did fall and has been dormant for a number of years will rise again in the time of the Tribulation. The philosophies of the four world empires are still influencing the governments of our day. As our western governments follow these failed philosophies, we know they will not survive for long. We can see that it will not be long now before our governments collapse in utter chaos. Some will wake up then and be shocked at what they have encouraged over the past number of years with their votes. It will be too late then to change anything.
In our text we see that the king consented to Esther’s requests. The Jews in Shushan gathered together for a second day and they killed a further 300 Gentiles. Again it is noted that they did not take the prey of those they killed. They were not interested in profiting off the death of their enemies. They just wanted to eliminate the antisemitic threat against them. The only tool at their disposal was violence. They rejected the Word of God and could not give a positive alternative to antisemitism.
We read in verse 16 that the Jews in the rest of the provinces rested on the 14th day of the month. On the thirteenth day of the month Adar, they killed 75,000 Gentiles. On the 14th day of Adar they rested and they had a day of feasting and gladness.
The Jews in Shushan spent a second day on the offensive and then they rested on the following day. They chose that for their day of feasting and gladness. Thus we see here that there was a disunity amongst the Jews, depending on where they lived. Those outside of Shushan had the fourteenth day as their day of celebration. Those living in Sushan had the fifteenth day of the month as their day of celebration. Anyone travelling would need to be mindful of this change in order to keep pace with what was taking place.
When we look at the celebration surrounding Purim, we see that is a secular celebration. Some “Christians” will try to cram God into the celebrations, but the average Jew sees this as a time to celebrate a victory from an entirely national and secular perspective. As we have noted, there is no mention of God in the entire book of Esther. God is the Author of the Bible. He directed the writer of the book of Esther to write that book without any mention of His name. As we noted at the beginning of this book, the setting is in Persia. The setting is also at the time when the Jews already had permission and indeed the blessing of a Persian king - Cyrus, to go back to the land of Israel. They were even given funds to go and rebuild the temple. Yet a large number of the captives chose to remain in the foreign land they were taken to. They saw better opportunities for themselves there than back in Israel.
When we look at North America, we know there are places where there are a large number of Jews. We know they hold to certain Jewish traditions. There are few Jewish born again Christians anywhere in the world, and certainly this is true for North America. Many Jews support ungodly anti-Jewish governments. It is amazing to look at the secular nature of the Jews and to see how they have for years supported those who hate them. Yet, because of the financial benefits they enjoy, they ignore the danger they are in.
For those who are saved, we can see God’s hand at work in the book of Esther. He chose not to mention His name in that book, but it is obvious that He protected the Jews who were disobedient to Him, from being wiped out. He once again demonstrated His longsuffering nature. His desire is for all to be saved. Jews and Gentiles need to know Him in order to know true peace. Jews have suffered greatly over the centuries due to their rejection of the true God and their adoption of the false god of materialism.
It is important for those who are saved to be reminded of the imperative of not being secret Christians. We are saved to be a city set upon a hill. We are not allowed to put a bushel over the Light of the Gospel of Christ. That Gospel needs to be proclaimed loud and clear in this godless time in which we live.

Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.