Chapters 6 and 7- Coincidence or Providence? You know the answer if God has his hand in it.
- The king’s insomnia
- Asking to be read to
- the book that was chosen to be read
- the king’s delay in rewarding Mordecai
- The timing of Haman’s arrival
We need to remember the risk Esther is taking at the moment she pleads her case. First, she is a woman standing before a king making a huge request. Vashti was uncrowned for such a lesser act. She is “outing” herself as one that would fall under the decree IF the king doesn’t agree with the request, and she is accusing a trusted advisor to the king that he has known a lot longer than her!
(By the way, it’s fun to note that the retelling of this story at the Feast of Purim has an angel pushing Haman to fall on her just at the right time, ha!)
Chapter 8
Esther takes another leap of faith and asks the king to revoke the decree! Here is the problem…the signet ring!
What I learned in this chapter is once a decree is sealed, it cannot be revoked! By the way, the parallel of this in our lives is remarkable! If you are a Christ-follower and He seals you with his mark…it cannot be revoked! ❤
Ephesians 1:13- When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
So the king does what he can to preserve the Jewish nation. Here are the events:
- April 17, 474 BC decree given to annihilate the jews
- June 25, 747 a decree was given that they can defend themselves at all costs
BUT what did the “pur” say yesterday when they cast lots? They were given a whole year to prepare from the 1st decree. They still have 8 months to prepare. AND listen to this:
“And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.”
They weren’t converted obviously, but they sided with the Jews….now that is a new one for the history books!
Chapter 9–2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them.
At first, the Jews only attacked who attacked them. Esther requested another day to fight…coincidence or providence?? In total 500 men were killed on day 1, 75,000 after that, and then another 300. BUT they never took their plunder…why???
I would have! The original decree in chapter 3 said:
These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
Because the Jews have an opportunity to undo the mistake of their forefathers. Yesterday I mentioned that Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin, and Hammon was from the Amalekites. When King Saul (from the tribe of Benjamin) fought the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15) they were not supposed to take plunder but they did. This is an opportunity to make a wrong…right.
Mark your calendar for March 16-17 2022 for the next Purim feast-
Chapter 10:27 the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. 28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.
The last verse gave me something to ponder:
…because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.
Reading the Bible - 2021 