Bible Devotion

Meditative Reflection
An Inflated Ego

“But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” (Est. 5:13)

Haman was not a person of substance; in fact he lacked self-confidence. He persistently sought after praise from others, to the point that it became the basis of his identity. In order to earn the praise of his countrymen, he was vile enough to vent his hatred against the entire race of Israel because of Mordecai, one who refused to bow before him. Such a man without substance would easily be influenced by his peers; especially when he was showered with praises, his ego would be greatly inflated. As a result, when he was invited by the queen to attend her banquet, he thought so highly of himself that he could not bear the thought of anyone daring to disrespect him. All the wealth and power he had could not truly bring him satisfaction; only the death of Mordecai could. This proved how empty he was as a person (Eccl. 7:6).

Perhaps, we too should examine ourselves in light of the folly of Haman: Are we as empty as he was inside? As we covet the praises of others, have we built our identity on men’s praises?

Meditative Reflection
God is in Absolute Control

“Go at once…Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have commended.” (Est. 6:10)

Haman appeared to have gone very early in the morning to see the king, with the intent of hanging Mordecai on the gallows that he had built. However, by providence the situation was completely turned around. The one who ended up receiving the highest possible honor by the king was Mordecai, and Haman had to honor Mordecai and act as his escort. What a huge, public humiliation he had to endure in front of all his people.

It is interesting to read that all this happened because of the insomnia of the king one night. The accidental reading of the king’s chronicles reminded him of Mordecai’s previous act of saving his life which had gone unrewarded for some five years. All this then led to the deliverance of the entire race of Jews. One wonders how all this could be accidental.

The Bible makes it very clear that all things work for the good of all who love God (Rom. 8:28), and none of the above was accidental. As much as the name of God was never mentioned in the book, the hand of God was more than obvious throughout the development of these events. Although God did use other nations to punish the sins of His people, He remains their faithful God who pledges to be their God and to protect them (Exod. 17).

The core message of the book of Esther is that God is in absolute control of the lives of His people. Sometimes God acts through miraculous deeds like the parting of the Red Sea; at other times, He acts through ordinary men and everyday life events to accomplish His will and to honor His promise. In fact, if we care to look back in life, we will definitely recognize His hand in our lives. We too belong to God and He is absolutely in control over our lives, every minute of every day.

Meditative Reflection
Digging One’s Own Grave

“If I have found favor with you, O King and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.” (Est. 7:3)

If Esther wanted to save the entire race of her people, she had no choice but to disclose her ethnic identity; and she also had to worry about how to help the king save “face” since he did put his signet ring to the original edict to eradicate the Jews. If the king chose to annul his original edict, he would not only lose face, but according to the laws of Persia and Mede, it would be impossible.

As a result, Esther was counting on the love of the king for her and her beauty, plus the providential elevation of her uncle Mordecai by the king. However, it did put the king in a dilemma. His retreat into the royal garden was likely a time for him to assess the pros and cons and how to resolve this dilemma. This, as it happened, also created a situation that caused Haman to act inappropriately towards the queen out of his desperation. The result was the hanging of Haman by the king on the gallows intended for Mordecai. Haman, indeed, had dug his own grave.

Proverbs and the Psalms are full of such warnings to the wicked, like Psalm 7:15-16: “He who digs a hole and scoops it out, falls into the pit he had made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.”

Meditative Reflection
The Providence of God

“The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies.” (Est. 8:11)

As we read the rest of the story in Esther, we come to see that Mordecai and Haman basically exchanged places with each other!

Through Esther, Mordecai took over the administration of Haman’s estate; he succeeded Haman in power and received the signet ring from the king which formerly belonged to Haman. Even the two edicts were very similar in contents. While the former gave the Persians the right to kill the Jews and plunder them, the latter gave the Jews the right to defend themselves by killing their enemies and also the right to plunder them as well.

Scholars in general see the Providence of God in this story. In Exodus, we read that the Lord made the Amalekites enemies of Israel “from generation to generation” (Exod. 17:16). The Lord also commanded Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites, including women and children and all their livestock (1 Sam. 15:3). It was the disobedience of Saul that allowed the Amalekites to survive as a people and continue to be a pest to Israel. One commentator puts it as follows: Whether Haman did it consciously or not, he did attempt to reverse the fate of the Amalekites so pronounced by the Lord, and tried to turn the tables on the Jews. But the edict through Mordecai defeated such an attempt and in essence, reinforced the will of God in declaring war on Israel’s enemies.

The story of Esther serves to affirm the everlasting providence of God. Despite the following, the story took place as ancient history: The name of God was never mentioned in the book; there was no ground-shaking miracle; and it happened at a time when the people of God were in exile; — yet God’s protection endures forever. God remains the everlasting, faithful God of Covenant.

Today, through Christ, God has entered into a new covenant with us and He has called us to be His people, giving us His promised Kingdom. At the same time, He has called us to be the light and salt of this earth for His sake, desiring that we will be steadfast in our faith and be the witness of His gospel. Irrespective of persecution and our own failures, we can also count on His protection and that He will remain the everlasting, faithful God of this new covenant in Christ.

Meditative Reflection
A Holy War

“On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On that day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.” (Est. 9:1)

On the thirteenth day of Adar, the Jews were able to defend themselves against their enemies, and it was not just a war, but a holy war — an extension of God’s command to Saul in 1 Samuel 15. As such, Esther and her people carried out this warfare in a rather unusual manner which included:

- The killing of only those enemies who hated them which would include those of Haman’s Amalekite origin. In other words, they were to finish the job left unfinished by Saul, at least within the Persian empire.

- Unlike Saul, they did not plunder the properties of their enemies which, according to Joshua 6:20-24, belonged to the Lord. Saul and his people coveted the plunder, but Esther’s people rose above the desire to revenge, but only defended themselves by killing their enemies, without coveting anything that belonged to them.

- Esther also requested the king’s permission to extend the killing in Susa itself for an extra day, presumably for the sake of rounding up all ten sons of Haman and having them hung on the gallows — a public sign of total victory over their enemies.

Although the idea of a Holy War is very foreign to the modern mind, some of the principles demonstrated by Esther and her people are worth noting, since we are involved in daily spiritual warfare as Christians. The principle of not laying hands on the plunder should remind us that we, too, take no plunder as we serve the Lord — the praise and honor associated with ministry belong only to the Lord.

Meditative Reflection
The Feast of Purim

 “(Therefore these days were called Purim from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants, and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed.” (Est. 9:26-27)

The Feast of Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from the hand of Haman, the turning of death and sorrow into life and joy for the entire race. “Pūr” refers to the lots being drawn by Haman before his gods to decide on the best time for the killing of the Jews. However, as it turned out, it was the Lord who actually decided on the fate of His people and was totally in control even of the lot which gave the time frame within which all the related events had to unfold. In their proper sequence, God's deliverance of His people was accomplished perfectly. In a way, the Feast of Purim resembles both the Passover Feast and Easter, although its deliverance cannot be compared to what Christ has accomplished on Easter. Still, the Feast of Purim serves to remind us today of the following:

1. The faithfulness of God: Even though the Jews were under the punishment of God as they lived in exile in a faraway land, they were never too far from the reach of the hand of God. They were still the people of His covenant — a covenant that He had established with their father, Abraham. As God’s chosen through Christ, we too can rest assured that we are never too far from the reach of our faithful God as well.

2. The Feast of Purim is a time to “remember” God’s deliverance. We have been saved to eternal salvation through the sacrifice of the Son of God. How much more should we spend time to “remember” often God’s salvation in Jesus Christ, not just during Christmas and Easter, but during our time of observing the Lord’s Supper. Let’s make our “remembrance” a part of our Christian life.

Meditative Reflection
The Victory of the Cross

“King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.” (Est. 10:1)

The Feast of Purim is meant to be a time of rest, as the people of God overpowered evil and death and enjoyed rest. However, the Purim rest was a temporary one, because Xerxes would continue on his ruthless course, plundering his people for his own extravagance; and the exalted position of Mordecai would only secure, at most, a reprieve for the Jews in his life-time.

True and lasting rest really does not depend on any human ruler, no matter how wise he might be, but on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This story of Esther aptly symbolizes this rest that we now can find in Jesus Christ. The fates of Haman and Mordecai can be likened to the death and resurrection of Christ — just as the death of Jesus on the cross appeared to signify to the world at the time, the defeat of God (just as Haman seemed to have succeeded in potentially wiping out the Jews), but it is precisely the way designed by God to destroy His enemy, turning what appears to be a sure defeat into a complete victory, because Christ rose from the dead. Therefore, the story of Esther powerfully symbolizes that victory and rest that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.