First let's get something clear about erroneous notions of Paul and his founding a new religion, which he didn't. True, the halakhah of his Judaism switched from the Pharisaic oral law to the Ruach Hakodesh, but his religion was still one of the Judaisms of the time, not a new non-Judaism Gentile religion.

Five books of the Hebrew Bible are known as the Five Scrolls

(Chamaish Miglot). Song of Songs is read on the Shabbos of

Passover week (Sepherdim read it on Seder night and Friday

afternoons). Ruth is read on Shavuos (Pentecost). Ecclesiastes

is read on the Shabbos of the week of Tabernacles (Succot).

Lamentations is read of the Ninth of Av, a fast commemorating the

destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. And, finally, the book we are

studying, the Scroll of Esther, is read on Purim.

Both Esther and Job could be produced as plays or musicals with a

high professional production level. In Aaron Frankel's Writing

the Broadway musical, he shows how to lay out the scenario for a

story by identifying the points in the play, visualized as a

series of scenes, where the conflicts in each scene rise to a

crescendo requiring song and/or choreography. Here are a few

ideas on how to organize the telling of Esther's story in this

way. A few possible lyric lines for songs have been put in

quotation marks. Why not think of how you could write an

original play or musical to be presented every Purim in your

ministry, and to be usable in Jewish outreach? (Try your own

creative hand--you can polish the ideas below or come up with

better ones): Scene: Persian city of Susa (modern Iran). Time:

483 B.C.E.

Possible ideas for a scenario with a few song lyric ideas: King

Ahasuerus and company (tipsy): "Queen Vashti, you're not acting

very pretty." Queen Vashti could sing a song to her maidens to

go tell the King she is now a "liberated" woman. The chorus made

up of King Ahasuerus's counsellors ("wise men (chachamim)"--

Esther 1:13) could lament the rebellious female population of the

country and how Queen Vashti will start an insurrection in every

home. A national domestic revolt is imminent, right in homes of

the nation! These wise men could sing, "It's a scandal! Things

are getting out of hand! Queen Vashti refuses to come at the

king's command! (see Esther 1:12)." On a serious note, Esther

1:22 can be taken as an allusion to the fall of mankind in Gen.

3.

Esther singing in front of the harem: "So if I'm Jewish, why

don't I come out of the closet?" (Make sure the diction fits the

character and is in good taste and in agreement with Scripture.

Does this work?)(Look at Esther 2:10-11.) A certain dramatic

license is acceptable sometimes. Esther could sing or recite

some of the great Messianic prophecies in her Hebrew Bible, and

she could dream of the Moshiach being a great King just as she,

by the providence of G-d, might become a great Queen. However,

rather than try to keep her life and her throne, in a later scene

she is urged by her uncle Mordecai and her conscience to decide

to lose her life and her throne for the sake of her people's

salvation. The play's ending tells us, however, that whoever

loses his life can get it back through faith (Luke 9:24; see

Esther 4:14). But the drama could hinge on Esther as she reaches

this crisis decision to lose everything and so matures through

suffering, finally saying (or singing), "If I perish, I perish

(Esther 4:16), I must proclaim the truth." (Rav Sha'ul said, "I

am ready to die in Jerusalem"--Acts 21:13). Her attention could

be drawn to the example of the suffering Messianic figure of

Joseph, who said, "G-d sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a

remnant (sh'airit) on earth and to save your lives by a great

deliverance (Gen. 45:7)."

Mordecai (after he overhears the assassination plot of Bigtha and

Teresh against King Ahasuerus): "I keep my ears open so I never

lose my head--but why does everyone want someone's head? Why

does everybody hate the Jews? Let my life be given me--that is

my petition" (see also Esther 7:3). These are possible working

song titles. He can refer to his ancestor Saul's battle against

that race of anti-Semites called the Amalekites and their king,

Agag (see 3:1). Unfortunately, like Joseph, Mordecai is

forgotten. Instead, Esther 3:1 tells us that King Ahasuerus

promotes Haman. But those who are exalted will be humbled, and

pride goes before the fall. Mordecai is even in more danger when

word leaks out that he is a Jew (Esther 3:4). A yellow star

could be pinned on Mordecai, and a tattoo could be slapped on his

arm to dramatize 3:3-5. The pogrom plot begins ironically in the

month of Pesach in Esther 3:6-7 (the people are "sold" as in

Egypt--see Esther 7:4) and the pogrom countdown will be 11 months

long, finally to be executed on the 13th day of the 12th month.

Haman and Ahasuerus possible duet (after Haman gives him the

money for the king's treasury to pay for the pogrom): "I'd like

to propose a toast (to the death of the people of the L-rd of

Hosts.)" Notice that the shameful and death-dealing results of

racial hatred are so terrible that great bewilderment at the

horror of it all seizes the population (see Esther 3:15). Notice

also that any demonic pleasure anti-Semites enjoy is short-lived,

for what follows is like a terrible hang-over from an extended

drinking bout. But, meanwhile, while the wicked drink and get

drunk, the g-dly fast and pray for deliverance (4:1-3). And

those who are truly sober and ready to stand in the battle will

not run from their Jewish uniform of sackcloth in order to hide

in "civilian" clothes (Esther 4:4). It should be clear in this

drama that "prayer changes things," (see also 4:26) but prayer

requires courage and fearless confession of the truth in order to

make its effect, since faith without works is dead.

Mordecai and Esther duet based on Esther 4:14: "For such a time

as this." Chapter 4 is where the crisis of decision takes place.

Everyone is in a position of some kind of influence and can plead

for the salvation of the Jewish people. Therefore, everyone

should be able to identify with Esther's crisis. All believers

come to the royal dignity for such a time as this (Rev. 1:6;

I Kefa 2:5,9), and have a Rom. 15:27 obligation regarding the

physical well-being of the Jewish people. And if we fail at our

obligation, G-d will raise up someone else to do kiruv outreach

work for Moshiach among the Jewish people (Esther 4:14). But

since G-d has called us to the kingdom for such a time as this,

we should look for his divine favor (Esther 5:2,8; 2:15,17; 7:3;

8:5) and enablement and open doors (5:3). Notice that in Esther

ch. 6 Mordecai gets the favor Esther already has received, and

finally that favor spills out on the entire people of G-d

throughout the land. On the other hand there is an omen of

disfavor over taking the accursed Human in Esther 6:13. If we

ask the L-rd and trust him, he will give us something

supernatural that will be attractive and will win favor for the

cause of the Lord's people and their Scriptures.

Haman (after the scene at the end of chapter 5): "I'm happy and

light-hearted without G-d, (and I'll be even happier without the

people of G-d.

Ahasuerus: "What honor has been given to this man of G-d

(Mordecai)?" Great villain's aside: "Whom would the king wish to

honor more than me?--Esther 6:6)

Haman: "In all modesty, who would the King desire to honor more

than Haman the Magnificent? Haman the Incomparable? Haman the

Sublime? Haman the Glorious etc.?"

Possible trio: Esther and Ahasuerus and Haman: "Who but a devil

would dare to try to destroy the Jews?" (Haman could pretend

innocence as he sings along in the trio.)

Esther solo on 8:17: "How does one become a Jew?" (The fear of

G-d comes on you and your heart is cut by the circumcision of the

Ruach Hakodesh unto conviction and faith in the Moshiach of the

Hebrew Scriptures. Esther could recall stories she had heard of

the coming of the Moshiach who would be like Dovid and Joseph and

suffer for his people as a victim like one of Human's victims.)

What are some of the themes of this story?

1. Getting drunk gets Ahasuerus into trouble twice, once with a

divorce and the other time by flirting with anti-Semitism and

genocide when he plots a pogrom with Haman.

2. Women's rights (Queen Vashti refusing to bow to this

woman-crazy husband of hers) and resisting idolatry (Mordecai the

Benjaminite refusing to bow to Haman the Agagite--see I Sm. 15;

Ex. 17:14-16; Deut. 25:17-19).

3. Ahasuerus and his gradual deliverance from anti-Semitism as he

meets one beautiful Jew and has his mind, that Haman and HaSatan

nearly poison, delivered. This gets us into the roots of

anti-Semitism: see Esther 3:8, hatred of a people who are

different belies hatred of a G-d who is different. Why do people

hate the Bible and pass laws that contradict it? Because people

are lawless by nature and need a new heart.

4. Ahasuerus is delivered from anti-Semitism by, of all people, a

woman. (G-d can use a woman to do anything, and this is another

theme: the most unlikely and the weakest vessels can be used by

G-d for great purposes). And G-d can use unlikely people in

Jewish ministry, too, to effect a "great deliverance" (Gen.

45:7)!

5. Another theme: drunken lust to exploit people for the sake of

fleeting worldly power versus true Biblical sacrificial service

to G-d's people.

6. Notes on Esther's character: the closet religious witness, who

is ashamed of her faith. A big dramatic question to which the

play should provide a suspenseful answer is: will she or will she

not come out of the closet and, whatever the possible loss, tell

people what she believes?

7. Another theme: luck versus providence, and how G-d controls

both ("What a divine coincidence!" could be a refrain in the

score). G-d uses all things to arrive at his own final goal of

protecting his people and keeping them alive until the King of

the Jews returns: feminism, beauty contests, insomnia,

8. The enemies of the true people of G-d will always fall into

the pit that they have dug-Proverbs 26:27.

9. The origin of the festival of Purim and the coming

eschatological event it points to, where all the enemies of

Israel, all the Hamans lacking G-d's heart, will be separated out

and destroyed. Daniel 12:2; 7:13-14.

COMIC POSSIBILITIES: the King's don't-call-us-we'll-call-you

extermination of drop-in visitors, which builds suspense when

Esther drops in unannounced, etc. Also, look at the chance for

Haman to make a great extended double take (a la Oliver Hardy)

at the end of 6:10.

IMPORTANT STAGE BUSINESS: dealing with the King's ring and the

reversal when Mordecal gets it from Haman in 8:2. Seriously, the

Moshiach (see "My Servant" = the Moshiach Zech. 3:8, Isa. 42:1;

Hag. 2:23) is called G-d's signet ring in Hag. 2:23. See Esther

8:10 and the reversal from Esther 8:2. Why do the nations rage

against the L-rd and his anointed, his signet ring, the Moshiach?

On other reversals, see Mordecal's reversal, Esther 6:3-6;

Human's reversal, Esther 7:10; 8:5; 9:24; the Jewish people's

reversal 9:1; etc.

Haman is a type of the Anti-Moshiach in the Bible (along with

Pharaoh, the king of Babylon, Antiochus Ephiphanes, Caligula,

Nero, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and all anti-Semites. This book

makes the astounding statement that G-d is at war with all

anti-Semites, and G-d will curse those who curse the Jewish

people (Gen. 12:3). The Moshiach himself will return at the

final battle at the end of days (Armageddon), which will be the

last battle of G-d against anti-Semites. Esther 9:5 is a picture

of the Day of the L-rd in the Hebrew Bible (Amos 5:9-14; Zeph.

l:14-l8). See also Esther 9:2,16.

The whole show could be done in modern dress with Haman in a

fascist uniform. We need to create spectacles that will draw

outsiders to G-d's House, just as G-d did with the splendor of

the Beis Hamikdash and the annual pilgrimage festivals.

Typological exegesis of Esther. The Moshiach's bride will not be

ashamed of him, that he is from the tribe of Judah. The bride

that does not come to him (Vashti = apostate religion) forfeits

any privileged position and is replaced by the bride that "boldly

approaches the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and

find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16; Esther 5:2).

Notice, as in I Cor. 15:4, the turning-point day of deliverance

is "the third day" (Esther 5:1).

See 9:10. When we taste the dainties of the anti-Semites and

enjoy their fleeting pleasures, we lose our kingship and royal

power, as Mordecai might have (he didn't). However, Modecai's

ancestor learned this lesson the hard way when he seized the

plunder of Amalek (I Sm. 15:17-19), unlike Abraham who abstained

from the plunder (Gen. 14:22-24).

Notice Purim is to be a time of joy (simcha) and feasting and

gladness and a time to send gifts of food to one another and

presents to the poor (Esther 9:22). If this festival were

celebrated each year in the Brit Chadasha kehillah, less

anti-Semitism would befound there. A Purim play could help laugh

the HaSatan out of the sanctuary. Since, according to Romans

chs. 9-11 the Brit Chadasha kehillah "joins" Israel, Esther 9:27

applies to the Brit Chadasha kehillah, because the text says,"the

Jews accepted as a custom for themselves...and all who joined

them, that without fail they should continue to observe these two

days every year.

Mordecai's work in the last verse ("he sought the good of his

people and interceded for the welfare of all his (zar'o)

seed"--Esther 10:3) sounds like the Moshiach in Isaiah 53:12,10

("he made intercession for the transgressors...and he shall see

(zera) seed").

Important note: Saddam Hussein's army was destroyed on the very

day of Purim, 1991, proving any Haman who threatens to destroy

Israel can still be brought down by the G-d of Israel.

ESTHER 8:17

In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the

king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with

feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities

became Jews because fear of the Jews had fallen on them.