Weekly Devotion no 27
2 October 2020
Bible reading – Esther 8[1]
That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.
3 Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king extended the gold sceptre to Esther and she arose and stood before him.
5 ‘If it pleases the king,’ she said, ‘and if he regards me with favour and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?’
7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, ‘Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now write another decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring – for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.’
9 At once the royal secretaries were summoned – on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.
11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies. 12 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.
15 When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honour. 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
Reflection
Following the death of Haman, the king acknowledges the wisdom and shrewdness of Esther and gives her authority over Haman’s estate. In addition, he effectively gives Mordecai Haman’s old job. The tables really have turned!
But there is still the problem of the irreversible edict that had been initiated by Haman and approved by the king: that on the 13th day of the 12th month the month of Adar, the Jews were to be annihilated by the Persian people. The instigator of this violence had been dealt with, but the king was powerless to stop the massacre.
So, again Queen Esther puts herself at the mercy of King Xerxes, pleading for the lives of her people and showing the personal pain she feels about the edict. Notice that she refers to Haman’s involvement with the original edict, but doesn’t mention the involvement of the king himself. Once again, she wins the favour of the king and he lets her speak. Esther continues to show incredible leadership and gains the trust of the king to write a further edict. Mordecai is enlisted to draft the edict.
This edict almost mirrors the edict drafted by Haman. But there is one main difference. Haman had given permission for the Persian people to massacre and wipe out the Jews. Mordecai only allowed the Jews to defend themselves and kill anyone who sought to kill them. The new edict came into force on the day the original edict was to be enacted. And the new edict was issued in the 3rd month, so it gave the Persians 9 months of warning that they would be killed if they sought to attack the Jews. The warning was dispatched in all languages and sent out to the whole empire. Such importance was attached to this that the king’s horses were used for this purpose.
And the Jews celebrated
because they could see that they had been saved from elimination. God’s people
could continue to bear him witness, even in exile.
I wonder how Esther felt when she approached the king this time? Haman had been dealt with, but the Jews were still not safe. Did she wonder if God would answer her prayers and do the impossible? She didn’t know what God would do, but she clearly acted as though she trusted him completely. She put her life on the line trusting that God would fulfil his promises.
Do we believe that
God will fulfil his promises? Do we trust him when we come to him in prayer? It’s
good to remind ourselves of how God has acted in the past – that our experience
of him throughout our lives enables us to trust him now. God is faithful and
good and he does keep his promises. He is with us in times of distress.
Hymn
Verse 1
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:
Verse 2
Under the shadow of thy throne
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defence is sure.
Verse 3
Before the hills in order
stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.
Verse 4
A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.
Verse 5
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
Verse 6
O God, our help in ages
past,
our hope for years to come:
Be thou our guard while troubles last,
and our eternal home.
Prayer
Faithful God,
have mercy on us your
unworthy servants,
and increase our
faith,
that, trusting in
your Spirit’s power to work in us and through us,
we may never be
ashamed to witness to our Lord
but may obediently
serve him all our days;
through Jesus Christ
our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for
ever. Amen.
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