Esther 8:3 – 8 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 the Agagite, 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 the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, 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?”
King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows. Now write another decree in the king’s name in 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.”
Haman is dead. Esther has been given Haman’s estate, and Mordecai has been placed in charge of it. For Esther and Mordecai, the danger has clearly passed.
Yet, the Jews are still going to be killed! The edict written by Haman and sealed with the king’s own ring is still in effect. It can never be reversed. So rather than enjoying her own freedom from harm, Esther despairs over the peril in which her fellow Jews find themselves.
Xerxes knows there isn’t much he can do. Basically, he says, “Sweetheart, I killed the guy. I gave you his house and his land, and you put your uncle in charge of it. What more do you want?” But then, knowing it is important to his wife, he says, “You and Mordecai figure it out. Write up another decree, whatever you think will work, and send it out. Put my seal on it.”
Now, Xerxes has already gotten himself into a heap of trouble by doing exactly what he’s doing now. He doesn’t want to be bothered by seeking wisdom and figuring out a problem, so he takes the easy way. He lets someone else deal with it. First, he gave his signet ring to Haman, and said, “Do what you think is best.” Now, he does the same thing with Esther and Mordecai.
I wonder how many times I have done that. Whenever a problem seems too difficult or stressful, it is often easier to let someone else deal with it. But God wants us to step up to the task of saving the world! He wants us to be concerned about people and their problems. And He wants us to bring them the solution – Him!
Mordecai and Esther could have basked in their own safety, and let their fellow Jews deal with their own problems. But instead, they went out of their comfort zones and made a difference in countless lives. I hope that I will someday be compared to Esther, and not Xerxes. I don’t want to lazily sit by and let somebody else take care of the problems of the world. I want to make a difference.
Dear Father, Please help me to make a difference in others’ lives, even when it takes me outside my comfort zone.
Amen
Sometimes I feel so overloaded with my own problems that I can’t seem to stretch beyond them to help others. I’m trying to learn how to do that, though, because I know I should.
Jeanette, I think most of the time it’s in the little things. Things like letting someone get in front of you in traffic, when you see they are struggling to get over. Things like offering a genuine smile and a kind word. And, when we see a real need, we should do what we can. None of us, except Jesus, can save the world. But we can each do our little parts.
Do little things with great love. – Mother Teresa.
Have a lovely day! I am enjoying your post immensely.
Thanks, Sarah! (Don’t you just love that Mother Teresa? It was like gold nuggets just poured from her mouth.)