Recap

So far in Esther we’ve read of Esther’s rise to the position of queen. The book is set in Susa, the capital city of Persia, a few decades after some of the Jews had returned to Jerusalem. King Ahasuerus threw a week-long party, and on the last night, he asked his wife to come to entertain his guests. She refused and so he put her away and held a beauty pageant to find himself a new wife.

A young Jewish woman named Esther was in Susa being raised by her cousin, Mordecai, as both her parents had died. She was entered into the pageant and won, becoming the new queen and Ahasuerus's wife.

Mordecai discovered a plot to kill Ahasuerus and warns him, saving his life. Meanwhile, one of the king's advisers, Haman, had become proud, enjoying seeing everyone bow before him. Everyone that is, but Mordecai. Haman was furious and decided to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews with him. He persuaded Ahasuerus to declare a day where it would be legal to kill the Jews.

Mordecai heard of this and told Esther that she needed to do something about it. Esther invited the king and Haman to eat a meal with her. At the meal, the king offered her anything she wants, and so she asked if they would come back a second time the next day.

Haman was happy, believing he had won the attention of the new queen. On the way home, he saw Mordecai and, so filled with anger, prepared a gallows to hang Mordecai on on the day declared for the judgement of the Jews.

Esther 6-10

The king is struggling to sleep, and so he calls one of his servants to read him to sleep. The servant reads the king's book that has every good dead recorded in it and eventually gets to the time where Mordecai saved the king's life.

Remembering this, the king asks if Mordecai had ever been rewarded for this, and the servant says no. The king then calls Haman him and asks what should be done for someone who the king is pleased with. Haman assumes the king is talking about him, and so he tells the king to dress this man in the king's own clothes, put him on a horse, and parade him around the city.

The king thinks this is a great idea, and so gets Haman to do all this for Mordecai. Haman is furious, but he can't say anything now. He does what he is told and then goes home to complain to his friends and wife. They, however, can already see this is going to end badly for Haman.

While Haman is ranting at home, the king's servants come to bring him to Esther's second meal. Again, the king offers her whatever she asks for and she tells him that there is a man that is trying to hunt down her and her people. Furious, the king asks who the man is and Esther points to Haman.

Realising what is happening, Haman begs Esther for forgiveness, but the king assumes Haman is trying to attack his wife and has him hung on the gallows that Haman had made for Mordecai.

The king then gives everything that belonged to Haman to Mordecai. Mordecai and Esther beg the king to reverse his declaration that, for one day, it's okay to kill a Jew and take all that he has. The king points out he can't go back on a declaration that he has made, but that Esther could make a counter declaration in his name if she wanted.

So Esther and Mordecai write up this counter declaration. On the same that day that it is okay to kill a Jew, it will also be okay for a Jew to defend himself and kill anyone that is his enemy. The declaration is sent out, and the Jews rejoice at this new news, preparing to defend themselves.

The day finally arrives, and across all of Persia, the Jews attack and kill all their enemies. In Susa, they capture all of Haman's son. The king asks Esther if there's anything else she wants. She asks the king to extend this day to a second day, so the Jews can rid the empire of anyone that would wish them harm. She also asks for Haman's sons to be killed.

The king agrees to both, and so for a second day, the Jews hunted down and killed their enemies. Across the empire, 75,000 of the Jews' enemies were killed. To celebrate this great victory for the Jews, Mordecai sets up the festival of Purim. Mordecai would go on to become the king's right-hand men and the second most powerful man in the Persian empire.

So what are we meant to learn from this book? Despite the fact that God isn’t mentioned once, in many ways it feels like he is threaded all the way through the book. There are too many coincidences for this not to have been put together by God.

What are the chances of a young Jewish girl being the one that the king chose to be his wife? Or Mordecai just happening to overhear a plot to kill the king, and then save his life?

Even Haman. There's an irony to his actions. What are the chances that the gallows he set up to kill Mordecai would be used to kill him? Or that the king would ask him how he should reward Mordecai?

Esther is a book that shows that even in the difficult times where we can't see God moving, he's there, in control at all times.

Psalm 55

This psalm is attributed to king David and falls into the category of lament psalm.

Psalm 55:1-2a - A request to God to listen

Psalm 55:2-8 - Overwhelmed by fear

Psalm 55:9-15 - The betrayal of a close friend

Psalm 55:16-19 - The psalmist calls to God

Psalm 55:20-21 - The betrayal of close friends

Psalm 55:22-23 - Confidence and trust in God

The psalmist starts by turning to God and asking him to listen. From there he alternates between share his complaint and asking God to intervene, before finally ending in trust.

The psalmist is overcome with fear. Everything in them wants to run away and hide from their problems. They would much rather be in the wilderness, the realm of chaos, than in the city. And then comes the first request, destroy and divide the tongue of the enemy. Presumably, the tongue is the source of their power as they whip up lies and conflict.

The psalmist then turns back to their complaint. Their enemies are causing strife in the city. They are spreading oppression and fraud. But worse than that, this is someone who the psalmist once counted a friend. They used to support one another.

And so the psalmist makes their second request. May their enemy die. May they take their wickedness down with them.

Next, the psalmist encourages themselves. They call to God and know that he will save them. That from morning to evening, God hears them. He is a faithful God that humbles the wicked.

Then we’re back to the complaint. The psalmist's friends have broken the boundaries of their friendship. They were pleasant, but inwardly waged war.

And so the psalmist ends with confidence. They can cast their burdens on the Lord, for God will sustain him. God will deal with the wicked. In all this, the psalmist can trust in God.

Once again, we see the unique journey each person can take through lament. Each person, in their own way, works through the steps of turning to God, bringing their complaint, making a request of God, and then declaring their trust in God.