7:7 Furious, the king got up and left the banquet for the palace garden. But Haman stood up to beg Queen Esther for his life. He saw clearly that the king’s mood meant a bad end for him.
8 The king returned from the palace garden to the banquet room just as Haman was kneeling on the couch where Esther was reclining. “Will you even molest the queen while I am in the house?” the king said. The words had barely left the king’s mouth before covering Haman’s face with dread.[a]
9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs serving the king, said, “Sir, look! There’s the stake that Haman made for Mordecai, the man who spoke up and did something good for the king. It’s standing at Haman’s house—seventy-five feet high.” “Impale him on it!” the king ordered. 10 So they impaled Haman on the very pole that he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger went away.
8:1 That same day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther what Haman the enemy of the Jews owned. Mordecai himself came before the king because Esther had told the king that he was family to her. 2 The king took off his royal ring, the one he had removed from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of what Haman had owned.
3 Esther again spoke before the king. She bowed at his feet, wept, and begged him to treat her kindly. She wanted him to overturn the evil plot of Haman the Agagite—his secret plan directed against the Jews. 4 The king held out the gold scepter to Esther, and she got up and stood before him. 5 She said, “If the king wishes, and if I please him—that is, if the idea seems right to the king, and if he still sees me as a good person—then have people write something to call back the order—the order that put into effect the plan of Haman, Hammedatha the Agagite’s son, that he wrote to destroy the Jews in all the royal provinces. 6 How can I bear to watch the terrible evil about to sweep over my people? And how can I bear to watch others destroy my own family?”
7 King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I’ve given Esther everything Haman owned. And Haman himself my servants have impaled on the pole because he planned to attack the Jews. 8 So you yourselves write to the Jews whatever you like in the name of the king and seal the letters with the king’s royal ring. Anything written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s royal ring can’t be called back.” 9 So that was when the royal scribes were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month (that is, the month of Sivan).[a] They wrote exactly what Mordecai ordered to the Jews, rulers, governors, and officials of the provinces from India to Cush—one hundred twenty-seven in all. They wrote in the alphabet of each province and in the language of each people. 10 They wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed the order with the king’s royal ring. He sent letters with riders mounted on royal horses bred from mares known to run fast.[b] 11 The order allowed Jews in each town to join together and defend their lives. The Jews were free to wipe out, kill, and destroy every army of any people and province that attacked them, along with their women and children. They could also take and keep anything their attackers owned. 12 The one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus on which they could do so was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar). 13 A copy of the writing was to become law in each province and be on public display for all its peoples to read. The Jews were to be ready on this day to get back at their enemies. 14 The riders mounted on royal horses left Susa, spurred on by the king’s order, and the law also became public in the fortified part of Susa.
15 Mordecai went out from the king’s presence in a blue and white royal robe wearing a large gold crown and a white and red-purple coat. The city of Susa greeted him with shouts of joy. 16 For the Jews it was a day of light, happiness, joy, and honor. 17 In every province and in every town—wherever the king’s order and his law arrived—for the Jews it was a day of happiness and joy. For them it meant feasts and a holiday. Many people in the land became Jews themselves, out of fear of the Jews.
Reflection
For those who are unfamiliar with Esther, you can choose to read her whole book, but I will give you a brief synopsis. It is pretty amazing that Esther has a whole book in the Bible, but she did in fact save her people (the Jews) from annihilation.
Esther was an orphan, so her cousin Mordecai raised her. The king of a very large kingdom got rid of his queen because she disobeyed him. Of course you could not have that happening for all to see! He had a contest to find a new wife, and Esther was chosen. She did not reveal that she was a Jew to anyone, but the person who was second in command of the kingdom demanded that people bow to him. Mordecai refused and this made Haman (the second in command) angry enough to ask the king to make a decree that all of the Jews should be killed. The king agreed.
Queen Esther – at the risk of losing her life right then and there – approached the king and told him she was a Jew and that Mordecai had once saved the king’s life by telling Esther about a plot to kill the king. The king was very angry and had Haman killed instead, so Esther saved the Jewish nation. The Jewish celebration of Purim is the remembrance of what Esther did with God’s help to save her people.
There are many lists of lessons to be learned from the story of Esther. There are lists of lessons for children, lessons for Jews, and lessons for Christians, but they all have a similar tone. Lessons that show God can use everyday people to do amazing things, and we should be ready to make some sacrifices to get whatever God is asking of us done. But also, that we can trust God to see us through as we use the skills that we have been granted by God.
Sometimes it isn’t pretty – and we may need to tell some lies along the way. I try to be honest; I can be too honest sometimes – to be honest! But as we see with this story, sometimes God needs us to step out of that comfort zone and do the “wrong” thing for the right reason. We have seen this time and again in history – and we are seeing it now.
People bravely and boldly stand up for others by hiding them or refusing to let the authorities find them or lying about the status of someone.
When I went on a trip to Holy Land years ago, we did mission work, but we were explicitly told to tell the authorities, when we were going through our exit interview to leave the country, that we were only there for a pilgrimage – to see the Holy Sites. We need courage to do the right thing sometimes, and the story of Esther reminds us that God will give us the courage we need, the strength we need, and the abilities we need if God is working through us to help others in need and to advance the kindom. We need to be willing because God is able. We don’t have any idea what God might ask of us, but a willing heart is the first step.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
What do you think about Esther’s story? It feels like we need an Esther to step in and take care of some things right now. And do you know what? Those stories are out there – people being willing to step up to help.
We see them every day in those helping to feed people who lost everything in the floods, the men who subdued the man who was stabbing people at Walmart, the women who bravely go against what the Taliban tells them they must do and on and on.
Remember that we all have a role to play in this world for God – just ask and the Spirit will guide you to what you need to do, and God will give you the courage to do it. For you, it may be difficult to volunteer with new people or to talk to a stranger. All of it takes courage, but we can take heart knowing that God is there working through us. As Isaiah 40:31 says, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary”.
Prayer: God who gives us courage through Christ and the Spirit, grant us the strength to be bold in the face of fear so that we would help others in ways we never dreamed possible. Amen.
