Esther 8:3 - Meaning and Application

Haman, the Jews’ chief enemy, had been hanged, and Mordecai and Esther, their main friends, were now safe enough. But many others in the king’s realm still hated the Jews and wanted their destruction. The decree against the Jews was still in force, and on the appointed day their enemies would attack them. If the Jews fought back, they would be treated as rebels against the king and his rule.

To stop that disaster, the queen came again and pleaded with great warmth and urgency. She went into the king’s presence without being summoned, as in Esther 8:3, and again he showed favor by holding out the golden scepter, Esther 8:4. Her request was that the king, since he had removed Haman, would also remove Haman’s evil plan against the Jews. Many times, a wicked man’s harm lives on after his death, because what he planned and wrote keeps working.

It was therefore necessary to ask the king for another act of favor. He needed to issue a new decree that would cancel Haman’s letters, which he wrote and sealed to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces, Esther 8:5. Esther did not press the point harshly. She left it to the king’s conscience to admit that he had approved and sealed the first order. If he truly regretted that decree, then he should undo it as far as he could. Real repentance means doing our best to reverse what we have done wrong.

Esther made her plea with deep feeling. She fell at the king’s feet and begged with tears, Esther 8:3, and each tear was as precious as the pearls on her clothing. This was a time to be earnest, because God’s people were in danger. No one should be too proud to bow down or too cheerful to weep when they can help the church and God’s people. Though Esther was safe herself, she still pleaded with tears for her people.

She also spoke with great humility and respect toward the king, Esther 8:5. She said, in effect, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the matter seems right and wise to him, let the decree be reversed.” Even when justice is clearly on our side, we should still speak to those above us with modesty and respect. We are asking, not ordering. Gentle words often win a favorable hearing.

Then she strengthened her request with a moving plea: “How can I bear to see the evil that will come on my people?” She said she would have little comfort in her own life if she could not obtain their rescue. She could almost bear to share the trouble herself, but she could not bear to watch her kindred, the people dear to her, be destroyed. Esther, though a queen, openly owned her poor relatives and showed deep concern for them. We do not read of tears when she asked for her own life, but now that her safety was secure, she wept for her people.

These tears of pity are the most like Christ’s heart. People who truly care about the public good would rather die than live to see the church laid waste or their country ruined. Tender-hearted people cannot stand the thought of their people and relatives being destroyed, so they should not miss any chance to help them.

The king then took steps to prevent the harm Haman had planned. He first explained that, by Persian law, the earlier decree could not be revoked, Esther 8:8. Anything written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring could not be reversed. This was treated as a fixed rule of the Persian state, like a basic law of the kingdom, Daniel 6:15. But this did not show true wisdom or honor. It showed pride and folly, because no human ruler can foresee every result of a law. It is unjust to claim such power that a decree can never be corrected, even when it proves harmful.

This kind of claim reflects the old pride that brought mankind low, the desire to be like God. It is much wiser to recognize that laws can be changed when needed. The right to make a law includes the right to undo it. Only God does not need to repent, and only he speaks in ways that can never be corrected or taken back.

Still, the king found a way to defeat Haman’s scheme. He signed and sent out another decree, authorizing the Jews to defend themselves, even by force if needed. That was the surest protection for them. He had already shown his concern for the Jewish people by hanging his favorite official, Haman, because Haman had raised his hand against the Jews, Esther 8:7. Now he would do all he could to protect them. He left it to Esther and Mordecai to use his name and power for their rescue, just as he had earlier left Haman free to use that same authority for their ruin. “Write for the Jews as you see fit,” he told them, while still preserving the honor of the Persian system, Esther 8:8. In this way, the harm would be turned aside as fully as possible without canceling the old letters.

The secretaries of state were ordered to prepare this decree on the twenty-third day of the third month, Esther 8:9. That was about two months after the first edict was issued, but still nine months before the day set for its execution. The new law was sent out in the languages of all the provinces. Should earthly rulers let their subjects read decrees only in a language they understand, and should God’s own words be kept from his servants in a language they do not know? The decree was also sent to the proper officers in each province, both the local judges and the deputy governors.

The decree had to be sent out carefully through all the king’s provinces, with exact copies carried quickly to every region. Its purpose was to authorize the Jews, on the very day set for their destruction, to gather together and defend themselves. They were to stand up for their lives, so that anyone who attacked them would do so at his own risk.

They were also allowed to do more than defend themselves. They could destroy and kill all the armed force of any people who attacked them, including men, women, and children (Esther 8:11). In this way, they could take revenge on their enemies (Esther 8:13), and, if they wished, they could also enrich themselves, since they were permitted to take the spoil as plunder.

This showed the king’s favor toward the Jews and gave strong protection for their safety. The later decree would be understood as canceling the earlier one, even if it did not say so directly. At the same time, it exposed the foolishness of the rule that the king’s edicts could not be repealed.

That rule forced the king to authorize civil conflict within his own empire, with both sides fighting under his authority and against his authority. Nothing good can come from people trying to act wiser than they are allowed to be. Great haste was used to spread this decree, because the king was worried that it might arrive too late, after harm had already been done to the Jews under the first decree.

For that reason, the messengers were hurried and pressed on by the king’s command as well as Mordecai’s (Esther 8:14), and swift horses were provided for them (Esther 8:10). This was no time for delay when so many lives were at stake.