April 13, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Turning the Tables

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Father, I come to You today, not because I am strong but because I am weak. Impart Your strength to me I pray.

Read Esther 9:1-17

[1] On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. [2] The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. [3] And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. [4] Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. [5] The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. [6] In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. [7] They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, [8] Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, [9] Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, [10] the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder. [11] The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. [12] The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.” [13] “If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles.” [14] So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman. [15] The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. [16] Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. [17] This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him” (Psa. 37:40).

I’m looking forward to attending–again!–the musical Les Misérables. Victor Hugo’s captivating tale of forgiveness and redemption has all the drama of the Esther story. Its reversal of fortunes–for an undeserving criminal, an orphaned waif and a relentless law-enforcer–is a shared theme, as is a besieged minority group seeking justice. The phrase “now the tables were turned” (1) is probably the pivotal point of our story: the Jews, doomed to destruction by hateful enemies, now take the upper hand and fight for their survival.

The battle scene is quite disturbing. Evidently there were sufficient enemies of the Jews still around after Haman’s death–maybe coordinated by his ten sons–to cause mayhem across the provinces. The Jews, who had gained official support through the growing influence of Mordecai, were enabled to survive attacks on the prescribed day. Widespread skirmishes resulted in many opponent deaths, including those of Haman’s sons. The Jews, however, showed more restraint than was typical of ancient battles. They were primarily defending themselves, seemingly attacking only fighting men and not plundering their possessions. At Esther’s request, Susa was given an extra day to finish the job and make an example of Haman’s family.

The cost of turning sorrow into joy was high, but at the conclusion several major reversals were complete. Haman had fallen from honor to shame, Mordecai had risen from shame to honor and the Jews rejoiced that they had been given relief from their enemies. “Thus the intention of Haman to wipe out the Jewish race had the effect of strengthening the bonds between its members, and increasing the communal spirit among them as they remembered their shared danger and deliverance” (Joyce Baldwin). 

Apply

How do you personally, as a Christian, approach the moral dilemma of the use of violence to resolve social conflict? Does the end ever justify the means?

Closing prayer

Holy One, I need Your guidance as I navigate the complexities of life. My heart’s desire is to live rightly for You.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store