Esther 8:1  On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.
2  And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3  And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
4  Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
5  And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:
6  For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
7  Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

The Bible is the Word of God. It is inspired of God and It is preserved by God. There have been many attempts made to discredit God’s Word. During Jesus’ 3 1/2 years of public ministry the Pharisees and their ‘friends’ wasted many opportunities to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. They tried to discredit Him in every way they could think of. They were finite beings and could not compete with the Infinite Son of God. They were fools who fought against the truth during His entire earthly ministry. We know that Nicodemus eventually saw the Light and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts we know that Saul was also broken to the place where he trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Saul/Paul is one of many pictures of what true salvation looks like and the redemptive power of God’s salvation. There were many ordinary people who were saved during the time of the apostles.
Since the fall of man, there have been countless attempts to dismiss God. None of them have worked, and yet today, there is still a concerted effort to do away with God.
As we look at the book of Esther, we have noted that some people want to dismiss the entire book because God is never mentioned in the book and thus they claim it should not be part of the Scriptures. God has put this book into the Scriptures for His own reasons. I cannot say that I know all of those reasons. I have mentioned some of the things that I believe God wants us to learn from this book. We can see in this book what happens when a nation/empire chooses to govern apart from knowing the true God.
King Ahasuerus was not a good leader. He was far too busy drinking and throwing parties to be able to guide the nation as a king should. He had bad advisers around him. He trusted those men more than he should have. He was a hands off type of leader. He allowed foolish men like Haman to have far too much say in the governing of the nation. A nation that chooses to run without God, will face much turmoil.
Israel was in trouble at the time of king Ahasuerus. They had long ago rejected the God Who made them a nation. They chose false gods and God told them that would not stand. He warned them many times through His prophets, but they continued to reject the warnings. They ended up scattered and in a vulnerable place. God would not allow them to be destroyed, but He would show them that without Him they could never be safe.
Currently, both Canada and the U.S. are being run by leaders who do not know the true God. Both leaders have surrounded themselves with ungodly people who cannot give wise counsel. We are currently in the midst of a major economic threat in our country. Mr. Trump wants to see fentanyl stopped from entering the U.S. Rather than addressing this problem, our government is trying to downplay this issue by claiming that less than one percent of fentanyl entering into the U.S. is coming from its northern border. What can you expect from a leader who prides himself in legalizing marijuana and also creating ‘safe” houses where people can do other hard drugs without being arrested. He knows people are dying of overdoses but he also believes that his only way of getting what he wants is to destabilize this country.
Yes, we can cheer some of the things that Mr. Trump is doing. The U.S. is in a big mess and he finally realizes that. The problem is:

Psalm 127:1  Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is not possible to have a strong nation when God is rejected. Daniel was told there would be four major empires. He lived during the first and second of those empires. The last of the four empires was the Roman empire. It was not taken over by any other empire. It just fell apart due to the wickedness of that empire. It is not gone. Its’ influence is still very real in our time. That system along with the Babylonian system, which is the basis of all the three other empires, will come back at the time of the Tribulation.
God also shows us that even though a nation chooses to exist without knowing Him, He is not unknown. He is not asleep. He is watching over His people, the Jews; and He is watching over His people, born again Christians. He allows the devil to play with the wicked and destroy many of them. He also allows the devil to try to interfere with His people. However, He limits the devil’s activities. God’s will is for all to be saved. He wants all to come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God warned us in His Word that most people will not turn to Him and be saved. That is not because they cannot. It is because they have been given freewill by God, and they choose not to know Him. They will be held accountable for that rebellious nature.
In our text we see that after the death of Haman, his house was given to Esther the queen. He did not throw her out. Esther saw to it that Mordecai was given greater recognition by the king. Esther used her new found role to her advantage.
In verse 2 we see that the king now took off his ring, which he had previously given to Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Mordecai was given charge over Haman’s house. Still no mention of God here.
In verse 3 Esther was not finished yet with seeking favour for herself and her people. She understood the importance of appeasing the ego of a wicked king. Thus she would bow before him and seek authority to change the attack made against the Jews by wicked Haman. She shed some tears and she gained the ear and the heart of the king.
We see a much different approach to challenges here than in the life of Joseph or that of Daniel and his three friends, or that of the apostles in the New Testament.
In verse 4 we see that Esther was much more confident now than earlier. She still came before the same king. She still needed his approval to speak to him, but she was more confident that she could do that now.
In verse 5 she again asked if she had found favour in the king’s sight. If so, she wanted proof. She wanted new letters written that would override the wicked letters sent out earlier by Haman. The former letters could not be withdrawn. That was part of the ungodly laws of that empire. They were far too proud to admit wrong and correct it properly. Thus Esther wanted a new letter sent out that would protect the Jews.
In verse 6 Esther continued to play on the emotions of this unstable king. She no doubt had sympathy for her people, and now she wanted the king to understand the gravity of the situation facing her people.
In verse 7 the king told Esther and Mordecai what he had already done for them. He took away Haman’s authority. There would be no further threat from that house. Esther had authority over that entire house. That would include Haman’s wife and any others that would survive the judgment that was coming upon that house.
The king understood the situation to a degree. The king reminded them that Haman had been hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. His crime was that he laid his hands on the Jews. Up until this time, that had not been a concern to the king, but Esther being a very attractive young woman, gained the ear and heart of this wicked king.
On the surface, Esther was able to seduce the king with her crying and her pleading. She was good at her craft. However, we know that behind the scenes, God was keeping His promise to Abraham and his descendants. There is ample evidence in the Bible, that God is in charge. He will be glorified in the sight of all humanity.

Leviticus 10:3  Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

The context there is after Nadab and Abihu played around with the holy fire in their censors. God struck them dead. Aaron’s family needed to understand the importance of walking in the fear of the LORD. The entire nation of Israel needed to learn that.
In our text, even though Esther and Mordecai did not want to acknowledge God, He would be glorified. The same is true today. Even though our nation does not want to glorify God, He will be glorified. Those who are truly born again, must glorify Him. He provided salvation for us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to indwell us. He has given us His Word. We have been blessed in many ways. It is certainly not unreasonable for us to exalt Him. Our nation needs to know they are on the wrong path. Born again Christians cannot sit idly by and think that putting another unsaved man in power will fix our problem. Those who are saved need to demonstrate the power of God at work in their lives and through them in their communities. God will be glorified. Let us intentionally glorify Him.
Pastor Bartel