The day comes which was meant to be the day of death and destruction. However, the Jews are ready and prepared. The enemy are still there but it is the Jews who go on the offensive, there is a sense in which victory has already been won, the ringleader has been dealt with and the weapons of his followers rendered impotent (Esther 9:1-19). This gives us a little picture of our circumstances as God’s people today, there is still spiritual warfare but our enemy has already been defeated. We are to proactively put to death the sinful desires of the flesh.
Battle turns to victory and victory to celebration. A feast is established to commemorate the victory. This is known as “Purim” which comes from the word “pur” meaning to cast a lot. The author likens Haman’s actions to casting a lot, or having a wager on his ability to defeat God’s people (9:20-32). We might conclude that you should never bet against the Lord and his people. It’s a gamble you will always lose.
It seems that Ahasuerus also saw this as an opportunity to assert his own authority across the Empire. Mordecai, like Daniel before him and Joseph previously in Israel is exalted to the most senior position outside of the royal family, a de-facto prime-minister (10:1-3). This story after all is not just about Esther’s faithfulness, bravery and intercession but Mordecai’s too.
Esther is ultimately a story about the triumph of good over evil. At first, it looked like it was going to be a tragedy but it turns out to be comedy, not in the sense that it is funny, though the Jews have found great performance humour in it, especially in the mocking of Haman. This great victory would give the Jews hope when they faced future dangers whether in the Maccabean wars, the later destruction of Jerusalem in AD70 or in the Holocaust of the 1930s and 40s.
However, ultimately it points as scripture to a greater victory. It is fascinating that this book doesn’t name God explicitly but he is very much present. It is implicit that he is the one who raises up Esther, “for such a time as this.” It is God who causes their enemies to fear them and who ultimately protects his people. The story points to the salvation we have in Jesus which means that we are more than conquerors in him.
Faithroots 