Esther 8:1-17
1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 4 And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, 5 and said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6 For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?"
7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke."
9 So the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds.
11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.
15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.
All that the adversary Haman possessed was given to Esther by King Ahasuerus, and the signet ring of a prince once given to Haman was now on the hand of Mordecai, along with authority over all Haman had which now belonged to Esther. Restitution would soon be followed by retribution for the evil plotting of the enemy of God’s people, the adversary, as well. Esther pleaded for the Jews, her people, asking for an annulment of the adversary’s law made by cunning and sealed with the king’s own seal. She could not bear to witness the evil and destruction of her fellow Jews. The seal was the word of the king, an unbreakable law, and so Ahasuerus could not cancel it. He could, however, write a new law for retribution on any who followed the first one of Haman’s design to eradicate the Jews in genocide, and to steal all they owned. This new law allowed the people of God to do the same in defense and in retaliation to all who attacked them under the old law. They were permitted to “destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces” who attacked them and to plunder the goods of the attackers as was planned against them. The letter of the law was distributed in a single day throughout the empire, preparing the Jews against their enemies who meant their destruction. It was legalized defense and retribution. Mordecai was arrayed in royal robes, the inhabitants of the royal city were glad, and the joy of God’s people influenced many to convert to Judaism, to become protected under God’s control and grace, out of fear of judgment and punishment. We see a parallel with unbelievers today who see their sin exposed by God and the plotting of the Adversary to destroy them with unbelief and the coming consequences of continued disobedience. They see the destruction of His vengeance coming, fear Him, and repent from their insurrection (John 16:8-11) by desiring to be under the new law of the blood of the covenant of Christ (Hebrews 8:10), not under the old covenant which pronounces doom in certain destruction and eternal loss. Though the name of the LORD is not written in this book of Esther it is seen by mention of His people the Jews, for His people’s names are written in His Book, and now in Christ the seal of His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) is in we His people (the church) which counters the seal of sin and death by Adam’s disobedience into which all are born. There is much for us all to learn from the short book of Esther in the larger context of all of scripture. Take heart in persecution, for we will see the retribution of God’s final judgment against our adversary and enemy, the devil, in the end for the evil plotting against God’s creation in Eden and the continued warring to destroy God’s people (Revelation 12:9-10, 12:12, 20:10).
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