My dear readers,
This is the last class of this semester. I will likely not post anything on Thursday due to finals the end of this week and the beginning of next week. I will pick up on posting on this topic at the beginning of the next semester. In the meantime, I plan to post on some other biblical topics over the month of December and early January.
The book of Esther records the story of God’s deliverance of His people during the exile. King Ahasuerus deposes his wife Vashti and Esther the Jew becomes queen. Her cousin Mordecai, who raised her, saves the king’s life by reporting an assassination attempt. Haman, an Agagite, is second in command under Ahasuerus. Mordecai refuses to bow down to honor Haman, so Haman wants to kill him and his people, the Jews. Using the king’s seal, Haman orders a day in which all the Jews are to be killed. He constructs gallows to hang Mordecai. Ultimately, God uses Esther to obtain the king’s permission for the people to defend themselves. There is a reversal of fortunes. Haman dies on the gallows while Mordecai takes his place of honor and power. The day of proclaimed death for the Jews becomes a day in which they become victorious over their enemies. This establishes the Feast of Purim as a time to celebrate God’s deliverance.
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| Esther approaches King Xerxes to intercede for her people. |
God loves His people. He is faithful to them and will not allow them to be destroyed. When an evil man named Haman seeks to destroy all the Jews, God provides salvation for them. Before this problem, God had already placed one of his people in a place of influence. Esther had become queen of Persia by becoming the wife of the king. When Haman issues a proclamation ordering the death of the Jews, she is able to influence the king to allow her people to defend themselves against this threat. Esther’s cousin Mordecai had become Haman’s enemy, so Haman was going to kill him on the gallows, but through Esther’s actions, Haman is hung on his own gallows by the king and Mordecai is giving Haman’s position. Both Mordecai and his people, the people of God, are saved and their enemies are destroyed by God’s grace shown through Esther. To celebrate this victory, the Jews begin to celebrate the Feast of Purim every year.
God is still faithful. He loves His people. When we faced death caused by our sin against God, He sent a deliverer to save His people. Only instead of a person like Esther, He came Himself, in the form of a man, to save us and to give us victory over death by His death on a cross. Jesus died on a cross to reverse our fortunes. Instead of death, we receive eternal life. Instead of defeat, we receive the victory. This is not of ourselves that we could boast in what we have done, but solely by the power and grace of God the Father.
Joel McReynolds 
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