“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” Esther 9: 20-22 (NIV)
In his Bible commentary, Warren Wiersbe sums up the end of the Book of Esther this way: “From Victims to Victors — In which the good news of a new law brings hope and joy.”
That’s an Old Testament passage with a New Testament message.
Esther, minding her own business one day, was summoned to the king’s palace and, through God’s providence, became the Jewish queen of Persia. She and her cousin Mordecai, quietly and faithfully obeying God, used tact, patience, and wisdom to save the Jewish people from extermination.
After winning the favor of King Xerxes and exposing the plan of the evil Haman, Esther and Mordecai still had work to do: the edict from Xerxes to have all the Jews killed could not be overturned; however, it could be altered. Esther, breathtakingly beautiful with wealth and privilege and security, could have shut down the whole operation. Mordecai, now greatly favored by the king, could have too. They didn’t. “The most important thing in life was not her comfort but (the Jews’) deliverance,” Wiersbe writes of Esther.
So the pair kept working until the job was finished and the Jews delivered.
- B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance more than 150 years ago, said,“The safe place lies in obedience to God’s Word, singleness of heart, and holy vigilance.”The teamwork of Esther and Mordecai illustrates that.
It would be a long time down the road, but another Jew would, in the fullness of time, show up in the Holy Land to save not only the Jews but the Gentiles too. He would bring a new law of hope and joy. Not only did He bring good news, He was — and remains — the good news. Christ receiveth sinful men.
“Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” Esther 10:3 (NIV)
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth of a five-part series of Teddy Allen columns about Esther and lessons that can be learned.)
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
