OVERVIEW:

The biblical Book of Esther, or Megillat Esther in Hebrew, tells the story of Purim. The heroes of the story are Haḏassah, (her Hebrew name that we know as Estěr) and her cousin Mordeḵai, who raised her as if she were his own daughter. Little is really known about her other than saying she was a descendant of Abihail who was a descendant of Levi.

She thus came from a priestly line. Interestingly, God is not mentioned in the book, although everything done had His stamp on it.

The villain is Haman, the son of  Hammeḏatha the Aḡaḡite.
It is difficult to find much information on Haman and Hammeḏatha other than what scriptures reveal in the book of Esther.
Historical, cultural, or biographical information about Hammeḏatha himself is all but non-existent —they simply identify him as “the Aḡaḡite” in Esther 3:1  in connection with his son’s prominence in the Persian court.

I found this very interesting. If we consider such a person as an arch-enemy, an adversary, it would not be surprizing to think of him as a type of "antiChrist”. I do not wish to embark on trying to find his identity as many people do as that can take us down many rabbit holes and get nowhere. Hammeḏatha never appears as an active character. He is mentioned only in relation to his son Haman.

Suffice it to say that will appear in the guise of Christ, to oppose Christ. Paul called him the “Son of Destruction”.

Apparently for 3.5 years he is“the man of Sin”,  a “false Christ” speaking through a mouth “like a lion”, (but not a lion) speaking all kinds of blasphemies, “the seed of Satan” and denies the Father and the Son.

For further information read  Genesis 3:15; 2 Thessalonians. 2:3-4; Revelation 13:2;  1 John. 2:18, 22; 2 John. 1:7.

After King Xerxes divorced his wife, Queen Vashti, for not obeying his commands, Esther was one of many young women brought to the royal harem to be considered as the new queen.

Thankfully, Mordecai was one of the king’s advisors and he coached Esther into finding favor before the king. King Xerxes loved Esther and made her his queen, but on her cousin’s advice, Esther kept her true identity as a Jew hidden from the king.

The story takes a more sinister turn when Haman, another of the king’s top advisors, comes on the scene. He was an evil man and a descendant of the Amalekites, the ancient enemies of the Israelites. See Exodus 17:8-14

God had commanded Saul to totally eradicate those descendants but Saul disobeyed and Agag was allowed to live, thus allowing Haman to be born. As I stated earlier, disobedience leads to problems that might not emerge for generations.

Simple things like marrying the correct person, “the one”, are more  important than many people realize. The offspring from an unequally yoked marriage can lead to many problems, not only in that immediate situation but in generations that follow. By Saul’s disobedience one man was born who became the father of a man who almost destroyed Israel.

The king’s other officials bowed to Haman in respect, but Mordecai refused to do so because he bowed only before God. That infuriated Haman, so he plotted to destroy all the Jewish people in revenge.
He told the king:
There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate.
Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. Esther 3:8.

The king handed over the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, who planned to kill them all.

But what triggered this event? What infuriated Haman and what infuriates those who hate us and Israel today?

A quick and simple answer could be because we’re different.
We do not belong to this world system. Adam gave dominon rulership over to the devil who is the god of this world according to 2 Corinthians 4:4. He offered the kingdoms of this world to Jesus when tempting Him. Jesus called him the prince of this world—but also stated that he was cast out.

This might not be a literal or physical  casting out at this time, but his “legal authority” has been dealt with. The Second Adam restored it.

We often hear of a battle between good and evil and whilst that may explain certain things, the war is already won and judgment has been made, pending final execution of the sentence. Such judgment is no longer upon us, but it remains for those who do not name the Name of Jesus.

That is why we are different and the world hates us.

Every “Haman” hates us, but I have great news. This is where Purim has significance to Christians.

The term V’nahafoch Hu has tremendous connotations as we shall see, but first what infuriated Haman?

Mordecai refused to bow. He would not compromise.
The world system compromises. It does not care if religion is practiced—provided God is not properly worshipped.

One great way to achieve that is by watering down of the truth, by lowering standards, becoming “seeker friendly” etcetera.

Such things leads the way to government legislation that makes it a hate crime to preach Jesus, stand against abortion, refuse to accept gender  diversity and are a few examples. What Haman wanted is happening right now. His command was bow or burn and a similar command happened in Daniel’s day. If you do bow, you will burn.

Mordecai stood his ground and refused to prostrate himself before the Persian king’s evil advisor Haman and set in motion a series of events that nearly led to the annihilation of the Jewish people. Enraged, Haman plotted the murder of all Jews in Persia, but this conspiracy was ultimately foiled by Mordecai and his cousin Esther. Mordecai’s defiance became a defining moment for Jewish identity, one that has been invoked time and again in moments of persecution, resistance and survival.
King Achashverosh began to single out Haman the son of Hamdata the Agagi for advancement; eventually he gave him precedence over all his fellow officers. All the king’s servants at the King’s Gate would kneel and bow down before Haman, because the king had so ordered. But Mordekhai would neither kneel nor bow down to him. Esther 3:1-2

Jewish law forbids idolatry. The Torah explicitly forbids bowing to anything or anyone in a manner that suggests worship.
You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. Exodus 20:5

While bowing as a gesture of respect was common in ancient courts and not inherently forbidden in Jewish law, rabbinic commentators explain that Haman’s demand crossed the line into idolatrous territory, making Mordecai’s resistance a religious necessity. Haman had in essence made himself into an object of worship, expecting not just deference but divine reverence. Bowing to him, wasn’t mere etiquette—it was idol worship. Other sources take it a step further, saying that Haman “wore an idolatrous emblem,” making any act of bowing a direct act of reverence toward an idol.
This was not a just religious act. The issue was power. Haman wanted to be treated as more than a high-ranking official. He demanded “divine-like reverence”—something Mordecai could never grant him.

Haman was demanding it.

Jesus addressed such situations in Matthew 23 in this manner:
THEN JESUS said to the multitudes and to His disciples, The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat [of authority].
So observe and practice all they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them.
They do all their works to be seen of men; for they make wide their phylacteries (small cases enclosing certain Scripture passages, worn during prayer on the left arm and forehead) and make long their fringes [worn by all male Israelites, according to the command].
And they take pleasure in and [thus] love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,
And to be greeted with honor in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi.
But you are not to be called rabbi (teacher), for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.
And do not call anyone [in the church] on earth father, for you have one Father, Who is in heaven.
And you must not be called masters (leaders), for you have one Master (Leader), the Christ.
He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself [with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself [whoever has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly] shall be raised to honor. Matthew 23:1-12

The KJV says not to call anyone “father”, yet this is a common occurrence, almost demanded in certain churches. Please do not misunderstand me, but is this similar to what Jesus mentioned and what Haman demanded? In some church groups the ministry team and/or the pastor often seem to be treated with some kind of special treatment along similar lines, often demanded.
We hear people use the term “pastor so-and- s0”, “apostle so-and-so”, “prophet so-and-so” or “bishop so-and-so” with some kind of reverence. We do have prophets and apostles and pastors and people functioning as a bishop today and should acknowledge them, or respect the office, not necessarily the person. But is the “reverence” often given really biblical? This may deserve further investigation.

Even if Haman wasn’t literally an idol, he was a man who “assumed divine status” and bowing to him—even without explicit idolatrous intent—was still forbidden by Jewish law.

There are three cardinal sins that a Jew must never commit, even under threat of death: Idolatry; Murder; Sex with a forbidden partner.

If bowing to Haman was an act of idolatry, Mordecai had no choice but to refuse, even at great risk. This was a time of religious persecution (sha’at hashemad), when Jews were required to display publicly enforced assimilation. It may be possible that bowing would have symbolized Jewish submission, a spiritual defeat beyond the immediate danger. 

Mordecai’s defiance did not start in ancient Persia and it did not end there. The four Hebrew boys in Daniel were told that if they did not bow to the idol they would burn, but they did not bow. They were indeed cast into the furnace, but the Fourth Man, who I believe was the Lord Jesus, was there with them.

Mordecai’s refusal to bow became a symbol of Jewish resistance, invoked throughout history whenever Jews faced persecution and pressure to abandon the Torah. Under Roman, “Christian” and Muslim rule, Jews often cited Mordecai’s example as justification for rejecting forced conversion. The Maccabees’ rebellion against Greek Hellenizers mirrored Mordecai’s stand against assimilation in Persia. In medieval Europe, particularly during the Spanish Inquisition, Jews who chose exile or martyrdom over conversion saw themselves as following in Mordecai’s footsteps.

In the 20th century, the Purim story took on new significance. The Nazis were frequently compared to Haman and at the Nuremberg Trials, Julius Streicher, a Nazi propagandist, referenced Purim before his execution, sneering, “Purim 1946”.

The lesson of Mordecai’s defiance also influenced modern Zionism. Some Jewish leaders argued that his refusal to submit underscored the need for Jewish self-determination—an insistence that Jews must take their fate into their own hands rather than rely on the goodwill of foreign rulers. From ancient Persia to the present day, then, Mordecai’s inaction has echoed as a call for Jewish refusal to surrender their identity.

Are Christians also facing similar intrusions? In certain countries the answer is a definite “yes” already but we are coming under increasing pressure to comply. I urge you to investigate government policies and the wokeism that is infiltrating our society. Let’s be honest about things. How would we respond if we faced the ultimatum like Daniel and his friends faced. I have stared down the barrel of a gun pointed at my head at arm’s length, had teargas and my wife and I avoided an assassination attempt in Abu Dhabi, so what I say is not theory. We came through, but look at what happened to God’s men.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and paid homage to Daniel [as a great prophet of the highest God] and ordered that an offering and incense should be offered up to him [in honor of his God].
The king answered Daniel, Of a truth your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a Revealer of secret mysteries, seeing that you could reveal this secret mystery!
Then the king made Daniel great and gave him many great gifts, and he made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.
And Daniel requested of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained in the gate of the king [at the king’s court]. Daniel 2:46-49

Mordecai warned the king of an assassination attempt but he was not immediately rewarded and he did not try to promote himself or demand recognition and a reward. God was witness!

Haman built a gallows for Mordecai, but he was hanged on it instead.

As Paul said, If God is for us, who can be against us?  If we continue to stand in the right place at the right time doing the right thing, God is witness and He is our judge, vindicator and rewarder.

ESTHER:

I have said little about Esther yet and perhaps should have said more, but who was she and where did she come from?
All the scriptures really say is that she was an orphan who was very pretty and raised by her cousin Mordecai as if she were his own daughter. When queen Vashti was exiled, orders were sent to find someone to replace her and Esther was taken.

Some people think that she was a descendant from king Saul. I cannot verify that, but it is interesting insofar that her ancestor may be the cause of the problem and she became the solution.
Her Hebrew name was Hadassah that means myrtle. The Persian name Esther means A Star. When she was taken, she spent a whole twelve months in preparation for her one night with the King as per Persian custom. They married and an unknown orphan girl became queen of one of the most powerful kingdoms in its day. God can take a “noboby” and make them a “somebody”.

Haman was appointed to an extremely high office in the kingdom and found a way to have a law made by the king to exterminate all the Jews in the land—all 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. It did not happen suddenly. Haman started making his plans before he went to the king.

In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, pur—which means “the lot”—was cast before Haman concerning every day and every month, [until it fell on] the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. Esther 3:7

This took much long range planning. It had been carefully thought through from the time Saul met Agag.
Politicians often act like that. One person has an idea and talks it over with his colleagues, does some research and eventually, often years later, it comes out into the open and ”amazingly” becomes a law.

In Australia, we have a system called Hansard, whereby all discussions are accurately recorded, or chronicled. They are then an historic fact and cannot be altered. In their days, court records were kept by scribes and retained in the court library. This is how some of our scriptures like the books and chronicles of the kings recorded certain matters.

They did not have the Internet as we do. They had no modern day telecommunications technologies and so all the edicts of the king had to go via horseback or sailing ships. The logistics must have been amazing.

To ensure his plan worked, Haman had to choose a date that was practical and efficient and eventually chose the date by lot. This was called the Pur, which means lot. Jews now call it Purim.

It is held on the fourteenth day of the Jewish month of Adar which falls on March 3 this year.
What transpired is very interesting and perplexing.

The king’s secretaries were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month. They wrote down all Haman’s orders to the king’s army commanders and governors in all the provinces and to the officials of every people, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language; everything was written in the name of King Achashverosh and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Esther 3:12.

Those orders had to be written in the court records, then interpreted and re-written into different languages, by hand, before being dispatched. That takes time.

Letters were sent by courier to all the royal provinces “to destroy, kill and exterminate all Jews, from young to old, including small children and women, on a specific day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to seize their goods as plunder.” A copy of the document to be issued as a decree in every province was to be publicly proclaimed to all the peoples, so that they would be ready for that day. Esther 3:13-14

All that takes time also.

At the king’s order the runners went out quickly, and the decree was issued in Shushan the capital. Then the king and Haman sat down for a drink together, but the city of Shushan was thrown into confusion. Esther 3:15

It would seem at face value that the king either had no other option to agree with Haman, possibly due to certain protocols involved, or at that time had little interest one way or another concerning the Jews.

He sat down with a drink with Haman? Was that callous, cold blooded and heartless?  He had just signed an order to exterminate a complete race of people. That makes me think of the holocaust. That reminds me of the Hamas invasion. This makes me think of the rising tide of antisemitism around the world. My earlier comments about hatred of God’s people, the Jews and Christians alike now seems to reveal a pattern.

The two leaders were enjoying themselves— but the city of Shushan was thrown into confusion.

Our present society seems to be in a state of confusion. Whilst our political leaders are enjoying themselves, living the good life and enjoying all the benefits and privileges ordinary folk do not get, the people are facing inflation, rising costs of living and mixed messages. This is why I said that many of the bible stories may have real to life meaning.

When Mordecai discovered the situation, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. Sackcloth is a coarse, black cloth often made from goat’s hair and was very uncomfortable to wear.

It was worn together with the burnt ashes of wood as a sign of mourning for personal and national disaster, as a sign of debasement, repentance and at times of prayer for deliverance.

He did not enter the palace then as no one was permitted to go past the gates.

Estěr’s assistants told her what he was doing. She called for Hathaḵ who was the eunuch assigned to attend her to find out the reason.
And Estěr called Hathaḵ, one of the sovereign’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordeḵai, to learn what and why this was.
And Hathaḵ went out to Mordeḵai, to an open space of the city, in front of the sovereign’s gate.
And Mordeḵai told him all that befell him, and all about the silver that Haman promised to pay into the sovereign’s treasuries to destroy the Yehuḏim.
And he gave him a copy of the written decree to destroy them, which was given at Shushan, to show it to Estěr and explain it to her, and to command her to go in to the sovereign to make supplication to him, and plead before him for her people.
And Hathaḵ came and told Estěr the words of Mordeḵai.
And Estěr spoke to Hathaḵ, and gave him a command for Mordeḵai,
“All the sovereign’s servants and the people of the sovereign’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the sovereign, who has not been called, he has but one law: to be put to death, except the one to whom the sovereign holds out the golden sceptre, who then shall live. But I have not been called to come in to the sovereign these thirty days.”
And they declared to Mordeḵai the words of Estěr. Esther 4:5-12

Esther did not just say a quick, “let’s pray”, but acted did something positive. She too fasted and prayed and became involved with her maid servants—and was committed! She full well knew that she had to do that, even at great personal risk, hence her famous words, “If I perish, I perish”.

This lasted for three days.

She had perhaps considered herself already dead and those three days of fasting and preparation remind me of the three days Jesus was in the tomb.

Moses told Pharaoh to let God’s people go so that they could worship for three days.
In Exodus 19:11, God came down to the mountain on the third day.
In Joshua 1:11, Joshua told the people to prepare food for a three day journey to pass over into the land.
Jonah was in the belly of that fish for three days and nights.

Hosea said something very interesting and it is something all believers should take note of today:

Come, let us return to Adonai; for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck, and he will bind our wounds.
After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up; and we will live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know Adonai.
That he will come is as certain as morning; he will come to us like the rain,  like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea 6:1-3

REVERSALS:

There is a term used by Jews to speak of this occasion. It is V’nahafoch Hu.
It speaks of change and I often speak about change. The words describe something turning around, a reversal, like making a U-turn.
When we come to the Lord at salvation time, that is a kind of turning around. The time had arrived when changes had to be made and to facilitate that change someone had to do something.

Esther did that.

This dramatic reversal—this “venahafoch hu“—forms the beating heart of Purim, when a genocide became a celebration, when mourning transformed into dancing. Every year as Purim approaches, Jewish communities worldwide erupt with the celebratory chant: “Venahafoch hu, venahafoch hu!” (It reversed! It reversed!”) But what does this reversal truly mean? Why does God choose to reverse evil rather than prevent it entirely? Couldn’t the Almighty have simply stopped Haman’s plot before it began? There must be something deeper in these divine reversals that we’re meant to understand.
Consider a drawing technique known as “a double-face”. When you look at such an image, you might see a young man, but turn the page 180 degrees, and suddenly an old man appears using the same lines. Where did this second image come from? It was always there—we simply needed to shift our perspective to see it.

This is equally as true with all of our bible studies and theologies. We are prone to accept what our pastors tall us, and so we should—but always test to see if what is being said is truth. Apply Acts 17:11.

A preacher can share great things, but not always see the entire picture and I can assure you that there is always more. After my now 58 years with the Lord in September, studying at two bible colleges and at an institution for a doctorate and I am still studying, but this time with two institutions in Israel. I am only now starting to see things clearly, realizing that the more I learn, the more it seems how little I know, but it is amazing what is being uncovered. Don’t stop studying. See Psalm 1:203; Proverbs 2:1-6; 2 Timothy 2:15, 4:13-16

What makes “venahafoch hu” so powerful is that God simply canceled Haman’s plan and created a new one.

Instead, God took the very same elements—the gallows, the royal decree, Haman’s network of allies—and repurposed them for salvation. This isn’t about replacing evil with good; it’s about revealing how what appeared to be evil was always part of God’s redemptive plan. Everything—yes, everything—serves God’s purpose, even when it initially appears to work against His people.

The Purim story demonstrates this principle throughout. Consider how Haman’s meticulous plans for destruction—his carefully designed gallows, his detailed intelligence on Jewish communities, his accumulated wealth—all became instruments for their salvation.

When Mordecai was appointed over Haman’s house, these resources were turned upside down, becoming the very means of delivering God’s people. This reveals that God’s presence is not limited to sacred spaces—the whole world is filled with His glory.

Haman’s vast wealth, “the wealth of the sinner” accumulated for Jewish destruction, ultimately funded the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem—providing precisely the resources the Jews could not raise themselves.

Purim teaches us about God working behind the scenes. In fact, God’s name isn’t mentioned once in the entire Book of Esther, yet His hand is clearly guiding every event. Like a master playwright, God works through seemingly ordinary circumstances—political intrigues, banquets, sleepless nights—to bring about extraordinary salvation. What appears to be random chance reveals itself as divine providence.

This is the deep secret of Purim: There is no place devoid of God’s presence. Everything serves His purpose, even—perhaps especially—those forces that appear most opposed to Him. Like undercover agents unaware of their true employer, God’s enemies advance His will while believing they act for themselves.

The Purim story offers us a powerful model for today’s challenges such as the October 7th massacre. That revealed the maniacal hatred of certain peoples against God’s people, both Jew and Christian alike.

This is the central core of Purim. The message for us today is that no matter what is happening God can and does give us strategies. He does work behind the scenes.

That is what had happened for Esther. She had prayed and prepared herself and I believe that God gave her a strategy to work on—and she implemented it . Today we can do likewise. He will tell us what to do and what to stop doing, where we are to go and where we are to avoid, what people to meet and what people to avoid, when to do something and when we are not to do something.

At that feast, the king asked her what she wanted and she asked that they attend a second feast the next day. He promised her half of his kingdom. She did not immediately ask anything, such as seeking for him to change that edict. She may have failed otherwise. She asked him if he would attend a feast and to invite Haman. That was exercising wisdom. Jesus told us to be as wise as serpents, but as harmless as doves.

He also advised us to “use the system”, but that is another matter.

The king summoned Haman and he must have thought that he had succeeded, perhaps winning Esther over to his side and he went home rejoicing, but Mordecai was standing in the entrance and refused to bow. That infuriated him more but he restrained himself. He called for his friends, his wife and family and told them how great and rich he had become and pridefully boasted that Esther had invited the king and himself to a second feast—just the king and the queen and me. But that was not enough. He hated Mordecai the more and his wife and friends told him to make a gallows and hang him there.

So his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a stake be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the sovereign that Mordeḵai be impaled on it. And go with the sovereign to the feast, rejoicing.” And the word pleased Haman, and he had the stake made. Esther 5:14

Sometimes things seem to be going against us or designed to harm us or we can do good things that seem to go unnoticed, but God knows!

That night the king could not sleep. He commanded for the chronicles to be brought to him and whilst reading, discovered that Mordecai had warned of the assassination attempt that had been plotted against him. When he asked what reward  had been made, his servants told him that nothing had been done, whilst Haman was approaching at that same time to ask permission to hang Mordecai.

He did not have all the power he imagined and would like to have.
The king asked him what should be done for that person who he delighted to honour and Haman selfishly thought of himself, telling the king what he wanted.

Haman had to comply. I  can only imagine how his frustration and anger increased with each step, proclaiming to the entire city how the king had honoured his own enemy, shaming him. When he had completed that assignment, he covered his head, an act of shame and disgrace.

The proud looks of man will be humiliated; the arrogance of men will be bowed down; and when that day comes,
Adonai alone will be exalted. Isaiah 2:11 See also Proverbs 11:2, 16:18, 18:12, 29:23, i Peter 5:5-6; James 4:6

The tabasco sauce must have been rising up that day and he poured it all out when he got home. I noticed something extraordinary.
They may not have realized it, but his wife, family and friends made a prophetic declaration.
After Haman had told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordekhai, before whom you have begun to fall, is a Jew, you will not get the better of him; on the contrary, your downfall before him is certain.” Esther 6:13

Can sinners “see things” we do not think they can? They certainly see the fakes, the religious, the pretenders, the power brokers and those who they believe are always asking for their money. They told Haman that he was already failing and they were correct. With those words ringing in his ears, the king’s officials arrived to take him to the banquet.

At the banquet, the king again wanted to know her request, promising to give her anything, including half his kingdom.

Ester the queen answered, “If I have won your favor, king, and if it pleases the king, then what I ask be given me is my own life and the lives of my people. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed, exterminated.
If we had only been sold as men- and women-slaves, I would have remained quiet; since then [our] trouble would not have been worth the damage it would have caused the king [to alter the situation]. Esther 7:3-4

She was being very diplomatic, saying that they were aware of the possible damage to his reputation.

He became infuriated. I suspect that he realized he had been conned by Haman.

King Achashverosh asked Ester the queen, “Who is he? Where is the man who dared to do such a thing?”
Ester said, “A ruthless enemy—it’s this wicked Haman!” Haman stood aghast, terrified before the king and queen. Esther 7:5-6.

Haman was taken out and hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, a reversal indeed, but it did not end there. Haman’s letters were still in circulation.

Sometimes we need to finish the job.

We could have a degree of ”success” in a ministry venture and stop there, resting on our laurels, but there could be more to be achieved.

When Elijah was taken up in the chariot, his mantle fell on Elisha who knew that was going to happen and, despite opposition from other prophets, wanted to be there when it happened. He was already anointed, but wanted Elijah’s mantle also. When he was about to die, he called for the king and told him to shoot an arrow of deliverance. He then told him to strike the ground with the arrows. The king only did that three times instead of striking as often as he could. He did not finish the job and Elisha died without being able to transfer his anointing (and Elijah’s anointing) on.

In Acts 8, Philip was having remarkable success. People were saved, healed and evil spirits dealt with, but It did not end there.

Peter and John came later to ensure that the new believers had received the holy Ghost.

Paul visited Ephesus where he met “certain disciples”. They were saved, but had not yet received the Holy Ghost and he prayed for them so that they too would receive.

In our day, we tend to look for youth, for energy, zeal and excitement and certainly need those things, but real wisdom and maturity and experience takes time to develop. The “older generation” is often overlooked, but they may still have much to accomplish. Moses was 80 years of age when he started his 40 year ministry. Joshua and Caleb were not young men when the entered the Promised Land. Caleb had achieved much but had not finished the job and asked for his mountain. As for me, by all normal practices, I should be in retirement, but we never retire. We are reassigned and my own main ministry vision that the Lord gave me is only now starting. I intend to finish the job. If God has put something on your heart, whatsoever your hands find to do, do it with all your might and finish the job.

Esther’s job was not yet completed. By that time, the king had placed his ring of authority on Mordecai’s finger to replace Haman and a Jew became a head of state.

Esther asked the king to reverse the letters devised by Haman to destroy all the Jews. The king agreed to her request and new letters were issued. They were sealed with the king’s ring that he gave to Mordecai so this reveals a transfer of power. No one could argue with them. That decree could never be rescinded.

This decree needs to be read in full. It seems harsh, but necessary to prevent repeated attacks and history attests to that possibility.

The king’s secretaries were summoned at that time, on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan; and a decree was written according to everything Mordekhai ordered concerning the Jews, to the army commanders, governors and officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its script and to each people in their language, also to the Jews in their script and language.
They wrote in the name of King Achashverosh and sealed it with the king’s signet ring; they sent the letters by couriers on horseback riding fast horses used in the king’s service and bred from the royal stock.
The letters said that the king had granted the Jews in every city the right “to assemble and defend their lives by destroying, killing and exterminating any forces of any people or province that would attack them, their little ones or their women or would try to seize their goods as plunder on the designated day in any of the provinces of King Achashverosh, namely, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.”
A copy of the edict was to be issued as a decree in every province and proclaimed to all the peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance against their enemies.
Couriers riding fast horses used in the king’s service left quickly, pressed by the king’s order; and the decree was issued in Shushan the capital. Esther 8:9-14

That was a reversal indeed. The Jews had been told that they were going to be exterminated, but now things had changed. They were not to become oppressors themselves, but when attacked, they could retaliate.

They had indeed become the head and not the tail, just as Deuteronomy 28 stated. Such promises are conditional of course, depending on our obedience to the Lord.

The entire city rejoiced. I would like to see an entire city rejoicing. Is that possible? Well, with God all things are possible...

Many non-Jews in the land professed to be Jews, “for the fear of the Jews had fallen on them”. The ten sons of Haman were executed and interestingly, the Jews “did not lay their hands on the spoil’.

If Haman’s wealth eventually went towards the construction of the Temple, how did it get there? Mordecai had to have been involved. Did Esther help him? Did the king help?

Mordecai was ranked next to the king Ahasuerus and became a very popular and rich man.

Esther and Mordecai wrote letters to all the Jews that at this time every year, they should remember the time that they were delivered, calling it Purim.

In closing, I wish you Chag Purim Sameach (a Jewish greeting meaning Happy Purim).

Robert