Hi Paul,
> Did not the Jews defend themselves against government troops in the book
> of Esther?
Yes and no. Yes they did defend themselves. No it was not against government
troops.
Esther 3,13-14:
13 And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to
destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little
children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,
which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.
14 A copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being
published for all people, that they should be ready for that day.
Verse 14 says the king's order was 'for all the people'. So it wasn't
government troops but the citizens of the persian empire who should
'destroy, kill and annihilate all Jews'.
But the Jews didn't defend themselves without the permission of the king. As
the orders of a persian king had to be fulfilled even if he regreted them,
this order had to be fulfilled. But the king (after Esther's action) didn't
want the Jews to be killed, so he allowed them to defend themselves against
anybody who would attack them:
Esther 8,11-13:
11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to
gather together and protect their lives--to destroy, kill, and annihilate
all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both
little children and women, and to plunder their possessions,
12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day
of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province
and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to
avenge themselves on their enemies.
So, you see, if the Jews would have decided to defend themselves without the
king'S permission, there would have been no need for Esther to act. I don't
think there would be a book of Esther in the Bible if they would not have
followed the king's orders even if they were against them.
If you read the numbers of people who were killed by the Jews on that day I
cannot imagine it was the government troops (who had conquered an empire
reaching from Greece down to India and Africa) who attacked them.
Allzeit bereit f�r Jesus,
Fani
Pioneer-Cmdr
OP #78 M�tzingen/Germany
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