Divine Intervention: Lessons from Esther 8-10

 

DIVINE INTERVENTION: LESSONS FROM ESTHER 8-10

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Esther 8-10 is the concluding section of this captivating historical narrative that reveals God's intervention for the exiled Jewish community in Persia.

God used Esther and Mordecai to lobby the royal corridors of Persia and rescue the Jewish people from imminent extermination by wicked Haman and his agents. 

Haman was earlier executed in Esther 7 when his evil plot was discovered by the king. 

In Esther 8-9, God touched the king and he reversed the edict against the Jewish people and permitted them to avenge against their enemies. The extermination orders sought by wicked Haman were reversed under a new royal decree and Mordecai was elevated to the second highest position in Persia. 

The Jews celebrated their victory and the day Purim was commemorated in Jewish religious calendar as a memorial to God's rescue and preservation of His people. 

MORAL LESSONS 

Here are some of the moral lessons that we can collate from the text:

1. Time is of essence to God. He works through seen and unseen timelines of history to fulfill His purposes for His people. Nothing can be concealed from His divine omniscience no matter what evil prevails in the corridors of power. At God's time, His divine purposes shall be accomplished. 

2. We should never hesitate in presenting or submitting our petitions to God no matter how perilous the circumstances may be. Esther and Mordecai demonstrated outstanding courage, fortitude, and resilience in this context. They stood out for the Jewish people under great risk to their lives. God is prepared to use those who are willing to trust His leading even in the most difficult circumstances in the life of a people, community or nation. 

3. God desires that we exercise moral restraint in our pursuit of justice. The writer of Scripture reveals that the Jews refrained from taking the plunder from their enemies even though they were permitted to do so under a royal decree. This reminds us that there is a limit to our vengeance beyond which God should have His way. We ought therefore to moderate our anger and allow God to tamper it with His healing grace. God has divine ways of dealing with our enemies. He proclaims in Deuteronomy 32:41: "I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me." (cf. Hebrews 10:30). 

4. No matter how wicked a state system or organization may be, God can influence its affairs through the corridors of power to fulfill His divine purposes for His people. No nation or community is beyond God's divine influence. Joseph was a stranger in Egypt yet God's divine hand weaved through the royal courts and lift him from a dungeon to state power and privilege. 

5. Believers are God's divine agents in this evil world. God seeks to use us to influence the affairs of our societies of context. Esther and Mordecai are examples of ordinary folk that God used to bring divine relief to His people. Daniel and his three friends were also used by God to convey His moral standards in a heathen society. They were subjected to unspeakable pain and affliction but God rescued them through glorious intervention (Daniel 3, 6). 

Are you prepared to stand out for God's divine standards in a dark evil world that is steeped in moral apostasy? 

6. The wicked will be punished at God's appointed time. No matter how long it takes, God's justice will be finally served on the wicked (cf. Revelation 20:11-15). 

7. Our battles are God's. Our victory celebrations or commemorations should glorify God, not us. 2 Chronicles 20:17 says in part, "...stand still and see the salvation of the LORD...". 

We should celebrate God's interventions in our lives, no matter how great or small they may appear before the eyes of men. The Jews celebrated God's faithfulness in Persia (Esther 9:18-32). The Feast of Purim is a reminder of God's faithfulness in rescuing the Jews from racial genocide. It also marked the decimation of the enemies of God's people. It is a constant reminder of God's intervention in our lives when the chains of darkness were broken in Christ and we received our redemption from sinful condemnation.  

8. Even though God is not directly mentioned in the entire Book of Esther, His divine influence is profoundly asserted at every stage of the narrative. Do you sense the presence and leading of God in your life? 

CONCLUSION 

Have you witnessed God's miraculous intervention in a perilous situation in your life? What was your response to God's gracious intervention at the time? 

Are you possibly going though a trying moment in your life? Do you feel overwhelmed and that God is far from you? Are you afraid of the unknown future because of the difficult circumstances you are undergoing? Take courage and wait upon Him. Our God, the God of Esther and Mordecai is faithful. He will surely come for you at His appointed time. Our help comes from the LORD (Psalm 121). 

Shalom.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024