In the sermon 'An Overwhelming Victory' by Jason Dohm, the focus is on Esther 9:1-17, detailing the Jews' miraculous triumph over their enemies in the Persian Empire. The narrative unfolds with two opposing decrees: Haman's, which permits the annihilation of the Jews, and Mordecai's counter-decree that empowers the Jews to defend themselves. On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews, aided by the fear instilled in their enemies and the support of the Persian officials influenced by Mordecai's growing reputation, successfully repel their attackers, killing 75,000 across the empire without taking any plunder. This event becomes a reversal of the Jews' fortunes and illustrates the broader theme of divine intervention in their deliverance. The sermon draws parallels between this historical episode and the Christian experience, emphasizing the certainty of an ultimate victory over evil through Jesus Christ. It highlights the importance of living in joy and confidence, knowing God's promise of triumph for His people. The sermon concludes by reflecting on biblical types and shadows, pointing to Christ's redemptive work as the ultimate fulfillment of these Old Testament events.

This morning's sermon text is Esther chapter 9, 1 through 17. Now in the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, The time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, and that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm, and no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them. And in Shushan, the citadel, the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men. Also, Perishendotha, Dalfon, Aspotha, Paratha, Adalia, Eridotha, Parmashtha, Erisai, Eridi, and Vesotha, the 10 sons of Haman, the son of Hamadotha, the enemy of the Jews they killed. But they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel was brought to the king and the king said to Queen Esther, the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men in Shushan the citadel and the sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request?

It shall be done. Then Esther said, If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows. So The king commanded this to be done. The decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's 10 sons. And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the 14th day of the month of Adar, and killed 300 men at Shushan.

But they did not lay a hand on the plunder. The remainder of the Jews in the King's provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed 75, 000 of their enemies, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. This was on the 13th day of the month of Adar, and on the 14th of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness." The title of the sermon this morning is An Overwhelming Victory. And It's because it's exactly what happens in our text. The Jews are given by God a great, sweeping, empire-wide victory over their enemies who had hoped to slaughter them on this day.

In our text last week, we saw the influence of Esther and Mordecai grow exponentially. Their status in the kingdom had been raised up to the heights. Esther has been given the house of Haman. Haman was the man with Bill Gates' money. Just huge resources.

And these resources are now put in the hands of Queen Esther. And then she in turn puts Mordecai, she sets him over this house, gives him control over it. And then Mordecai is given the signet ring of the king, meaning that he'll be able to act as if he's the king. He'll be able to act with the authority of the king because he has the king's signet ring. Then in our text last week, Esther made an emotional plea.

Why is that? Well, Haman, the enemy of the Jews, is dead, but not one Jew has been saved. This edict that Haman had written that could never be revoked, not even by the king, not even when the king wanted to revoke it. The law of the Persians and the Medes was such that not even the king could revoke his own edict. So even though Haman is dead, there is still this edict that cannot be revoked that is out there.

And so Esther weeps before the king asking him to save her people. And Mordecai with the signet ring, with the authority of the king, issues a counter decree. Meaning you couldn't revoke Haman's Decree, but you could issue another decree that makes it impossible to implement in the way in which it was originally intended to implement. This decree of Mordecai is actually an exact mirror image of Heyman's Decree. Heyman's decree was that the enemies of the Jews would be allowed to slaughter them, to wipe them off the face of the earth, men, women, and children, and then to confiscate all their goods.

Well, Mordecai's counter decree allowed exactly the same thing to be done to anyone who would attack them on this day out in the future, which had been appointed. If you attacked the Jews and wanted to kill their men, women, and children and confiscate their goods, they could kill you and your women and children and confiscate your goods." So the Jews received this second decree written by Mordecai. And for the Jews there is light and gladness, joy and honor. That's what the text says. It says that even many of the non-Jews became Jews or declared themselves to be Jews because the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

So this really was a total reversal in what we saw last week. As we go to this week's text, let's ask the Lord to help us. Our Father, I thank You. Thank You for The ultimate and complete victory that has been purchased for your people by the blood of your Son. That every defeat has been overturned.

And we've been given light and gladness, joy and honor through Christ and His work. What a sweet thing it is to contemplate your goodness to us through the sending of your son Jesus. Thank you. Lord, I pray that you would help us with our text today, that the truths in our text would be pressed on our hearts. We would grow in love for you and in obedience to you.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Well again this week we'll be dividing up the text. I'd like to begin by looking at verses 1-5. So hopefully you still have your finger in Esther chapter 9. Follow with me as I read 1-5.

Now in the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the 13th day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Hasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work helped the Jews because of the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

For Mordecai was great in the king's palace and his fame spread throughout all the provinces. For this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them." Here in verses 1-5 we have what happened on the appointed day. So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, the blank is appointed. What happened on the appointed day?

There are two decrees, One written by Haman, one written by Mordecai, both sealed with the signet ring of the king, both with the blessing of the empire. And both of these decrees appoint the same day. Again, these are counter decrees that are really designed to cancel each other out. The second was designed to cancel out the first. Almost nine months, just a little short of nine months, has passed since the second decree.

So really both sides have had a lot of time to get ready. And our text finds both the Jews and the enemies of the Jews very ready for this day, this appointed day. It's the 12th month on the 13th day, The month of Adar. That would be on our calendar somewhere between mid-February to mid-March. The month of Adar in the Jewish calendar straddles our February and March.

Ever since the first decree, Haman's decree, the enemies of the Jews have been harboring a hope. They've been hoping for something. And that is that they could overpower the Jews, they could wipe them off the face of the earth, and They could confiscate all of their possessions. Chronologically, Esther is at the end of Old Testament history. There's very little.

There's only about 50 to 60 years of Old Testament history left before the 400 years of intertestamental period, where there are no books of the Bible that were written before the New Testament. So we're essentially at the end of Old Testament history. What does that mean? That means that the Jews have a lot of enemies. Think about what you know of the Old Testament and how they've accumulated enemies through the centuries and the millennia.

The Amelikites are certainly the enemies of the Jews. King Agag was an Amalekite and Haman is an Agagite and a descendant of King Agag. The Amalekite, the enemy of the Jews. So we know about the Amalekites being the enemies of the Jews. This is how we got to this point.

This point was this ancient rivalry between the Amalekites and the people of God. But what about the Amorites? What about the Ammonites? What about the Moabites? What about the Edomites?

What about the Philistines? What about the Canaanites? And on and on and on. If you start to think about nations that hated the Jews because of the Old Testament history, then you come up with a long list. And most of them have been like the Jews, in the sense that they were gobbled up by the Assyrian Empire and taken into captivity themselves.

And so they also, like the Jews, are sprinkled through the 127 provinces of what is now the Persian Empire. So the Assyrians gobble up many of these people, and they're dispersed, and then the Babylonians gobble up the Assyrians, and it becomes the Babylonian Empire. Then along come the Persians and they gobble up the Babylonians. You have this great mixture of peoples, many of which hate the Jews, all across the empire. A significant financial incentive has been built into Haman's decree to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth.

In other words, if it wasn't enough that you're from a people that hate them. You can have their stuff when you kill them. You can enrich yourself by acting according to Haman's decree and killing Jews. Essentially, a price has been put on their head. They really had been sold, as Esther said to the king a couple chapters earlier, my people and I had been sold.

Yes they were. It was a financial, a rich financial incentive given to wipe them off of the face of the earth. So the enemies are ready, whether from national rivalries rising up hundreds or thousands of years earlier, or from the financial incentives. They are ready. So when the day comes, many do seek the harm of the Jews.

We're going to see that. There are great numbers of people who rose up against the Jews on this day. But the Jews are also ready, and actually what we find in our text is the Jews are more ready. The Jews are more ready than their enemies. As the second decree permitted, they've gathered together for their common defense.

There are collection points for Jews throughout the empires. So the word would have gone out. In this region, we're meeting here. Bring your families in a wild west lingo. It's a circling of the wagons.

You recognize that terminology, right? When the wagon train was being attacked. You would circle the wagons. You'd put the families in the middle, and the wagons would be the barrier, and the men would be manning the barrier and fighting off the enemies. There's a circling of the wagons in the Persian Empire, all across the empire, where there were consolidation points where families would be joining together for a common defense.

And verse 2 says, Not only to defend themselves, but verse 2 says to lay hands on those who sought their harm so it begins Strictly as self-preservation defending yourself, but but once you've been attacked you are now at liberty to counter-attack So it begins with self-defense self-preservation But but then it extends to laying hands on those who sought their harm. Two things to say at this point. One is, this is the language that was used at the end of chapter 2. We've already seen this language, sought to lay hands on. Remember at the end of chapter 2, there were two eunuchs who sought to lay their hands on King Ahasuerus.

Now does that mean they wanted to give a hug to King Ahasuerus? No, they wanted to kill him. It was an assassination plot. And it's used in exactly the same sense here in our text. To lay hands on would mean to kill.

Secondly, who did the Jews intend to attack? Those who they've been offended by in the past? No. It says those who seek their harm. The context of This is the first decree, Haman's decree, the decree to kill them, to annihilate them.

So those who are seeking their harm, those who are seeking to rid the earth of the Jews, are those whom they are seeking to lay their hands on or to destroy. The sense here in the text is that if no one had attacked them on this day, no one would have been harmed across the empire. Get that. The sense of the text, the meaning of the decrees, and the Jews consolidating in different places for self-defense, is that if no one had attacked them, no one in the whole empire would have been harmed. We would have hoped that what had happened with Haman in his animosity against the Jews and his desire to kill Haman and all of his people, ending up with him hanging on a gallows 75 feet above his own house, would have taught the enemies of the Jews a lesson and would have stopped this.

But as we can see in our text today, it did not stop this. There were widespread attacks against the Lord's people. So the enemies have been harboring this hope for almost a year now. It had been 11 months from the first decree to the appointed day. But exactly the opposite happens.

Their hopes are totally disappointed. There is an overwhelming victory given by God where the Jews slaughter their attackers. They are attacked across the empire. They are attacked, but the attacks do not succeed and the counter attacks do succeed and there is a great slaughter of the enemies of the Jews. Several underlying reasons are given why it's an overwhelming victory.

We tend to think of this as a foregone conclusion. In other words, with where we are in Esther and that and since we read Esther many times we know how this is going to end the ball is rolling downhill this is sort of just kind of clean up to the book of Esther but that's not right that's not the right way to think about it as this day begins the enemies of the Jews are at liberty, with the blessing of the empire, to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. The only thing the second decree has done is to allow the people of God to consolidate for common defense. That's it. So as the day begins, as chapter 9 begins, things are very much up in the air.

The fact that we know how it's going to end shouldn't deprive us of the drama of the moment and the great rescue by God of His people. So we are given the underlying reasons why the enemies don't succeed, why it's not a stalemate, but why the Jews overwhelm their enemies. First, as is already mentioned, they gather together. This is a reason why they have an overwhelming victory. Imagine separated individual families trying to fend off their enemies across The Empire.

With no help from their neighbors. Just your family. Any of your neighbors who hate you, for a day, can come and kill everyone in your family and take all of your things. You cannot call on anyone else's help. You can't join together for self-defense.

Just you and your family, good luck. The second decree made it so that they could gather together, and they gathered together. And This is one of the underlying reasons in the text for their overwhelming victory. Secondly, at the end of verse 2 it says that no one can withstand them because fear of them fell on all the people. So they have very committed enemies.

Or at least they are committed to their self interest and they want the plunder, at least that much. And so, they are willing to risk it, They are willing to put their lives on the line to attack the Jews, but their hearts can't sustain it. When things begin to turn against them, they cannot stand before the Lord's people. Their hearts melt. They become afraid.

And retreat becomes routed. They are routed by their enemies. This is well attested across the whole of the Old Testament. Listen to Joshua chapter 2 verse 9. In Joshua chapter 2 verse 9, the spies are trying to elude the king of Jericho.

So they come to Rahab the prostitute's house and they're speaking with Rahab the prostitute. And here's what she says about the conditions inside the walls of Jericho. Joshua chapter 2 verse 9. And Rahab said to the men, I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us and that all the inhabitants of the land are faint-hearted because of you. Now, the people of God didn't conquer the promised land because they were mightier than the people of the promised land.

The Old Testament says exactly the opposite of that is true. The people of God were a smaller people than the people in the promised land. The people of God were a weaker people. The people of God were less militarily than the people who were in the promised land. Well, then how did they win?

How did they conquer the promised land? Because God took away their hearts. God made them afraid. God made them saint-hearted before their enemies. And Rahab is watching it happen within the great walls of Jericho.

The battle is already done and the people haven't even crossed the Jordan yet. God has taken their hearts. So they cannot stand before the people of God. That's exactly what's happening in our text. God made them afraid of the Lord's people.

He gave them an overwhelming victory. Not because they were some mighty military entity. No, no, because God was for them and He took away the hearts of their enemies. Joshua chapter 2 is just one example of many in the Old Testament where God takes the hearts of their enemies. He gives them victory even though they are militarily the inferiors of God's enemies.

So the first reason was they gathered together. The second reason was God took away their hearts. He made them afraid. The third reason is the empire helps them. The empire actually helps the Jews.

It's interesting to look at the language. So there have been two decrees and in both decrees the same governmental language has been used, meaning the decrees went out and they were received by the pecking order. And it says the same things both times. Who did the decrees go to? To the satraps, to the governors, to the rulers.

And this is exactly what we know historically about the Persian Empire, that a satrap was below the king, reported to the king, that the satrap would govern multiple governors and that then the governors would be over multiple provincial leaders. This is how you govern 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. That's what the book of Esther says about King Ahasuerus' empire. 127 provinces, India to Ethiopia, 3, 000 miles from east to west. That's how you govern it by having multiple tiers of authorities satraps governors and Rulers, but notice here.

It's different Notice here. It's a little bit different verse 3 the officials of the provinces and then it goes back to the pecking order, the satraps and the governors, and all those doing the king's work. Here in our text it folds in the boots on the ground. The government officials who would actually be here where the fighting is happening. The satrap is not there.

The governor is not there. He's over multiple provinces. So our author takes to the first of the list the provincial rulers, where the fighting is going to be happening. They are the ones who are actually in position to give practical help to the Jews, and they are doing it. All those doing the king's work.

And this too has a reason. In other words, why are they helping the Jews? Well we're given the reason. The fear of Mordecai fell upon them. Mordecai's influence is growing and growing and growing.

He's great in the palace. His reputation is spreading. His fame is spreading across the empire. So if you want to be in favor with the king, you want to be in favor with Mordecai. If you want to be in favor with Mordecai, you help his people when the appointed day comes.

What kind of help are they giving? The text does not say. We don't know for sure. But at least it would be information which would be incredibly valuable, wouldn't it? If a day is appointed where your enemies can attack you, what you lack the most is information.

Who, when, where? Maybe the government officials are helping with information. After the first edict, after Haman's edict, the empire and the enemies of the Jews were against the Jews. But now you see it's completely different. Now it's the empire and the Jews against their enemies.

A complete reversal. Their enemies. A complete reversal. The section ends with this phrase, and they did what they pleased with those who hated them. Think of it as they accomplished their will with those who hated them.

They imposed their will on those who hated them. Not because the other is a bad translation, but because when you read the other, they did what they pleased with those who hated them. You might come away thinking that they had unrestrained, unbridled passions indiscriminately killing. That's not what the text is designed to bring us to. They were attacked and they imposed their will on those who hated them.

One final point on this section, you have to read anything genocidal into the text. If you're reading indiscriminate killing of women and children, you're not getting it from the text. It's not coming out of the text. You have to read it into the text. The text doesn't give us gory details, But it gives us clues.

Here are some of them. Verse 1, the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. Who did they overpower? Those who hated them. Verse 2, the Jews laid hands on those who sought their harm.

Those who took up the call of Haman's decree to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth, those are the ones that they laid their hands on. Verse 5 says that they defeated their enemies and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. This does not lend itself to an interpretation where there's indiscriminate killing of women and children. The clues don't lead us to genocide. We're going to see more clues.

I'll point them out as we hit them in the text. So this is a summary of what happened on the appointed day. The lucky day. Do you remember how we got to the 12th month and the 13th day? How was it?

Haman cast a lot in the first month. In the month where Persian idolaters were consulting the gods because they believed that the gods sort of planned out what was going to happen to humans for the rest of the year. This is what historians tell us about the pagan idolatry in the Persian Empire. The first month is when you ask the gods to know what's going to happen for the rest of the year. And so you're casting the lot in the first month to find out when would be the right time to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth.

The Lot says the 12th month and the 13th day. Okay, this is the lucky day to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. This is what happened on the lucky day. God reigned on the lucky day And every other day. That's what happened.

Verses 6 through 12. Esther 9. Follow along as I read verses 6 through 12. And in Shushan the Citadel, the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men. Also, and then there are the 10 names of Haman's sons here.

I'll pick up in verse 10. The 10 sons of Haman, the son of Hamadatha, the enemy of the Jews. They killed, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. On that day, the number of those who were killed in Shushan the Citadel was brought to the king. And the king said to Queen Esther, the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men in Shushan the Citadel, and the ten sons of Haman.

What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done.

In these verses we have what happened in Shushan. What happened in this capital where the king's throne is. It's likely that Shushan would have been ground zero for the enemy of the Jews. Doesn't that make sense to you? Haman's decree came from Shushan.

Haman, The Jews' arch enemy, the greatest enemy of the Jews, lived in the capital. It makes sense to me that this would have been ground zero, the capital of the enemies of the Jews as well. And Haman's sons, it's not irrational to believe that the apples haven't fallen far from the tree. In other words, that Haman has been training his sons as well. It's a multi-generational hatred.

Isn't that what we've seen? It came down from Amalek, the Amalekites, a thousand years earlier. And then 500 years later, there's the king of the Amalekites, Agag, and now there's Haman. And it's very likely that he's been passing along his hatreds to his sons. Multi-generational hatred.

And so here they are in Shushan the capital. And also we've been introduced to the Jews in Shushan. Where? Well in chapter 416 remember Mordecai is told by Esther the queen to gather to gather the Jews to fast and and to ask God for favor when she goes before the king which is against the law and if she perishes she perishes. At the time when she is doing that the Jews of Shushan are fasting.

Now they are attacked by their enemies and the Jews kill 500 men. Now this is another clue in the text. It says explicitly that 500 men were killed. This is a masculine word which is overwhelmingly used for male as opposed to female. So not as mankind.

It's almost never used man as in mankind. It's almost always used as male as opposed to female. It's the Hebrew word ish, and it appears right at the beginning of Genesis. We see it in Genesis 2, 23, and Adam said, this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh She shall be called woman because she was taken out of ish. She was taken out of man as opposed to theme woman It's the men who were killed in Shushan.

We're also given the only specific names of those who were killed. So we're going to find out across today's text that 75, 800 people are killed. Only 10 of them are their names given, and every specific name is one of Haman's sons. This is significant. Think how short on details this text is.

If you could start asking questions of the text that aren't in the text, but things that you want to know, how many questions could you get to? It would be a lot for me. There's a lot of things in the text that I would like to know, but that God doesn't give us in the text. What does He give us? He gives us these ten names.

Nothing about Zerosh, his wife. Nothing about his daughters. Did he only have sons but no daughters? Only the sons are mentioned as those being killed. Why?

Because what is being communicated here is the utter destruction of Haman and everything that he's built and took pride in in his rebellion against God. Everything Haman loved, Everything Haman was proud of is now gone with the death of the sons. Thumb back to Esther chapter 5 verse 11. Turn back to chapter 5 verse 11. Now this is happening.

He just left the first banquet that Esther gave and he's happy. He was the only one aside from the king who was invited to this banquet. He's at the height of his glory leaving this banquet, But he stumbles across Mordecai and Mordecai will not stand and rise in honor of him. So he goes home and his whole day has been ruined. He went from the Hyde of Glory to his day has been crushed because Mordecai won't honor him.

So he gathers his wife and he gathers his friends to boast to them to feel better. And that's what we have in chapter 11. So he lists for us what he loves and what he's proud of in chapter 5 verse 11. Look. Then Haman told them of his great riches.

Now where are his great riches? They were given to Esther. She put Mordecai as arch enemy over them. The multitude of his children. Now when I preached on this text, I objected to the translation of children because it is almost certainly should be translated sons here.

This is another word that is overwhelmingly not gender neutral, but gender specific. That it really should be sons. He boasted about the multitude of his sons. Where are his sons? Their dad.

Everything in which the king had promoted him. At this moment, he's wearing the King's signet ring. Who's wearing the King's signet ring today? Mordecai is wearing the King's Signet Ring. Who is wearing the King's Signet Ring today?

Mordecai is wearing the King's Signet Ring. And how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. Now he's been declared a traitor to the empire and hung on the gallows over his own house. Everything that he took pride in, everything that he had built, everything that he loved and was proud of in his rebellion against God has been stripped away from him. This man and his house has been leveled to the ground.

This is what the listing of these ten sons by their names communicates. Also consider this study note from the Nelson Study Bible. I think it's true and helpful. The Nelson Study Bible has this note. The patterns of reprisal and vengeance were so deeply ingrained in the cultures in the ancient Middle East that the survival of even one of these sons would mean trouble for the next generation of Jewish people.

If you don't learn anything else in the book, learn this. The Amalekites have hated the Jews from generation to generation. That's why we are where we are in this book. The patterns of reprisal and vengeance were so deeply ingrained in the cultures of the ancient Middle East that the survival of even one of these sons would mean trouble for the next generation of Jewish people. Also in this section, in our section, we are introduced to a phrase that will be repeated throughout the text, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

They didn't lay one hand on any of the plunder. It will be said again at the end of verse 15. It will be said again at the end of verse 16. Every time when they list who died, it says this. Three times in our text it lists who died and how many, and then immediately it says, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder then again in verse 15 it says on the second day the extension that's given in Susa we're coming there it says how many died then but they didn't lay a hand on the plunder.

And then across the empire in verse 16, here's how many people died across the empire. And they give a number, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. The text doesn't tell us why they didn't. And there are a number of things that we could infer from that, but it seems clear to me that the Jews had coordinated in advance. In other words, you only see One pattern of behavior across 3, 000 miles of empire.

They didn't lay a hand on the plunder. I would infer from that, this means that the Jewish people had coordinated in advance, but we are going to defend ourselves, we are going to kill our enemies, and we're not going to lay one hand on their goods. And that the message, the intended message is clear and is this. This is for our self preservation, Not for our financial gain. Our enemies had hoped to gain financially.

It might have been the primary incentive of our enemies, but we will not lay a hand on one dime of their money. We are simply preserving our lives. Finally, the king gets the report of what has happened in Shushan the capital, that 500 men, 500 enemies of the Jews have been killed. And then in the second half of verse 12, we read this. The Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men in Shushan the Citadel, and the 10 sons of Haman.

What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now this has to be a rhetorical question. He cannot be seeking this information from Esther. That is logistically impossible. Esther cannot know what has happened 100 miles away, 1, 000 miles away on the same day.

That is not how it works. There is no email. There are no cell phones in Persia when this is happening. This must be a rhetorical question. And the point is this.

Here's what the king is saying. If 500 enemies of the Jews have been killed just in our city, what must have happened across this great empire? And this spurs the king to ask Esther if there is anything else he can do to set the wrong right. Remember, it was the king's carelessness that caused Haman to be able to issue this first edict for the annihilation of the Jewish people. It was His carelessness.

And now it appears to me like He wants to set the wrong to right. Verses 13-15. So back to our text. Esther chapter 9 verses 13 through 15. Follow along as I read.

Then Esther said, if it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today's decree and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows. So the king commanded this to be done. The decree was issued in Shushan and they hanged Haman's ten sons. And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the 14th day of the month of Adar and killed 300 men at Shushan, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. Here in these three verses, we have a second day in Shushan.

So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, it's second. A second day in Shushan. Esther's request to the king is this. First, that they extend Mordecai's decree for an additional day in the capital of Shushan. And secondly, that they hang Haman's already dead sons on the gallows.

It's not to kill the sons, the sons are dead. The sons are dead in the last section. But to hang his already dead sons on the gallows. And the king commands both of these things to be done. They hang the already dead sons of Haman on the gallows, and the message is clear, this is what happens to the enemies of the Jews.

It was already displayed in Shushan with the hanging of Haman, and now the dead bodies of his ten sons are hung up for everyone to see. The enemies of the Jews are treated this way. Now for this second part, the request that Mordecai's decree would be extended an additional day in the capital city. Think about the implications of that. One is you could only do it in Xuxuan.

Unless you're going to appoint another day, months out, if you have an empire that's 3, 000 miles from east to west, last time they gave them nine months to get ready. If you're going to do this again, extend for a day tomorrow, you can only do it in the capital city. You can only do it in the local area. Secondly, it's not two-way on this second day. There were two decrees in opposition to each other on the first day.

You could kill the Jews and take their stuff, and if you tried it, they could kill you and your family and take your stuff. Now it's not two-way. Now it's just if you tried to kill the Jews today and you got away, they can kill you and take your stuff tomorrow. The two way nature of the decrees is wiped out on this second day. Apparently there were many enemies in Shushan who had attacked the Jews but had evaded the retribution that the second decree, Mordecai's decree, had allowed for.

So now a second day is given for the dealing with those who had attacked the Jews, but gotten away, and 300 more men are killed. And again, they don't lay their hand on the plunder. Our last two verses, verses 16 and 17, follow along. The remainder of the Jews in the King's provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed 75, 000 of their enemies, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. This was on the 13th day of the month of Adar, and on the 14th of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

Here in these verses we have a summary of those outside of Shushan. So if you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, it's outside. A summary of those outside of Shushan. So the preceding section was what happened in the capital city. Now we get what happened across the rest of the empire.

We're given a huge number. Seventy-five thousand of the enemies of the Jews are slaughtered in this one day. Well here's one thing that we get from that. They have a lot of enemies. It wasn't just a few people here or there who were trying to wipe the Jews in their neighborhood, in their city, in their province off the face of the earth.

It's at least 75, 000. If what we learned from what happened in Shushan, that on the first day they were able to counter attack and kill 500 of their enemies, but there were 300 who got away to be dealt with on the second day. The number is probably much bigger across the empire than the 75, 000 that the Jews are able to successfully kill when they're attacked. But even though the number is large, 75, 000 is a big number. Think of it in perspective.

We have 127 provinces across 3, 000 miles east to west. If you divide the 75, 000 dead enemies across 127 provinces, you get 590 per province. I'm sure it wasn't. The numbers are never that neat and clean. But just on an average province, you would have about 600 of the enemies of the Jews killed.

And they don't lay their hand on the plunder across the whole empire. So again, I think it's obvious that it's coordinated. We're not touching the plunder. The text says that they had rest from their enemies. Imagine any nation having their 75, 000 most committed, most deadly enemies eliminated.

Any nation. Whoever your most committed, most deadly enemies are, in one day they are eliminated. What would that mean for your nation? Of course they had rest from their enemies. Think about the Jews today.

Think about the Jewish nation today. They have many very committed, very deadly enemies. Think if they woke up tomorrow and the 75, 000 worst were dead. What would it mean for the security and the rest of Israel even today? This happened on one day, the appointed day, and the next day they rested and they made it a day of feasting and gladness.

Next week's text will be all about this, but this is the spontaneous outpouring of gladness. Next week will be the permanent observance that comes out of that spontaneous. It will be essentially, Purim is a reliving of the gladness that happened on the day after the deliverance from their enemies. It's institutionalizing this gladness that happens, this feasting that happens. Applications.

I want to talk about the events of the text as types, as shadows. What is a type or a shadow? A type or a shadow is something that is real, but its significance is actually greater than what is in view. It is pointing to something that is even greater than the thing itself. The circumstances in Esther chapter 9 verses 1 through 17 are types and shadows of real things that are greater than even these earth-shaking things that are happening in the text.

I have two. Number one, consider Matthew 16 verse 18. In the second half of this verse, Jesus says, On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. It's Jesus speaking. On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." What is being taught by Jesus in that verse?

Not only is hell unable to batter down the gates of the people of God, but the gates of hell cannot withstand the battering." So don't get it wrong. Don't come to the words of Jesus and say, our gates will stand fast against hell. Hell can't batter down our gates. No, no, no. Exactly the opposite direction are the hostilities in Matthew 16 verse 18.

It says the gates of hell trying to prevail against the onslaught of the people of God will not be able to prevail. We will batter down the gates of hell. Hell has many hopes. Our text. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred.

The gates of hell has many hopes, there are many plots and schemes and intentions, deadly intentions against the people of God. Those hopes will be disappointed. Exactly the opposite will occur. Christian, live free. Live free.

The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church of God. He has brought us together for common defense in a hostile world. Here we are gathered for common defense in a hostile world. What are you afraid of? What am I afraid of?

What are we afraid of? Live free from fear. Christian, live with joy. Live with joy. You can see, you've been told exactly how this ends.

Victory! Overwhelming victory! Should we kid ourselves that we'll not have any challenges between here and there? No, we shouldn't kid ourselves about that. The Bible would make us sober about those things as well.

But what does it mean for you that you know in the end, no matter what happens between here and there, overwhelming victory, we can live with joy. We should live with joy. Shame on us if we don't live with joy. Christian, live with total confidence. Cheerfully go about this life destroying the works of the devil.

That's why Jesus came. That's why Jesus says He came. He came to destroy the works of the devil. We should cheerfully go about this life destroying the works of the devil, knowing that Esther chapter 9 is a type, it's just a shadow of something that's so much more significant, that God always gives His people an overwhelming victory in the end. Number two, turn to Galatians chapter three.

The second type in our text. I want you to see it with your own eyes. So Galatians chapter 3. I'll be reading verses 10-14. Galatians 3, 10-14.

Paul writes, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For It is written, cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, For the just shall live by faith. Yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. Verse 13.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. This text deserves its own sermon. We're right at the end.

I'm not preaching a second sermon. But I want you to notice that Paul here quotes Deuteronomy 21 verse 23. Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree and he's pinning that on Jesus as the curse bearer for his people. Jesus hung on a tree to bear the due penalty of sinners. He's the curse bearer.

What Haman's sons get in our text for being sons of rebellion is what you and I deserve. Are you with me? You find the dead bodies hung out as an example in our text. You deserve that. You and I, because of our sins and our inclinations against God, not only what we've done, but just what we're like, we never loved the things that He loved.

We never hated the things that He hated. In fact, We loved the things that He loved. We never hated the things that He hated. In fact, we loved the things that He hated. And we hated the things that He loved.

We were bent against Him in every way. We were sons of the rebel. Not just for doing what we've done, but for being what we were like. We deserve to die for our sins and then to be hung out as an example to others. What Haman sons get in our text we deserve.

Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27-26. Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Ok, now, hold yourself up against the verse. Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law. Have you continued in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them?

Have you continued in them all? The answer is, that's rhetorical too. The answer is obvious. Somebody's got to die for that. Someone will die for that.

You'll die for your sins. Or Christ puts himself forward as a willing substitute to trade places with you for your sins. You son of a rebel. Not just for what you've done, but because of who you are, you deserve to die and then to be hung out as an example to the rest. Will you take hold of the work of Jesus Christ today?

Well, why would you hold back till tomorrow if this is offered to you today? You would wait one more day? You would presume upon God for one more day, you would live in rebellion to this king who has sent his son to be crushed. To make you this offer today, you would say, no, I'll wait till tomorrow. How foolish we are.

This is the type. When we see Haman's sons hanging on the gallows, their dead bodies put out as an example to other rebels, we should run, not walk to the cross of Jesus Christ. The gates of hell will not prevail. The Lord's people will be given an overwhelming victory in the end. And Jesus Christ has offered to bear your curse.

Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Let's pray. God, how grateful we are for the shadows of the gospel that are found almost everywhere in the Old Testament. How easy a thing it is to see how full of sin and condemnation mankind justly is your right to be angry against not only all the things that we've done, but who we are, bent against you, hating the things that you love, and loving the things that you hate. And to see the free offer of pardon offered in Christ.

Thank you Lord for these shadows of the Gospel, these types that are everywhere to draw us. It's your kindness that leads us to repentance. I thank you that your kindness again is on display in our text. May we cling to Christ with all that we are. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.