Quick Note – Esther 9:1 – God Will Win

Esther 9:1 – Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.

Because Haman the Agagite was angry that Mordecai the Jew did not bow down to him and give him honor, he sought to destroy all the Jewish people.  He then went to the Persian King Ahasuerus and convinced him to allow a law to be written that would give everyone throughout the Persian Empire the opportunity to kill, destroy, and annihilate the Jews on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar (Esther 3).  It was on that day Haman thought he would get his revenge.  However, through God’s grace and the courage of Esther, who pleaded for her people to the king, a new law was instated that allowed the Jewish people to defend themselves from any attack on that day (Esther 8).  So on the day when the Jewish people were supposed to be defeated by their enemies, they conquered them instead.  It was victory snatched from the clutches of defeat. 

This story reminds me of another time in the Bible where victory was found in the depths of despair.  When Jesus was nailed to the cross and killed, the Devil thought that he had won.  He thought that he had defeated God, that salvation for mankind was done for, and that there was no longer any hope.  However, three days after His death, Jesus rose from the dead, proving that He is God and has victory and power over sin and death.  He nailed sin to the cross, paid for our punishment, and gave us eternal life with him.  He even restored the relationship with God that was broken by sin, so that we could now be in good terms with God.  Sin did not win; God did. 

This should bring encouragement to us as Christians, who are currently living in a world where it appears like wickedness is winning.  Satan seems to have his clutches on everything.  What is right is now considered wrong and what is wrong right.  Things that were inappropriate in the past are now widely accepted.  Christians are being treated like they should hide their faith lest they be persecuted.  But amid all this trouble, we can be sure that God will have the victory in the end.  The book of Revelation makes it clear that in the last times, wickedness and sin will look like they are prevailing, but our Lord God will have the victory.  So let us not fall into despair, but let us take joy that in the right time, God will win.