Esther 10

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King Ahasuerus was a very important person who ruled over a massive empire. The proof of his power came in his ability to collect taxes over a vast collection of territories, including the land of Canaan that God had given to Israel.

The Lord had not forgotten His promises to His people. Through an amazing series of events preserved for us in this brief book, one Jewish man rose to great prominence in the days of Ahasuerus. His actions were instrumental in preserving the lives of many Jews in the Persian Empire during a time of great distress.

Mordecai is one of the heroes of the Bible, joining men like Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah. Above them all is the great Son of God, Jesus the Messiah.

All of the men mentioned above were great among the Jews, but Jesus is the eternal King of the Jews and the Lord of heaven and earth. Compared to any of the important biblical leaders who prepared us for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus has established a kingdom of far greater scope and significance.

Mordecai was “popular with the multitude of his brothers.” By contrast, when Jesus came to His own people they did not receive Him. But He created a new brotherhood that transcended the boundaries of every land and generation. “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Like any truly great leader among men, Mordecai “sought the welfare of his people.” Jesus gave His life for our eternal blessing. No one has given more and no other man has achieved with his life what Jesus has won for us with His death and resurrection.

Mordecai “spoke peace to all his people.” His letters under the authority of King Ahasuerus brought victory and security to the Jews for a time. Jesus, the Word of God, won for us a lasting peace with God. Generations of Jews since the days of Mordecai have faced brutal adversaries who sought to destroy them. Jesus has brought us the fullness of divine shalom that can never be taken away.

The proof of our Lord's extraordinary power and glory is not displayed in forced taxation. The followers of Jesus acknowledge that this one Man has purchased us with His blood. We joyfully give ourselves to Him with the happy expectation that He shall reign forever and ever.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, we thank You for the way that You bless a man like Mordecai, who was used by You to help preserve the life of Your people so many centuries ago. Far more glorious is our Redeemer Jesus Christ. He is forever great among Your covenant people. He has delivered us from the hand of a vicious adversary. He continues even now to speak peace to all those who have drawn near to You through the blood of the Lamb.

Esther 9

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The thirteenth day of the twelfth month was supposed to be Haman's day of triumph over the Jews according to his own evil plan. Instead, when that day came Haman was already dead. The man who had refused to pay homage to Haman, Mordecai, had now become a very powerful and well-known leader throughout the Persian Empire. The exact day that Haman sought out by casting lots was the day when the Jews destroyed their enemies, including the ten sons of Haman.

The enemies of the Jews desired to see harm come upon the Lord's beloved people. Though they were still under the dominion of the Persians, the officials throughout the 127 provinces of Ahasuerus stood with the Jews in this moment of justice, “for fear of Mordecai had fallen on them.”

The judgment of the Lord came upon His adversaries and many people died throughout the territory of Ahasuerus. The fourteenth day and the fifteenth day in the twelfth month became a time of great celebration for the Jews, not just for one year, but forever. A new feast was added to the calendar for the Lord's Old Testament people. Each year would close shortly after the celebration of Purim. The cycle of festivals would begin again with Passover during the first month of the next year.

Passover was a festival of redemption through the blood of the lamb. It was a new beginning for Israel. In Purim the victory spread to all of the Lord's beloved children who became agents of His vengeance against His and our enemies.

How can we ever celebrate the death of the wicked? Life begins with God. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. When the day comes for final judgment there will be one good Man leading us in the right way to go. The Son of God will be the Judge of all the earth and He will do what is right. He who gave His own blood for us as the Lamb of God will lead us in the holy celebration of the vindication of His church.

The final book of the Bible warns us of the difficulties that the Lord's assembly will face during the New Testament era. It also reminds us again that trial must eventually give way to triumph. The victory of Jesus will be clearly seen as a celebration for all who belong to Him.

Those who have plotted our demise will have no share in the final kingdom of glory. Yet the Lord chose an enemy of the Way, Paul of Tarsus, to be a great ambassador of the good news of Christ's mercy to Jews and Gentiles. Today is a day of mercy. It is a day for the enemies of the Lord's church to turn away from death and to find eternal life in the light of the glorious Lamb. It is a perfect time for persecutors of the church to find the mercy of God in the wounds of Jesus.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

O God, a great Day of the Lord is surely coming. A large and angry league of enemies would suppose that their victory is at hand. You will never allow this to be the final story for Your beloved bride. You will bring those who hate her to justice in a most surprising way. Your judgments against the wicked are not just for one or two days. Your justice is eternal. Because we know that Your day of complete victory is surely coming, even now we celebrate with gladness, for Your promises are very certain. It will not go well for the wicked, but we who are righteous in Christ will be kept in Him forever. Teach us to celebrate even now, though at the present moment an enemy would seem to be too close for our comfort.

Esther 8

Read Esther 8

The Lord had brought about the destruction of Haman, but would He save His people from the disaster that this enemy of the Jews had planned? Though Haman was gone, his letters that stood against the Jews remained. Their adversaries of God's chosen people would be able to destroy them on an appointed day. Under the legal system in force in the Persian Empire the words that Ahasuerus had approved could not be repealed. (Esther 1:19)

The king gave Haman's property to Esther, but more importantly for the safety of the Jews, he gave Mordecai the authority to send out letters in his name. Though the letters of Haman could not be taken back, new letters could now be written by Mordecai that would undo Haman's plot through a work of self-defense. The Jews were to be ready to take vengeance against their enemies.

Haman was dead and now Mordecai had taken his place. It was Mordecai the Jew who was clothed in royal robes of blue and white with a golden crown upon his head. Wherever the king's new edict was read, the people of God celebrated.

One other surprising development took place: “Many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.” Suddenly it was important to be positively associated with the Jews.

After the arrival of the Jewish Messiah a new way of association with the Jews has taken hold throughout the provinces of the earth. Through faith in the Name of Jesus, the favor of Yahweh has come to people of every tribe and tongue. Now all who are found to be the chosen people of God in Jesus are heirs to an eternal kingdom. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. The news of our sure salvation in the Son of God should be published everywhere, especially as we see the day of the Lord's judgment approaching.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, though the enemies of Your people may suppose that they own the world, the fact remains unchangeable that the meek shall inherit the earth. The calamities that wicked people plan against Your children are twisted and troubling. In our own strength and wisdom we could never deliver our souls from the hand of wicked men and angels. On that day when Your Son returns with His great and powerful host, He will take vengeance upon Your enemies. We will be rescued forever. In our hearts we shall be filled with perfect light, gladness, and joy. Grant us a taste of that victory by faith even now, lest we become weary in Your service.  

Esther 7

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The time for the deliverance of the Jews from their enemy, Haman, had come. Every event described so far led to this moment after Esther's second feast, when Esther revealed her identity as a Jew. When Haman made a plot against the Jews, he not only sentenced to death a man whom the king delighted to honor, Mordecai, but also a woman whom the king had chosen as his queen.

Esther asked the king for her life. She would have been silent if she had been sold as a slave, but the enemy of her people had gone too far. He demanded the death of the Jews. Who was this enemy? The man she had fed as her guest over these two days. “This wicked Haman!”

When Ahasuerus left the room in great anger Haman threw himself before the queen to beg for his life. When the king entered the room again it appeared to him that Haman was assaulting Esther right in front of his eyes. What would be done to Haman? One of the king's servants had a suggestion. He knew about Haman's plans for Mordecai. “The gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high.” The king's settled determination? “Hang him on that.”

Haman lived or died according to the command of one man. Ahasuerus was the supreme authority among people in the Persian Empire in his day. Now God has appointed another Man who is above all the rulers of the earth—Jesus of Nazareth.

When the Apostle Paul spoke in Athens concerning this Jesus, he spoke about a future day of final judgment. “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

We who have fled to Jesus for refuge live under the protection of His blood and righteousness. We will not face eternal death. We have found our life in His resurrection. How will those who hate the message of Christ and who persecute the church, the bride of Christ, stand when He comes again in glory?

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord of Glory, do You listen to our earnest requests even now? Grant us our lives and the lives of our people who are called by Your Name. Wicked men continually seek to bring distress and death upon Your children. You are a very powerful Father. You will not stand by forever when an enemy would seek the destruction of Your elect. You will deliver them at just the right time. The trouble that Your enemies have planned for us will fall on their own heads.

Esther 6

Read Esther 6

Remember that story at the end of Esther 2 where Mordecai, through Esther, revealed a plot against the king? Esther told Ahasuerus this life-saving news in the name of the relative who had been like a father to her. The account of treachery and deliverance was entered into the records of the king with the name “Mordecai” attached to it.

At the end of Esther 5, the situation for Mordecai and the Jews looked desperate. If Haman had his way, Mordecai would hang high upon a gallows before Esther had even revealed her request to the king that her people be saved.

God had a better plan and it began with the restlessness of Ahasuerus during the earliest hours of a new day. The king called for the reading of the “book of memorable deeds.” He heard about Mordecai's role in saving his life and wondered if anything had been done for him.

Someone else was up and ready for action as the sun began to rise. Haman was waiting in the king's court with enthusiasm for his new plan to put Mordecai to death. When the king called for an adviser, Haman was there. The king would use Haman to honor Mordecai rather than to kill him.

What a turnaround! Haman was certain that no one in the kingdom was more worthy of honor than himself. Instead, this proud official would have to lead the horse of the royally-robed Mordecai through the square of the city shouting, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” The arrogant enemy of the Jews had hoped to kill his adversary, but now it was Haman who was mortified.

The dejected man returned home to his wife and friends. They had a different message than the one they gave him earlier. At the end of Esther 5 they advised, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it.” But now their words contained a more sober assessment of the challenge that Haman would face in seeking to destroy the Lord's chosen people: “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

The stage was now set for the destruction of Haman. Just then the king's overwhelmed adviser received a summons to come to Esther's second feast.

What a difference a very short time can make! This was true for Mordecai during the days of the Persian Empire and it was certainly also true centuries later for Jesus of Nazareth. It was Friday night when Jesus was lifted up to die. His enemies thought that they had achieved their objective. At that very moment he was atoning for our sins. Early in the morning on the first day of the week he had risen from the dead. Within a few weeks the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon the church and the centuries-long proclamation of a resurrection kingdom would begin.

Another surprising day is coming for those who persecute the people of God today. One night when even the light of the moon is eclipsed and darkness seems to reign everywhere, the sound of the great festival trumpet will be heard throughout the entire earth. The King will come again. His adversaries will be utterly defeated and His beloved children will be greatly honored.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Sovereign Lord, You will never forget our acts of faithfulness, for they are gifts of Your own free grace. Even if we simply give a cup of cold water to a child in Your Name, this small work of mercy and decency will be remembered by You. What great things You have planned for Your servants! We do not yet see all the glories of the age to come, but we know that there is much good that is planned for Your elect. You will bring about our vindication at just the right time.

Esther 5

Read Esther 5

Esther had come to the conclusion that she needed to plead for her people. The custom in the court of the king was that anyone who entered without invitation did so under the threat of death. The only way to live would be through the king's mercy. If the king extended his golden scepter to the visitor the uninvited guest would have hope.

Ahasuerus chose to welcome Esther. Therefore she did not die.

What was her request of the king? She did not reveal her entire purpose at once. Would the king grant her the privilege of serving him and his adviser, Haman, at a feast that she had prepared on this very day for these two important men? The king agreed. Haman was summoned and the feast commenced.

Ahasuerus knew that there remained a further request that Esther had not yet revealed. After the feast was completed he asked Esther to say more. The queen again did not say everything that was on her heart. She simply requested the honor of serving them on the next day with the promise that she would reveal her desire after this second feast was completed.

Haman left the first celebration in a good mood. He alone of all the great men in the kingdom had been invited by the queen for this special treatment. Yet his mood plummeted at the sight of Mordecai who still refused to bow before the enemy of the Jews.

This insult meant more to Haman than all of the honor that Esther had shown him. He gathered his own advisers and sought their input. What should be done about Mordecai's insubordination? Their advice was to hang Mordecai on a gallows seventy-five feet high prior to attending Esther's second feast on the following day. That would be an example to others who would dare to show Haman disrespect! He did not delay in having the gallows built.

What a moment! It would appear that Mordecai's life would certainly be cut short by a brutal and vain man. Who would save the Jews after Mordecai was dead?

The story of our salvation has a similarly dramatic moment when it appeared that all hope of rescue was lost. When the Man of our confidence was mocked, beaten, and crucified, what would become of the new kingdom that He had spoken of? How could the church that Jesus would build survive after the death of the King?

Yet the Lord's suffering was not the end of the kingdom of God. The death and resurrection of Jesus would establish both His church and our eternal salvation.

We should never presume that all is lost at the appearance of a prominent gallows or a brutal cross. The Lord may yet have a plan to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. Our King has extended His golden scepter to us. We will surely live. We can trust Him even when it seems like disaster is at hand.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, thank You for Your special providence in the history of Your church. Surely we have found great favor in Your sight because of the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Give us wisdom as we face the challenges that seem to come upon us with such intensity in this current age. We know that we are to be as gentle as doves, but we must also be as wise as serpents. Father, we trust that You will not allow the plans of Your enemies to succeed, for they are committed to our destruction.

Esther 4

Read Esther 4

Mordecai was a Jew. The king's decree against the Jews would bring about his death. This was Haman's intention. When Mordecai and the other Jews throughout the Persian Empire heard about the king's decision they fasted and wept. Mordecai mourned openly about the fate of his people.

When Esther heard of Mordecai's distress she sent word to him hoping to learn the cause of his anguish. One of her servants returned to Esther with a copy of the king's decree against the Jews. The queen was given word of Haman's role in bringing about this murderous plot. Mordecai also sent his instruction to Esther that she go before Ahasuerus and plead for the lives of the Jews.

Esther sent her initial reply to Mordecai that she could not do what he requested. Approaching the king without his summons was extremely dangerous. If the king chose not to hear from her she could face death as a reward for her boldness.

Mordecai's word back to the queen provided a very necessary rebuke that changed Esther's mind. Had Esther forgotten that she was a Jew? Did she imagine that all her people would die but that she alone would be allowed to live? Mordecai expressed his own certainty that if the queen missed this opportunity for courageous service, help for the Jews would come from someone else. What would become of Esther if she did not obey Mordecai's instruction? “You and your father's house will perish.” Mordecai concluded with this word of hope: “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

This was a good word from a true friend of the Lord's covenant people. Esther heard Mordecai's instruction and responded appropriately. She only asked that a three-day fast be organized among the Jews before she approached Ahasuerus. Why would an entire group of people deny themselves food and drink for three days? They had to believe that the Lord their God would see their earnest tokens of mourning and that He might move the heart of the king as only He could do. Esther was resigned to accept the consequences that could come from her action. “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Esther would be a savior of her people at the risk of her own life. That required much determination and courage. She could not know whether she would live or die. When Jesus came to save us He knew for certain that He would die. His death was necessary according to the ancient Scriptures. He asked His Father if there were any other way to achieve the Father's good plans. He added the words “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) Esther's settled determination to go before the king was a Jesus moment. Her courage prepared us for His much greater display of bravery.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father, what can we do to express our grief concerning the persecution of Your church throughout the world? We mourn in Your presence for the attacks against Your kingdom. The details of the plans of the wicked are deeply disturbing to us. We bring our plea for help to You. We know that we have a duty to pray for our brothers and sisters who are in distress. Help us to do this work with diligence. We will not keep silent. Perhaps we have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. If we perish at the hands of Your enemies, we perish. Our bodies and souls are always in Your hands, and we trust You.

Esther 3

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So far in the book of Esther we have been introduced to the events that would lead to the extraordinary placement of a young Jewish woman at the center of power in the Persian Empire. We have also heard some of the facts of her personal story and have learned about her relative, Mordecai, who would be an important figure in the rest of this book. We need to be introduced to one more man in order for the full story to take shape. Haman, a close adviser to Ahasuerus, must be presented to the reader as the enemy of the Jews.

Haman wanted the honor that comes from the praise of men. The king promoted him and commanded that others in the king's service give him homage. Mordecai refused. His explanation must have had something to do with his obedience to God since we are told that Mordecai told those who questioned him that he was a Jew. Haman wanted to be treated like a god among men. Mordecai would not budge.

Haman's rage against Mordecai knew no bounds. He was not content to kill only Mordecai. His plan was to destroy all the Jews.

Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord chose a particular people group to be His own. Men like Haman always stood against them.

Haman schemed to achieve his goal. In his dealings with Ahasuerus he presented himself as generous and supremely concerned with the king's honor. His lies were so effective that Ahasuerus was completely deceived. Haman would plan and even pay for the destruction of the Jews.

Men like Haman stood in the tradition of Pharaoh. Haman hated the true God and His people. He insisted that he have preeminence in everything. Even when he presented himself as a kind and loyal benefactor, he had secret schemes against those who stood in his way. He was a murderer and a liar.

The Jews and the church have always faced the wrath of Satan and his allies. Yet the Word of God assures us that the Lord will win this battle of the ages. He who died for His people loves His bride. He will not be a quiet observer forever while His beloved children are abused. He will protect us from those who would sift us as wheat. He has prayed for us that we might be saved.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God Almighty, within the courts of earthly power there are many who would stand against You and Your people. Despite their angry threats and commands, we will not bow down to them in worship. We trust You with our lives. Though there are some who would desire to see the destruction of Your people, we know that You have given a sure Word for our eternal life. Your promise to work all things together for our good is very secure. It will never be changed. Help us to rest deeply in Your Word. May we not be unduly moved by the confusion and intrigue all around us.

Esther 2

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The disobedience of Queen Vashti to the call of King Ahasuerus led to her removal as queen. It was time for the king to move ahead with the rest of his plan. A young woman more worthy than Vashti needed to take the former queen's place.

The choice of the new queen would be the king's alone, but others would be very involved in the lengthy process appropriate for the king's exalted position. Officers throughout his vast territory would select the most beautiful young women among all his subjects. One of the king's trusted advisers would prepare certain favored candidates for their opportunity with the king. Eventually Ahasuerus would make his final choice and the search for Vashti's replacement would be completed.

One of the young women selected was the beautiful Hadasseh, also known as Esther, an orphan who was living in the care of an older relative by the name of Mordecai. Esther obeyed the word of Mordecai as an obedient daughter should follow her father's good instruction. Mordecai told Esther to keep her heritage a secret. Esther was a Jew, but no one beyond Mordecai knew this important fact.

Esther won the favor of the adviser who was preparing all the young women who might become the new queen. He surrounded her with servants who would help her to do well with the most powerful man in all of Persia. We are told, “Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” When her turn came to be with the king he also expressed his approval of this young woman and eventually chose her as Vashti's replacement.

Even after she was queen Esther continued to obey Mordecai as she had earlier. She continued to keep her important secret—that she was a Jew. When Mordecai uncovered a plot against the life of the king, Esther brought word to the king as her trusted relative commanded. The official record noted that it was Mordecai who had uncovered this treason and had taken action for the good of the king.

These details prepared us for the decisive moment when Esther and Mordecai would save the Jews, the chosen people of the Lord God Almighty. Why were Mordecai and Esther even in the capital city of the Persian Empire? God had sent His people into exile. It was not the Lord's intention to leave them in disgrace or to allow their enemies to destroy them from the face of the earth. He was preparing an opportunity for two obscure people, Mordecai and Esther, to speak up for the Jews. The choice of Esther as queen and even Mordecai's role in protecting the life of the king would be important details in the story of the salvation of the Jews in Persia. The Lord had not forgotten His people. He would save them.

In the New Testament era the people of God would expand far beyond the descendants of Jacob. Gentiles would be brought into the Lord's household. Jews and Gentiles who had true faith in the Lord's Messiah would serve together as the bride of the royal Son of God. They would be chosen because of His love for them. They have become the beloved of the Lord forever and ever.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, Your special care for Your church, Your royal bride, is most wonderful and gracious. Teach us the way to be pleasing to You through Christ. May we grow in the beauty of holiness. Lord God, the time of our remaining days here may be very brief. Show us how to live in wisdom and righteousness throughout our lives. We have heard from Your Word that You delight in us. May we always win favor in Your sight because of the work of Your Son on our behalf. You give us so many gifts through Your royal generosity. We want to serve You with diligence. We seek the honor of Your Name. We pray that all those who hate You would be stopped in their evil plans through Your perfect knowledge and power.