01 Dec Recap | Esther | A Compassionate Crown
Despite Haman’s death, Esther and Mordecai still have work to do, as Haman’s decree that all Jews are to be annihilated from the land still remains. Esther’s compassion for her people drives her to plead for them before the King and points us to Jesus’ compassionate intercession on our behalf.
Soon after the execution, King Xerxes distributes Haman’s property. Giving much of Haman’s former possessions to Esther, Xerxes gives his signet ring to Mordecai, granting him great authority and elevated status in the kingdom.
Esther then returns to Xerxes in order to plead the case of the Jews, “falling down at his feet and begging him with tears.” The contrast between Esther’s approach here and that of her first appeal to Xerxes (Esther 5:1-8) is striking. Whereas Esther was diplomatic before, acting tactfully and strategically, she is now moved to tears on behalf of the Jewish people – her people.
Though she has the role of queen, she has firmly grasped her fundamental identity as a Jew. She makes herself vulnerable to the superior power of Xerxes, freely offering up the power and security that she has risen to as a way of aligning herself with God’s purposes.
Xerxes invites Esther to speak to him, and she meekly pleads with him on behalf of her people. She offers compelling appeals to Xerxes, and finally, fully affiliates herself with the Jews, saying, “how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?” In identifying with the Jews, Esther makes herself completely vulnerable to Xerxes. Her compassion for her people draws her out of herself and causes her to spring forward into action with little regard for her own safety or comfort.
Xerxes, however, is largely apathetic. Unable to revoke the law Haman made ordering genocide of the Jews, he does give Esther and Mordecai the authority to send the Jews any message she pleases, with his own seal. With the King’s authority, Mordecai issues a decree to Jews in every province granting them authority to defend themselves with lethal force against anyone who would attack them.
We are able to see two truths about how the world works here. First, authority is always derived, sometimes many times over. The authority that the Jews have to defend themselves has trickled down from Mordecai, who received it from Xerxes. And before any of this had begun, Xerxes’s authority had been derived from the supreme authority of God.
We also see that when we are given authority, we are also handed responsibility. Our actions (or inactions) have consequences for us and for others. By them, we either further entrench the world in evil, or, just as Esther did with her authority, we align ourselves with God as he unwinds this evil. We are absolutely responsible for what we do with our lives.
At the same time, God’s sovereignty is implicit in the entire narrative of Esther, as it is in our own stories today. This truth, splayed across the pages of Scripture in both explicit and implicit ways, assures us that God is in process throughout all of the events we see.
Oftentimes, our unbiblical thinking about God’s sovereignty leads us to over-spiritualize the events of our lives, wherein we seek clear and immediate meaning in any hardship we endure. Other people respond to hardship out of entitlement, blaming their troubles on the actions of others. The people in each of these categories are lacking a proper understanding of their own responsibility for their lives, which exists hand-in-hand with God’s absolute sovereignty. In fact, because God is working in the world, we are responsible for aligning ourselves with His purposes. How then can you know if you are aligned with His purposes?
• Do you cling to power and authority, or do you use it to empower others? When God grants a person authority, it is always done so that it will be used to the benefit of others. In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus describes God’s intention for leaders to serve those who are under them.
• Can your life be disrupted? As you move forward in life, becoming more stable and secure, attaining status and influence, do you become more or less movable? When we acquire wealth, margin, and comfort, it is not at all a bad thing; but it can expose for us whether the driving force behind our lives is those things or the purposes of God.
Esther’s example of grasping her own responsibility and aligning herself with God’s purposes is a worthy one, and it flows out of the compassion that she has for her people. When she sees the Jews in peril, she is moved to act on their behalf.
Furthermore, Esther’s compassion towards her people points us to the greater compassion that Jesus has towards us as believers. When Jesus looked at the crowds in Matthew 9:36, “He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless.” Jesus is the one who could not endure to see His people and family slaughtered and destroyed under the power of sin. His compassion moved Him to saving action on our behalf, right at the core of God’s purposes in the world, and now we are free to extend this compassion to others.
-Brian Barbee
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Worship Songs from the Weekend
- O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: Matthew 1:20-23
- Dwell: Psalm 91:1, Isaiah 54:17
- Be Thou My Vision: Deuteronomy 4:28-29
- Seas of Crimson: Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 26:28, Revelation 12:11
- Yahweh: Exodus 3:14-15
- Worthy, Worthy: Revelation 5:12, 1 Chronicles 16:25, Psalm 146