Esther 8:8  Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.
9  Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
10  And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:
11  Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
12  Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
13  The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14  So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
15  And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
16  The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
17  And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

Very interesting developments have taken place over the last little while. The Prime Minister of Israel has paid a visit to the U.S. He has received a very warm reception from Mr. Trump. Things have certainly changed a great deal over the past couple of weeks. At this present time, we can see that there is a reprieve from the hostility of the past U.S. administration. The president wants to take control of a section of Gaza. He believes he can turn it into a tourist attraction. Interesting developments to say the least.
As we look at this, we must keep in mind the fact that Mr. Trump is not a born again Christian. We know that God sets up kings and puts down kings. We must also keep in mind that God will bring in the antichrist at just the right time. We must also note that when The Antichrist comes in he will come in as a peacemaker. He will be riding on a white horse, with a bow in his hand, but no arrows. He will be very successful at convincing the Jews and others that he is a peacemaker.
I am not suggesting for a moment that Mr. Trump is The Antichrist. Before God introduces the antichrist, the New Testament saints must be removed. That is what the Bible declares. Since that has not happened yet, The Antichrist cannot be revealed at this time. There are other factors that help us to know that Mr. Trump is not The Antichrist. He is an antichrist and Mr. Netanyahu is desperate for help, but he is looking in the wrong place. He should be looking to God, and may even assume he is doing that, but he does not know Him.
As I mentioned yesterday, when people do not know the true God, stability cannot be assured. In our text, king Ahasuerus continued to show favour to the Jews. He also was not The Antichrist, but he certainly made some drastic changes in his policies. God directed John to remind us that there are many antichrists. However, there will be one final Antichrist.
Ahasuerus now gave Esther and Mordecai permission to write letters that would give the Jews the right to defend themselves against the scheduled attack by the Gentiles. They were to seal the letters with the king’s ring. The king was willing to have his name attached to the letters. As the laws of the Persians was, no man could reverse this new order.
In verse 9 we read that the king’s scribes were called in the third month, the month Sivan, and on the twenty third day of that month. Mordecai was given the authority to dictate the letter. The letter was addressed to all the lieutenants, deputies and rulers of the provinces from India to Ethiopia. Again we are reminded of the expanse of the Persian empire — one hundred and twenty seven provinces. The letter was to be written in the various languages of the people. It was important that every people group had this command in a manner that there would not be any confusion.
In verse 10 we are further reminded that this letter had the authority of the king, with his seal. It was sent out by horseback and riders on mules, camels and young dromedaries. The young dromedaries were a type of camel. This letter needed to get out quickly in order for the Jews to prepare for the event. It was also necessary to help the Gentiles to reconsider if they wanted to get involved in an attack that would not go well for them.
In verse 11 we are further reminded that this event could cause massive bloodshed. The Jews had full permission to defend themselves. They would be sure to do so. Most people do not want to die. They want to live peacefully and if they have to fight, they want to be sure they can win.
This showdown was still scheduled to take place as per Haman’s letter. The conditions of the events of that day were drastically changed now.
In verse 13 we see that this letter was written as a command of the king. It was not a friendly letter. It was a call to arms and it gave permission to all Jews to defend themselves against any Gentile that would choose to attack them. We see again how ungodly rulers do not value life. They value power.
In verse 14 we see that the posts were ready to deliver the letters. No postal trucks. No danger of a strike. There was an urgency here. The decree was also given at Shushan, the palace.
In verse 15 we see that Mordecai was quite pleased with the turn of events. Still no mention of God here. Mordecai was now decked out with the fine apparel of a man with great human authority. All the people would understand that Mordecai had an important position in the realm of the kingdom. We read that the city of Sushan rejoiced in what they witnessed. This was not a time of mourning.
In verse 16 we read that the Jews had a completely different attitude now. Things were changed in their favour. They would still need to defend themselves but they now had the authority of the king to do just that.
We are further told that wherever these letters went, the Jews now had occasion for joy and gladness. They would call a feast and it would be a good day. We read as well that many of the people chose to convert to become Jews, rather than be killed by Jews. The fear of the Jews fell upon the people. Notice it does not say the fear of the LORD fell upon them.
As we have mentioned before, there was no mention of God. The Jews were different; however, the Gentiles did not know the significance of that difference. The Jews were not glorifying God. They were secular and they were keeping some of the Jewish customs, but they had lost the true purpose of those events.
We have noted before, there is much religion in Canada today. There is the humanistic religion that defines the politicians and most doctors and nurses, police officers, etc. I saw a notice for one religious group that was asking people to get involved in putting together shopping bags with food stuffs and toiletries, etc., to help the poor around us. That type of action draws the attention and approval of the lost. Godless religion is quite popular. People want to feel good about what they can do. They want to feel like they are in charge. It feeds the ego.
Lost people like to get behind something like that. They want to be seen as being generous and caring.
We note here that the fear of the Jews fell upon many people. The people needed to know the fear of the LORD. Without the fear of the LORD in a person’s heart and life, the rest is just a smokescreen. People need to be reminded of who the true God is. They need the facts. They will not get that from the secular religionists of our time. They will only get that from those who are truly born again and humbly serving the true God.
Real joy and rejoicing come from knowing your sins are forgiven and you have a real purpose in life. As we mentioned, Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu seem to be developing a friendship of sorts. Israel is likely breathing a sigh of relief at this moment. God is certainly being gracious in this matter. He wants people in the West as well as the Middle East to be saved. They need to know the true God. They do not need resorts to go to. They need to know the peace of God in their hearts. We can pray that this window of change will give greater opportunity to proclaim the Truth to both sides. We have the Scriptures and we know there is trouble ahead for Israel. At a time when they think they have peace, the enemy will pounce on them. God will not allow them to be destroyed, but they will be shocked by what is coming.
As the Bible often reminds us, today is the day of salvation. Don’t put your trust and hope in man. Be sure your trust and hope are in the true God. Then you have real reason to rejoice and be glad.
Pastor Bartel