Critical Race Theory – Part 2

The Queen Who Saved A Race.

Hmm! Is that a TV show? A Soap Box Opera? A Radio Program? An Internet fake story?

No, not even close—There was a lady in the Bible that saved her race and more.

Do you know who she was? Do you have an idea and was she found in the Old Testament or New Testament?

Before that, here’s some fun facts from the Lexington Chronicle—

North Koreans must have one of 28 state-approved haircuts—Glad I don’t live there!!

In 2003, there were 86 days of below-freezing weather in Hell, Michigan—And you thought Hell never froze.

Most NASCAR teams use nitrogen in their tires instead of air. This allows the tire to have a much more consistent rate of expansion and contraction to heat and cold. Hmm—I think my tires need that too.

A traffic jam in Beijing lasted more than nine days– Glad I don’t live there!!

And, over 2500 left-handed people a year are killed by using equipment made for right-handed people. The deadliest item? The right-handed power saw.

Did you guess who the queen was in the Bible? She has a whole book devoted to her and the name—Esther.

Please turn to the book of Esther and follow along on the rising of Mordecai’s niece, Hadassah or Esther.

The book of Esther begins with the reign of King Xerxes and Queen Vashti in Persia. As we follow the first chapter of Esther, King Xerxes was a “show-off”, displaying vast wealth of his kingdom along with splendor and glory of his majesty for nearly a half of year.

When the 180th day passed, King Xerxes gave a seven-day banquet for his nobles, officials, military leaders and for all the people from the least to the greatest. This banquet was ‘over the top’ with hangings of white and blue linen, silver rings on marble pillars, couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in golden goblets, each one different from the other as the royal wine flowed like a river for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man according to how much he could drink.

But this was a banquet for the men as the Queen held her banquet for the women.

King Xerxes, on the seventh day of the banquet, half drunk, rashly called for the queen to appear wearing her royal crown, royal clothes, makeup and parade before the king’s all male party. Queen Vashti refused to appear, thus making the king furious.

The king customarily consulted experts in the matters of law concerning the no-show of Queen Vashti. The king then posed the question of what must be done with Queen Vashti?

One of the experts, Memucan spoke directly to the king, saying the queen had done wrong to all people including the King. Memucan further pointed out that that all Persian and Median women will use the Queen as an example of responding in the same way that the Queen did and that there would be no end of disrespect and discord to the King, nobles and all men living in the King’s provinces.

The verdict—Queen Vashti was banished from the King’s presence, find a queen who is better than Vashti and all women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.

The conclusion—Rash decisions cause immense trouble for the King began to miss the queen and all that she had done for him, but; due to his anger and his decree, he had banished her from his presence.

So the concubine search began for a beautiful young virgin, who, under Hegai, the king’s assistant and in charge of finding these women. These young virgins of the King’s harem only purpose was to satisfy the King’s sexual pleasure at the time he called upon them.

The king’s order was in place and many girls were brought to the care of Hegai which included Esther.

Esther or Hadassah was an orphan and raised by Mordecai as his own daughter. Mordecai was a Jew, carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar along with his daughter.

Esther was taken to the king’s palace and under the wing of Hegai pleased Hegai to the point that she won his favor. In return, Hegai provided Esther with beauty treatments and special food. Esther, lovely in form and features, was moved to the best place in the harem along with her seven maids.

Before Esther could visit the king, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments. Esther never revealed her nationality nor family background, as Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.

The twelve months of beauty treatments were completed and Esther’s turn came to go to the king and asked for nothing other than what Hegai suggested.

Everyone who saw Esther was attracted to her including the king, who chose her as queen over the other virgins. The king gave a great banquet dedicated to Esther to his nobles and officials and proclaimed a holiday throughout the land.

Moving ahead, Mordecai sat at the king’s gate and overheard two of the king’s officers conspiring to kill King Xerxes. Mordecai told Queen Esther of the plot, who then reported this to the King. As the truth came to light, the two men were arrested and Mordecai received the credit for foiling the plot.

But the plot thickens for the king gives the highest seat of honor to Haman whose ancestors were enemies of the Jews. Haman and other royal officials met at the royal gate to which they knelt down and paid honor to Haman except one—Mordecai.

Mordecai would not kneel down that day nor any day and this went noticed by the royal officials. Day after day they spoke to Mordecai, with zero results, so they reported this to Haman.

Haman, going to the royal gate to see for himself, saw Mordecai standing straight in his presence and became enraged. Haman, taking matters into his own hands, hatched a plan to destroy Mordecai and every other Jew in King Xerxes kingdom.

Power and Prestige had come to Haman along with a hatred for all Jewish people in the kingdom. Mordecai’s dedication to God and the Jewish people’s belief that the only authority worthy of bowing down in reverence was to God and to no man.

The plot develops with Haman casting the pur (that is, the lot) to determine the best day to carry out the decree. Haman moves forward with his plan by meeting with the King not knowing that Esther has still not told anyone of her relationship to Mordecai nor being a Jew.

Haman tells the King that certain people scattered among the people in the provinces have customs different from those of all other people and who don’t obey the king’s laws; it’s not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If the King approves to destroy them, I will pay ten thousand talents of silver for the hands of those who execute them into the royal treasury.

Haman, thinking of what’s in it for him, would destroy the Jewish people and acquire their treasures stored in their houses and businesses.

King Xerxes signed the edit with his signet ring and told Haman to keep the money and do with the people as you please. Remember, Queen Esther had said nothing about being Jewish nor having Mordecai as her father.

As the king and Haman sat down to drink, the edict went throughout the land to kill and annihilate all the Jewish people—young and old, women and little children—on a single day and to plunder their goods.

Now for the rest of the story—Mordecai had placed his trust in God knowing there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out in the open.

Mordecai, when learning of all that had been done, tore his clothes off, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the city and wailed loudly as far as the king’s gate. Other provinces followed Mordecai mourning, fasting, weeping, wailing and laying in sackcloth and ashes when the order of the King came.

As for Esther, she was told by her maids and eunuchs to which placed her in great distress. First, Esther sent clothes to Mordecai to replace the sackcloth, but he did not accept. Then she sent Hathach, a king’s eunuch to find out what was troubling Mordecai.

Hathach and Mordecai met in front of the king’s gate where Mordecai began telling him everything that had happened, the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the Jew’s destruction, a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation and urge her to go to the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

This is the right way to fix a problem with written proof of someone who wishes to do evil. Always trust God to put together the events of life for our best, even though we don’t see the overall pattern at that time. There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out in the open.

Esther, a woman of God, listened attentively from Hathach, and then instructed Hathach to reply to Mordecai with the following—if he approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, he may be put to death. The only exception is that the king extend his gold scepter to him to spare his life. Thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king. Esther needed to see the king whether it be announced or unannounced for she knew this was an impossibly dangerous plan, but it had to be done.

Mordecai reminded Esther of her dangerous position if she spoke to the king and if she did not speak to the king. God places each of us in a position to make the right choices for Mordecai tells Esther that she has come to a royal position such as the one she is in presently.

Esther, unlike the king, makes no hasty decisions, but goes to God in prayer and asks the Jews to fast for three days and nights for her along with her maids. Then she would go to the king and if she perishes, then she perishes.

Esther had calculated the cost, set her priorities, prepared no matter what the cost and determined to meet the king after three days with the assurance knowing that God would deliver her in her time of trouble.

The third day had arrived and the Queen put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court awaiting the response of the king looking into the inner court. The king, pleased with her, held out his gold scepter for Esther to touch.

The king asked the Queen what her request was and she responded by asking, “If it pleases the king, let the king together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

That night, at the banquet, the king, again asked Esther what she wanted and she deferred that night and asked that both the king and Haman come tomorrow for a banquet that she will prepare and then she would answer the king’s question. Why? God’s timing is perfect and I don’t know, but possibly the next few verses give us the reason for he sees the intentions and actions of Haman.

Haman was on top of the world until he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate not acknowledging him. Filled with rage, Haman restrained and went home.

Haman, receiving another private invitation to the Queen’s banquet, gathered his wife and friends together to boast about his vast wealth, many sons, all the ways the king had honored him and how he was elevated above all other officials. Yet, he was still in rage over Mordecai, the only one who would acknowledge him.

The answer to Mordecai came from Haman’s wife—hang him in the morning from a seventy feet high gallows for all to see and be happy when you go to the dinner tomorrow night.

The night came and the King could not sleep—He ordered the book of the record of his reign to be brought in and read to him. Anxiety, Worry, Concern, Drank too much, ate too much, maybe or what is it Divine Intervention? I have experienced this in my life and I am so grateful for this intervention on my decision making.

The book was read and the next day followed for it was found that Mordecai had never received any honor and recognition for foiling the assassination plot against the king.

As Haman arrived early to ask the king’s permission to hang Mordecai, the king asked to meet with him and then asked what should be done for the man the delights to honor?

Haman’s response is simple—He’s talking about me, who else but me, it’s all about me or was it? Haman, full of himself, wanted to be like the king in every way including a royal robe that the king had worn, a royal crown to be placed on the horse’s head, and then lead him on the horse throughout the city proclaiming this is what is done for the man the king delights to honor.

“Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. Ouch! Haman got it all wrong and he is building a gallows for Mordecai’s hanging. Haman got the robe and the horse, rode Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city streets and proclaimed before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor.” One must wonder if Haman left off the route headed toward the gallows.

Remember the saying, “what comes around, go around”—here is your example for Haman rushed home with his head covered. He told his wife and friends everything that had happened to him.

These same friends who were friends or advisers predicted his downfall or his come to ruin. While they were still talking to Haman, the king’s eunuch’s arrived and hurried Haman away to the Queen’s banquet. I bet Haman began stewing in his own juices.

Now, on to the banquet and the moment when the king asks the Queen, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request?.

Direct and to the point, yet done in a courteous and respectful manner, Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, O King, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such stress would justify disturbing the king.”

The secret that both Mordecai and Queen Esther were both Jewish and both would be slaughtered. So the king asked the queen, “Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is the vile Haman.”

Haman was terrified, the king got up in rage and Haman began begging for his life to the Queen. The king returns, finding Haman falling on the couch where the Queen is reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

Haman’s face was covered, why? He was condemned to death and what timing for Harbona, a king’s eunuch, said, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up for the king.”

The king said, “Hang him on it!” and he was hung and the king’s fury subsided.

Wait—there is a bit more to tell for the King gave the queen Haman’s estate to her. Mordecai spoke to the king for Esther told the king her relationship with the King and the King gave his signet ring to Mordecai.

Yet, the plight of the annihilation of the Jewish race was still at hand and Esther before the king asked that an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman devised and wrote to the Jews in all the king’s provinces. For how could Esther bear to see disaster fall upon her people and the destruction of her family?

The king gave Haman’s estate to Esther, hanged Haman on the gallows and issued a decree throughout the providences the Jews were granted in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves, to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies.

As for Mordecai, he became prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

As we close out this book, turn to Esther 10:3 (FF) For Mordecai the Jew was second to the King Khushrush (Xerxes), and great among the Jews, and delightful to the man of his countrymen. He sought to benefit his People, and made safety for all his race.

My conclusion—To the folks who wish to teach the critical race theory, have you thought about teaching about two people who saved the race of the Jewish from annihilation.

Have you mentioned how God utilized Mordecai and Queen Esther to save an entire nation and what went into saving an entire nation.

I could go back further in history to see how God used Moses to bring out Israelites from Egypt and into the promised land. The interesting thing is none of their clothes wore out, they have plenty of food, they had plenty of water and they lacked for nothing.

Where is the mention of the Israel Exodus and how God protected and delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians and annihilation.

As a Christian, I question those in the critical race theory as providing only certain things that fit in their criteria and conveniently leaving out the critical race possible extinction.

The next lesson will provide some thoughts from those who are against the critical race theory.