2 Kings 10:1 - Meaning and Application

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of the Book of Esther

How God watched over the Jews who had returned from captivity to their own land, and how many good things were done for them, we read in the two books before this one. But many Jews stayed behind because they did not have enough zeal for God’s house, the holy land, and the holy city to carry them through the hardships of moving there. You might think these people would have been left out of God’s special care, as if they were unworthy to be called Israelites. But God does not deal with us according to our foolishness and weakness. This book shows that even the Jews scattered through the provinces of the nations were cared for as well as those gathered in Judea, and they were wonderfully saved when they were marked for death and treated like sheep for slaughter.

Who wrote this history is uncertain. Mordecai was as able as anyone to tell the story from his own knowledge, for he played a large part in it. He also wrote an account of these events that was needed to explain to his people why they should keep the feast of Purim (Esther 9:20, "Mordecai wrote these things, and sent them enclosed in letters to all the Jews"). So there is good reason to think he wrote the whole book. The book tells of a plot against the Jews, meant to wipe them out, and how God wonderfully frustrated that plot through many providences, meaning many carefully arranged acts of God’s care. The best way to understand it is to read it all through at once, because the later events explain the earlier ones and show what God was doing in them.

God’s name is not found in this book, but the apocryphal addition to it, which is not part of the Hebrew text and was never accepted by the Jews into the canon, begins with these words: Then Mordecai said, God has done these things. Even though God’s name is not written in the book, God’s hand is there, guiding many small events to bring about his people’s rescue. The details are not only surprising and engaging, but also useful and full of encouragement for God’s people when times are hard and dangerous. We cannot expect miracles like those done for Israel when they were brought out of Egypt, but we can still expect God to protect his people in the same kinds of ways he used to defeat Haman’s plot.

We are told, first, how Esther came to be queen and Mordecai came to be honored at court, because they were to be the instruments of the deliverance that was coming, chapters 1 and 2. Second, we are told what angered Haman, the Amalekite, and by what schemes he got an order to destroy all the Jews, Esther 3:1-15. Third, we see the great distress this brought on the Jews, and especially on their faithful defenders, chapter 4. Fourth, we see how Haman’s specific plot against Mordecai’s life was stopped, chapters 5-7. Fifth, we see how his larger plot against the Jews was defeated, chapter 8. Sixth, we see the care taken to keep the memory of this rescue alive, chapter 9 and Esther 10:1-3.

The whole story confirms the psalmist’s observation, "The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him. The Lord laughs at him, for he sees that his day is coming" (Psalm 37:12-13).