Ester 10: 1 – 3
Good Things Always Come in Three’s?
1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. 2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.
You know the saying right? Good things always come in three’s.
The Latin phrase, "omne trium perfectum" (everything that comes in threes is perfect, or, every set of three is complete)
Perhaps the answer lies in the history of Judea Christian beliefs. It puts a huge emphasis on the number three. It is very deep in our culture in terms of our belief in Almighty God. He Is One yet He Is Three Divine Holy, Equal, and United Ones - The Father [Adoni Yahweh], Our Master and King The Lord Jesus Christ [Adoni Yeshua] and The Precious Holy Ghost [Adoni Holy Spirit],
The Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day
It's in our names. We have three names [First, middle, and last name]. We say, ``It's as easy as one, two, three,''
Then, there are all the three-oriented phrases like ``the third time's a charm,'' ``going down for the third time,'' and ``Tic tac toe, three in a row.''
Plus, there are numerous three-worded phrases: ``win, lose or draw,'' ```fat, dumb and happy'' and ``snap, crackle and pop.''
Planet Earth is the third planet from the sun and with our three kingdoms (animal, mineral and vegetable), it’s no surprise we have a love affair with the number three -
The rule of three or power of three is a writing principle that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.
Today we are finishing the book of Ester. It is an amazing book. Our Holy El Shaddai, Almighty God, in His Mercy and Grace is going to take a no body and elevate him to the second highest power position in the then known world.
This was not the first time that this miraculous event occurred. I am sure you can describe from your bible knowledge when this happened before. Yes, it was when Joseph was elevated to be second in command under Pharaoh. Don’t forget that Egypt was the world ruling country at this time. We read in the book of Genesis chapter 41 this “37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
10.1 ‘And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land, and on the isles of the sea.’
In those days tribute was the main aim of conquest. Tribute was demanded from all lands over which a king ruled. Thus the fact that Ahasuerus laid tribute on ‘the land (the Middle East) and the isles of the sea (the numerous Mediterranean islands)’ indicated the extent of his rule. Tribute was a very heavy, often crushing, burden on these areas demonstrating his total control. And they also had to provide sustenance for the king’s table, a further heavy burden. Persia itself faired far better.
Whilst the word for ‘tribute’ originally indicated forced labor, it probably now had the wider meaning of anything extorted from conquered people. They were the king’s source of military forces, of laborers for building projects, and of the wealth that was required to keep the empire, and especially Persia, prosperous. But there is in the use of the word a sense of the heavy burden under which people lived. This will shortly be contrasted with the wellbeing that was now being enjoyed by the Jews (verse 3).
10.2 ‘And all the acts of his power and of his might,’ And the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles (affairs of the days) of the kings of Media and Persia?’
The king of Persia also demonstrated his power and greatness by his powerful and mighty acts (his failures being overlooked) which were suitably recorded for posterity. Thus, we see as at the beginning in chapter 1 we are once more assured of the greatness and power of Ahasuerus.
But now there was another to be taken into account. For recorded alongside the king’s greatness was the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him. He too was great. He was the king’s chief adviser and second in command. And the record of their combined greatness was written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Media and Persia. Thus giving due deference to the king, Mordecai is seen as being the power in the land. The Book of the Affairs of the Days of the Kings of Media and Persia was probably the official record of the empire which had been begun in the days when the Medes were predominant, and had continued under the kings of Persia
10.3 ‘For Mordecai the Jew was next to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.’
The author carefully indicates that Mordecai’s greatness was dependent on the king. He was ‘next to the king’, that is the second man in the kingdom, standing at his side. But he was also ‘the Jew’, a description not used in verse 2. It is introduced here because attention is now being bought to the benefits that he brought to the Jews. He was also ‘great among the Jews’, not just by virtue of his official position, but because of the standing he had gained among them by what he had achieved and what he was achieving on their behalf. He found continual acceptance among the Jews as a whole, as he sought the good of his people, (in great contrast to Ahasuerus and Haman), and spoke peace and wellbeing to all his seed (i.e. the Jews). Thus the book ends with the implicit assurance that God was watching over His people through the hands of Mordecai His servant. The Jews were no longer the plaything of the empire, but had a secure and promising future.
I started this study with the mention of three. Have any of you been thinking, ‘where is the third occasion?’ Well, hopefully one of you who have been studying with us might be selected by our Awesome Holy Master to be the third. If it does happen to you, remember you read it here first and remember me.
