Esther: Silent but Sovereignনমুনা

‘… weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning’ (Ps. 30:5). 

Haman’s law could not be reversed. But God moved King Xerxes’ heart so that he allowed Esther and Mordecai to write another law that would offer the Jews protection from its effects. 

Mordecai’s law granted the Jews in every city in the kingdom the right to assemble and protect themselves on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month; the day that was scheduled for their destruction (v. 12). The edict permitted them to destroy and kill any armed force of any nationality that might attack them and also allowed them to ‘plunder the property of their enemies’ (v. 11). This command was taken to the Jews in every province by mounted couriers who rode especially fast horses. We’re told they went out ‘spurred on by the king’s command’ (v. 14). 

Why was the edict delivered so quickly? For two months the Jews had been living with the threat of impending destruction weighing heavily on their hearts. The speed with which the edict was communicated is proof that Xerxes’ heart had been softened. He was eager to let them know immediately of their salvation. The same king that had hastily signed an edict permitting genocide against the Jews was swift to provide a way of escape for them. 

Unlike Haman’s law, this wasn’t a cruel and vengeful edict. Mordecai wasn’t permitting murder inspired by hatred but rather self-defense in the face of attack. And this self-defense was only permitted on the day that the Jews were likely to be attacked by their enemies: the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. It’s likely that once this edict was made public, along with news of Haman’s hanging, at least some enemies of the Jews would have been less inclined to proceed with their own planned attacks. 

Xerxes hadn’t been able to reverse Haman’s law, but he provided a way to prevent it from being effective. He allowed the Jews to protect themselves against attack and even kill anyone who might attack them. He also gave them nine months in which to prepare their defense. 

Augustine said, ‘God judged it better to bring good out of evil than not to permit any evil to exist.’ (St Augustine, Handbook on Faith, Hope and Love) The Jews may have questioned why God allowed them to experience such overwhelming fear and despair for two months if His purpose was always to spare them from destruction. We may question why God allows us to face desperation and grief that seems unnecessarily painful or cruel. We need to learn to trust that He has purposes that can only be accomplished through our experiences of suffering. We need to believe that our temporary troubles result in the glory that far outweighs them all (2 Cor. 4:17).

Reflection

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7–18. What benefits does Paul say result from the Christian’s suffering?