The Authority the King Gives Us

The quiet and timid, identity-hiding Esther is no more in Esther 8. Now we have the bold, assertive and persuasive she-warrior for God.  She has seen Haman hanged on his own gallows and revealed her relation to Mordecai to King Xerxes. The King has given her Haman's house and Mordecai Haman's position. The turnaround is happening fast and furious. But the edict of the Jewish destruction is still on the schedule and Esther goes to work again, pleading with the King to wipe it out. 

His response? To let her and Mordecai write the laws themselves!

Esther 8:7–8 (ESV)  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.”

Esther has the authority of the King to write a new edict. And wouldn't you know, it is Mordecai who does the work for her to save the Jews:

Esther 8:9 (ESV) 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...

Now you would think that the edict would simply be to NOT kill the Jews. But this is the ancient world. The news didn't travel nearly as fast as today and these people had prepared for a slaughter for some time. So Mordecai doesn't simply reverse the edict. He empowers the Jews to defend themselves and destroy their destroyers.

Esther 8:10–12 (ESV) 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.

God's people are given authority in the land and notice how the text describes it.

Esther 8:15 (ESV) 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.

The city rejoices at this turn of events. Remember what described the city at the enunciation of Haman's edict of death?

Esther 3:15 (ESV) The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

There's a proverb that says:

Proverbs 29:2 (ESV) When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

Wicked rulers are poison to a culture. The problem is, sometimes a country has to feel the sting of wicked rulers before they realize the blessing of the righteous. I feel like our world has been seeing that for a long time. God, give us people who honor rule in the halls of power. 

The final verse of chapter 8 gives us something more:

Esther 8:17 (ESV) 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.

Please notice what happens here. The people CONVERT to Judaism because it is no longer a hated sect but a respected people. In our country, Biblical Christianity is mocked wholescale. Biblical norms on sex and marriage are regarded as antiquated and bigoted. Could you imagine the influence Christian truth would have on others if our nation stopped mocking the values of the Father and Godly rulers were situated in the halls of power? 

Thankfully, in heaven, we have the righteous Son of God who upheld every law, died for our sins so that He could rule in our hearts that we might spread the Gospel far and wide through HIS power and not our own.

Thanks for reading...

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