Archive for Susa

Purim 5781/2021: Who Is Mordecai?

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Purim with tags , , , , , , on February 21, 2021 by paulthepoke

Esther 9:20-22 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

This is the decree for the celebration of the holiday Purim. The celebration is to take place in the Hebrew month of Adar on the 14th and 15th day. In the Gregorian year of 2021, that starts on sundown Thursday, February 25th and ends the next day on Friday, February 26th. Scripture tells us the holiday is to be celebrated annually.

www.paulthepoke.com

Then Mordecai recorded these events…

Mordecai, his name means “little man”. We know Mordecai is from the tribe of Benjamin. And he is related to King Saul by his lineage in Kish. King Saul’s father was Kish.

Esther 2:5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite…

~

Mordecai adopted Esther as his daughter. He was a man of God as he took care of orphans. Mordecai’s role in the book of Esther is consistent with the Psalmist. He was just in the defense and protection of his national people.

Esther 2:7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Psalms 82:3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Mordecai heard of a plot to assassinate King Xerxes. He shared the evil plan against the king to his adopted daughter Queen Esther. She shared the details with her husband the king. These men were put to death when the plan was confirmed (Esther 2:21-23).

~

Mordecai refused to bow down to one of the king’s officials, Haman. As a result, Haman set out to destroy Mordecai and all of the Jewish people in the kingdom (Esther 3). Out of concern for his fellow countrymen, Mordecai informed Queen Esther of Haman’s written plan to eliminate the Jewish people (Esther 4). Later, Mordecai was honored by the king and Haman for saving the king’s life in the plot against him (Esther 6). He was appointed and succeeded as the chief minister to King Xerxes after Haman’s death at his own gallows (Esther 8).

Mordecai was respected and honored throughout the kingdom. He grew in great power and prestige. Which takes us back to the beginning of the post and the verses in Esther 9. Mordecai was the initiator of the celebration of Purim.

God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. Yet, His sovereignty and plan are executed according to His will.

Purim is a reminder. The Spring Feasts and Passover are only a month away.

Leave a comment »

Daniel, Meet Gabriel

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels with tags , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2020 by paulthepoke

Daniel 8:16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

This is Gabriel’s formal introduction in the Old Testament. Gabriel is God’s chosen messenger to the prophet Daniel, who will document interpretation of visions.

Daniel reveals the time and place of the vision. The timing of the vision is revealed initially in Daniel 8.

Daniel 8:1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first.

Scholars and researchers estimate the date of the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar to be about 553 BC.

Granted, Daniel is physically in Babylon at the time of the vision. But, Daniel sees himself in a specific place.

Google Maps: Hamadan, Burial site of Esther & Mordechai

Daniel 8:2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal.

Per the ATS Bible Dictionary, the Ulai or Euleus River flows by the city of Susa. It was known as the Choaspes by the Greeks. Today, it is called the Kerkhah River. The river is about a mile and a half east of Susa.

Susa was the headquarters of the ancient Persia and Media Empire. Ancient Susa is also known as Shush or Shushan.

Little did Daniel know, Susa would be the setting for the story of the book of Esther. The events in Esther took place from 483-473 BC. Queen Esther and Mordechai are buried in Hamadan, north of Susa to this very day in the 21st century Iran.

From Daniel’s vision in 553 BC to the onset of Esther’s trials in 483 BC is 70 years.

~

Daniel 8:15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

Gabriel is introduced by the voice of a man. It seems Gabriel has the appearance of a man.

This is not just any man. The Hebrew word for “man” is geber. This is the term for a mighty warrior. It would seem that Gabriel is physically imposing.

Daniel has the same response to Gabriel as all the other people who meet him. There are two other people who would later meet Gabriel. They are Zechariah the priest and the Virgin Mary in the book of Luke. In all three cases, Gabriel scares the hell out of them.

Daniel 8:17a So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face…

Daniel was “frightened” or baath in the Hebrew. The word can also be translated as startled or terrified or overwhelmed (Strong’s Concordance). Other dictionaries use the word troubled.

Daniel also “fell on my face”. This is a sign of submission or reverence by Daniel. He realized he is in over his head.

Leave a comment »

Purim 5780/2020: Threats to Destroy Esther & Mordechai’s Tombs

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Persia/Elam/Iran, Purim, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , on March 1, 2020 by paulthepoke

Esther 9:20-22 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

This is the decree for the celebration of the holiday Purim. The celebration is to take place in the Hebrew month of Adar on the 14th and 15th day. In the Gregorian year of 2020, that starts on sundown Monday, March 9th and ends the next day on March 10th. Scripture tells us the holiday is to be celebrated every year.

Today, Hamadan is believed to have approximately 554,000 people per 2016 census numbers. Hamadan is home to the tombs of Esther and Mordechai.

esther mordechai tomb

A few weeks ago, the Iranian Basij attempted to do harm to the historical burial site of Esther and Mordechai. This is no accident. They know the history and the time of the year with the pending celebration of Purim.

The Basij is a volunteer militia of the Iranian government. The Basij was set up by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The stated purpose of the Basij is as follows: “create the necessary capabilities in all individuals believing in the Constitution and the goals of the Islamic Republic to defend the country, the regime of the Islamic Republic, and aid people in cases of disasters and unexpected events.”

The role of the Basij is to handle “resistance areas” within Iran…

Here is a quote that likely best describes the role of the Basij in Iran. This is a group of enforcers.

“But because they receive less training than other Iranian security forces, their tactics are often the toughest against dissidents—and in turn generate more public anger that could weaken rather than strengthen the regime long-term.”

If interested (highly recommended) in more detail of the Iranian Basij, click on the link below.

https://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/basij-resistance-force

The Basij feels justified in their actions because of President Trump and his policies toward Israel in the Middle East. So, they took to Twitter.

“Members of the Iranian Basij attempted to raid the historic site yesterday in an act of revenge against the Israelis Palestinian peace plan by President Trump.”

https://www.jewishpress.com/news/middle-east/iran-news/report-iranian-authorities-allegedly-threaten-to-destroy-tomb-of-esther-and-mordechai/2020/02/16/

Esther and Mordechai were real people. They died and they were buried in what is modern day Hamadan, Iran. The book of Esther is not a fable or a fairy tale. Roughly 2,450 years later from their era, Esther and Mordechai are back in the news. Modern day Iran wants to destroy their existence and their place in history in God’s word.

Leave a comment »

Trend Update: Purim, Tombs of Esther & Mordecai, March 2017

Posted in Persia/Elam/Iran, Prophecy, Purim, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , on March 10, 2017 by paulthepoke

Esther 1:1-2 Now it took place in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in Susa…

Esther 1:5 When these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.

This is the introduction to the book of Esther. Susa was the headquarters of the ancient Persia and Media Empire. Ancient Susa is also known as Shush or Shushan.

North of Susa is Hamadan. Today Hamadan, Iran is believed to have approximately 470,000 people per 2006 census numbers.

Within the city of modern day Hamadan, the heroes Esther and Mordecai are believed to be buried in the Iranian city. A 500 year old building is the site. The location is reported to be in very good condition. For detail, see the link below.

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/84787/burial-site-purim-heroes-esther-mordechai-still-standing-modern-day-persia/#wX48vS39tqslUvUA.97

The burial site and story of Esther draw people to think about the modern city, especially at the holiday of Purim.

Hamadan is back in the news and on the world stage but for other reasons.

August 16, 2016: Since this date, Russia has been launching air strikes from Iran. The Iranians have agreed to give Russia access to the Hamadan Air Base in western Iran. Russia is the first foreign country allowed access to the air base. This was reported by news outlets around the world (The Guardian, RT, Reuters, Jerusalem Post, France 24, New York Times).

Leave a comment »

Trend Update: Purim 2017

Posted in Persia/Elam/Iran, Purim, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2017 by paulthepoke

Esther 9:20-22 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

This is the decree for the celebration of the holiday Purim. The celebration is to take place in the Hebrew month of Adar on the 14th and 15th day. In the Gregorian year of 2017, that starts on Saturday, March 11th and ends the next day on March 12. Scripture tells us the holiday is to be celebrated every year.

The setting of the story is in the book of Esther. The events of the story took place from 483-473 BC. The location is Susa of the Persian Empire. This would be modern day Iran.

Esther is a unique book in the Bible in that God’s name is not written or used. Even though God’s name is not seen, it is obvious who is in control of the events of the narrative. The book is a practical example of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

I will bless those who bless you…The outline of the story goes like this. King Ahasuerus and his kingdom are ultimately blessed. He marries a beautiful Jewish lady, Esther, who becomes queen. Esther’s uncle Mordecai, a Jew, becomes a trusted voice to the king. The king follows the counsel of his Jewish subjects. King Ahasuerus treated them well and positioned them in places of authority and favor. His kingdom was blessed.

…the one who curses you I will curse…Haman is the villain of the story. He is hostile to the Jewish people. Haman developed a plot to murder all the Jews. His plot is exposed. Haman is ultimately hanged to death at the hands of his own devices.

Esther was a woman of great courage and this is celebrated in the book. Even though she was the queen, she played within the laws of the Persians. She knew death was a possibility.

Esther 4:11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.”

Despite the risks, Esther pressed forward on behalf of her people.

Esther 5:2 When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.

Because of her guile and bravery, the Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated with joy, gladness, food, and charitable giving.

Leave a comment »

%d bloggers like this: