The Queen You Thought You Knew by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: OU press
Published: 2011-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

War Games

After Esther’s heroic, but failed, attempt to win the repeal of Haman’s decree, she and Mordechai must face the reality that Haman’s planned day of killing is here to stay. Whether the king in fact can overturn Haman’s original decree is now beside the point. The king has made clear that he either can’t, or won’t. Given this, is there anything that can be done other than hunker down and hope the end comes swiftly?

The truth is, there is something that can still be done. But to see it, requires looking a paradox in the eye without flinching. The paradox is this: Can Esther and Mordechai somehow undo Haman’s decree without actually undoing it? Is there a way to leave the decree in place but still give the Jews a chance to survive anyway?

Let’s take stock of what Esther and Mordechai have to work with. What tools do they have at their disposal? Well, although Esther did not get what she wanted from her audience with the king, she did get some things she didn’t want. She and Mordechai got permission to use the king’s signet ring, and Mordechai was elevated to an important position in the king’s court, complete with all the attendant trappings of power. Of course, none of this counts for much when the one thing you can’t do is overturn the decree that would wipe out your people. Nevertheless, sometimes in life, you have to work with what you have.

So what can they do?

Well, to start with, if you can’t revoke Haman’s decree, but you do have the king’s signet ring, giving you power to “write what you want concerning the Jews,” then there is a next-best-thing you could try: promulgating a counter-decree, a second decree that contradicts the first one...

Knowing Your Audience

Conventional wisdom has it that Mordechai wrote legislation giving the Jews of the realm the right to defend themselves against Haman’s legions. That’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. In fact, the right-to-defend was only a very small part of the decree that Mordechai chose to issue:

[Mordechai wrote] that the king had allowed the Jews in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand and defend their lives; to destroy, to slay, and cause to perish, all the forces... that would assault them. [The Jews could slay their enemy’sj little ones and women, and take their [possessions asj spoils of war. (Esther 8:11)

Now let’s think about this. I understand the Jews needing to defend themselves. But what’s this about going out to kill the women and children? That sounds rather gratuitous. And taking spoils of war? The Jews are not out for bounty; they would be more than happy just to escape with their lives. 11 Why does Mordechai write all this?

A clue comes from the audience for whom Mordechai is writing. Let’s examine to whom these decrees are addressed:

[The king’s scribes] wrote to the officials, the governors and princes of the provinces that are from India unto Ethiopia, one hundred twenty and seven provinces.

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