An accounting of the
aftermath of the defense of the Jews from those who opposed them had
begun. Reports were coming into King Ahasuerus from all over the
Persian empire about the losses of those who were slain including the
ten sons of Haman and five hundred within the palace at Shushan. In
chapter nine and verse twelve we see the king ask Queen Esther a
further question. We read:
And the king said unto
Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men
in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done
in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is your
petition? and it shall be granted you: or what is your
request further? and it shall be done.
The
verse begins like this, “And the king said unto Esther the
queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan
the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the
rest of the king's provinces? As we read this verse we can use
our imaginations once again and visualize this happening. King
Ahasuerus was probably sitting upon his throne and asked Esther to
come to see him. Because there are no news reporting agencies who
with lightening speed report to everyone who watches, the king shares
with Esther what is happening all over the empire. The Jews are
victorious. Five hundred men in the palace and the ten sons of Haman
have been killed. Then, as though even he is unaware of the number,
King Ahasuerus rhetorically questions how many have been killed
throughout the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces. In other
words, the defense of the Jews was working, and wherever the enemies
of the Jews thought they would be victorious, they were wrong because
they forgot about the God factor.
The
verse goes on to say, “now what is your
petition? and it shall be granted you: or what is
your request further? and it shall be done.” King Ahasuerus
has complied with Esther's request for a second law to be written
that would allow the Jews to defend themselves against anyone who
would come against them, but the king sees that this edict is not
quite all that Esther desired. He asks her petition and further
request, and not only does he ask, but he promises her that she shall
have whatever she asks. He makes it clear, “it shall be done”.
Though King Ahasuerus could not alter the law once it was written
into the Persian law books, he could add new laws that would give
defense against those previously written. He knew this, but he
understood that Esther knew this as well.
When we
read this verse we might think about the relationship that this king
had with his queen. She was his wife, and he was quite powerful, so
much so that he not only asked for her petitions, but granted them.
We might be reminded of Jesus' words in the gospel of Matthew in
chapter seven and verses seven and eight:
Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds;
and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
As we
examine our own lives and situations, what victories have already
been won? What battles have been waged in our lives and we have
triumphed? When we ponder the past achievements by the grace of our
King, Jesus, what further questions would He ask us and then let us
know, whatever you ask, “it shall be done”?
Next
time we will see Queen Esther's answer to the king's request, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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