In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we read of the captives of Judah who, after the proclamation of Cyrus, king of Persia, had returned to Jerusalem. The book of Esther, on the other hand, tells us what happened to those Jews who did not go back to Jerusalem, who did not value the liberty to go up to the land where God’s eye rested, and where He yet means to exalt His name, but remained in the land of their captivity.
Jerusalem had a place in God’s dealings with men that no other city had. The Jewish captives in Babylon had said: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” Psa. 1 3 7: 5,6. Elsewhere Jerusalem has been called the “city of the great King” (Matt. 5:3535Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. (Matthew 5:35)); “the city of the Lord” (Isa. 60:1414The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 60:14)); “the city of truth” (Zech. 8:33Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. (Zechariah 8:3)); and “the city called by My name” (Jer. 25:2929For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts. (Jeremiah 25:29)).
Most of the Jews living at this time had been born during the captivity, and so many of them seemed quite satisfied to remain in the lands to which their parents had been carried, even while others were returning to Jerusalem. They had been taught only vaguely the promises of God connected with the land of Canaan.
I do not doubt that in their bondage in these far off heathen lands, in the midst of strange customs and restrictions, that it was very hard to get together so that they might be taught out of the Scriptures. In those days books had to be copied by hand, and since paper was very costly, copies of the Scriptures were very scarce and expensive. One had to be very much in earnest and travel long distances to be present where the Scriptures were read and explained. I wonder if children in our day realize what a wonderful privilege it is for a child, as soon as he learns to read, to have a Bible for himself. How many children, whose priv. ilege it is to read the Scriptures them. selves, or have parents to teach theut, or can go to Sunday school where they can hear about the Lord Jesus, really have a desire for these things. Often we find children who have not been so highly favored, more delighted to hear about the Lord Jesus than those who have been taught these things from their youth up.
We can understand that many of the Jews in captivity knew very little about the land which God had given to them; so they had little or no desire to return to a country with its ruined cities any villages. Since the first return of the captives, king Cyrus had died and several other kings had reigned. Some were favorable to the Jews and some were not.
The book of Esther is remarkable in that the name of God is not mentioned in it, neither is His Word nor prayer mentioned. I do not doubt, however that many prayers were offered at this time, but it is not the purpose the Lord to bring it out prominently where there was so much indifference to Hi call to go back to the land of promise This book shows us that even when these had lost their sense of relationship to Him, when He could not own them in any way, still He was working wonderfully but secretly in favor of His people. The knowledge of this of confidence, and draws out our heart in praise, for Israel’s God is ours.
ML 10/18/1959