· Esther 8:1-2: Here’s something else the king did not know: Esther and Mordecai were related. Mordecai had a very significant role in Esther’s brave decisions. He had raised her in his home. Then he advised her when they both were under the decree of death. They were both as good as dead; now they were both rejoicing in the promise of life. It reminds us of our situation. We died with Christ, and then we were raised with Christ (Rom. 6:1-5). The key was that He was our kinsman, our Kinsman Redeemer (Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 2:15; 1 Pt. 1:17-18; the Story of Ruth in the OT illustrates this).
· Esther 8:3-6: Haman was dead! And yet, he had left behind a plan and willing wicked men to carry it out. Remember: the law enacted by Haman and the king was still in effect. The Jews would have to deal with this. Wow! That is certainly a devotional thought. Jesus made a spectacle of Satan and the principalities and powers through His death on the cross. Satan is defeated! Through the resurrection of Christ death has died. So why do I still experience the attack of sin in my life and why do I succumb to the temptations? We must, as Paul put it in Phil. 2:12-13, work out our own salvation. The victory must be applied to our own lives. It is interesting that Phil. 2:12-13 comes immediately after Phil. 2:5-11, the humiliation (Incarnation, death) and exaltation (resurrection, ascension, return in glory) of Christ. All the excitement of Esther 7:10 (the death of Haman) and 8:1-2 (the honoring of Mordecai) is followed by the realization that we must now prepare to do battle against wicked people in the kingdom. That is what we are doing until the day we die. The victory is secure in Christ, but it must be applied to our lives daily until we enter into the glory that Christ has prepared for us. As Esther 8:3 puts it, we need the help of our God to counteract the evil of Satan and the scheme which he had devised against the followers of Christ.
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