Takeaways:
– With God, No Matter Who You Are, You Have A Place In This World
– Your Dream Will Become a Reality one Day
– A Time of Decision
– The Need For Spiritual Exercise
– Do You Have the Will?
– The Need For Diplomacy
– God Can Use Your Haters to Promote You
– The Payoff Day
Teaser:
Until you become like Esther, and find people like her in your life, it may not be easy for you to reach your full potential, because it takes courage to be willing to do the unimaginable; and for someone to become somebody— It is very important that you associate yourself with people who are not selfish and make sure you are not selfish either, if you want to reach your full potential in life.
—But we learn here also about the truthfulness of old saying, “where there is a will, there is a way”; which means if we have the will and determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it. There is no mountain or problem you can’t overcome while moving forward towards your dream. It may look like it, but if you really want to fulfill that dream, you would search and sacrifice to find a way to get it done.
Don’t get discouraged. Press on, help is on the way. Keep looking, keep knocking, keep calling, keep applying, and keep asking; for it will happen one day. The Bible says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7: 7, NIV).
ESTHER: Where There Is A Will, There Is A way
I would usually joke that Christian men see themselves through Moses, Joseph, and David… And Christian women see themselves through Esther, Ruth, and Deborah… But whether you are a man or woman, there are many lessons and characters you can learn from the aforementioned heroes.
I want us to examine a very important character in Eshter that we often don’t see when we are admiring and talking about her today. But before we get to the point, allow me to recount where Esther started from.
Surely, you have heard the old saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way”. Before we go to our point, let us talk a little about Esther, one of the most intriguing women of purpose and destiny in the Bible who became the Queen of Persia in 478 BC, and saved the Jews from massacre in 473 BC.
The Book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible reports the story of how a young orphaned girl rose from being a former slave, prisoner-exile to become Queen of Persia. Her original name was Hadassah, which means myrtle, and myrtle is a common evergreen bushy shrub used for its violet flowers and for making perfume. This young orphaned girl later became known as Esther, which means a star from the Persian word satarah.
The family of Esther was among the Jews who have been taken into captivity after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon conquered and subdued the southern kingdom of Judah, constituted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. After the Babylonian empire was itself conquered by the Persians under Cyrus the Great (Ancient Empires – Persia), the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem, Israel.
Esther lost her father and mother at a young age and was raised by her older cousin, Mordecai, who worked in the palace of the king of Persia (Esther 2:5-7). Considering historical accounts, the adoptive family of Esther did not make use of the amnesty or permission granted by Cyrus for the exiles to return to Jerusalem.
The Bible narrates, during the reign of Xerxes, the king of Persia and Media who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: And he reigned from his royal throne in the citadel (castle) of Susa, and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa.
Vashi who was the Queen also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him– to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was very beautiful. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times and were closest to the king– the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom; and asked them advice on what to do according to the laws of the empire. Then Memucan, one of the wise men replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord. “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast kingdom, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.” The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memucan proposed. He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own writing and to each people in its own language, proclaiming in each people’s tongue that every man should be ruler over his own household.
With God, No Matter Who You Are, You Have A Place In This World
The Bible continues the account, later when the anger of King had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. Then the king’s personal attendants proposed to the king that a search be done for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. The Bible says, the king was pleased with the advice, and executed it.
Then, the Bible says this girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. The girl pleased him and won his favor. When God’s favor is upon your life, people would favor you and help you to reach your destiny. The Bible says, immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. And Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. This’ a good cousin indeed; just trying to make sure all is well with Esther, his younger or little cousin.
The Bible says, before a girl’s turn came to go in to the King, she had to complete twelve months or one (1) year of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem.
When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. Now, note that Esther was wise enough to know that Hegai being around the king knows what the king may like and followed his advices; and eventually Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence, and the king was attracted to her more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. And the king set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
The king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. And that is how Esther’s dream became a reality — She became Queen of Persia.
Your Dream Will Become a Reality one Day
I can image the tears running down the cheeks of Esther in private or public. I can image the sense of purpose and destiny she felt at that moment. I can imagine how proud Mordecai felt, the sense of fulfillment that his goodwill and God-fearing character which enabled him to take and raise his younger cousin. But, the story did not end here. Esther’s dream, purpose and destiny had just begun, and God would use her for greater things when she would prove herself courageous, decisive, determined and active to go through what it takes to fulfill a purpose and destiny.
You see, God put you where you are right now in life for a reason. God gave you the dream or vision you have for a reason; and if you fail to accomplish your dream, you may terribly regret it, because sometimes is not just about you – but the millions of souls or people who would have benefited from the realization of your dreams. When you are about to quit, remind yourself what life would be not just for you, but also for the people that can be positively or negatively affected by the accomplishment or failure of your dream. No matter who you are, there is a reason for your existence and position. There is a place for you in your marriage, career, family, community, country and this world. You may not be who and where everybody else is, but you surely have a place that you alone can fill in.
A Time of Decision
After these events, King Xerxes honored one of his officials named Haman, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai, the elder cousin and adoptive father of Esther who became the Queen would not kneel down or pay him honor — I believe for Biblical reasons. Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore, they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Moreover, having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he planned not only to kill him alone, but all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom. Is very notable that the enemy or the devil sometimes would come after your wife or husband, children, job, family, relatives and even nation or people just because of you, in an attempt to prevent you, and who/ what you are meant to be or accomplish in this world. We might talk about this later.
As you know, there are people almost everywhere who abuse their official power or position. And that was the case with Haman. So he said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.” Note, at times the evil doings of some leaders are direct advices they take from their wicked advisors without thinking it through to make sure it’s the right thing to do. And if you are a leader, do yourself a favor by carefully analyzing the advices you take from your advisors before executing them. Because sometimes they just want to satisfy their ego or want to please you for gainful reasons. So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman, the enemy of the Jews. “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”
When your enemies are planning things you do not even know, rest assured God knows and He’s also planning on your behalf. So on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the writing of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews — young and old, women and little children — on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day. Spurred on by the king’s command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in total confusion.
When Mordecai, learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. When Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and aked him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to urge her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. Note Esther’s statement, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life”. However, that is exactly what she would do. There came courage, the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. And that helps you to control your emotions, and not panic. It helps think right, and take the right action at the right time; and go all the way to the end in spite of fear.
The Need For Spiritual Exercise
The Bible says when Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. She instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Mordecai left and carried out all the instructions of Esther. Esther understood the importance of the spiritual. She knew before she can ever carry out her assignment and fulfilled her mission; she needed spiritual guidance and empowerment, so requested her adoptive father to tell the Jews to fast and pray as she would do the same with her servants. Remember we said in the beginning of our discussion, it takes the supernatural to overcome the natural impossibility in life. If your dream is from God, only Him can help you overcome the obstacles of impossibilities on your way to achievement. Therefore, learn and exercise the spiritual disciplines, including praying, fasting and the reading of the immutable Word of God to prepare yourself and overcome obstacles in life.
Do You Have the Will?
There are so many things to learn from Esther’s story, but let’s just stay right now with what we need out of the many lessons so that we can stay on course. Here, it is very clear that Esther probably could survive the massacre if she still had not told the king or anyone about her nationality as the Bible recalls it. But we see how she stepped out of her comfort and selfishness and even risked her own life for the sake of his family and people. Legally and naturally, according to the laws of the kingdom, she has no way to deliver his people; but she would surely find a way because of her willingness.
Until you become like Esther, and find people like her in your life, it may not be easy for you to reach your full potential, because it takes courage to be willing to do the unimaginable; and someone to become somebody. And if you are not like Esther, people around you cannot reach their full potential, because you may be looking for your own interest to the highest degree and ignore how you may help them to become like you and even more than you or who God created them to be, and do what He created them to do. It is very important that you associate yourself with people who are not selfish and make sure you are not selfish either, if you want to reach your full potential in life. By the grace of God, unselfish people are the ones who would show you the way and tell you the truth about who you can become and what you can do with your life in this world.
The Need For Diplomacy
So, let us go to the rest of the story, the Bible says on the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.” “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.” “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”
Precious one, you need divine wisdom and intelligence to know when, where, how and what to ask respectively or orderly and not destroy or abort the accomplishment or realization of the expected end or goal. Asking the right thing at the wrong moment, at the wrong place, and the wrong way can damage the success of it being granted and fulfilled. Esther knew what she wanted, but with wisdom and intelligence, she know the right way, when and how to ask that.
So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.” Note, the king asked Esther to make her request, but she has laid down another plan to make her request in the right place and at the right time. At times, if you are not careful, you may say or do the right thing at the wrong place. Keep in mind that the wrong place can negatively impact the right thing you may say or do to favor your dream, purpose and destiny; especially if you are asking a favor from somebody, make sure you are asking the right thing at the right place and at the right time or else, you would ruin your right or good request. In addition, learn how to give the person enough time for the request to grow into grant. Don’t force it. And Esther did not want to make that mistake. This can be seen as diplomacy, the ability or skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility.
The Bible reports, Haman went out that day happy and in high spirit. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, he boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. “And that’s not all,” he added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king again for tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”
His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built.
God Can Use Your Haters to Promote You
The Bible says that night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, and who had conspired to assassinate him. Then the king asked, “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” The attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him”. The king said, “Who is in the court?” At the same time Haman was also working on how to exercise the evil idea his wife and friends suggested to him. He entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him. Then the king’s attendants told him, “Haman is standing in the court.” He ordered to bring him in.
When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” The Bible says when the king asked this question, Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”
At the hearing of his advice while he thought he was the one the king would honor, the king ordered him, “Go immediately to get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.” So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” The message here is that when God wants to honor and promote you, He can even use your haters to do it unknowingly or knowingly like in this case. There was Haman who hated Mordecai to death robbing and leading him (his enemy Mordecai) with the robe and horse of the king. See how God can turn things around in your life? Amazing !!!
The Bible says afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home very ashamed with his head covered in grief, and told his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him–you will surely come to ruin!” Did I just hear Haman’s wife and friends loud and clear? “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him–you will surely come to ruin!” Oh, yes! The Bible says, The Bible says, “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord” (Isaiah 54: 17, NIV).
While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.
You see, the wife is getting it now, she’s understanding that a fight against a Jew or a child of God is a fight against God Himself. Whoever is fighting against God would surely come to ruin.
The message here is very clear: Sometimes God can use even your enemies to promote and honor you, and help you fulfill your dreams. Keep in mind that the devil’s attacks against you can only make you stronger, wiser and closer to your dreams and vision. In addition, if you are of God and your dreams are from Him, no one can stop them. As Christian, you are not supposed to have an enemy, but the truth is, even though you try not to have one, somebody would make you one; I mean someone will make you an enemy. Somebody would have something against you. If you are a dreamer, keep in mind that not everybody will love you anyway. But just pray and love them anyway. It cost nothing to love those who love you in return, but it takes courage and discipline to love your haters or enemies.
The Payoff Day
The Bible continues the account, so the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther, the adoptive daughter of his enemy Mordecai, and as they were drinking wine on that second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life — this is my petition. And spare my people — this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” The King authoritatively asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?” Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman.”
Using the right words in diplomacy or conducting the affairs of your life is very important because if you don’t use the right words they could be misinterpreted and damage your efforts. Think about the words and phrase Esther used to get her point across to the king—”If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life — this is my petition”. (Esther 7: 3)
Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” The king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.
Beloved, Haman was hanged on the very gallows he made to hang the innocent Mordecai and expected the destruction of the Jewish race. It is never easy to wait for the end of struggles you are in as you pursue your dreams in life. But rest assured that God will take care of them one by one. God will use the very problems you are facing now as stepping stones to take you to the next level of victory and success in life.
God continued to fight for the Jewish people, and the Bible says, that the same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate. Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman, which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it is the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?” The King replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to you, and they have hanged him on the gallows.
The Old Saying: “Where There Is A Will, There Is A way”
The Bible says, the king commanded, “Now write another decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring–for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.” At once the royal secretaries were summoned–on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script or writing of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script or writing and language. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king. The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies.
The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the kingdom was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. The couriers, riding the royal horses, raced out, spurred on by the king’s command. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa. Mordecai left the king’s presence wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
People like allying with a winner; and if you want people to be on your side just be a winner. And if you want to be a winner, be on God’s side.
From an understanding in the report, the first written edict of the king could not be reversed because once the king signs an edict into law, he could not change it — and that was the law. But we learn here also about the truthfulness of old saying, “where there is a will, there is a way”; which means if we have the will and determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it. There is no mountain or problem you can’t overcome while moving forward towards your dream. It may look like it, but if you really want to fulfill that dream, you would search and sacrifice to find a way to get it done. The people who can help you may abandon you, the bank can deny you the loan, the school can put you out for non-payment of tuition, your transportation can break down, you may not have a place for the dream; but if you have the WILL, you would surely find the way. It may not come when, where and how you want or expect it, but rest assured it will come any way by the grace of God. He will position someone, He will send somebody, He will open a door somewhere for your dream to come to pass.
Don’t get discouraged. Press on, help is on the way. Keep looking, keep knocking, keep calling, keep applying, and keep asking; for it will happen one day. The Bible says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7: 7, NIV).
Now here comes the day of battle, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. To commemorate that deliverance, the Jews began the festival of Purim (Esther 9:18-32), which is still observed to this day.
The Dream of God
There is virtually no doubt that Esther was directly chosen by God to avert the destruction of the children of Israel and used her to protect his dream of sending the Lord Jesus Christ through the very blood line of the survivors of this massacre in Babylon (Matthew 1: 1-17). Again, remember, when God gives you a dream or a vision, is not just for your sake, but for the sake of others who are not even yet born as well. Esther made it happen because she was courageous, decisive, determined and active enough to find a way to get it done.
When problems or challenges cut you off guard in life, instead of giving up and wait for the ultimate evil to happen to you, rise up and fight till the end. Do the best you can to reverse it and if God decides otherwise, you would know at least you have done your best and fought the good fight.
Let’s consider this story: one day, a farmer’s donkey accidentally fell into a well. The animal cried out miserably for hours while the owner desperately tried to rescue it. Unfortunately, out of discouragement, he finally decided that his donkey was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, therefore it wasn’t worth it to recover the donkey from the well.
He regrettably invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all came with a shovel and begin to shovel dirt into the well to cover it up as that was the only solution they could think of. In the beginning, when the first shovels of dirt hit the donkey, it realized that they were trying to bury it alive in the well and the donkey cried out more atrociously.
Then, amazingly, the donkey quieted down as they continued filling the well with dirt. Few moments later, the farmer finally looked down into the well and couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. With every shovel of dirt that fell on it’s back, the donkey was doing something unimaginable: the donkey would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, it would shake it off and take a step up. In another word, while they thought they were burying the donkey, it was using the dirt to rise up progressively. Sure enough, few hours later at the astonishment of everyone, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and totted off happily.
You see, when you find yourself in problems in life, don’t be discourage to the extend that you completely lost hope and don’t think right in order to exploit or use your problems to get to the next level in life. Problems come in your life to destroy you, but you have to know how to use them to get where you are going in life. The owner of the donkey and his neighbors thought they were burying it, but the donkey used their negative solution to find an answer to the dilemma. It used the dirt to get out of the problem. When you find yourself in some troubles in life, take the time to think about the right thing to do and God may give you an idea to use the problem to solve itself.
Willie Yeboah
To be continued.
