Esther 8:1-17[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, June 5th.
Let me give you a brief review of the story of Esther up to this point. It is a story of Providence, Courage, and Commemoration. Here today we come to the action of the book; it's actually a small war in Persia, sanctioned by the king – can you even imagine?
Esther 8:1-17
1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her.
2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews.
4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther,
5 Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, "If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king.
6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?"
7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews.
8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked."
9 The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language.
10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud,
11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods,
12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies.
14 So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.
16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor.
17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
Now I see this text outlined most effectively in three sets of two's. We begin with….
Kings and Influence. Let's observe how the court has changed in just a couple of days. Two days before this Haman was the grand guy, the prime minister, the second in command and influence in the kingdom. He was unquestionably the BMOC, the Grand Poopah of Persia; yup, ol' Hamasn was all that and a bag or Chitos. Even the queen feared to openly tout her heritage for fear of his evil influence. His sway on the king was extremely selfish and vindictive. This was a man who would seek to annihilate a people because one man refused to honor him. When he had the king's signet ring that was a very unsettled day for Persia. "Signet rings [were] rings worn by individuals bearing an initial, monogram, or other image to denote the identity and, long ago, the… noble status of the wearer. [Picture 1] Signet rings… figure prominently in a great deal of well-known artwork and literature. The earliest types of gold signet rings were found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, the same society that was first to fully incorporate wedding and engagement rings into their religious ceremonies. [Picture 2] The signet ring's original purposes [were] of indicating rank and imprinting seals on important letters[2]." So because the king had full and final authority over the nation (and each life), whoever wore this ring had great influence in Persia. All the more beautiful that the King took this ring off of Haman's vile hand and put it on Mordecai, the man who had already saved his life once. So quickly does the position of First Seat under the king (like a Prime Minister) change!
And for the second time, Esther boldly approached the throne un-invited! Why this was necessary it's not clear, but she did, and again, the king held out the golden scepter to her. This golden scepter represented life, favor, and acceptance by the king. The king's love and favor for Esther are growing, it seems, and he listens intently to her pleas! And as before, Esther's plea concerns the good and the safety of her people, the Jews. There's a marked distinction between Haman's influence and the influence of Mordecai and Esther.
As in that court the King was approached with humility and fear, so we approach God our Father. You see God has made a decree, all the way from the garden; sin earns death. We are law-breakers, and this Holy God throws all who break His law into judgment! We have no right to even come before Him on our own, having vast amounts of vile thoughts and actions in our hearts and lives; we would perish swiftly were we to enter God's presence as we are! But God has made a way for us to come before Him and not be judged for our sins. Listen…
Hebrews 10:19-23 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Christ, brothers and sisters, is our golden scepter! He is our way into God's presence without being shattered for our iniquity! We can come because Christ has paved the way in His own blood; the price for sin has indeed been paid, and all who call upon His name in repentance and faith will be shown mercy, and allowed to come to God in that name, receiving favor through Christ!
The first edict by the king was irreversible; but he allowed another edict to be written that would give the Jews the right of self-defense. This was mercy, and a good way to save the people because once written, His edicts stood irreversible. Neither will God's law of sin and death change; it stands eternally true - law-breakers earn judgment. But as sure as sin brings death, then Christ, through the shedding of His own blood, turns God's wrath away from all who believe in Him. "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17) He took our punishment in His own body, and gave us a new and living way to God! This is good news, and it must be told. The second edict, Mordecai's writ of self-defense, had to go out as well. Let's move on.
Scribes and Couriers. How critical was it that the scribes got this edict correct? Their work was background, but like many works, only as long as they did it right. Lives depended on their accuracy, and they apparently did well. This is the second time they've been called in (3:12), and again they go to work, but they are receiving dictation from a new man wearing the ring. When this proclamation goes out from the palace to all 127 provinces, it will be carrying the message that Jews can fight to defend themselves against their enemies! It will go out because God is faithful, and providentially, quietly worked to preserve His people yet again. He meant it when He told the serpent that the seed of the woman would crush His head, and though He brought a flood against man's multiplying evil, He preserved a handful of people and kept that Word. He meant it when He told Abram that He would bless Him, and bless all nations through Him. God is faithful, and saves all who believe in Him. This word needs to be clear, just as the edict of Persia needed to be clear. It was written, and given to the couriers to take to the provinces.
Couriers. These messengers were also summoned for the second time, to do their work of getting the message out to the nation. They didn't write it; they were simply given all they needed (fast horses and food) to get the message out. Sound familiar at all? God has given us His gospel, preserved it fully for us, and allowed us to be His couriers! We don't make the policy; we don't write truth! God has given us His gospel, and we are told to take it to the nations – just as it was written. We are couriers, and we too have been given all that we need to live and preach this gospel. The provinces need the message, church; from Platteville to Dodgeville, to Dubuque, to Lancaster, to Montfort, to Belmont and to Big Patch, God's gospel messengers must proclaim this gospel message. Church, that's not just pastors/preachers; that's all of us. Scribes and couriers don't receive the glory; that's for the King. But when they do their work right, the King's message get where it needs to be saying what it needs to say. So we've considered Kings and Influence, Scribes and Couriers, now let's give a minute's thought to…
Self-Defense and Joy. Who would have thought that a decree of war would be so wildly exciting to people! "…king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included,". Allow me to tell you exactly who rejoices at the rights of self-defense; those who have been given over to death. War is not pretty, and let's not mistake it as such. It's never as clean and kind as we like to make it. But in a sinful world, war is better than being annihilated as a nation. It's not realistic or wise to look at war in the OT from the context of the Geneva Convention, or even from the humanistic philosophy that prevails in western society today. War was terrible then, and to be avoided; but if you couldn't avoid it, you sought to win, and win in such a way as to let the enemy know it's not wise to attack again. They were given self-defense privileges, and that included the right to attack their enemies. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. If you know they're coming for you, why keep talking? There is a time for war, and the Jews were given the right to defend themselves. It's sad that it came to this from Haman's machinations, but God used it for His glory and to preserve His people in a foreign land! After this decree, even some Persians wanted to be labeled as Jews, because of the influence of Mordecai. There was joy.
Proverbs 11:10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
So the battle is engaged, and God's people are preserved.
Kings and Influence. Good to be right with our King through Christ our Savior.
Scribes and Couriers. Good that God has given His word for us to take to the nations.
Self-Defense and Joy. Good that God is faithful to His Word; He was very intent on bringing a Savior, Redeemer, the Messiah through the offspring of Abraham, and that He did!
Church, it is good for us to be reminded of God's covenant faithfulness and love. It is good to see that, even when they're in a foreign land, He doesn't forget His own. We're in a foreign land, awaiting our homecoming. God sees us and exerts His authority to protect us.
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
[2] Information found at http://www.debebians.com/signetrings.html
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