Esther 8:9 – “Unimportant?”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁹And the scribes of the king were called in the time of the that in the month of the third, it [was] the month of Sivan in the third and twentieth in it, and it was written according to the all of which Mordecai commanded to the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the princes of the provinces which [were] from India and until Cush, seven and twenty and one hundred provinces, province and province, according to the writing of it and people and people according to their language and to the Jews according to their writing and according to their language.

I have been studying clear through verse 14, however, I do want to record a thought from what I see in verse 9 itself. Incidentally, it might be fun to note that this is the longest verse in the English Bible. The verse divisions are not inspired, of course, but it is certainly odd that whoever was making the decisions here didn’t at least break this once in the middle. But then, looking ahead, apparently the same person decided that chapter 9 should have thirty-two verses while chapter 10 gets only three. Odd. And, for whatever it’s worth, Rev. 4:20 is actually the longest verse in the original languages.

However, back to our verse: It begins “And the scribes of the king were called…” Think about it. Here are these fellows called “scribes.” Somehow or another, as a young person, they ended up trained to read and write. We’re told that the majority of the people in the ancient world were illiterate, and therefore, those who did learn to read and write could end up doing that as their profession. The fellows here in verse 9 no doubt have wives with children and homes to maintain. They’re real men with real lives just like you and me. These particular men somehow ended up in the employment of the king himself. So this is their job—to do whatever writing and recording and probably reading the king needs them to do, whenever he needs them to do it.

And so, on a day like any other day, “the scribes of the king were called.” These are probably the same guys we saw in 3:12, when Haman was issuing his decree and “the scribes of the king were called.” This leads to my point. These guys get called to write an evil decree one day, then called again on another day to write another undoing it. They’re just doing their job. They’ve probably written the text of many decrees all along the way. When they’re called, they come, then they write down whatever they’re told to write down, write out however many copies are needed, then they go home to mow their grass and attend their daughter’s dance recital, eat supper, go to bed, and get up tomorrow and do it all again.

We don’t know their names. We know absolutely nothing about them. As far as they know, they’re just living their lives, plying their trade, and this day is no different than any other.

What they do not realize is that they are actually participants in a grand eternal plan. Little could they have ever dreamed we’d be sitting here reading about them 2,500 years later in a culture on the other side of the world. Little could they have ever dreamed their work would be recorded in the very Word of God! And yet, here it is: “And the scribes of the king were called…”

Most of them, no doubt, are living in this “world without God.” If you asked them, I’m sure they think that’s all there is. This is my life. I live it the best I can. I go to work. I take care of my family. I was born. I will die. And there you go. That’s it. Perhaps they would acknowledge “the gods,” but, like most people, it is unlikely they’d really believe it was all the work of a single great, good God who “rules in the lives of men and nations” and is guiding all the events of our world according to His plan.

Is their situation not exactly the same as ours? Does it not appear to us too that we live our lives, we do our best, we go to work, we take care of our families, we’re born, and we die? And it appears “that’s it”? In a world without God, are we not just biological accidents that arbitrarily appear somewhere in time and space, only to soon disappear back into that same oblivion we came from? Will it matter 2,500 years from now whether you or I lived? Will it matter whether I worked hard to do good to others or whether I was a notorious serial-killer? If it’s really true, “that’s it,” then the idea anything matters is nothing less than an idealistic delusion. “And the scribes of the king were called…” So what? Our text even identifies the very date, the 23^rd of the month of Sivan. This is apparently the year 474 B.C. and, according to John Whitcomb, it would be our June 25^th. But then, who cares?

How much different to live in a world with God! Because God is very real, what happened to these guys on this very specific day actually got recorded for all eternity. It did matter. There was a sweep of enormously important human history happening that very day, and these guys were called to be a part of it. They didn’t know it. They couldn’t possibly see it, but it was true nevertheless, and why? Because there is a God and to Him everything matters!. It is the dignity of human beings that we get to be a part of His great eternal program. One could say, “That’s just as true of animals.” Yes, but the animals get no choice in the matter. That is precisely where the dignity comes in. It’s our choice.

In a world that might seem meaningless, faith gives us the eyes to see that, in spite of appearances, our lives do matter. No one around us is a biological accident. People matter. What I do matters. It is my choice, but those choices I make matter. I can either see my good God above it all and sincerely try to be a willing and positive part of His plan, or I can ignore Him and do as I please. I can be a Haman or I can be an Esther, but one thing is for sure: It will matter. In Jesus’ day, there was a Peter and there was a Pilate. Peter may have been a constant bungler, but at least he was trying. Pilate just goes down in history as the man who callously ordered the execution of a man he knew to be innocent, and a man who turned out to be God Himself.

It mattered.

“And the scribes of the king were called…”

It mattered.

If I may be allowed to belabor my point just a little longer, for those of us who do want to have faith, who do want to see God above it all, who do want to see that my life is a part of a great eternal plan, may I digress to point it out again, “And the scribes of the king were called…” What are these guys doing? Their job. Their job matters. What they do at their job matters. My fear is that we believers can read this and even note it, then think it still only applies if we’re doing something “important.” I somehow need to be a Billy Graham or a Mother Theresa or at least be doing something “important!” No. Your job matters. What you do all day every day matters.

For me, this isn’t the 23^rd day of Sivan in 474 B.C. It’s December 18^th of the year 2021 A.D. Just one more date on the calendar. It’s a Saturday. I plan to just be here at home, to do a few projects, fix a few things, help Joanie do some cleaning. Does that matter? Yes. Do I necessarily get to see what it matters? No, probably not, but I can head into this day assured that all I do matters.  

And for me, what matters most is whether I’ll be a willing part of God’s plan, or not.

I have my marching orders: “Love God and love people.” All day today, that will be my choice, wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, but whatever it is, it will matter.

“And the scribes of the king were called…”

Meaningless? Hardly.

God give us the eyes to see You above all of this. Give us eyes to see that all we do is important, that every other person around us is someone You love and that You would have us love them for You. Maybe that is our job, or maybe it’s changing a baby’s diaper, but may we live knowing it matters.

Esther 8:7,8 “Praising in our Pajamas”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁷The king Xerxes spoke to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold! The house of Haman I have given to Esther and him they hanged upon a gallows, because he sent his hand against the Jews. ⁸And you (pl.), write upon the Jews according to good in your (pl.) eyes in the name of the king and seal in the ring of the king because a writing which [has] been written in the name of the king and [has] been sealed in the ring of the king not to bring back.

Here is one more place in the Bible where someone got up one fearful morning, with no idea how the day would turn out, only to put on their pajamas that night amazed at the goodness of God! Let us be reminded that will always be true. Let us always start our day confidently trusting the Lord, fully expecting that, no matter what, He’ll do great things, and when it’s all over, we’ll be able to look back and praise Him!

Esther and Mordecai couldn’t have dreamed of a better response from the king. He cannot directly grant Esther’s request, since she specifically said, “Let an order be written overruling the dispatches which Haman devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.” She’s asking him to rescind the decree, but he cannot do that. What he does is the next best thing – he grants to Esther and Mordecai the power to write some new edict “as seems best to you.” Although they cannot write a law repealing the earlier one, they can craft one which they themselves are sure will secure the welfare of their Jewish people.

It is interesting to ponder Xerxes’ response. One wonders exactly why he repeats the usual “for what is written in the name of the king cannot be repealed.” Is he just adding that as an encouragement to Esther and Mordecai that, whatever they come up with will become the same unalterable law? Or is he explaining why he’s not actually repealing Haman’s decree? I’m not the first to wonder about this. Joseph Exell, in his Pulpit Commentaries, suggested what the king is saying is this: “See now, I have done what I could—I have given Esther Haman's house; I have had Haman himself executed because he put forth his hand against the Jews. What yet remains? I am asked to save your countrymen by revoking my late edict. That may not be. The writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's seal, may no man reverse. But, short of this, I give you full liberty of action. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring. Surely you can devise something which will save your people without calling on me to retract my own words, and at the same time break a great principle of Persian law.”

That does make sense, but I’m afraid, as is seemingly (for me) too often, the Hebrew itself would allow either understanding. As I’ve often lamented, Hebrew is almost a short-hand language of sorts. It’s a language of pictures, not logical statements like we prefer. It’s frequently as if “you had to be there.” On the other hand, we can all (including me) rest assured that the Lord will make crystal clear everything we actually need to know!

One thing we do learn from this passage is the practical absurdity of this Persian practice. It is utterly ludicrous to maintain that any human law, once written, can never be changed. Even the best and wisest can only establish laws based on the facts they currently possess. Only God is omniscient and the plain, simple fact is that “we ain’t Him!” Only God can give a law and then say, “Not one jot or tittle shall pass away, ’til all be fulfilled.” Interestingly, though, even God Himself may alter His own decrees when something changes to warrant it. He told Jonah, “In 40 days, Nineveh shall be destroyed.” The people of Nineveh repented, and they were not destroyed. As we see over and over in the Bible, although God Himself is immutable, yet He will change His plans based on how people respond.

So even God Himself doesn’t abide by such a ludicrous standard. It really is nothing but foolish human egos, trying to act as if they were gods, with no regard at all for its absurdity or the cruelty which it may engender. May we all be humble enough to say, “Well, I never thought of that. I never saw it that way. I guess I was wrong,” or “I guess we’d better take another look at this.”

The really good news for Esther and Mordecai is that, even living under such a foolish legal system, their God can still provide for them. Their God can still protect them. Their God can still bless them. You and I can take heart in that ourselves. Regardless how inept our government may be, regardless if our company issues ludicrous policies, you and I can still love people and do right, all the while confident our good God is ultimately in control!

As we arise in the morning, let us strive to walk in confidence in our good God, fully expecting to put on our pajamas praising Him!

 

Esther 8:7,8 “A God to Trust”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁷The king Xerxes spoke to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold! The house of Haman I have given to Esther and him they hanged upon a gallows, because he sent his hand against the Jews. ⁸And you (pl.), write upon the Jews according to good in your (pl.) eyes in the name of the king and seal in the ring of the king because a writing which [has] been written in the name of the king and [has] been sealed in the ring of the king not to bring back.

The previous verses just ended with our beautiful Esther tearfully asking the king to “let an order be written overruling the dispatches which Haman devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.” She’s saying, “Please do something to rescue my people from Haman’s awful decree!” Let us be reminded that, in the moment, as Esther stands there looking through her tears into the eyes of the king, making this request to him, she does not know how he’ll respond. Even as she speaks, the wholesale slaughter of her people hangs in the balance. Let us also once again be reminded, this is no small matter to our Esther. “For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”

Here's my point: The matter is completely out of Esther’s hands. She has no control over how Xerxes will respond. Yes, she has risked her life to make these requests to start with. Yes, as I noted in the last two posts, she is a very smart girl and has used every possible influence to make it easy for Xerxes to respond positively—yet, the decision is still his. In the final wash, she has no control over how he will respond. As she stands there, he may grant her request and save her people, or he may just blow her off and in fact her family will still be annihilated. It is now out of her control.

Is this not your world and mine? Whether we want to admit it or not, in the final wash, we have no control over the very issues that matter most to us in life. A farmer may put his seeds in the ground, but he cannot make them grow. Doctors may treat my children, but they cannot heal them. How many parents in human history have buried a child even though they and their doctors did all in their power to preserve that child’s life? As a young man, I observed a beautiful girl who was a very hard worker and a sweet Christian, yet I could not make her take any interest in me. Fortunately, she did and now I’ve been married to her for almost 40 years! But the plain fact is, when a man asks a girl, “Will you marry me,” she can say, “No.” I desperately need a job, but at any given second, my bosses could decide my services are no longer needed and let me go. Then I will find I cannot make anyone hire me. I once stood at the funeral of a man who died too young. His wife sadly said, “This is not how the story was supposed to go.”

Once again, my whole point here is that, as Esther stands awaiting Xerxes’ response, your world and mine are no different. In the final wash, we do not control the issues that matter most to us in life. So what do we do? Someone will say, “You just have to do your best.” That sounds good except it still leaves us with the constant terrifying possibility it may not be enough. So what do you do?

I hope anyone reading this realizes there is no answer. We *can*not* make life turn out the way we wish. In spite of our most determined efforts, the most clever strategies, the very best market plans, the services of the best doctors and nurses—no matter what, like Esther, there comes a point where we stand, helplessly awaiting results over which we possess no final control.

So what do you do? Here is precisely where I am glad that I do not live in a “world without God.” Although the book of Esther never once mentions Him, I am quite sure Esther is very aware of His presence and power. She knows she is not alone. No, she can’t control her world, but she has a God who does. She can stay sweet. She can stay humble. She can ask respectfully. Even facing horrid threats, she can be a person of sincere hope. And why? Because she has a good and wise God to trust. Faith allows our Esther to just go on being a loving, sweet person.

I want to suggest it is a point of great wisdom when you or I come face to face with the reality of our own frailty and realize I was never born to live alone. I was born to know this God and to live my life actually in partnership with Him. Like the farmer, I can’t make it rain. But I can plow the furrow, plant the seeds, then trust my God to make the seeds germinate and grow, make the sun to shine and the rains to fall. I don’t have to go around my field pulling up on my cornstalks to try to get them to grow taller. God does that. I can keep my field weeded. I can try to protect it from pests, however, in the end, it will be up to my God whether my harvest will be lean or bountiful. Farming is a man/God business. And so is all the rest of life.

Esther knew it. You and I should too. I have been trying to practice this for some time. I’m trying to be constantly aware that I am “a man with a God.” As I’m doing my work, I’m doing “what I can,” while at the same time trying to be aware of how I am depending on God to do what I cannot. In every conversation, I am trying to remember that, in reality, I am speaking for Him. I want to say the words He would say, respond to people the way He would respond. I am a man with a God. Esther was a woman with a God.

Although the vast majority of people alive will utterly ignore the Lord, and though they may seem to “get along,” I don’t want to live in a “world without God.” I need Him. I need His hope. I need His strength. I need His love. And now I can say after more then 40 years of knowing Him, I have found Him faithful. He hasn’t always made things turn out the way I wanted, but looking back, I can now see why not. Like a good parent, He’s always been about my greater good.

Esther would teach us all to face the reality of our own impotence and embrace the man/God, woman/God existence we were born to live.

At the end of verse 6, Esther still doesn’t know. But she has a God to trust.