Yeshuatami News Blog

All Things Israel

Iran

10 Killed, Including Two Children, in Overnight Iranian Missile Strikes

By Leave a Comment

הֶן עָם כְּלָבִיא יָקוּם וְכַאֲרִי יִתְנַשָּׂא

A Nation rises like a lion; the people rouse themselves like a lion…Numbers 23:24

Israel continues to recover from one of the deadliest escalations in its ongoing conflict with Iran after an unprecedented overnight missile barrage left at least 10 people dead, including two children, and hundreds wounded. 

Rescue operations remain underway, with emergency services still searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings. The heaviest damage occurred in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, where a residential building suffered a direct hit from an Iranian missile carrying heavy explosives. 

Six people, including two children, were killed instantly. In the immediate aftermath, at least seven people were reported missing. However, emergency services have since located four of the missing individuals alive and receiving treatment in hospitals, reducing the number of missing persons to three.

Rescue teams from the Home Front Command continue complex operations at the Bat Yam site, where portions of the building remain dangerously unstable. Large sections of the structure are partially suspended, threatening the safety of both those trapped and the rescuers. According to authorities, the projectile that struck Bat Yam was not a new model but part of a salvo of known long-range heavy munitions, each containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives.

The building that was hit also housed a command center and shelter on the ground floor, though most of those located on the upper floors managed to escape unharmed. Victims were primarily found in unprotected areas of the structure.

(Pictured Left: Israeli rescue workers at the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran caused damage in Bat Yam on June 15, 2025. Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

In a separate strike in northern Israel, an Iranian missile hit a home in Tamra, killing four members of the same family and injuring 20 others. The attacks mark one of the most devastating nights in Israel since the beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, further south, Home Front Command rescue teams managed to pull a Holocaust survivor from the rubble of a damaged building in Rehovot. His son, present at the scene, embraced the rescue teams and thanked them for saving his father’s life. Nearby, the Weizmann Institute also sustained damage, with fires breaking out in some laboratories following another missile strike.

The Iranian barrage, launched in response to Israeli airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, included not only missiles but also reports of drone activity and launches from additional regional actors, including Yemen. Israel continues to face simultaneous threats across multiple fronts.

As the situation remains volatile, Israeli defense forces remain on high alert for further escalation while search and rescue teams continue their dangerous work in hopes of locating the remaining missing individuals.

Please pray for the protection of all of Israel at this volatile time, and as the Holy Spirit leads.

“Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumbers nor sleeps.”

How Persia Became Iran

By Leave a Comment

How Persia Became Iran

Iran was known for centuries as Persia – a name originating from “Parsa”. However, this term was given by foreigners, not the people of the land itself.

The indigenous people used the name “Iran,” a word that derives from “Airyam” which is a term found in the country’s ancient texts dating back to the time of Cyrus the Great (4th century BC).

The glorious Persian Empire was vast and included many religions, cultures, and civilizations. It was known for its literature, poetry, art, and variety of food. By the 4th century AD, the term Iran was being used in writing and literature.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Pahlavi dynasty was established, led by Reza Shah Pahlavi who was influenced by the West. Reza Shah changed the name Persia to Iran in an attempt to reconnect with the nation’s ancient glorious imperial past while at the same time aiming to modernize the nation.

Reza Shah’s attempt to officially change the country’s name from Persia to Iran came into force in March 1935. However, the British who occupied Persia and Iraq during WWII objected to the change as the name Iran was too similar to Iraq and could cause confusion.

In 1959, Reza Shah’s son announced that the terms Iran and Persia could be used interchangeably in formal correspondence.

When oil was discovered in Persia in the early 20th century, its development made permanent changes in the political and economic arena in the Middle East. It drew the attention of other international countries to Persia. The British were the first to capitalize on Iran’s oil discovery when in 1909 they gained full control of Iran’s oil industry by establishing the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Iran’s oil and petroleum industry has remained at the heart of internal and external politics ever since.

Since the 1979 revolution, the official name of the country is the Islamic Republic of Iran, which emphasizes the Iranian Shi’i Muslim domination of the regime. This has caused divisions within the newly established state of Iran which persist today.

Today, most of the world refers to the country as Iran, while some cultural exports such as food, art, and literature are often referred to as Persian goods because they come from this historic region.

The Relations Between Iran and Israel

In biblical times, Iran was known as Persia. The Hebrew biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Esther contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in the Persian empire.

In 586 BC, the Babylonians expelled large populations of Jews from Judea in the Babylonian captivity. Subsequently, the Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian kingdom. Persia was known to have a tolerant attitude toward the cultures and religions of the people under its rule.

In the book of Ezra, the Persian King Cyrus the Great permitted and even enabled the Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In late 6 BC, the reconstruction of the temple was carried out “according to the decree of Cyrus.” King Cyrus died before it was completed and his successor, Darius the Great, as well as successive kings of the Persian empire, Darius and Artaxerxes, ordered the completion of the temple. (Ezra 6:14). The last chapters of the Tanach, the Hebrew Bible – 2 Chronicles 36:23 and the Book of Ezra – speak of Cyrus’ decree allowing the Jewish exiles in Babylon to return to Judea, along with the commission to rebuild the temple. King Cyrus is honored in Jewish history as a righteous king.

Not all Jews left Persia and Jewish communities have existed in today’s Iran for over 2,700 years.

According to the Book of Esther, there was a large number of Jews in the Persian empire. In 6 BCE, during the reign of Persian King Ahasuerus, (aka Xerxes the Great, son of Darius the Great), The evil antisemite, Haman, plotted to annihilate all the Jews in the Persian Kingdom.

And though God’s Name is absent from the book of Esther, it is obviously He Who used a beautiful Jewish maiden and the Persian King to thwart Haman’s evil plot and save the Jews from annihilation. Evil Haman and his sons were hanged on the gallows and the Jews’ enemies were destroyed. This event is celebrated by the Jews as the holiday of Purim.

Israel-Iran Relationship From the 20th Century

After the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948, Iran – a non-Arab Muslim majority country – recognized Israel as a sovereign state and maintained close ties with it for years. Israel even had a permanent delegation in Tehran which later became an embassy.

However, pro-Palestinian Ayotallahs criticized the Iranian government’s diplomatic relations with Israel and they, along with Iranian citizens who were sympathetic to Palestinians, supported the Palestinians financially, much to the dismay of the Iranian government.

In 1953, the pro-Western leader Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was reinstated as the Shah of Iran. After the Six-Day War, relations between Iran and Israel flourished, and trade between the two countries was very active. Iran supplied Israel much needed oil and Israel provided the means by which Iranian oil was shipped to European markets via the joint Israeli-Iranian Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline. Israeli construction firms and engineers were active in Iran and El Al, the Israeli national airline, operated direct flights between Tel Aviv and Tehran. Iran and Israel exchanged military projects, though kept secret, such as the joint attempt in the years 1977–79 to develop a missile in the Project Flower.

After the Islamic Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the expulsion of the Shah, Ayatollah Khomeini became supreme ruler of Iran and declared that Israel was an “enemy of Islam” called the “Little Satan. The United States was called the “Great Satan.”

Iran severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force were established to carry out military assignments.

Theocratic regime, now named the Islamic Republic of Iran, does not recognize the legitimacy of Israel as a state.

Aggressive posturing and hateful rhetoric against Israel coming out of the leaders in Tehran became common occurrences. The then-Iranian President Ahmadinejad said that Israel should be “wiped off the map.” Other factors that have contributed to the escalation of bilateral tensions include Iran’s development of nuclear technology, aimed mainly against Israel, and Iran’s funding of Islamist terror groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthi movement. Iran has also been involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in other parts of the world.

Israel has hit Iranian targets in Iran through assassinations and cyber attacks.

Overall, the Iran-Israel proxy conflict is a complex and ongoing dilemma that has had a significant impact on the political and security dynamics of the Middle East.

Iran – The Head of the Octopus

By Leave a Comment

“You will set Your throne in Elam (Persia, today Iran), And will destroy from there the king and the princes, We pray You destroy the evil anti-semite regime of Iran and its military that aims to destroy Israel…You will bring disaster upon them, Your fierce anger,’ ‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them.'”
According to Your Word, Lord in Jeremiah 49:35, 38 

O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The GOD OF ISRAEL is He who gives strength and power to His people.

Iran, the arch enemy of Israel, which many Israelis consider to be the head of the octopus, is today the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and the greatest threat in the Middle East. Iranians are not Arabs but they are Shiite Muslims. The Iranian revolutionary regime’s basic ideology opposes Western values and interests.

Iran aim is to reach the Mediterranean coast and Israel’s borders by creating a passage through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon by providing advanced weapons to its terrorist proxies to attack Israel. Today, it uses this passage to transfer military equipment and terrorists to Israel’s northern border.

Iran’s Nuclear Program

The development of Iran’s nuclear program poses an existential threat to the Jewish state and the rest of the world. It even risks triggering a nuclear arms race with the Arab world, further destabilizing the region and damaging U.S. interests. For years, the PM of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has warned leading world nations in the world that the leading state sponsor of terrorism can never be allowed to obtain the world’s deadliest weapon. The Iranian regime has fooled the world by consistently lying of the true purpose of its nuclear program and hiding key aspects of it. Israeli intelligence has exposed Iran’s true intentions by breaking into Tehran’s Nuclear archives, demonstrably proving that Iran has been engaged in a nuclear arms developing program.

In June 2022, the IAEA Board (International Atomic Energy Agency) censured Iran for failing to provide “technically credible” answers regarding hidden nuclear sites, expanding its nuclear program beyond agreed limits, and limiting international inspectors’ access to suspected undisclosed nuclear sites.

By spending enormous amounts of money to further its nuclear project and funding its terrorist proxies throughout the region, the Iranian regime demonstrates that this is its priority over providing for their own people.

Iran’s Objective

The Ayatollah’s aims is to expand Iran’s influence in the Arab world by spreading hatred to Israel and America.

Iranian leadership encourages its people in public events to burn and stamp on US and Israeli flags and chant the slogans “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.
Picture of Khamenei from X

Furthermore, along with verbal demonstrations of hatred toward America and Israel, Iran has taken action against the two Western nations.

The regime is a threat to U.S. forces stationed in the region, to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other U.S. allies. Since 1979, the Iranian regime has invested resources in attacking Israel and American forces deployed in the Middle East and beyond.

Iran’s Arsenol

Iran has the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. It is the only country to develop a 2,000-km missile without first having nuclear weapons capability. Most were acquired from foreign sources, notably North Korea.
Picture from War on the Rocks
 It is noteworthy that Israel has more ballistic missiles, but they are fewer in number and type.

The fundamental motivation behind Iran’s supreme Muslim Shiite leadership is anti-Antisemitism. Since it took over rulership in the revolution, it has deemed Israel as illegitimate. According to its religious concept, “Palestine” (the land of Israel) belongs to the Muslim Palestinians and not to the ‘Jews.’

In their pure antisemitic libel propaganda, Israel is a Western imperialist state and the Jews advance American imperialism in the Middle East. According to the Ayatollah’s regime, this is a struggle between good (them) and evil (America, the big satan, and Israel the little satan.) and that Muslims have a religious obligation to resist Israel and global Jewry, accusing the Jews of being the first to start anti-Islamic propaganda.

Iran’s “Sacred Duty” and the Proliferation of Anti-Semitism

The Ayatollahs claim that resistance to the Jewish state is the sacred duty of “every Muslim and anyone who believes in Allah.” “Israel is a cancerous tumor on Islam’s body [in the Middle East] that must be removed [from existence.]”

Recently, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared: “The divine promise to eliminate the Zionist entity will be fulfilled and we will see the day when Palestine will rise from the river to the sea.” (that is the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (which is today the land of Israel.)

Iran’s supreme leader leads in Holocaust denial, making such false ridiculous statements as: “there are documents showing close collaboration of the Zionists with Nazi Germany, and exaggerated numbers relating to the Jewish Holocaust that were fabricated to solicit the sympathy of world public opinion, to lay the ground for the occupation of Palestine, and to justify the atrocities of the Zionists.”

For four decades, the Iranian regime has propagated hatred for Zionism and the Jews by promoting the infamous booklet, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and other anti-Semitic tracts.

Iran trains and arms terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, promoting their attacks on Israel.

For the last year, the Head of the Octopus Iran has been using its arms to fight Israel on several fronts. With ground troops in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel’s air force backs those forces by bombing enemy targets to thwart attacks from Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria. Israel also fights Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Judea and Samaria.

Escalation

Iran’s last missile attack last week could likely provoke an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.This would open the largest, biggest, and most intense front so far.
(Illustration from The Cryptonomist)

Last Monday, 7th of October, Israel marked the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023 massacre when thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israeli cities and villages, destroying civilian homes, murdering, burning, beheading, and raping and kidnapping over two hundred Israelis.

Two people were injured on the Memorial Day of October 7th, 2024, while sirens sounded across central Israel as a result of rockets fired by Hamas from northern Gaza.

An estimated tens of thousands of Iranians participated in a procession through Tehran with a leader enticing the crowd in chanting “Death to America!” “Death to Israel!

Before the October 7th first anniversary, in a video statement on October 5th Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Today, Israel is defending itself on seven fronts against the enemies of civilization…and we are fighting against Iran, which last week fired over 200 ballistic missiles directly at Israel and which stands behind this seven-front war against Israel,” Netanyahu added.

The Iranian ballistic missile barrage came in response to the limited Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon to eliminate the Hezbollah threat. It was the first land incursion since the war against Hezbollah in 2006.

Following intelligence that Hezbollah is hiding its weapons and missiles inside homes of southern Lebanese villages, the IDF informed the Lebanese residents to evacuate before the IDF dismantled the Hezbollah infrastructure, underground tunnels included.

“We are targeting Hezbollah strongholds that threaten northern Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and communities along our border,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari. He presented evidence that Hezbollah was planning an operation involving thousands of its terrorist fighters copying Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel.

“Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases ready for an attack on Israel,” he said. In addition to ground raids, the Israeli Air Force has also increased its air attacks on  Hezbollah headquarters since mid-September, including the capital, Beirut.

Terrorist Leadership and the IDF

Until now, Israel has eliminated the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force following the air raid Damascus on 1 April 2024, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Teheran, Hezbollah leader and key Iran ally Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on 27 September and many top Hezbollah commanders. All the while the IDF continues to target Hamas, Hezbollah, and all other regional foes.

Octopus (Illustration from Stable Diffusion Website)

The Plan to Annihilate the Jews

By Leave a Comment

Did Iran’s Plan Backfire?

‘Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. What the enemy has purposed for destruction, God will turn around for good.’ Proverbs 19:21 NIV

As we wrote in previous newsletters, the plans and purposes of the enemies of Israel and the Jews – Hamas and other terrorist organizations – are to destroy and annihilate the Jews and steal the Land of Israel they call Palestine. These goals are stated very clearly in Hamas’ creed. They are also the plans of Iran’s Ayatollah’s regime, as they’ve declared many times. For this purpose, Iran has masterminded a diabolical plan with its proxies;

to the north of Israel

Lebanon: Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists with many thousands of missiles, some of them precision-guided, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles.)

Syria: Seventeen armed militias of various terrorist groups ready to use a very large number of missiles and UAVs Iran has transferred to Syria:

to the east of Israel

Iraq: Dozens of militias, ready to use missiles and UAVs.

to the far south of Israel

Yemen: The Houthis, equipped with Iranian long-range missiles and UAVs capable of reaching Israel.

Gaza: Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with missiles aimed to destroy the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Air Force bases. (Hamas has also devotees in the Judea and Samaria territory and among the Israeli Arabs who would join the fighting.)

Iran is counting on the success of its above-mentioned proxies to do its bidding so it will not have to be directly involved militarily in the combined attack. However, the Ayatollahs are the leaders, proclaiming that, “It is the duty of the Muslim world to save the Al-Aqsa mosque from the Israeli/Zionist occupation and oppression, and to kill the invading Jews as instructed in the holy Koran.”

Iran planned to first launch a surprise simultaneous massive missile attack from all sides upon Israeli military bases and civilian facilities, along with cyber-attacks on infrastructure systems. Their tactic was to overwhelm Israel’s Iron Dome and other aerial defense systems with a barrage of missiles and UAVs. This aerial and cyber-attack would destroy Israel’s ability to defend itself, clearing the way for the next phase: a ground attack.

As the aerial attack would be in progress, hundreds of thousands of terrorists would then simultaneously storm into Israel from all sides; from Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza on foot, on dirt bikes, ATVs (anti-tank vehicles), and with other vehicles equipped with anti-tank weapons, machine guns and other arms while shooting, murdering and abducting the mostly unarmed Jewish population. All means are legitimate: rape, cutting throats, burning people alive, murdering and decapitating men, women, children and babies.

Their simultaneous massive surprise attack would catch the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) and intelligence off-guard. Israel would need several days to mobilize and equip the reserves. Reinforcements on various fronts would take time thereby allowing the terrorists to destroy the regular forces. This coordinated massive attack would give them final victory over the Zionist enemy, free the occupied land and El-Aqsa’ and give Palestine back to the Palestinians.

Hamas was training its people for this attack for months and there were warnings from different sources in Israel that Iran planned to use Hamas and Hezbollah for a combined attack against Israel. Unfortunately, Israel was unaware of the timing and Israeli intelligence reassured the government that Hamas was deterred and would not attack in the near future.

What Actually Happened?

While, Gaza, Lebanon and the other players were waiting for Iran’s go-ahead for the perfect time for this surprise attack on Israel, Hamas couldn’t wait and miss the opportunity to carry out this surprise attack on their own and spill Jewish blood.

This brings us to October 7th, 2023, the last day of the celebration of Sukkot in Israel. Hamas knew of the festival that took place every two years on this date near their border with Israel. The week-long Supernova music festival was entitled ‘A Journey of Unity and Love.’ Thousands of peace-loving, young Israelis gathered on Friday evening, October 6th, on the grounds of Kibbutz Re’im, 3 miles from the Gazan border.

They spent the night listening to ear-deafening music blasting from loudspeakers, dancing, and drinking. Early the next morning, the music was still blaring and the youngsters were still dancing as they hardly noticed the boom of rockets from Gaza.

One of the survivors said the following:

“It happened in an instant. The terrorists… got out of a large white vehicle, a type of van. They shot from close range, it was terrible.”

Another survivor hid under a fruit tree; “I played dead for three hours…I saw people dying all around…”

Many young Israelis were killed and many were kidnapped and taken into Gaza, some in vans and some on motorcycles. Others were ordered to march on foot at gunpoint.

Hamas just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to rampage through Israel under the umbrella of thousands of missiles they were shooting at Israel. They couldn’t wait to murder and decapitate Jewish civilians men, women, children, and babies, rape women and burn them, and throw hand grenades into homes, murdering the occupants. That same day, blood-thirsty Hamas terrorists posted grisly scenes from the attacks while Gazan men, women, and children celebrated the massacre handing out candies and other goodies. More than 1,400 Israelis died and more than 200 were taken captive.

Shockingly, there is now a ‘Holocaust denial-like phenomenon’ circulating around the world about the truth of the atrocities.
 

Will Iran continue its plan now that it has lost its element of surprise?

Iran boasts that it has equipped the Houthis in Yemen with missiles with a range of some 2,000 kilometers (nearly 1,250 miles) and Hezbollah with advanced rockets able to target Israeli naval vessels and Tel Aviv. Also, pro-Iran Iraqi militias are entrenched in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights.

An Israeli official has said, “Such an attack could begin within days if Iran’s Supreme Leader’s demands to stop Israeli strikes on Gaza are ignored.”

However, Iran has lost the element of surprise. As of now, Hezbollah has been carrying out frequent attacks with rockets, mortars, and guided missiles on Israeli targets in the north. Thankfully, Israeli drones have been able to identify Hezbollah fighters approaching the Israeli border, kill terrorists, and bomb Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, aimed for Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, was intercepted by the newly-developed Israeli “Chetz” (Arrow) air defense system. Citizens of Eilat reported hearing the loud sound of the blast.

As reprisal for Israeli’s downing their ‘Aerial target,’ Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi leader bragged of a ‘large number’ of drones and ballistic missiles that would hit Israel on Tuesday, and that there would be more, until ‘Israeli aggression’ stopped.

Israel announced that two ‘Hostile targets’ believed to be drones were flying in the Red Sea area Tuesday morning and were intercepted outside of Israeli territory.

In a video showing missiles from Houthis in Yemen toward Israel’s southern city of Eilat, one of the operatives can be heard proclaiming, “Death to America, death to Israel, victory for Islam.”

Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered, let those also who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, So drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. Psalm 68:1-2

It is evident that Israel is surrounded by relentless enemies whose goal is to annihilate her. As believers, we know that behind the physical enemies is the spiritual enemy of the Most High God – satan. Satan’s plan was and is to destroy the Jewish people and Israel, thereby preventing Yeshua’s return to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital.

Yet, the Lord’s plans and purposes prevail and His Word never fails.

Then ‘all of Israel shall be saved…their acceptance be life from the dead.” It will be life from the dead for the world. Romans 11:26,13

“… My people Israel…I will plant them in their land. And no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them.” Amos 9:14-15

Amen and Amen

Please pray with us for God’s plans to prevail.

  • Stand against the “Powers of Darkness” behind The Islamic enemies around Israel and against their plans.
  • Pray for Israel’s Leadership, government, and army, to be ready and to be led by God’s wisdom.
  • Lift up in prayer the many who are mourning the death of beloved family members.
  • Pray for the many wounded.
  • Pray for intelligence, wisdom, and the ability to free those taken captive by Hamas.
  • Pray for comfort and protection for all who are suffering.

The Story of Purim

By Leave a Comment

The central character in the story of Purim is the Jewish girl Esther (originally Hadassah.) Hadassah was an orphan, raised by her uncle Mordechai. They descended from exiled Jews who lived in the ancient Persian Empire. On one occasion, the Persian King Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes) became furious at his beautiful wife Vashti for refusing to appear at his great banquet and decided to replace her. An order was issued to bring to the Palace all the kingdom’s beautiful virgins from whom Artaxerxes would choose a new queen.

Esther, being very beautiful, also was brought to the Palace. The king loved Esther more than all the other virgins and chose her to replace Queen Vashti. Esther’s uncle Mordechai advised her to hide her Jewish origins.

The King had elevated a certain man, Haman the Agagite (descended from Amalek) to the powerful position of Prime Minister of the Empire. Haman was extremely wealthy and influential and according to the King’s command, all the royal servants at the king’s gate had to bow down to and revere Haman. However, Mordechai who also sat in the king’s gate worshiped only the true God of Israel.

Mordechai could not bow down before any man. When Haman heard of Mordechai’s refusal to bow before him, and that he was a Jew, it aroused his anger and hatred, not only toward Mordechai but toward all the Jewish people. Haman schemed to destroy them. Haman persuaded the King to sign a decree authorizing the extermination of the Jews. A date was set for this purpose by casting lots (“PUR”). The lot fell on the 13th of the month of Adar.

It was a time of mourning for all the Jews in the kingdom of Persia and Media.

Esther realized that she was chosen as Queen of Persia for such a time as this; to be used by God for the salvation of His people. She rose to the occasion by taking a step of faith and went before the Highest Authority (the God of Israel) in prayer and fasting after calling all the Jews in the capital city of Shushan to stand with her in prayer and fasting for three days before she risked her life by approaching the king uninvited.

Although Esther was the king’s beloved queen, she was part of his harem. As such, coming to him uninvited meant certain death unless the king extend his royal scepter. Esther was now willing to take this risk in hope of saving her people and said, “After that (the three days of prayer and fasting) I will go to the king, although it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”

Even though God’s name is not mentioned in the story of Esther, His hand is visibly at work. It is obvious Esther and the Jews fasted and prayed to the God of Israel during those three days. God not only used Esther’s beauty to find favor in the eyes of the King, but He also gave her wisdom and a strategy.

On the third day of the fast, Esther, dressed in royal attire, stood in the inner court in front of the hall where the King sat on his throne. When he saw her, he remembered his great love for her and extended his golden scepter, inviting her to approach.

 “What is your request?” he asked. “I will grant you up to half the kingdom.”

Esther simply requested that the King and Haman attend a private banquet she had prepared that day in the King’s honor. Neither of them knew Esther was Jewish.

During the banquet as they were enjoying the food and wine, the King sensed there was something more on her heart and asked her again, “What is your request? I will grant it up to half the kingdom.”

Her request was that they come again the next day to another private banquet she would prepare for the King and Haman. In his pride, Haman bragged to his loved ones how important he was that Queen Esther chose to invite only him, besides the King, to her banquet.

At the second banquet, as they were enjoying the food and drink, the King again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

This time, Queen Esther revealed she was Jewish and asked that her life and the life of her people, the Jews, be spared. “This is my request, for I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I would have kept silent and not disturbed the King.”

When the King asked who dare do such a thing, Esther pointed to Haman and said, “An adversary and enemy! This wicked Haman!” The King was enraged, left his drink, and went out to the garden to absorb all this new twist of events.

Haman was terrified of what the King might do to him and stood in front of Queen Esther to beg for his life. At that very moment, the King returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall and saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was. Alarmed, the King exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

The King ordered that Haman be hanged on the very pole Haman had set in his house to hang Mordechai the Jew. (Esther 7: 9-10)

Mordechai received the honor of being placed in the highest position and was given the King’s signet ring to reverse the edict. It was a day of joy and celebration for the Jews, and the Purim holiday was established for all generations.