Lesson 47: “Let Us Rise Up and Build” - Study Guide

"Lesson 47: “Let Us Rise Up and Build”," Old Testament Class Member Study Guide, (2001), 30

Ezra 1–8; Nehemiah 1–2; 4; 6; 8

Prayerfully study the following scriptures:

1. a.

   Ezra 1–6. King Cyrus frees the Jews who have been captive in Babylon and invites them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1). Zerubbabel and Jeshua lead approximately 50,000 people back to Jerusalem, and they begin to rebuild the temple (Ezra 2–3). The Samaritans offer to help work on the temple, are turned down, and attempt to stop the work; the rebuilding ceases (Ezra 4). Several years later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah exhort the Jews to finish the temple; the Samaritans continue to oppose it (Ezra 5; see also Haggai 1). King Darius renews the decree of Cyrus to rebuild the temple, and it is finished and dedicated in about 515 B.C. (Ezra 6).

2. b.

   Ezra 7–8. Ezra receives permission from King Artaxerxes of Persia to lead another group of Jews back to Jerusalem. Ezra and his people fast and pray, and the Lord protects them.

3. c.

   Nehemiah 1–2; 4; 6. Learning that the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem are “in great affliction and reproach,” Nehemiah receives permission from King Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls (Nehemiah 1–2). The enemies of the Jews seek to prevent them from rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah keeps the work going forward until the walls are finished (Nehemiah 4; 6).

4. d.

   Nehemiah 8. After the walls are rebuilt around Jerusalem, Ezra reads the scriptures to the people. The people weep and desire to obey the words of the law.

After Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C., Babylonia declined rapidly in power. In 539 B.C. Babylon fell to the Medes and the Persians, who were united under the leadership of Cyrus (see Daniel 5). Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus was a benevolent ruler who treated conquered peoples kindly and respected their religions.

Shortly after taking over Babylon, Cyrus invited the Jews (Israelites) in his empire to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

In 458 B.C. Ezra, a Jewish priest and scribe, brought another group of Jews back to Jerusalem from Babylon. Nehemiah, a Jew who held the important office of cupbearer (butler) in the court of the Babylonian king, obtained a royal commission authorizing him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah and Ezra worked together to help the Jews accomplish this task.

• What did Nehemiah do when Sanballat asked him to stop working and meet with him? (See Nehemiah 6:1–4.) How do some people try to distract Church members from the Lord’s work today? How should we respond to such distractions?

• How long did Ezra read the scriptures to the people? (See Nehemiah 8:3, 17–18.) How did the people respond? (See Nehemiah 8:3, 6, 9, 12.) How can we be more attentive as we read the scriptures? How can we develop the kind of excitement for the scriptures that these people had?

Additional reading: Haggai 1; “Ezra,” Bible Dictionary, page 669; “Nehemiah,” Bible Dictionary, page 738.

If I Perish, I Perish and A Kingdom, Which Shall Never Be Destroyed

"Lesson 45: “If I Perish, I Perish”," Old Testament: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (2001), 211–15

"Lesson 46: “A Kingdom, Which Shall Never Be Destroyed”," Old Testament: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (2001), 216–19

1. Introduction

a) Combining two lessons today – 45 and 46

b) Principal personages are Daniel and Esther

i) Demonstrate faith while in captivity

ii) Work to be righteous in a world that is pagan

c) Daniel

i) Taken captive to Babylonia in about 606 B.C.

(1) This was a minor deportation of chosen Jewish children who were selected to serve in the Babylonian court.

(2) This was a way for Babylon to gain even more benefits from its colonies/tributary states

(a) Obtain and train the most talented as future leaders

(b) Use the nationalities of the Jewish officials in Babylon to keep the tributary nations under control

(3) Imagine how destructive this was to some of the most talented people in Israel

(a) Taken to Babylon while in their teens

(b) Subjected to training and influences hostile to their laws and religion

ii) Daniel was a prophet from 606-536 B.C.

(1) Came to Babylon 8 years before Ezekiel.

(a) Ezekiel was the prophet for the ordinary children of Israel in captivity and Daniel was the prophet for the rulers of Babylon

(b) Other contemporary prophets – Jeremiah and Lehi

(2) Daniel would serve in the court of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors and in the court of Cyrus, king of Persia, who would conquer Babylon.

d) Esther

i) Was captive in Persia

ii) Married to Ahasuerus is the Persian king that was probably the grandson Cyrus who freed the Jews.

(1) The Bible Dictionary dates Ahasuerus at 529 BC, after Cyrus frees the Jews. Ahasuerus was almost certainly the successor of Darius, the son of Cyrus. (See Ezra 4:6)

iii) We have spoken of how many Jews – estimated at about 80% of those taken into captivity – did not return to Israel after Cyrus allowed the Jews under his control to return to Jerusalem.

(1) Referred to as the diaspora or the dispersion

e) Babylon

i) Turn to Map 11 – Babylonian Empire and Median Empire

ii) Babylon was the largest city in the world

(1) Located in present-day Iraq, 55 miles south of Bagdad

(2) 4 miles square

(3) Walls running about 11 miles to the Euphrates river

(4) Likely the first city to ever reach a population of 200,000

(a) For comparison, Athens during its golden age, about 100 years after Babylon at its height, had a population of about 140,000

(5) Greek historian Herodotus has Babylon being much larger

(a) Walls 350 feet high

(b) Almost certainly never visited Babylon and relied only on the accounts of others

iii) Nebuchadnezzar is the great king of Babylon (604–561 B.C.)

(1) Son of the founder of the empire, who defeated the Assyrians, where the ten tribes of Israel had been taken into captivity in 721 BC, about 120 years before Daniel

(2) Nebuchadnezzar also defeats the Egyptians and drives them from Assyria

iv) For all its power, this Babylonian Empire would last only about 25 years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, when King Cyrus of Persia would take the city I the face of almost no resistance.

v) For all of its size and magnificence, Babylon today is only a partially excavated series of mounds in the desert.

2. Daniel and his friends refuse to eat King Nebuchadnezzar’s food; they are blessed with good health and wisdom.

a) Reading 1 – Daniel 1:1-8

1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

3¶And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;

4Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

5And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

6Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

7Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.

8¶But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

i) Verse 6 - these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah

ii) Verse 7 - 7Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego

(1) Part of acculturating them to the ways of Babylon was to give them Babylonian names in place of their Jewish names

iii) Verse 8 - Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank

(1) Daniel will not eat the king’s meat or drink the king’s wine

(2) Would not “defile himself”

(3) Recall the strict dietary laws that Moses gave the children of Israel

b) Reading 2 – Daniel 1:10-15,17,20

10And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

11Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

13Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.

BREAK

17¶As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

BREAK

20And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

i) Verse 12 – 12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

ii) Verse 17 - 17¶As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

iii) 20And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

c) Blessings similar to Word of Wisdom

d) Reading 3 - Elder Boyd K. Packer taught: “I have come to know … that a fundamental purpose of the Word of Wisdom has to do with revelation. From the time you are very little we teach you to avoid tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, narcotics, and anything else that disturbs your health. … If someone ‘under the influence’ can hardly listen to plain talk, how can they respond to spiritual promptings that touch their most delicate feelings? As valuable as the Word of Wisdom is as a law of health, it may be much more valuable to you spiritually than it is physically” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 28–29; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 20).

3. Will have to skip the story of the Lord saving Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from death in the fiery furnace

4. Daniel receives a revelation in which he is shown King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and given its interpretation.

a) Reading 4 – Daniel 2:1-5

1And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

2Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

i) Since the psychic hotline had not been invented yet, Nebuchadnezzar kept all sorts of people around him to provide advice and guidance

ii) Here, he has a dream that disturbs him greatly, but is unable to remember the dream.

iii) He asks his psychics to tell him the dream and the interpretation of the dream upon pain of death.

b) Reading 5 – Daniel 2:16-19

16Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

17Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 ¶Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

i) Daniel asks for time

ii) Asks Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to pray with him for an answer

(1) Daniel goes to a different source for answers than his king does

(2) ASK – Do we ever seek wisdom from the magicians and astrologers of our day instead of going to the Lord for direction and answers?

iii) Daniel receives the secret in a vision

iv) Acknowledges that God has given him the answer to his prayers

(1) READ – Daniel 2:20-23

20Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

c) Daniel appears before Nebuchadnezzar and tells him that God has given him the king’s dream and the interpretation thereof

i) Daniel takes no glory for himself

d) Reading 6 – Daniel 2:31-35, 44-45

31¶Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

32This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

33His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

BREAK

44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

e) Interpretation

i) Daniel saw an immense swath of history, beginning with the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and continuing for more than 2600 years.

ii) Daniel gives an interpretation that Nebuchadnezzar could understand

iii) We have a modern prophetic interpretation that describes the symbolism of the dream in terms we can understand

iv) President Spencer W. Kimball in a talk entitled, “The Stone Cut without Hands,” in General Conference, April 1976 ( In Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 10; or Ensign, May 1976, 8)

(1) The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom of Babylon.

(2) The breast and arms of silver represented Cyrus and his kingdom of Media and Persia.

(3) The belly and thighs of brass represented Philip and Alexander and the Greek or Macedonian kingdom.

(4) The legs of iron represented the Roman Empire.

(5) The feet of iron and clay represented a group of European nations.

v) Pres. Kimball says the vision describes the history of the world, with one nation supersedes the prior one until numerous smaller kingdoms will share control of the earth.

vi) At this point, Daniel 2:44-45 comes into play:

vii) READ – President Kimball said:

And it was in the days of these kings that power would not be given to men, but the God of heaven would set up a kingdom—the kingdom of God upon the earth, which should never be destroyed nor left to other people.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored in 1830 after numerous revelations from the divine source; and this is the kingdom, set up by the God of heaven, that would never be destroyed nor superseded, and the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that would become a great mountain and would fill the whole earth.

History unfolded and the world powers came and went after ruling the world for a little season, but in the early nineteenth century the day had come. The new world of America had been discovered and colonized and was being settled. Independence had been gained and a constitution approved and freedom given to men, and people were now enlightened to permit truth to be established and to reign.

No king or set of rulers could divine this history; but a young, pure, and worthy prophet could receive a revelation from God.

[after describing the events in the Sacred Grove and the appearance of additional heavenly messengers to Joseph Smith, Pres. Kimball continues:]

These were the beginnings of accomplishment; and the gospel was revealed, line upon line and precept upon precept, and truths were restored, and power was given and authority was revealed, and gradually enough light and enough people were there for the organization of this kingdom of God which Daniel saw two and a half millennia ago.

The Church was organized. Small it was, with only six members, compared to the stone cut out of the mountain without hands which would break in pieces other nations and which would roll forth and fill the whole earth.

f) Meanings

i) Be “cut out without hands” (Daniel 2:34).

ii) Become “a great mountain, and [fill] the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).

iii) “Never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44).

iv) “Not be left [given] to other people” (Daniel 2:44).

v) “Consume all [other] kingdoms” (Daniel 2:44).

vi) “Stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).

5. Will skip Daniel being thrown into the lions’ den

Lesson 45 & 46 - Scriptures and Quotes

Lesson 45: “If I Perish, I Perish” and
Lesson 46: “A Kingdom, Which Shall Never Be Destroyed”

Reading 1 – Daniel 1:1-8

Reading 2 – Daniel 1:10-15,17,20

Reading 3 - Elder Boyd K. Packer taught: “I have come to know … that a fundamental purpose of the Word of Wisdom has to do with revelation. From the time you are very little we teach you to avoid tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, narcotics, and anything else that disturbs your health. … If someone ‘under the influence’ can hardly listen to plain talk, how can they respond to spiritual promptings that touch their most delicate feelings? As valuable as the Word of Wisdom is as a law of health, it may be much more valuable to you spiritually than it is physically” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 28–29; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 20).

Reading 4 – Daniel 2:1-5

Reading 5 – Daniel 2:16-19

Daniel 2:20-23

Reading 6 – Daniel 2:31-35, 44-45

President Kimball said:
And it was in the days of these kings that power would not be given to men, but the God of heaven would set up a kingdom—the kingdom of God upon the earth, which should never be destroyed nor left to other people.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored in 1830 after numerous revelations from the divine source; and this is the kingdom, set up by the God of heaven, that would never be destroyed nor superseded, and the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that would become a great mountain and would fill the whole earth.
History unfolded and the world powers came and went after ruling the world for a little season, but in the early nineteenth century the day had come. The new world of America had been discovered and colonized and was being settled. Independence had been gained and a constitution approved and freedom given to men, and people were now enlightened to permit truth to be established and to reign.
No king or set of rulers could divine this history; but a young, pure, and worthy prophet could receive a revelation from God.
. . . .
[after describing the events in the Sacred Grove and the appearance of additional heavenly messengers to Joseph Smith, Pres. Kimball continues:]
These were the beginnings of accomplishment; and the gospel was revealed, line upon line and precept upon precept, and truths were restored, and power was given and authority was revealed, and gradually enough light and enough people were there for the organization of this kingdom of God which Daniel saw two and a half millennia ago.
The Church was organized. Small it was, with only six members, compared to the stone cut out of the mountain without hands which would break in pieces other nations and which would roll forth and fill the whole earth.

Reading 7 – Esther 3:2-5

Reading 8 – Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said: Premortality is not a relaxing doctrine. For each of us, there are choices to be made, incessant and difficult chores to be done, ironies and adversities to be experienced, time to be well spent, talents and gifts to be well employed. Just because we were chosen “there and then,” surely does not mean we can be indifferent “here and now.” Whether foreordination for men, or foredesignation for women, those called and prepared must also prove “chosen, and faithful.” (See Rev. 17:14; D&C 121:34-36). In fact, adequacy in the first estate may merely have ensured a stern, second estate with more duties and no immunities! Additional tutoring and suffering appears to be the pattern for the Lord’s most apt pupils. (See Mosiah 3:19; 1 Pet. 4:19). Our existence, therefore, is a continuum matched by God’s stretching curriculum (“Premortality, a Glorious Reality,” Ensign, Nov. 1985, 16).

Esther 4:16

Reading 9: Esther 7:3-6

The Kings of the Judean Captivity

The captivity of the Kingdom of Judah or the Southern Kingdom can be said to begin in about 606 BC when Daniel and many other young men of the Jewish royal families were carried into Babylon. The captivity continues through the capture of Jerusalem in 587 BC and finally ends with with the decree of Cyrus of Persia releasing the Jews from captivity in 537 BC.

As mentioned during our class discussions, only a minority of those carried into captivity ever returned to Israel.

During this time, a number of pagan rulers had great influence, usually negative, on the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

Nebuchadnezzar or Nabu-kudur-usur. Nebo, protect the crown! (or, the landmark). The great king of Babylon (604–561 B.C.), son of Nabopolassar, the founder of the empire (see Assyria and Babylonia); defeats Necho, king of Egypt, at Carchemish and drives the Egyptians from Syria (Jer. 46:2–12); subdues Judah (2 Kgs. 24:1); besieges Jerusalem (24:10–11), and takes it, carrying away the king and people (25:1, 8, 22; 1 Chr. 6:15; 2 Chr. 36; Ezra 1:7; 2:1; 5:12, 14; 6:5; Neh. 7:6; Esth. 2:6; Jer. 27:6, 8, 20; 28:3, 11, 14; 29:1, 3; 34:1; 39:5). For his relations with Daniel, by whom his dreams were interpreted, see Dan. 1–5. He was for a time smitten with madness, and on his recovery acknowledged God’s power and goodness. (Bible Dictionary)

Darius. (1) The Mede, king of Babylon after the death of Belshazzar (Dan. 5:31; 6:9, 25–28; 9:1; 11:1). (Bible Dictionary)

Cyrus. Formerly king of Elam. He captured Babylon and overthrew the Chaldean dynasty (of which Nabonidus was the last king, with Belshazzar his son as commander-in-chief). He issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to the land of Judah and rebuild the temple, possibly as a token of gratitude for assistance given to him in his conquest (2 Chr. 36:22; Ezra 1; 3:7; Isa. 44:28; 45:1; Dan. 1:21; 6:28; 10:1).

Ahasuerus is the Persian king that Esther marries. The Bible Dictionary dates him at 529 BC, after Cyrus frees the Jews. Ahasuerus was almost certainly the successor of Cyrus. (See Ezra 4:6)

The fact that many of the Jews remained in foreign lands after the fall of Jerusalem would have a benefit for the missionaries of the New Testament. This scattering is often called the diaspora or the dispersion.

From the Bible Dictionary:

Dispersion. A title applied to all Israelites who remained settled in foreign countries subsequent to the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1). The Epistle of James is addressed to them (James 1:1; cf. John 7:35). One result of this dispersion was the existence in many different parts of the world of Jewish synagogues, which became of great service to the spread of Christianity (Acts 2:5–11; 6:9; 13:43–45; 14:1–2, 19; 16:3; 17:1, 10–13; 18:2, 12, 19; 19:13–17, 33; 28:17–29). All Jews, wherever they might be, regarded the temple at Jerusalem as the center of their worship, and contributed the usual half-shekel toward its maintenance (Matt. 17:24). The Jews of Babylonia spoke an Aramaic dialect similar to that spoken in Palestine. The Jews of Syria, Egypt, and Italy adopted the Greek language and along with it many Greek ideas. For their use, the Greek translation of the O.T. known as the Septuagint was made. See also Diaspora; Septuagint.

Esther and the Feast of Purim

Esther Denouncing Haman





The Old Testament Institute Manual is an excellent resource to supplement the Sunday Schoo material.

Following is the entry under the chapter on Esther that describes the festival of Purim, still celebrated today, which first originated after Esther saved her people as described in Esther 9:17-22:

The pur (plural purim ), or lots, Haman used (see Esther 3:7 ) to determine the day of destruction for the Jews were now viewed by the Jews as a great blessing. The fact that the lot had fallen on a day some distance into the future allowed Esther and Mordecai time to save the people. In celebration of this great deliverance, the Jews initiated a new festival which is still observed among them to this day. It is called Purim for the lots cast by Haman and is a festival of great joy. A modern Jewish writer described its celebration:

“Purim is the nearest thing Judaism has to a carnival. It is another full-moon celebration, falling on the fourteenth of Adar, usually in February or March. The origin of the holy day is in the Book of Esther. The occasion is, of course, the famous deliverance of the Persian Jews from their Hitler-like oppressor, Haman. . . .

“The day before Purim is the Fast of Esther, a sunrise-to-sundown abstention. At sundown the synagogues fill up. The marked difference between this and all other occasions of the Jewish year is the number of children on hand. Purim is Children’s Night in the house of the Lord. It always has been, and the children sense their rights and exercise them. They carry flags and noisemakers, the traditional whirling rattles called ‘groggers,’ which can make a staggering racket. After the evening prayers the reading of the Book of Esther begins, solemnly enough, with the customary blessing over a scroll and the chanting of the opening verses in a special musical mode heard only on this holiday. The children are poised, waiting. The Reader chants through the first and second chapters and comes at last to the long-awaited sentence, ‘After these things, the king raised to power Haman the Agagite’—but nobody hears the last two words. The name ‘Haman’ triggers off stamping, pounding, and a hurricane of groggers. The Reader waits patiently. The din dies. He chants on, and soon strikes another ‘Haman.’ Bedlam breaks loose again. This continues, and since Haman is now a chief figure in the story, the noisy outbursts come pretty frequently. The children, far from getting tired or bored, warm to the work. They do it with sure mob instinct: poised silence during the reading, explosions on each ‘Haman.’ Passages occur where Haman’s name crops up several times in a very short space. The children’s assaults come like pistol shots. The Reader’s patience wears thin and finally breaks. It is impossible to read with so many interruptions. He gestures angrily at the children through the grogger storm and shoots a glance of appeal to the rabbi. This, of course, is what the children have been waiting for. The stag is down. Thereafter to the end it is a merciless battle between the Reader and the children. He tries to slur over the thick-falling ‘Hamans,’ they trip him every time with raucous salvos. He stumbles on to the final verse, exhausted, beaten, furious, and all is disordered hilarity in the synagogue. It is perhaps not quite fair to make the Reader stand in for Haman on this evening, but that is approximately what happens. . . .

“Beyond this gaiety, it carries four religious obligations: to hear the Megillah (the Scroll of Esther) read, to distribute largesse to the poor, to make a feast, and to exchange presents with neighbors and friends. This last institution is Shalakh Manos, the Sending of Gifts: things that can be eaten and drunk the same day.” (Herman Wouk, This Is My God, pp. 98–100.)

Click HERE to read the entire Institute Manual chapter on Esther.

The Book of Esther - Bible Dictionary

Esther, Book of.

Contains the history that led to the institution of the Jewish feast of Purim. The story belongs to the time of the Captivity. Ahasuerus, king of Persia (most probably Xerxes), had decided to divorce his queen Vashti because she refused to show her beauty to the people and the princes. Esther, adopted daughter of Mordecai the Jew, was chosen as her successor, on account of her beauty. Haman, chief man at the king’s court, hated Mordecai, and having cast lots to find a suitable day, obtained a decree to put all Jews to death. Esther, at great personal risk, revealed her own nationality and obtained a reversal of the decree. It was decided that two days of feasting should be annually observed in honor of this deliverance. They were called Purim, because of the lot (Pur) that Haman had cast for the destruction of the Jews.

The book contains no direct reference to God, but he is everywhere taken for granted, as the book infers a providential destiny (Esth. 4:13–16), and speaks of fasting for deliverance. There have been doubts at times as to whether it should be admitted to the canon of scripture. But the book has a religious value as containing a most striking illustration of God’s overruling providence in history, and as exhibiting a very high type of courage, loyalty, and patriotism.

Daniel - Bible Dictionary

On December 12, we will be studying Daniel and Esther.

Following are the entries from the Bible Dictionary for Daniel and the Book of Daniel.

Daniel. A judge (is) God. (1) The second son of David, by Abigail the Carmelitess (1 Chr. 3:1); also called Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3).

(2) The hero of the book of Daniel. Nothing is known of his parentage, though he appears to have been of royal descent (Dan. 1:3); he was taken captive to Babylon and received the name of Belteshazzar (1:6–7). Along with three others he refused the “king’s meat” from fear of defilement (1:8–16). He then won the favor of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius by his power of interpreting dreams (chs. 2, 4); and the handwriting on the wall (ch. 5). In consequence of a plot on the part of his enemies he was thrown into a den of lions (ch. 6), but his life was preserved. There are references to him in Ezek. 14:14, 20; 28:3; Heb. 11:33. Interesting points of resemblance may be noticed between the history of Daniel and that of Joseph.

Daniel, Book of. The book has two divisions: chs. 1–6 are narratives regarding Daniel and his three companions; chs. 7–12 are prophetic visions seen by Daniel and reported in his own name. Chs. 2:4–7:28 are written in Aramaic, and the rest in Hebrew. The book of Daniel teaches its readers the important duty of being true to the God of Israel at all cost and illustrates the blessings of the Lord upon the faithful.

A major contribution of the book is the interpretation of the king’s dream in which the kingdom of God in the last days is depicted as a little stone that is cut out of a mountain, and which will roll forth until it fills the whole earth (ch. 2).

Other significant items include: the spirit of wisdom that was given to Daniel and his companions in consequence of their abstinence from wine (ch. 1); the dramatic story of the three persons being delivered from the fiery furnace by the power of God (ch. 3); the account of Daniel interpreting the handwriting on the wall (ch. 5); Daniel being cast into the den of lions (ch. 6). In every case, the deliverance of Daniel and his three friends is shown to be brought about by the blessing of God because of their faithfulness.

The prophetic visions present a succession of world-monarchies, the last of which will severely persecute the saints, but will be brought to an end by the judgment of God. Ch. 7, under the symbolism of beasts, shows how, at the end, the world-kingdoms give place to the kingdom of God. This chapter also contains the vision of “One like unto a Son of Man” standing before the Ancient of Days to receive power and glory. The “Son of Man” is Jesus Christ. Latter-day revelation identifies the Ancient of Days as Adam (D&C 116), who is also known as Michael (D&C 128:21; cf. Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1). A testimony of mankind’s resurrection is given in ch. 12.

Daniel, like Joseph, is given ability to interpret dreams, and to reveal the future. Also, like Joseph, he is careful to point out that he is not able to do this by his own wisdom, but because of the wisdom given him by the God of heaven (Gen. 40:18; 41:16; Dan. 2:19–20, 27–30, 47).

The book of Daniel, the earliest example of apocalyptic literature currently in the Bible, corresponds in the O.T. to the Revelation of John in the N.T. There are, however, examples of apocalyptic literature in Moses 7 and 1 Nephi 8, 11, which are of earlier date.

There are various additions to the book of Daniel not included in the present canon, some of which are found in the Apocrypha, that is, the Song of the Three Children, the History of Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon. (See Apocrypha.)