The End

"Mordecai the Jew ranked second in command to King Xerxes. He was popular among the Jews and greatly respected by them. He worked hard for the good of his people; he cared for the peace and prosperity of his race."

This short ending left me thinking about two other books in the Bible. I remember going to the theater with a bunch of kids and parents for The Jonah Movie, Veggie Tales' first show that wasn't just 30 minutes long. Afterward, many adults had to crack their Bibles open to see if it really ended that way. Long story short: Jonah goes to Nineveh to get them to repent and when they do and God spares them, he pouts.

I get that when the walls of Jericho came down, God's people killed everyone, as they were taking the land and God didn't want them to be influenced by people who weren't God-fearing. But why did the Jews have to kill their would be killers and then kill them some more and celebrate. Aren't these the Jews who kept the commandment not to kill? It had been written on their hearts.

The second story that comes to mind is that of Joseph, who used his 2nd in command status to feed everyone in the land, not just his people. This is a great story for Jews, but who else is it good news for?