Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim.
Chapter 9 ends not with a battle but with a letter from Queen Esther and Mordecai, fixing the feast of Purim for every generation. Why is the feast named after the enemy's lot, and why does this book never name God?
A Second Letter, Signed and Confirmed
Mordecai had already written once. Here the queen's authority stands behind his instruction too.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe final part of this chapter tells of a message that Mordecai sent to the Jews in the provinces of the Persian kingdom. He told them to observe these days, the feast of Purim. Queen Esther also wrote with all authority confirming this second letter of Purim.
The weight of the letter rests on who sent it. Mordecai had once been ignored by everyone; now the nation bows to his written word.
H. L. RossierIt is Mordecai who, like the future Messiah, orders joy and rest. "The Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written to them." They submit to the written word of a man who had been unknown and ignored by everyone, including themselves. God had now exalted him in the sight of all.
Why the Feast Is Called Purim
The name of the feast comes from the enemy's own method.
Morrish Bible DictionaryA feast, meaning 'lot or lots.' Haman cast lots to find a good day to destroy the Jews. When that plan came to nothing, a yearly feast marked their deliverance instead. It fell on the 14th and 15th of Adar. The Jews still keep the feast. They read the Book of Esther, curse Haman and his wife, and bless Mordecai and Harbonah.
The Hand That Is Never Named
The book of Esther never mentions God, and the letter of Purim does not correct that. Yet the lot Haman trusted was not neutral.
Leslie M. GrantVery likely the Jews were familiar with Solomon's proverb, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). Haman had expected demonic power to back him up. But no doubt the Jews saw that the Lord had stepped in with His own clear decision. The Jews surely did recognise the Lord's hand in this. Yet God still did not allow His name to be mentioned in public at all.
A Memorial Meant to Last
Queen, Mordecai, and the people were of one mind about keeping the day.
H. L. RossierThis book mentions only one feast, the feast of Purim. It is a new feast that will last forever in memory of the deliverance of God's earthly people. Esther, Mordecai, and the people are in perfect harmony. What Esther and Mordecai set up, the people set up for themselves. So this account ends. It leads us to the dawn of the glorious time that follows deliverance, and points us on to the threshold of the millennial reign of Christ.
The Two Names in the Verse
Commentators see a picture in each of these two names. The verse gives Esther her father's name, and Mordecai is still called "the Jew."
Michael HardtMordecai is a Jew who acts fully in the king's interest, and in the end the king exalts him. He represents Christ… Esther represents the true bride: the future faithful Jewish remnant.
How a Holy Feast Was Spoiled
A day can be kept for centuries and still lose its meaning. One writer sets God's silence in the book beside what people later made of the feast.
William KellyHere again the book keeps to its character. Even now it does not name Him whom it would normally be the highest duty to proclaim. Yet man's word makes the full difference plain. The Talmud lays it down that at the feast of Purim a man should drink until he does not know the difference between "Blessed be Mordecai" and "Cursed be Haman." … Judaism, and Christendom where Christ is ignored, each sink to the lowest depths of paganism. Both dare to approve a drunken carnival where there had once been a holy feast.
Summary
- Letter. Mordecai wrote first. Here Esther adds her full authority to confirm that second letter of Purim.
- Lot. "Purim" means 'lot or lots.' Haman cast lots to pick a day to destroy the Jews, so the feast carries the name of his failed plan.
- Hidden. God is never named in the book or in the letter. Yet every decision of the lot came from Him, and He worked for His people unseen.
- Lasting. Queen, Mordecai, and people agreed. What the two set up, the nation took up — a memorial that points on to the deliverance and reign still to come.
- Warning. A commanded day can still be spoiled. Tradition turned a holy feast into a drunken carnival, in Judaism and in Christendom alike.