INTRODUCTION

IRAN, universally known among English-speaking people as Persia before March, 1935, and often referred to as such by a good many, is the country in which Esther was born and brought up. The Persians themselves never call their country anything but Iran. It is located in the heart of that part of the world to which we refer as the Middle East. For many years it had little or no political importance, but in recent years its affairs have occupied the headlines of our newspapers again and again.

Many people think of the country only as the source of Persian rugs, so well known both for their quality and their beauty. But it produces other things as well. It is with real sadness of heart that we refer to it as one of the world’s largest producers of opium. Its chief source of wealth is its oil. According to reliable geologists “the country fairly floats on oil.” But this, as we know, has also been the source of much of its trouble.

Biblically, Persia is also a very important country. In the second chapter of Daniel, often referred to as “the primer of prophecy,” we find this country, in association with Medea, taking its place as the second great world empire.

The Babylonian, of course, was first. Nebuchadnezzar was told by the prophet Daniel that he was “that head of gold.” But the capture of the city of Babylon by Cyrus the Persian in the days of Belshazzar marked the end of that empire. It was succeeded by the Medo-Persian Empire, represented in the image or colossus of the second chapter of Daniel, as the breast and arms of silver. In his interpretation of this, Daniel speaks of it as an inferior kingdom (Daniel 2:39). It was inferior in that it was not an absolute monarchy like the Babylonian Empire. It is said of Nebuchadnezzar that “whom he would he slew . . . and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down” (Daniel 5:19). Such was evidently not the case with the Persian monarch. Before deposing Vashti, for example, we find that he consults with the nobles (Esther 1:13 ff.).

In Daniel 7:5 this same kingdom is said to be “like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.” From this we may gather that this empire was both powerful and rapacious. We find this same kingdom mentioned again in Daniel 8:3 where it is described as “a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.” To this the prophet adds, “I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.”

Such was the state of the Persian Empire in the days of Esther. We shall see as we proceed with our study that it was enjoying a period of great prosperity. At least there was a show of great prosperity. And doubtless there were many who thought that this would go on indefinitely, little realizing how soon all might be taken from them. From our “primer of prophecy” we know that it was to be overcome by the Greeks just as the Babylonian had been overthrown by the Medes and the Persians. How true it is that “the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:18)!