Esther 8: Mordecai’s Rise: From Condemned to Crowned

What do you do when the villain is gone, but his evil plan is still in motion?

In Esther chapter 8 Haman is dead, but his genocidal edict is sealed by Persian law and cannot be changed. Esther, Mordecai, and every Jew across 127 provinces are marked for death.

In this episode, we uncover the "great reversal" as Mordecai moves from sackcloth to the King’s signet ring. Then Esther, the master of diplomacy, approaches King Xerxes a second time to plead for the lives of her people. Through divine providence, a new decree transforms the Jews' death sentence into a declaration of defense.

Episode Highlights:

• From condemned to crowned: How Mordecai received Haman’s estate, authority, and the King’s signet ring.
• The legal loophole: Why the King couldn't "cancel" the law and how Mordecai’s counter-decree legalized a war for survival.
• A pattern of intercession emerges: Moses, David, and Esther each risked their lives pleading for God's people, pointing us toward Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection offer eternal intercession for each of us today

Applicable themes:

This episode reveals powerful truths about God's power and our response to His calling. Consider how these themes apply to your life today.

• Positioned for purpose: Like Esther, you may be placed 'for such a time as this" in circumstances that seem impossible but serve God's greater purposes.
• We're called to intercede: Where might God be calling you to stand in the gap and intercede for others as Esther did, even when the outcome is uncertain?
• Trusting God's reversals: God specializes in reversals. What impossible situation in your life might God be preparing to reverse?

Show notes:

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Bible Book Club, the Book of Esther.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to the club.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Last time in chapters 6 and 7 of Esther, it was the beginning of the great reversal that was triggered by the king's insomnia. Because the king providentially couldn't sleep, he discovered that he had never rewarded Mordecai for saving his life from the assassins. Haman providentially then showed up at the palace and was told to honor Mordecai, whom he hated because Mordecai never honored him. It was humiliating and Haman never recovered. From there, he was whisked off to his second banquet with Esther. At that dinner, the masks came off. Esther revealed her identity as a Jew. Haman was revealed as the villain, and the king realized he had been a fool.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

So the last chapter was a victory of divine justice. And while we can all cheer the villain's demise, his murderous edict is still very much alive. And the king is in a predicament. Now, in Persia and other ancient cultures, an edict from the king could not be reversed. This was because kings were looked at like gods and could do no wrong. To reverse an edict would have meant that the king had made a mistake, and they didn't make mistakes because they were like gods. Therefore, the decree Haman wrote, the one ordering the annihilation of every Jewish man, woman, and child across 127 provinces, that death warrant was still in effect. It's sealed with the king's signet ring. And according to Persian law, not even the king himself can reverse it. There were just nine months left before the Jews would legally be attacked and plundered. But all is not lost because there are always options, and King Xerxes made a way for the option of life. Scene 1, the Reversal of Fortune and Power.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Esther chapter 8. That same day, King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai, and Esther appointed him over Haman's estate.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

According to historians, this was the way of the kings in many ancient cultures. When a traitor was executed, his property was appropriated by the throne. King Xerxes, for the first time, displays some wisdom. That very same day Haman was executed, the king gave Esther all of Haman's vast wealth. Now the king could have kept the money, but Esther is a woman who finds favor, and she had been wronged in this case, so the king gave her all of Haman's property. Esther immediately sees the opportunity to present Mordecai as her cousin and to recall to the king Mordecai's loyalty to him. Then, and perhaps the greatest reversal or irony in the entire story, Xerxes gave Mordecai Haman's job. Mordecai goes from wearing sackcloth outside the palace to wearing the king's signet ring inside the palace. Mordecai has all the authority of the man still hanging on the gallows that, but for the providence of God, he himself would have been hanging on. With the ring and the title, Mordecai the Jew has become the most powerful man in the court. On top of that, Esther put Mordecai in charge of her estate, the former estate of Haman. And with that, Mordecai has all of Haman's power and fortune. And Esther was the instrument of his path. Now Mordecai's reversal of power and fortune was a great victory for the Jews because he's now in charge. But what was it worth if in nine months they were as dead as Haman? More than position and money, Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews need the king to grant them life. Scene 2. Esther seeks the scepter again to save her people.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Verse 3. Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther, and she rose and stood before him.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Even with all her new wealth and Mordecai's political power, Esther still needs the king to save the Jewish people. She cannot do what needs to be done, but she can do something. And what she could, she did. She bravely approached the throne again, hoping that the king would again extend the golden scepter to her. Now recall that any approach to the king without an invitation was a breach in protocol and came with risk depending on the king's mood and favor. This king could have just as easily decided he had done enough for Esther by giving her Haman's estate, but he didn't. This time, Esther's approach is totally different. She skips the dinner invitation and the mystery that went with it and gets right to the point. She falls on the king's feet just as Haman had fallen on her feet, and begs for mercy, not for her own life as Haman had begged, but for the lives of her people. Her plea is passionate, but even in her passion, she is wisely diplomatic.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Verse 5 If it pleases the king, she said, and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman's son of Hamadatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king's provinces. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?

SPEAKER_01 6:32

I don't think people realize how clever this woman really is. Esther is yet again a master of diplomacy. She begins with the king. She knows that it is and always will be all about him. She says, if it pleases him, if he regards her with favor, if he thinks it is the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with her. If the king is pleased with her, well, of course he is pleased with her. Her cousin saved his life. She saved him from committing genocide. Therefore, she continues going backwards, if he is pleased with her, and now trusts that she and Mordecai have his best interest at heart, then he regards them with favor. And if he regards her with favor, then what she is asking is the right thing to do. And if it is the right thing to do, then it must please him. Then she brilliantly removes the king of any responsibility and blames the entire plan on Haman, who devised and wrote the evil decree. It is all so logical that the king didn't stand a chance.

SPEAKER_00 8:01

Verse 7. King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. Now write another decree in the king's name in behalf of the Jews, as seems best to you, and seal it with the king's signet ring. For no document written in the king's name and sealed with this ring can be revoked.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Esther's wisdom, humility, and diplomacy saved the people of Israel from certain death. She did what she could do, and it was enough. The irony of Esther's request is that the king had previously told Esther she could ask for whatever she wanted up to half the kingdom. Certainly, the retraction of an edict was a lesser request than half the kingdom, but apparently not, because a king could not deliver a retraction as we already discussed. However, there was an out, and the king agreed to it. Mordecai, the new prime minister, could write another decree to counteract but not cancel Haman's decree. Scene 3.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

The decree that legalized a war. Verse 9. At once the royal secretaries were summoned on the 23rd day of the third month, the month of Sevan. They wrote out all Mordecai's orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people, and also to the Jews in their own script and language. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king's signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers who rode fast horses, especially bred for the king. The king's edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies. The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. The couriers riding the royal horses went out, spurred on by the king's command, and the edict was issued in the Citadel of Susa.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

The royal secretaries are summoned just as they had been for Haman. The new orders are recorded and sealed with the king's ring by Mordecai this time instead of Haman. But there are just some slight differences. Where the older edict from Haman was addressed like this in Esther 3.12.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

An edict according to all that Haman commanded was written to the king's satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script, and every people in its own language. The new order was addressed like this.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

So the difference was this: the new order is addressed to the Jews and the other rulers, and the Jews are listed first. The inclusion of and the order in which they were listed put the Jews of Persia on the same level as the rulers of Persia. The people who were victims with no recourse are now empowered by the king himself. In summary, the first edict commanded people to attack the Jews. The second edict commanded the Jews to strike back. The result was anyone who chose to follow Haman's original order was now legally entering a war in which the state sanctioned both sides to fight. Now, why would Mordecai and the king think this was a good idea? Recall from past episodes that the Babylonians were the people who originally conquered, exiled, and dispersed the Israelites throughout Babylon. Then when Persia took over Babylon, they inherited this melting pot of displaced people from many nations. Now, unlike the Babylonians who tried to erase national identities through exile, the Persians under Cyrus and later Xerxes generally encouraged people to return to their lands and rebuild their temples. This created a high level of ethnic tension. Many of these nationalities harbored ancient grudges. Haman's decree gave these groups a legal excuse to act on their grudge against the Jews. Mordecai's counter-decree changed the game. The Jews were not to be sitting ducks, but a protected sovereign group within the empire. The Jews were given permission to defend themselves against any nationality in the Persian Empire that might attack them. Something for us to consider in this solution is that God doesn't always or even often remove the opposition. We still have to walk through the trial and fight in the battle. He does, however, promise his presence with us.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Listen to the words of Isaiah 43, starting in verse 1. Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and a flame shall not consume you. God promises his presence to be with us, and he promises to prepare us for the battle. And who is a rock except our God? The God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook them and did not turn back till they were consumed. I thrust them through so that they were not able to rise. They fell under my feet, for you equipped me with strength for the battle.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

God equips us, but even today we must remember God is not a lawnmower parent. He is not going to go before you and mow everything down to make it smooth and easy for us. Instead, God will equip us and walk with us so that we can learn to plow through the weeds ourselves, each and every day growing in wisdom and strength.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Verse 15. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. For the Jews, it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor in every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came. There was joy and gladness among the Jews with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Mordecai's world has been completely turned upside down. The reversal of incidents is a perfect chaiism. And I think God inspired the author of Esther to make it a chaiism because the reversal so much mirrors the beginning and the end. Recall, we discussed the literary structure called a chiasm in episode five and in past seasons, actually. It's a structure in which the second half of a story mirrors the first with a pivotal story point in the middle. Now, in this case, this is the irony of this whole thing. Haman's edict caused great mourning and weeping. Then Mordecai clothed himself in ashes and sackcloth. Now, because of his mourning, Mordecai could not enter the king's gate. And here's the pivotal middle. Then the great reversal of roles occurred, and Mordecai replaced Haman, and good overcame evil. And here we have the flip side. Now Mordecai is welcomed in the palace instead of band, and Mordecai is clothed in royal garments to replace his sackcloth. And Mordecai's edict causes great celebration and joy instead of mourning. The world of Mordecai and the Jews has been completely reversed.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

On top of that, it said this many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

So what does that mean? The Hebrew word here is mityachedim. Translated, it means became Jews. And this word only occurs here in this book and is debated by scholars. Did this mean a religious conversion or an alignment with the Jewish people for political protection? Well, we don't know. Perhaps some Persians recognized the hand of God and actually became believers in the God of Israel. Or maybe they just stood by their Jewish neighbors in support of their right to life. I like to think of it as perhaps a combination. Because of Esther and Mordecai and divine providence, there was a Jewish revival among the Jews. And perhaps becoming a Jew became a more honorable thing in Persia. Now, something to think about at this point in this book of Esther is intercession. Esther interceded and Esther saved. Intercession is a biblical lesson we have learned over and over in our journey, starting in Genesis. Abraham, Joseph, Samuel, Nehemiah, Elijah, Ezra all interceded for the people. But there are three Bible characters that stand out to me because of their willingness to give up their life. And Esther is one of them. The first that we've already studied is Moses. In Exodus 32, Moses interceded with his life when Israel faced annihilation after the golden calf incident.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Exodus 32, starting in verse 30. The next day Moses said to the people, You have committed a great sin, but now I will go up to the Lord. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. So Moses went back to the Lord and said, Oh, what a great sin these people have committed. They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin. But if not, then blot me out of the book you have written. The Lord replied to Moses, Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Moses loved this new but rebellious nation of Israel so much that he was willing for God to blot him out of the book of life to deliver the people from the sin that they had committed. And so he interceded on their behalf and saved the nation. Now the second is David. In 2 Samuel 24, David interceded on behalf of the people in the plague that ended on Mount Moriah. In this case, it was David who had sinned after he took an unauthorized census of the people.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

2 Samuel chapter 24, starting in verse 15. So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and 70,000 of the people, from Dan to Beersheba, died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, Enough, withdraw your hand. The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Ariana the Jebuzite. When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, I have sinned. I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

David was so struck by the death caused by his own sin that he begged God to take him and his family instead. God did not. But David is an example of how God's will does not always make sense to us. David was a man who did great things for the Lord and also sinned deeply. And then there is Esther. Unlike Moses, she is rather detached from her people in the palace, and she was certainly not the leader. Of the Israelites as Moses was. She was also unlike David. She was not at fault for the genocide, and again, certainly not the Israelite leader as David was. Both Moses and David had serious callings to be leaders. Esther is just a young woman alone in a sea of women, isolated in a harem.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

Yet when challenged by Mordecai, Esther 4, 14, and who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.

SPEAKER_01 22:35

She, like Moses and David, answered with a willingness to give up her life to save her people.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

Esther 4, 16, I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Esther chose to identify with her people and take responsibility. Moses and David's intercession arose from their leadership positions. Esther's arose from her willingness to accept God's divine providence in her unique position and ability to help her people. These three intercessors were all willing to die for their people, but God never asked it of them. They foreshadow the one who did have to die to intercede for his people, for us. Jesus is the ultimate intercessor. While Moses, David, and Esther saved their people from physical death, Jesus died to save all people from spiritual death. He interceded once for our eternal salvation, rescuing us from sin and death. But Jesus' work does not stop there. He intercedes continuously for us.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

In Romans 8, 34, which says, Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. And in Hebrews we learn that. Hebrews 7, starting in verse 20. Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him, The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever. Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. Now, there have been many of these priests since death prevented them from continuing in office, but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Jesus did a work at the cross, he saved us from our sin. He interceded for our life. And Jesus is still working for us, sitting at the right hand of God. His role as an intercessor is a continuous one. So what is our role in intercession? Do we even have one? We do. We must intercede for the nations, all nations.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

First Timothy chapter 2, starting in verse 1. I urge then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

And we must intercede even when we are unsure of what to ask for.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Romans chapter 8, starting in verse 26. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans, and he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

Moses spoke to God when he interceded for the Israelites. David spoke to God when he interceded for the Israelites. Esther fasted and asked the people to do so also when she interceded for the Jews of Persia. Jesus spoke to God when he interceded for the people on many occasions. In fact, the longest intercessory prayer of Jesus's is the entire chapter 17 of the book of John. But here's just a portion.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

John 17, starting in verse 20. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and we will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and that I myself may be in them.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

That whole verse we could put in people's names, like, Father, I want you to, I want those you have given me, my family, to be with me where I am and to see your glory, the glory you have shown me because you love me before the creation of the world. We could insert the names of those we love into this intercessory prayer. We must follow Moses, David, Esther, and Christ's lead. We too must intercede by praying to the Father, even when we don't know what to say. Well, in our next episode, the book of Esther will come to a close, but not before the Queen of Persia makes one more bold and often criticized request.