Transcript

There was once a newly crowned king who was an animal lover. So much so that he issued an edict that there would be no hunting of any animals or game while he was king.

People had mixed feelings, but the king was so good to them that they obeyed his command. That is until the kingdom became overrun with animals of all types.

The people gathered and talked and decided this could not go on. They pleaded with the king to change his edict, but the king would not change his mind.

So, in the end, the people chose to overthrow the king. It was the only time in history that the REIGN was called on account of GAME.

Instead of a GAME being called on account of RAIN, of course.

After the death of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, all the Jews’ troubles were not over. The edict calling for the destruction of all the Jews still stood as law over Persia.

What we find in Esther 8 are the steps that are taken to counteract the unchangeable edict of Haman and preserve the Jews.

Esther 8:1-2: “On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.

“And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.”

Here, at this point in the Book of Esther, by God’s working, the tables continue to turn in a favorable direction for Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews.

When verse 1 says, “On that day,” it refers to the day that Haman was executed on the 75-foot-high gallows that he had built for Mordecai.

According to Persian law, the entire estate of condemned criminals and traitors was forfeited and confiscated by the king.

And on this full day, which started very early with the king being unable to sleep, following Haman’s death, the king decided to “give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen,” giving Haman’s entire estate to Esther.

And this was no small gift. Haman had boasted to his wife and friends about the “glory of his riches” (5:11), and out of his vast riches and fortune, he was able to offer the king a bribe of 375 tons of silver. The “house of Haman” included his money, and also his house, land, servants, possessions, and everything he owned.

The king could have kept this valuable estate for himself, but instead, he chose to give it to Esther. And thus, all the riches of this wicked enemy of the Jews were given to a Jew.

Esther had revealed to the king on this day that she was a Jew and now she further revealed her relationship with Mordecai. She shared about their blood relationship, the quality of that relationship, and the character of this good man.

Esther explained that her father and mother had died and that her older cousin Mordecai had taken her in as her guardian and treated her as his own daughter (2:7).

On this same day of Haman’s death, verse 1 tells us that “Mordecai came before the king.”

The king had reclaimed his signet ring from Haman before he was taken to the gallows, and upon Mordecai coming before the king, “the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai.”

This act promoted Mordecai to the same office Haman had held and invested him with the power of the chief officer, the highest office in all of Persia next to the king.

The signet ring gave Mordecai the authority to act in the king’s name and the ability to write any document and to put the king’s seal on it.

The ring was the visible symbol of Mordecai’s high honor and office. Ironically, the very ring that had been used by Haman to seal the fate of the Jews after he wrote the decree of their destruction was now bestowed on a Jew. But that ring was in good hands now.

What we find here is that Esther received and was rewarded with the RICHES of Haman, and Mordecai received and was rewarded with the ROLE of Haman.

Now there was a Jewish queen and a Jewish second-in-command over the entire Persian empire. And this clearly shows the providence of God and His working behind the seen.

After Mordecai was promoted to the role of chief officer by the king, Esther, the queen, then put Mordecai in charge of Haman’s estate and riches to oversee it.

She desired in his new role, while she lived in the palace, that Mordecai would live in a home that was commensurate with his high office and manage this vast estate at the same time.

Irony fills the book of Esther. We find another instance here because Haman had decreed that the Jews’ property should be confiscated when they were killed, but now, after his execution, Haman’s property was in the possession of the Jews, Esther and Mordecai.

Esther 8:3-8: “And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,

“And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:

“For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

“Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.”

As we come to verse 3, we come to a later time and occasion, but probably not long after the day of Haman’s execution.

We see a tender side of Queen Esther in verse 3. We have seen her strength, dignity, poise, grace, and courage, and now we see her tears. Her tears were for her people.

Her chief concern and care were not for the great wealth she had just acquired; she had a greater concern for her people.

Warren Wiersbe put it well when he wrote, “We need more people like Esther whose burden for condemned people was greater than any other thing in life.” And all those outside of Christ are condemned people and are in danger of eternity in the lake of fire.

The Jews were still in danger under the irreversible edict which called for their destruction in the month Adar. The evil countdown continued, and something needed to be done to counter it.

And so, Esther, of her own accord, appeared before the king a second time unsummoned to intercede for her people without Mordecai challenging her to do so. Although Mordecai, the king’s new chief officer, was present as we see from verse 7.

Esther came to the king with more confidence and less fear for her life than the first time when she did this in chapter 5. But death was still a possibility for the queen even at this second appearance before the king’s throne.

The law still stood that “whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live…” (4:11).

Again, Esther needed the king to extend his royal scepter to pardon her and spare her life. This is further evidence of her sincerity when she declared “If I perish, I perish” (4:16).

The first time Esther appeared before the king unsummoned, she “stood in the inner court,” but here at this second appearance, she “fell down at his feet.”

The first time, Esther spoke with poise and composure, but here, in her anguish, she “besought him with tears.” The first time, Esther waited to approach the king and speak until he extended the golden scepter. The second time, Esther approached the king and started speaking before the king’s scepter was extended.

In her tears, Esther pleaded with the king “to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.” The queen implored the king to reverse the edict that Haman had schemed and created to kill all the Jews.

Although Haman had been executed, his decree was still executable because Persian law could not be altered or canceled.

In verse 4, we see that the king extended his golden scepter to Esther for the second time in the record, a gesture which pardoned and spared her life.

It further showed his approval and acceptance and encouraged her that he was listening and for her to continue presenting her plea. So Esther stood up to continue with her urgent petition.

Esther then heaped up words of courtesy and respect by saying, “If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes.”

She cautiously and skillfully expressed hope that she still enjoyed the king’s favor and was pleasing in his eyes, and she further expressed hope that her petition would please the king and would seem right and good to him.

And Esther’s specific request was “let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces” (v. 5).

Esther wanted a second edict that would override or revoke the first edict, which ordered the annihilation of all Jews in all the provinces.

In this verse, we see Esther being wise and careful not to implicate the king in his part and responsibility with the decree, but instead, she gave Haman the full blame for it.

Again, showing her selfless compassion for her people, and presenting the reason for her emotional plea, she told the king, “For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?”

The king’s response showed Esther that his approval remained towards her.

He addressed both Esther and Mordecai and reminded them, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.”

The king reviewed his gestures of goodwill toward them in executing Haman for his plot to kill their people, the Jews, and then giving Esther the vast and rich estate of Haman.

King Ahasuerus also reminded Esther that it was impossible to cancel or revoke the first edict, and no succeeding edict could repeal a preceding one.

In democratic nations today, such as our own, legislatures can reverse decisions and revoke laws, but this wasn’t the case in the ancient Persian empire.

As the king said in verse 8, “the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.” Thus, Esther’s request that a decree be written to revoke or reverse Haman’s decree was not possible for the king to do.

But the king, in his desire to help Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews then suggested that they write a counter-decree, a new decree “for the Jews, as it liketh you.”

The king told them that with Mordecai being his chief officer and having the king’s signet ring, they had the authority to write any decree they pleased “for the Jews,” or for the Jews’ benefit, which would help the Jews and neutralize Haman’s decree.

An offsetting, counter-acting decree to enable the Jews to survive could be written, and this decree would be just as irreversible and unchangeable as Haman’s decree.

The king gave Esther and Mordecai a royal carte blanche! Showing his trust in them, Ahasuerus told Esther and Mordecai to word it anyway it seemed best to them and to write it “in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring.”

Esther 8:9-14: “Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

“And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:

“Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

“Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

“The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

“So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.”

Mordecai now acts swiftly. Royal scribes were called to write a decree that Mordecai would dictate to them to help the Jews.Verse 9 states that this took place “in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof,” or the 23rd day of the third month Sivan, which roughly corresponds to our May/June.

This was two months and ten days after Haman had written the original decree, on the 13th day of the first month Nisan, which corresponds to our March/April.

This meant that eight months and twenty days remained until the slaughter of the Jews which was to take place on the 13th day of the 12th month Adar, which corresponds to our February/March. There will be a quiz.

The Jews still had eight and a half months to prepare to defend themselves.

Remember that the reason they had such a long warning and preparation time was that, in the first month of the year, Haman had “cast Pur” or lots, to determine which day he should carry out the genocide of the Jews. But by God’s providential working to save His people, the day of destruction fell in the last month of the year.

The decree was written by the scribes, “according to all that Mordecai commanded” and was addressed “unto the Jews” and the governmental officials of every province of Persia, all 127 of them from India to Ethiopia.

It was also translated into all the various languages of the peoples within the empire and verse 9 specifically adds that it was translated into Hebrew for the Jews.

As directed by King Ahasuerus, Mordecai wrote the decree in the king’s name and sealed it with his signet ring.

Then the decree was sent out by the fastest means of transportation at that time to give the Jews plenty of time to prepare to defend themselves.

Verse 10 states that it was sent “by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries,” which means they were carried by couriers on horseback, riding on mules, camels, and royal relay horses.

With great speed, the new decree was carried to the uttermost parts of the empire. Haman’s decree had a two-month head start; thus, it was urgent that word of the counteracting edict be spread through the empire as quickly as possible.

The contents of the decree were as follows: “Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life.”

It granted the Jews the right to organize and assemble to fight for their lives and to defend themselves. Commanding and allowing all the Jews of a province to collect and band themselves together, made them a formidable force.

Scattered separately and individually in various towns and villages, they would have been more easily overpowered. But the decree called for them to band together for their protection.

Haman’s decree had called for those in the kingdom “to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women…and to take the spoil of them for a prey” (3:13).

Mordecai’s counter-decree called for the Jews “to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.”

Thus, the Jews were permitted to fight back and destroy and slay any person or armed force of a province who might attack them and their women and children, and they could plunder the property of their enemies.

The Jews were authorized to do this on the day appointed for their slaughter, “upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar” (v. 12). On that day, both decrees would dramatically clash.

Mordecai’s decree was written by the same scribes, sent to the same rulers in the 127 provinces, in the same languages, sealed with the same signet ring from the king, and sent by the same couriers. But the content of this new decree counteracted Haman’s decree.

The new edict gave royal permission to the Jews to defend themselves and it neutralized the enemy’s former advantage.

It was made known to all of Persia so all the people would be on notice that the Jews would be ready to fight back on the 13th of Adar, and thus hopefully discourage the people from taking action against them, because they would risk their lives in doing so.

The mounted couriers then raced out to deliver the decree to all parts of the kingdom of Persia being hastened on “by the king’s commandment,” because the more time the Jews had to prepare to defend themselves, the better would be their chances.

Esther 8:15-17: “And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

“The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.”

Verse 14 ends with stating that “the decree was given [or issued] at Shushan the palace.” After the decree had been issued and proclaimed in the city, “Mordecai went out from the presence of the king.”

With his new position as second-in-command over all Persia, Mordecai came out of the palace wearing clothes that reflected his authority and befitting his important and high position in the Persian government.

He came walking out of the palace wearing a blue and white robe, which were the Persian royal colors. He had a “great crown of gold” on his head, which was either a large golden band or a large turban, ornamented with gold and jewels. Mordecai also was attired with “a garment of fine linen and purple,” which was the tunic or inner robe.

When Haman’s decree of death for the Jews was issued, Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes (4:1). But now, by the working of God, after his promotion and counteracting decree, he was wearing royal apparel and a golden crown (8:15).

When Haman’s decree went out, “the city Shushan was perplexed” (3:15) and thrown into confusion. But when Mordecai’s decree went out, verse 15 tells us that “the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.”

And when the people of Shushan saw Mordecai, they rejoiced and were glad for him in his new role and for the decree that he had issued.

With Mordecai and Haman, we see the truth of Proverbs 29:2: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

The residents of Shushan were glad, and the Jews were especially glad as verse 16 tells us.

When Haman’s decree went out, understandably, “there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing” (4:3). But because of Mordecai’s decree, “The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.”

Because of this new decree, the Jews were confident of victory and able to rejoice ahead of time. Their dread of impending doom was lifted, the dark cloud that had hung over them was dispelled, and the Jews “had light” and lightness.

Their mourning and weeping was turned into gladness and joy. Haman’s decree dishonored all Jews, but now Mordecai’s decree brought them “honour.”

Not only were the Jews of Shushan rejoicing, but when the decree was delivered and proclaimed, throughout the empire in every province and in every city, verse 17 tells us “the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day.”

Everywhere the decree went, joy followed. Throughout the empire, there was great rejoicing, and the Jews celebrated with “a feast.” And when it says the Jews had “a good day” it means they literally declared a holiday for the occasion.

And interestingly, verse 17 adds, “And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.”

The Jews gained respect and were feared throughout Persia. This fear was due to the dramatic change that had taken place from the decree that ordered the Jews’ annihilation, to the rise to power of Jews in the Persian government, and now a new decree for the benefit and protection of the Jews and God’s hand in it all being obvious to them.

The Gentiles could see that God was with the Jews, and that He was working and caring for them in a remarkable way.

And not wanting to be numbered among their enemies, many Gentiles instead joined themselves to the Jews and became proselytes to the Jews’ religion.

This was God’s purpose from the start for the nation of Israel, for her to be a blessing and a light to the nations to lead them to the living God.