Esther 8:1-17
1 On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.
2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besoughta him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devisedb by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:
6 For how can I endurec to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.
9 Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:
11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
12 Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was publishedd unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of bluee and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Esther 8:1. On that day did the king give. The LXX read, “In that day king Artaxerxes gave to queen Esther all the substance of the diabolical Haman;” that is, all his estates, and servants, and cattle.
Esther 8:2. The king took off his ring, which elevated Mordecai to the royal confidence, and equally so to that which Haman had enjoyed.
Esther 8:10. Young dromedaries. On these the king's messengers usually rode. There are two species of the camel, the Bactrian camel, and the Arabian camel or dromedary. The chief thing that distinguishes these two races is, that the camel has two bunches on his back, and the dromedary but one. The latter is somewhat weaker than the camel. The camel is preferred, because having two bunches on his back, he is more proper to receive a load. But these animals can travel three or four days without water, and can live seven days without what is so essential to animal life. Their proper climate is the north of Africa, Arabia, and Persia. Indeed, were it not for these, the sandy deserts could not be traversed. The Arabians regard their dromedaries as a gift from heaven, without which they could neither carry on trade nor subsist. They eat their flesh, and drink their milk. Nor have they any thing to fear from their foes; in one day they can perform a journey of fifty leagues. Hence all the cavalry in the world would perish in the pursuit of a troop of Arabs. These animals can travel nine or ten days with one hour's rest daily, and be fed with one ball of paste. They carry their own and their rider's food and water; and they scent a brook at a distance of half a league. Their height is sometimes twelve feet six inches, they kneel to receive their burden, and live forty or fifty years. Buffon, Pennant, Shaw, &c.
REFLECTIONS.
With the sudden and instructive fall of Haman, all the dark clouds suspended over the Jews vanished away; and the sunshine of glory and peace burst forth in a very unexpected flood of day. This wicked man had intended to turn his sword against the Jews and their children; and now the Jews slew his children. He offered the substance of the Jews as a reward to the murderers; and behold, all his offices, his mansion, his money, his lands, fall to the lot of Esther! So it is, that one day or other, God calls both the great and the small to a strict account for abusing his favours.
The next grand point is the supplication of Esther, that the plot for exscinding the Jews might be turned against their foes, who were waiting with a bloody enmity in their hearts to cut them off. It was granted, and in words conformably to the wishes of Mordecai. So this woman, acting by the prudent counsel of her near relative and guardian, prevailed for her people; and in that view, she is a worthy model for us. We should often say to the king of glory, that we cannot endure to see the evil which shall come upon them, if placed out of his protection, and abandoned to their foes. They are our flesh and our bone, we cannot bear to see them perish. Let us therefore frequently kneel, and implore for them pardon and protection.
Haman was not only cut off, the Jews were not only commissioned to defend themselves, but Mordecai was arrayed in Haman's robes, received his ring, and occupied his offices and house. So God gave him beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. And so he promised to do for his poor and afflicted christian church. Isaiah 61:3; Luke 4:12. And as the heathen then partook of the joy, or feared, so it shall be when the Lord undertakes the cause of his people, and when his name shall be great among the heathen, from the rising to the going down of the sun. Happy then, secure and happy are all those who stand in the divine counsel, and suffer in his spirit.