Esther 9:5  Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.
6  And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.
7  And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,
8  And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
9  And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha,
10  The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.
11  On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.
12  And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.
13  Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.
14  And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

In our text we see that it is never wise to go against God’s people. Israel is God’s nation, not because they are all believers in God. God chose Abram because that was His plan. He worked with Abram changing his name to Abraham. He took him out of his familiar territory and away from his family. He protected him as He directed him to the land that He was going to give to Abraham and his descendants.
There are too many people who believe that Old Testament people were saved by works. God proved that this has never been the case. Abram/Abraham did nothing except believe God. His obedience was evidence of his belief. He did not earn the special place that God gave him. God chose him and showed him that it was wise to trust in God. God proved His ability to provide for Abraham. He gave Abraham and Sarah one son — Isaac. Isaac was blessed with two sons, but only one was chosen to continue the promise He made to Abraham. From there the fledgling nation began to grow quite quickly. God never breaks a promise. Those who want to defy God and test Him, will always find themselves up against the wall and in big trouble. Many Gentiles would die in Persia because of king Ahasuerus’ foolish trust in wicked Haman.
In verse 6 we read that at Shushan the palace, the Jews killed five hundred men. There was much bloodshed here. We read further that the ten sons of Haman were killed as well. Haman’s immediate family, which would have most likely been well indoctrinated in the wickedness of Haman, were eliminated. However we read as well that the Jews did not take the spoil of those they killed. The Jews were not interested in getting rich from this slaughter. Unlike the false idea that many people have of Jews, they are not money hungry people, any more than Gentiles are. There are crooked Jews, but there are also crooked Gentiles. Most people accept the fact there are crooked Gentiles, but they have a different attitude toward crooked Jews.
We need to keep in mind that God warns us not to curse the Jews. Justice needs to be done with all people. Justice must be done in a fair manner. God does not overlook the sins of His people. Israel had suffered much for their rebellion against God. They will continue to suffer even more. They are not getting away with anything. As we observe what is happening to the Jews, it should be a warning to the Gentile world, that God does not whitewash sin of any kind.
In verse 11 we read that the report of the slaughter was brought before the king. There was no fear here now. In verse 12 we read that Esther was given special access to the king. She stated that five hundred men had been killed in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman were killed. The king wanted to know what they had done in the rest of his kingdom. The king was not concerned about this loss of citizens. He was willing to grant further requests from Esther.
Esther wanted further safety measures put in place in Shushan the palace. There seemed to be many in that place that hated the Jews. Thus Esther asked that there be a second day for killing Jew haters at Shushan. She also asked that Haman’s ten sons, who were already dead, be hung on ten gallows on public display.
We have already noted that there was a fear of the Jews in Persia at this time. This further act would reinforce this respect that there needed to be for the Jews. In verse 14 we see that the king did not hesitate to agree to Esther’s request. This was a major shakeup in the Persian empire. There would be a much greater respect shown toward this group of people in the future. As we have noted, there was still no mention of God here.
Again, we know that God was looking after His people here. He works even when His people ignore and reject Him. The nation of Israel is unique. We see that in the book of Esther. In our era, there is a false teaching called “replacement theology”. The Catholics have long promoted this false idea. They want to believe that they have been chosen to replace Israel. They tried hard to get rid of the Jews prior to and during the second world war. They enlisted the help of the Muslims to try to accomplish their goal. The Catholics have also purchased key properties in Israel as part of their plan.
The Catholics are fools and will never take over Israel. They will no doubt work closely with the Antichrist to try to destroy the Jews, but they will not succeed. The Antichrist will declare himself to be God at the midpoint of the Tribulation. This will be in direct opposition to the popes who want to be worshipped by mankind.
The New Testament churches are not a replacement for Israel. The promises that are directed toward Israel are not transferred to born again Christians. God is not protecting the heretical churches of the New Testament era. He allows them to exist, but they are not pleasing to Him. He will not protect false Christians as He has protected ungodly Jews. He is working today to see to it that HIs name is exalted. Many churches and church goers will be shocked when they find themselves at the great white throne judgment. Read Matthew 7:21-23. Calling Jesus Lord does not make a person a Christian. Doing certain things by invoking Jesus’ name does not make a person a Christian either. A person must build on the “Rock” which is the Lord Jesus Christ. That building starts with true Biblical salvation. It is not through play-acting.
The book of Esther shows us God’s hand at work to fulfil His promise to Abraham. It shows us that God is faithful to Himself. In the same way, God is faithful to His promise of eternal life for those who are truly born again. In fact it shows God’s faithfulness to all that He says. Christians do not need to live in fear of wicked governments. We need to learn to trust God more intimately and be careful to study and understand His Word in context.
Pastor Bartel