March 23, 2021

Esther 8:3-8 (NKJV) – 3 Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept, and pleaded for his compassion to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. 4 And the king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood before the king. 5 Then she said, “If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to eliminate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I endure to see the disaster which will happen to my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and they have hanged him on the wooden gallows because he had reached out with his hand against the Jews. 8 Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring may not be revoked.” 

Esther is again risking her life to go in front of the king and plead for the protection of the Jewish people. Her life no longer needs to be saved, but she risks it anyway out of her love and care for the jewish people.

Real sacrifice is displayed to us by Jesus. When realizing the selfless act He made for us on the cross, we should feel an overwhelming sense of joy, liberation, and relief. We should also be motived by His sacrifice to sacrifice ourselves for those around us out of our love for them. We live our lives according to the example of the cross. We carry the burdens for other and put them before ourselves. We should be willing to lose in a situation if it means helping someone else.

How would you respond in a situation similar to Esther? Would you risk your life it meant the potential salvation of others?

When is it difficult for you to sacrifice yourself or your needs to help someone else? Why?

Esther 8:15-17 (NKJV) – 15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in a royal robe of violet and white, with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 For the Jews there was light, joy, jubilation, and honor. 17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was joy and jubilation for the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, because the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.

God provided a way to counteract the unbreakable law against the Jewish people and to protect them. When the people saw Mordecai and received news, they cheered and rejoiced and many converted to Judaism.

Throughout the Old Testament, God used the nation of Israel to be a light to the surrounding nations and introduce them God. People saw God’s protection over Israel and became Jews or saw something about God and obtained faith in God from that.

In Esther, the work God did for the Jewish people, Esther, and Mordecai is what drew the people in. In our lives, God has done an amazing and miraculous work. There is nothing more powerful than the testimony of what God has already accomplished in us. So when we feel unprepared to represent God to others, we can start with the miracles that He has done in our life. It is not our goodness or ability that saves people, but the work that God does.

How have you seen people drawn to God through your testimony and the work He has done in your life?

How can you use the work that God has done in your life to actively represent God to those around you?