Question 12: What does it mean that people became Jews in Esther 8:17?

Question 12

What does it mean that people became Jews in Esther 8:17?

I'm Michael Pearl. We're here at The Door answering your question, and here is question number 12. These questions were sent in by you, our reader. I'm answering you according to what the Bible says.

Question:

“I understand your previous teaching that there's no such thing as a spiritual Jew, and while I agree with your position, I'm having a hard time making sense of Esther 8:17. Quoting, "And many of the people of the land became Jews for the fear of the Jews fell upon them how did they become a Jew?"

Joyce

Answer:

Now apparently this Joyce has been exposed to Judaizers. Judaizers are people who are not fulfilled in Jesus Christ. There's a big void in their life, and so they feel the need to do something that gives their Christianity meaning. So they go back to the ceremony and the different aspects of the mosaic law, and the forms and the words and the holidays and holy days and different celebrations in order to find some kind of meaning. They're seeking a culture, they're seeking a community. And you could get my series Judaizers to answer that.

The Story of Esther

So many of the people became Jews. Now if you go back and read Esther, what happened was there was ... I got to shorten this for you. There was a law passed that they were to kill all the Jews on a certain day. Every one of them was going to be killed off, could take their property. So everybody was rubbing their hands together and they were tickled. "Boy, I'm going to get that Jew. He's got this. I'm going to kill that one over there. I'm going to kill his wife and his kids. I'm going to get that jewelry store. I'm going to get that gas station. I'm going to get all this stuff. It's going to be mine."

And so then the king comes along and he passed another decree and says, "The Jews are to defend themselves on that day when they're supposed to be killed off."

And so there was a great slaughter of those that attempted to kill Jews that day, so the people began to fear the Jews. So they decided that they were going to give up, some of them, give up their idolatry, and they were going to join Judaism. They're going to become a Jew.

What do you have to do to become a Jew?

Did you know that if you go and look online right now, look at Wikipedia. Look at another 1,000, 15,000, 20,000 sites, you can read about what you have to do to become a Jew. Any Gentile that meets the conditions can become a Jew.

Now you have to meet the conditions and you have to go through a process, but you can't convert to Judaism. Even Madonna did it. And so if a Hollywood flesh pot can become a Jew, anyone can. That didn't make her a spiritual Jew. It certainly didn't make her a spiritual Christian. Didn't make her a spiritual anything, it just made her a Jew.

And these people right here, didn't get born again. In Esther's date, they didn't become spiritual Jews, they just became Jews to try to save their own skin, to be in favor with these people whom had the favor of God. So I really see no bearing whatsoever.

Are there spiritual Jews?

When I say there's no spiritual Jew, I'm striking at that false doctrine that says that Christians become Jews when they get saved, and that Christianity is just an extension of Judaism and not something entirely different.

The Bible calls it a new covenant. A New Testament. It's not the old covenant extended, it's the end of the old covenant, which you said we're no longer under. Galatians chapter five, were under a new covenant, a new law, a new righteousness, a new approach altogether.

So look at my series, Judaizers, or as I call it the sin of keeping the law of Moses, and I also call it the Hebrew Roots Movement.

That question is answered.