As I read today’s chapter in Esther, all I can picture in my mind is the end of war. A ticker tape parade, kissing in Times Square, hot-off-the-actual-presses newspapers that stain your hands with ink. It’s the kind of overly romanticized celebration that stamps itself into history and, for a moment, forgets the horror and atrocities that preceded it.
Esther chapter 8 is a glorious celebration of the Lord’s provision and protection for His people. Haman is dead, the Jews are safe, and the king allows Mordecai to use his signet ring to declare the Jews victorious. Mordecai experienced not only pardon, but he was raised to be in charge of Haman’s estate. It was a restoration beyond imagination.
And so, the Jews celebrate with gladness, joy, and honor (Esther 8:16). They create a new holiday, the festival of Purim. Couriers race on the fastest horses to spread the good news throughout the whole land. It’s over! The fear, the danger, the hopelessness.
Don’t you long for that kind of freedom and joy? To know that you would no longer have to fear?
This momentary victory in Persia would not be a harbinger of peace for the Jews for very long, but for the time being, it was enough. From oppressed to honored, from fearful to safe, from tear-stained to joy-filled—God had delivered His people yet again. And the best news? God continued to deliver His people, situationally, culminating in the day He permanently offered His Son Jesus to secure forever deliverance, gladness, joy, and honor for all who believe in Him.
The story of Esther ends in triumphant celebration, and our story will too. For those who belong to Jesus, our future is secure and safe. But it is more than safe; it is glorious. Every celebration on earth will pale in comparison to the overflowing, overwhelming joy of Jesus’s return. When He comes again, all oppression, fear, injustice, anger, pride, and grief will be gone forever. We will lose all bonds of sin, but we will also gain the righteousness of Christ and an eternal companionship with God.
Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Indeed, Christ holds our victory and restoration, and He offers them freely to us. So, gather the people, write a proclamation of joy and freedom, sealed with the blood of Jesus. Celebrate with gladness, joy, and honor. The victory is ours through Christ!
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53 thoughts on "Esther Intervenes for the Jews"
Reading about this King reminds me of Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” — if this king could hear Esther’s cry and favor, protect and love Gods children, how much more will our prayers be heard by our holy Father and King. Pray to him boldly knowing our Father wants for us to be filled with hope
THE VICTORY IS OURS IN JESUS CHRIST!
So thankful we have a secure and hopeful future in Christ. And thankful we have a king we can keep coming back to, and keep asking for. He never gets tired of hearing our requests
What a beautiful picture of the gospel. Esther intervening for the Jews who had a death sentence the way that Jesus intervenes for us who are dead in our sins. Thank you Jesus
Karen, so true. Thanks for the reminder to keep asking and don’t give up.
Ugh autocorrect!
“He shines His light on the *kitten in the corner that has the shadow of a tiger in the dark”
SO well said Heidi, “He shines His light on the litre. In the corner that has the shadow of a tiger in the dark.” ♥️♥️♥️
Even though shaman was dead, Esther still had to ask once again. This teaches me you should never give up until the full answer comes- not part of the answer but all of it. Hayman was dead but the decree still stood. Esther had to again come before the king. If she hadn’t the previous decree would still have stood and the Jews would still be bound. Jesus says keep asking and asking. Why? For our full answer.
I needed this reminder that God always shows up. But, not only that, he even removes our enemies subjecting them to the same fate that they had planned for us and he gives us favor in the eyes of man to overtake our enemies. I also love that with the stamp of the kings signet nothing can be reversed so is the same when Christ speaks a word to us and over us. What he says cannot be reversed and no one dare try to come against. His word is final. I love that
❤️
Seek God and His plan not the plan of our own. This world is trying to deceive us daily, but God will show you the truth if you just ask. I praise you God for going before us and knowing the plan from the beginning to the end. Thank you!!
In this chapter I feel like I can relate with the king. I can not see what is going on under the surface until I take time to pray and ask God to show me. I ask Him to open my eyes to see what He sees. Not just what others want me to see and or the enemy. In our day and age it’s easy to become deceived that’s why it’s important to seek God and to ask Him to open our to what He sees. When we walk in fear we it’s because we can’t see. There is an unknown but when we learn to look to God who is also described as light He shines His light on the kitten in the corner that has the shadow of a tiger in the dark.
Praying for you Lindsey. This open discussion has been so encouraging to me, so thank you
Praying Lindsey!
Amen. Great explanation Stephanie
Praying! You are not alone ((hugs))
Dearests,
Just wanted to touch base and to say, i have heard and have taken your love, kind words and encouragement to my heart. To each and everyone, I say Thank you. I so wanted,as I often do respond individually, but these tired aching bones have me sending this instead. I lift you all up in BOLD prayer, and hope that God will reveal Himself to you in ways so beautiful and true, they will be your testimony.
For now, I say goodnight, sleep well in the assurance that He is God and that He works all things for good..
Amen.
I love you all my dear sisters here..❤
Thinking of all those who gather here who “intervene” for me and my family with their prayers. How precious each of you are. How wonderful and comforting to have this praying community. Let us continue to “intervene” for one another.
Praying for you Lindsey!!
I’m treasuring all of these scriptures in my heart. I am coming off of 3 days of the most intense migraine pain I’ve felt in a long time on top of daily migraines for the last 3 months, so my brain is very tired and it’s hard to take anything in. But I know that the true revelation of the Word happens in my spirit, so I’m taking these beautiful words in and trusting Holy Spirit to reveal truth and understanding. There is so much depth to this story of Esther to process in one sitting.
What a glorious redemption, from the God whose name was not mentioned once in the story. God is the invisible director of this play, isn’t He?
“Many people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them”. Imagine, how fearful do you have to be to exchange your own current Persian citizenship, especially right there in the rightful land of Persia, to claim the foreign citizenship of the exiles??? The people must have witnessed something extremely fearsome for them to be shaken to their core. This is just tremendous.
I found some verses that illustrate the protection of God over his people that I’d like to share:
Genesis 35:5 As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
Joshua 2:9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you”
1 Chronicles 14:17 And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.
Exodus 15:14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
Exodus 23:27 I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.
Deuteronomy 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Thank you Lord that you are mighty to save. Have a blessed day dear SRT sisters.
@Lindsey Erwin: All the best with your appointment today. Praying for you to have a healthy pregnancy without any complications, without any fears.
As I was reading today several Contemporary Christian songs popped up in my head. They were “Fear Is a Liar” by Zach Williams, “I Will Fear No More” by The Afters, “The Breakup Song” by Francesca Battistelli, and “The Devil’s Got No Hold On Me” by Matty Mullins. Melanie really hit home and brought to light certain things.
Be blessed today and always sisters.
Stephanie thank you for your thought provoking words!
Amen, I can’t waiy
The story of Haman reminds me that God exalts those who are humble (Mordecai) and humbled those who exhalts themselves. In Haman’s case, humbled unto death alone with all of his wicked ways. It’s a reminder to keep a humble heart ❤️
Matthew 23:12 Whosoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
So thankful reading everyone’s comments that support my understanding of Scripture and encourage my soul <3 I've been convicted recently that the times I go to church I don't feel emotionally or spiritually prepared to worship. I enter with a hard heart, and normally takes me until the third song to feel ready to worship. Lord renew my heart of worship. I want to honor You and You alone. I want to celebrate your goodness and faithfulness with songs of worship. I echo others prayers for newness that can be found only in You. Amen
Stephanie W, you mentioned that Haman’s letter could not be revoked and that the king’s response was to write a new letter that would make the previous letter void. This got me thinking about how this parallels to Christ in that our death is certain, but if we turn, repent, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, than the certainty of death is overridden and we can enjoy eternal life with God
@Stephanie W: I love that! They still had to do the work, still had to destroy their enemies. Our salvation is not passive. Yes and amen!
“For those who belong to Jesus our future is safe. But, it is more than safe; it is glorious. Every celebration on earth will pale in comparison to Jesus returncomparison to the overflowing, overwhelming joy of Jesus’s return. When He comes again, all oppression, fear, injustice, anger, pride, and grief will be gone forever. We will lose all bonds of sin, but we will also gain the righteousness of Christ and an eternal companionship with God.” Glorious Indeed.” So good! Thank you Lord for that day I can feel it in this heart. May we live in anticipation of You and communion with you until you come again. I praise you Jesus name above all names. Be with us in our daily tasks, oour interactions, our weeping and rejoicing. May your name be lifted up and your love shine bright through all who gather here. Hugs Sisters, our King Reigns! Will keep praying Lindsey. In the name of Jesus.
Lyndsey I’m praying.
Oh what an awesome God. He provides a way..the best way at the right time. I need Him, His way, His provision, His guidance. Please pray for my husband Brian and I and the hard decisions that are before us. I know God has a plan even when I can’t see it, I can trust His heart and know it’s for my good and His glory.
I love this book and so appreciate this study! One new thing I was struck with is how terrible a king King A is! The temper tantrum with Vashti, the random signing of laws and giving away signet rings without really knowing what’s going on. It worked out for good for the Jews in chapter 8, but what a tenuous and temporary and artbitary victory. It’s so like my victories (mine are smaller, ha) here. I guess we are meant to celebrate the victories, no matter how short lived, and continue to yearn for the permanence of Christ’s victory.
Sometimes deliverance doesn’t come in the way you want/expect… Esther asked for the letter devised by haman to be revoked. The kings response? Sorry, can’t be revoked but you can write a new letter!
The next best thing was to empower the Jews to protect themselves. Not cancel the impending doom. The faith of the Jews here is astounding! They celebrated in advanced of their victory BUT THEY STILL HAD TO DO THE WORK. They still had to gather. Still had to destroy their enemies. Our salvation is not passive. We have to do the work. We need to have faith and praise God for the victory not yet seen!
I echo Angie’s prayer this morning. Amen.
The victory is ours! I am so loving this study on Esther!!!
Amen, Connie! I mirror your sentiment.
The phrase “For the Jews” in verse 16 has really given me a lot to think on. It was absolutely right for the Jews to rejoice, but their rejoicing could have led to fear, anger, and bitterness for ordinary Persians, Persians who had no intention of doing the Jews harm. As believers, we are called to rejoice with the rejoicing and weep with the weeping (Romans 12:15). But what about when our rejoicing is the cause of somone else’s weeping? I don’t know what answers there are, but I pray God makes me gracious in my dealings with other people.
I pray for you all and hope you all have a good day . This she reads truth has been a blessing in my life
So interesting to learn about the feast of Purim. The only things I ever knew about it was the Hamantaschen cookies and the costumes. I was in Israel a few years ago during Purim and it was a hoot! This definitely makes me want to dig further into it… wondering why the costumes.
Thanks SRT for peaking my interest and exciting me to did deeper! Have a blessed day, sisters.
Restoration beyond imagination! I love this ❤
I had lost my faith after the end of my marriage several years ago. Last year I felt the need for God in my life, and prayed for a church family that practiced the love of Jesus and allowed me to be an agent of change in our community. I found my new home church the next weekend, and as my relationship with God grows the more I see how he has a plan for my life, and how beautiful His plan is. I’ve never felt as confident that I am following His plan and not my own, and it’s been so freeing. I feel like since I’ve started making effort to have a relationship with Jesus, he sends me little signs that He’s with me and carrying me through it all. This devotional was like a little love note today. It’s so lovely.
Thank you for this insight. I enjoyed it very much!
I love the idea of praying for newness from Christ. I often feel like I’m living the same day over and over again. It’s a nice thought to pray a revitalized prayer life in the mundane.
I couldn’t agree more!
“God had delivered His people yet again.” Isn’t that just like God. He delivered, again and again. In this circumstance it does not mention any sin on the Jews part, as there had been in the past, yet it stands out that once again He came to their rescue. He does the same for us – again and again. I am so thankful that I have a loving heavenly Father that is gracious, kind, and merciful and delivers me again and again – even though I don’t deserve it! Titus 3:5
This is a great point of view on the story of Esther! Thank you all for your prayers yesterday. Leaving in a little bit to get my bloodwork to see if I’m miscarrying or not… please continue to pray that my levels have risen since Monday and that I have a healthy pregnancy. I’ve been praying nonstop and begging God to let me keep this baby ❤️ I will keep y’all updated!!
@DoorHolder I was having a hard time finding some “meat” to chew on in today’s reading…then I read your post. It ENCOURAGED me GREATLY!!!! Joseph Benson’s commentary was AWESOME and I especially loved the verse you posted (Zechariah 8:23) definitely some “meat” to chew on now!!! Thank you!!!
God’s Spirit is in me. He changes my anxiety, fear, and stress to peace, joy, and hope. Lord help me to set my heart and mind on things above.
I am so intrigued by the last verse in Esther 8 (17): “And many of the ethnic groups of the land professed themselves to be Jews because fear of the Jews had overcome them.”
I don’t think I’d ever noticed it before! I did a small amount of digging around this verse and loved what I found from Joseph Benson’s commentary.
May it encourage you to also celebrate with joy and gladness that we are saved and may your joy in the face of worldly uncertainty cause others to also fear our Creator and Savior.
Here are his words:
“Haman thought to extirpate the Jews: it proves, in the issue, that their numbers are greatly increased, and many added to their church. Observe, reader, when the Jews had joy and gladness, then many of the people of the land became Jews. The holy cheerfulness of those that profess religion is a great ornament to their profession, and will invite and encourage others to be religious. Another reason, however, is here given why so many became Jews at this time; for it is said, the fear of the Jews fell upon them. When they observed how wonderfully the divine providence had owned them, and wrought for them, in this critical juncture, they thought them great, and those happy that were among them, as was foretold Zechariah 8:23, We will go with you; for we have heard, we have seen, that God is with you. And they thought them formidable, and those miserable that were against them. They plainly saw, in Haman’s fate, that if any offered an injury to the Jews, it was at their peril; and, therefore, for their own security, they joined themselves to them. It is folly to think of contending with the God of Israel, and therefore it is wisdom to think of submitting to him.”
It was lovely to come across Romans 8 and Colossians 3 today. I felt the need to pray for a newness from Christ. Working from home, everyday seems like the previous day. The sameness of my days is not terrible since it means we are healthy, however it is not reflecting the fullness of Christ. I need to renew my prayer life first and foremost.
God allowed the king’s eyes to be opened to the fact he had trusted someone evil.
The king had also recently been reminded that Esther and Mordecai had been faithful, even saving his life. His response was to give Esther, Haman’s estate, and her father-figure, Mordecai, Haman’s power. To the king, these gifts of power, authority, and substance, I am sure, were huge, but what they needed was protection from the earlier edict. The king trusted them enough to allow them all authority to write whatever law needed to be in place to “fix” the situation. And they did.
Lord, I see your protection over the king, Esther, Mordecai, and your people in this story. I pray for wisdom and clear vision so that I will NOT be swayed by evil. I pray those who are faithful to You would be among those I call friend and family. I pray that I would be one of the faithful as well. I pray for wisdom in decision making, to not be vindictive or seek revenge, but that my choices would bring the needed help, honoring and glorifying You only. And finally, Father, help me to celebrate and worship. The celebration comes from the realization that NOTHING good is accomplished except through You. The celebration honors You. I pray for a heart of celebration in worship to You. Amen.
We don’t have to wait until “He comes again” to “gain the righteousness of Christ”. 2 Cor 5:21. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. The are also many verses in Romans that say we are already righteous through Jesus Christ.
I have never read the Book of Esther in this dimension before. This study portrays our redemption in Christ, God’s plan for His children who are oppressed.
Each time I read through Esther I love it even more than before.