Esther 7 — Esther Reveals Haman’s Plot and He is Hanged
Esther 8 — Esther Saves the Jews
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
Mordecai goes from sackcloth to royal robes in a short period of time, but the strong character of Mordecai and Esther took a lifetime to create. Esther shows incredible wisdom and patience as she waits for the right time to say the right thing. The banquet begins and Esther waits for the king to ask her for her petition. Her answer (Esther 7:3) is well thought out and phrased to allow the king to act with authority. From mourning to celebration, the story quickly moves from destruction to joy, “For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor” (8:16).
One verse that is interesting (in particular) is “And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.” (8:17). One one hand, it seems the trouble brought forth by Haman’s edict and Mordecai’s new order resulted in an increase in people following God, even if fear seems to rule the day. The details are not provided, but I hope the difficulties endured by the few strong followers of God allowed many more to come into the hope and joy the Lord provides; perhaps the seed was planted for Paul’s missionary journeys to come at a future time when people in these former provinces are reminded of Xerxes, Mordecai and Esther. Hard to know for sure. Sometimes the work in one person’s life is not realized until long after they have passed. The true test is to be faithful in times of great difficulty and in times of great joy, always remembering God is to be honored in all things.