My husband and I just finished a home remodeling project and know the importance of completing the job. Like many things in life, it took longer and cost more than we expected. In the story of Esther, by chapter eight, Haman was dead, but his decree to destroy the Jews continued.
Esther had already risked her life to plead for mercy before the king. She had prepared two banquets and emotionally told the king about the destruction Haman had planned for the Jews. Now, she had to continue to plea for the lives of her people.
Moving in the Right Direction
On the day of Haman’s death, the king had made a move in the right direction to bring justice. Esther 8:1 On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related. 2 The king took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.[1]
But Haman’s decree to destroy the Jews was irrevocable, which is why I think Esther’s plea to the king was so emotional. She was trying to convince the king to go against his own law and had fallen at the king’s feet with tears. Esther 8: 5 Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed. 6 For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?”[2]
Keep Going
The king himself found a solution to the problem of Haman’s decree: a new edict. The king reminded Esther and Mordecai that the first decree must continue to stand. Esther 8: 8 Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”[3]
The king seemed to abdicate responsibility for this edict even as he had for Haman’s decree. It was up to Esther and Mordecai to complete the job of protecting the Jews. They devised an edict that allowed the Jews to defend themselves on the day scheduled for their destruction. One of satan’s favorite tricks is to discourage us, so we give up. We must look to our heavenly Father for strength and endurance. Often, He will give us the solution. But since God often works through His people, we must follow through with His guidance to complete the task. We can look to Esther and Mordecai as models for completing the job. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/a-new-edict
[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.