Esther 7-8
Dear RTB’ers,
Haman’s plot is uncovered at Esther’s banquet and So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. (v. 7:10a) Probably seldom in history have tables turned so completely! My sidebar pointed out that Esther’s words to the king were the same words that Haman had written in his revenge edict, for the Jews …to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated…, Esther’s words, identical except in tense with…to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate… the Jews. (vv. 7:4b, 3:13b)
Having uncovered the plot and disposing of Haman and with Mordecai now in Haman’s former position, Esther and Mordecai still needed to find a way to “undo” the irrevocable edict that Haman had written and the king had signed (see v. 8:8b). So scribes were summoned and a counter-edict was written, not to revoke but to override the earlier edict. Again, my sidebar offers a superb ending to this chapter: “…we all stand under God’s irrevocable decree of death because of sin, but he chose to issue a counter-decree to redeem a people out of sin and evil and into righteousness.” Thank you, Jesus, thank you!
Blessings!
Fred