THE KINGS WORD is FINAL
…. Until God the Intervenes.
The king's word is his command
… But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.” - Esther 8:8 NLT
The King's word is final and it can not be reversed. As we move forward into today’s post, I want us to focus on King Jesus. The Sovereign God, who is indeed the Alpha and the Omega; the first and the last, the author and finisher of our faith. When we understand the power and authority of t kings in these two biblical stories, I believe we will understand God better.
I believe that, Just as the Holy Spirit did for me, your faith will increase in knowing that God is both faithful and sovereign.
Today, we will be in the story of Esther and Daniel, specifically the chapters of Esther 8 and Daniel 6.
Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.” Esther 8:8 NLT
Esther 8
Whew, this is good.
Esther, a Jew, adopted by her cousin Mordecai, became queen in replacement of the former queen named Vashti. Esther was instructed by her cousin to never tell anyone that she was a Jew, even her husband, King Xerxes. So once she was officially chosen as queen, she would go periods without the King asking for her, she could get in serious trouble if she chose to come out to him on her own, as it was their royal custom. Mordecai her cousin worked in the palace and there was a man by the name of Haman, the King’s official who despised Mordecai because when he demanded the workers of the palace to bow down to him, Mordecai would refuse. Mordecai was a Jew as well and we know that according to the bible, we worship and bow before no one but God, and Mordecai chose to obey that instead. It is like in the Book of Acts, where the disciples Peter and John were spreading the Gospel about Jesus Christ and performing miracles; and the council, which included Jews who did not believe in Jesus commanded them to never again speak or teach in the name but they responded in Acts 4:19 and 20 with, “19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” We see here not just in the Life of Esther but Mordecai as well that when you stand for God no matter what, He will stand for you in due time, but let’s keep going to witness it. So Haman realized that he would never get Mordecai to bow, it would be best to destroy him and his people, the Jews. So Haman got King Xerxes to sign a decree to kill the Jews in the kingdom of Susa by convincing him that the Jews were against him, the King and that they refused to obey the King because of their Jewish customs, which was all cap (A LIE!). As written in Esther 3:8 NLT, “8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9 If it pleases the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks[a] of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.” Long story made short, The Jews of every place that received the king's decree fasted and prayed. Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, had told her what happened and asked her to raise and defend her people, she was hesitant at first but she was humbled by Mordecai when he told her that she was a Jew too and that she couldn't hide from this or be exempt, but perhaps that she was made queen for such a time as this, to stand and bring relief for her people.. So then she decided to seek the Lord and have her fellow Jews fast for her and was granted favor by the king in times where according to the royal Persian customs, she would have been killed. She exposed Haman, and Haman got killed on the same pole he planned to impale Mordecai on. The King gave Mordecai and Esther His signet ring to sign and approve any decree they came up with. They came up with new decrees that the Jews now had permission to kill anybody who tried to attack them (Esther ). Although, a king cannot reverse what he spoke does not mean God, the eternal King, could not. Hahaha, long story short. I just wanted to give a brief background to the story of Esther.
Esther had favor with the King. Haman didn't.
When Haman made his request to the King, he had to first tell the king what it was and then it was approved. However, Esther had her request granted even before she asked for it because the King had already favored her. Maybe when “Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request”.., that it was not her hoping and asking for it but her reminding the king of His favor for her. Reminding the king of her and who she is; In our case God and us as His children. Not that anything we do could make God do anything, but that He remembers his children and the type of relationship we have with Him.
What the enemy thought was going to harm God’s people, God took and turned it around to bless His people, which in this story; are the Jews. So, instead of Haman killing the whole Jewish population and taking their possessions for him and his people, God used it as an opportunity to give the Jews greater relief from their enemies.
Another powerful thing is that although King Xerxes could not reverse his original decree, he approved Haman’s wish to annihilate the Jews. However, because the Jews sought God for help, God allowed King Xerxes to overcome that decree by issuing another decree that overruled it giving the Jews victory over their enemies. He gave Queen Esther the power and authority to release whatever command they wanted to in HIS NAME, stamped and approved by his ring, to overrule their enemies. This is so good, deep, and powerful in many ways.
In the previous chapter, Esther 7, the Holy Spirit highlighted to me how Haman is like Satan to us, His children, the Body of Christ. He wants for both us and our families to be completely wiped out. Our whole bloodlines are to be destroyed. Unfortunately, sin is an open door for Him to come in and do so. You see, we are sinful beings there are things we have come into agreement with and since it is God’s nature to respect covenants no matter whether good or bad it may be because there’s a spiritual principle, we experience the consequences of those things. Now yes, although we are now believers, it does not automatically wipe away because God honors the Covenant. However, Glory be to God, we have Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant and we can overcome and put an end to these covenants in His Name, with His blood, and His power. This is the power of repenting and renouncing and coming into full agreement with God’s ways. And even though the King said He could not reverse it, he gave them the authority to overcome it IN HIS NAME. Thank you Jesus and thank God for the NAME OF JESUS!
Side note: It's not that the old covenant was evil, however, we were not able to obey it with our strength and it was not birthing the Light that the Holy Spirit produces. (Hebrews 10)
This reminds me of John 16:33 where Jesus tells us that in this world there are many trials but to take heart because he has overcome the world.
How does this relate to us today? Because although Jesus is over a new covenant and there are commands in this covenant, it does not throw away the first covenant but fulfills its purpose. The first decree of the King was initially to do “justice” by punishing disobedient people, although unbeknownst to him, the Jews were wrongly accused. So God allowed King Xerxes to find out the truth and gave Queen Esther the authority to make sure her people, God’s people, get Justice. So in our case, our lives and stories may not have started well but we can come to God and ask for a turnaround, a fresh start. No matter what the enemy tried to destroy you with, no matter what sins gave him legal access to your life. Jesus, the Judge, can come and declare our innocence against the accusations of the devil, whether they are true or not. Because when He died for our sins he also paid the penalty for it. God has the last say, and he can break the protocols of the world for His people.
………….Remember the Lion of Judah.
