And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Esther 8
The exciting narrative of Esther continues today but first let me recap chapter seven’s events. In chapter 7 Haman’s evil plot against the Jewish people was finally revealed to the king and he was hanged on gallows he had built to kill his enemy Mordecai. Chapter 8 begins there. Verses 1-2 read,
On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
The reward Esther and Mordecai each received was very nice. Haman had been very wealthy and his estate now belonged to Esther. He had been very powerful and now his power and position belonged to Mordecai. God gives us these things too. He has limitless riches and treasures and He showers them down on us. 2 Corinthians 8:9 reads,
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Believers do not need to seek money, we trust in God’s provision. We trust that our fellow believers trust Him as well and we are generous with one another. When we have, we give; when we need, we receive. Haman spent his time on earth seeking money not righteousness. He hated and used his money for hate. Esther spent her time seeking justice, seeking God. She loved and God blessed her. 2 Corinthians 8:14-15 says it this way,
your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
Like the king gave Mordecai his signet ring which allowed Mordecai to act and proclaim in the king’s name, The Lord gives us authority to pray and speak in His name. The signet ring is the king’s seal. It declared that Mordecai belonged to the king and spoke with his authority. We have the Lord Himself as our seal, The Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:19-22 says it like this,
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
To speak and act in Jesus’ name means we act in accordance with His will and whatever we do or say as His representative, in His name will be done. In John 14:12-15Jesus said it this way,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Haman used the signet ring for his own will. But it was not meant for his will, his glory, or his exaltation. It was meant to allow him to carry out the king’s will. The Holy Spirit indwells us, not so we can exalt ourselves and give ourselves glory but to glorify The Lord God, King of kings.
But the problem still remained. The day was quickly approaching when the people in King Ahasuerus’ 127 provinces would rise up and attack the Jews as they had been ordered to do by Haman’s edict. While Haman had made decisions and then told the king, Mordecai and Esther would not abuse the power and position they had in that way. Verses 3-8 read,
Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, 5 Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.”
Esther did not assume her will was also the king’s will. She entreated him, she let him know her will but asked for his. Mordecai had the signet ring, he could have written any edict he chose but he knew who the king was and where his power came from and so he waited for the king to make his command. The king gave Mordecai permission to write the proclamation required to save the Jews from annihilation. Verses 9-14 continue,
The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud, 11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, 12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
The proclamation of the king’s will, his commandments do no good if the people are not told. So once the decree was written, it was translated into the many languages of the people of the provinces and then taken out to each and every province, announced and placed where it could be read. You and I are the kings and queens of God our King of kings. We know His will that all people come to know Him (2 Peter 3:9). We can’t keep it to ourselves. We carry out His will, go out and tell them. We’ve been given the commission (the command, charge, and authority) to go out and tell the whole world. Jesus said it just before He ascended to Heaven in Matthew 28:18-20
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mordecai and Esther wanted salvation from Haman’s evil plot for the Jewish people. They asked the king who wanted the same thing because he loved Esther. As servants of The Lord, we want what He wants and we will find that often what we want is also what God wants for us. I want nothing more than the people I love as well as people the world over to know God and be saved from Satan’s evil scheme. In God’s great mercy, He made the way for that Salvation through Jesus Christ. In His great wisdom, He gave us the ability to carry out His redemption through The Holy Spirit. He lifted us up and gave us honor, made us kings and queens and gave us His authority for His will. What an honor, what a reason to celebrate. Have you celebrated the salvation you’ve received today? The joy you exclaim speaks volumes about the Lord. Verses 15-17 read,
Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
Believer, do you understand the privilege and honor God has given you? He has made you royalty. He has saved you and given you His Seal. He has empowered you to carry out His will. When He declared you His own and laid His sword on your heart, He did so in order for you to be able to take action. You can’t do that if you stay in your pew, in your closet, or under your bed. You do that by riding through the streets wearing your royal robes, rejoicing in God’s goodness, and proclaiming His love and salvation to the world.
The exciting narrative of Esther continues today but first let me recap chapter seven’s events. In chapter 7 Haman’s evil plot against the Jewish people was finally revealed to the king and he was hanged on gallows he had built to kill his enemy Mordecai. Chapter 8 begins there. Verses 1-2 read,
On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
The reward Esther and Mordecai each received was very nice. Haman had been very wealthy and his estate now belonged to Esther. He had been very powerful and now his power and position belonged to Mordecai. God gives us these things too. He has limitless riches and treasures and He showers them down on us. 2 Corinthians 8:9 reads,
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Believers do not need to seek money, we trust in God’s provision. We trust that our fellow believers trust Him as well and we are generous with one another. When we have, we give; when we need, we receive. Haman spent his time on earth seeking money not righteousness. He hated and used his money for hate. Esther spent her time seeking justice, seeking God. She loved and God blessed her. 2 Corinthians 8:14-15 says it this way,
your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
Like the king gave Mordecai his signet ring which allowed Mordecai to act and proclaim in the king’s name, The Lord gives us authority to pray and speak in His name. The signet ring is the king’s seal. It declared that Mordecai belonged to the king and spoke with his authority. We have the Lord Himself as our seal, The Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:19-22 says it like this,
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
To speak and act in Jesus’ name means we act in accordance with His will and whatever we do or say as His representative, in His name will be done. In John 14:12-15Jesus said it this way,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Haman used the signet ring for his own will. But it was not meant for his will, his glory, or his exaltation. It was meant to allow him to carry out the king’s will. The Holy Spirit indwells us, not so we can exalt ourselves and give ourselves glory but to glorify The Lord God, King of kings.
But the problem still remained. The day was quickly approaching when the people in King Ahasuerus’ 127 provinces would rise up and attack the Jews as they had been ordered to do by Haman’s edict. While Haman had made decisions and then told the king, Mordecai and Esther would not abuse the power and position they had in that way. Verses 3-8 read,
Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, 5 Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.”
Esther did not assume her will was also the king’s will. She entreated him, she let him know her will but asked for his. Mordecai had the signet ring, he could have written any edict he chose but he knew who the king was and where his power came from and so he waited for the king to make his command. The king gave Mordecai permission to write the proclamation required to save the Jews from annihilation. Verses 9-14 continue,
The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud, 11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, 12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
The proclamation of the king’s will, his commandments do no good if the people are not told. So once the decree was written, it was translated into the many languages of the people of the provinces and then taken out to each and every province, announced and placed where it could be read. You and I are the kings and queens of God our King of kings. We know His will that all people come to know Him (2 Peter 3:9). We can’t keep it to ourselves. We carry out His will, go out and tell them. We’ve been given the commission (the command, charge, and authority) to go out and tell the whole world. Jesus said it just before He ascended to Heaven in Matthew 28:18-20
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mordecai and Esther wanted salvation from Haman’s evil plot for the Jewish people. They asked the king who wanted the same thing because he loved Esther. As servants of The Lord, we want what He wants and we will find that often what we want is also what God wants for us. I want nothing more than the people I love as well as people the world over to know God and be saved from Satan’s evil scheme. In God’s great mercy, He made the way for that Salvation through Jesus Christ. In His great wisdom, He gave us the ability to carry out His redemption through The Holy Spirit. He lifted us up and gave us honor, made us kings and queens and gave us His authority for His will. What an honor, what a reason to celebrate. Have you celebrated the salvation you’ve received today? The joy you exclaim speaks volumes about the Lord. Verses 15-17 read,
Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
Believer, do you understand the privilege and honor God has given you? He has made you royalty. He has saved you and given you His Seal. He has empowered you to carry out His will. When He declared you His own and laid His sword on your heart, He did so in order for you to be able to take action. You can’t do that if you stay in your pew, in your closet, or under your bed. You do that by riding through the streets wearing your royal robes, rejoicing in God’s goodness, and proclaiming His love and salvation to the world.
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