The king makes a very profound decision…

1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had disclosed what he was to her.

Esther said I am Jewish and Mordecai is my uncle.

2 The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Story: The king has absolute authority — nobody imposes obligations on him and whatever he says is done. However, he does not have a clue (to be unaware) most of the time. [If I were going to make this into a movie, I would call it "Clueless in Persia" -sic!]

Picture: Our will is an authority — nobody determines our spiritual life. God the Father does not impose anything on us, Holy Spirit does not, and God the Son (Messiah Jesus) does not. Though we do not realize the power of our will, we are in control; however, we are clueless, which is why we need to listen to our spirit, who listens to Holy Spirit.

Story: The king turns everything over to Esther and when he does, Mordecai is automatically brought into the picture.

Picture: When our will turns everything over to our new nature (spirit), Holy Spirit is automatically brought into the picture.

Application: Every biblical believer is going to be reluctant to turn things over to Holy Spirit, because that is turning over control to Somebody external to us, which is difficult to do. Maybe it would be easier for us to accept if we understand that we do not have to turn things over to Holy Spirit; we just turn things over to our new nature. [That is the same as turning things over to Holy Spirit.] If we still have the difficult time letting go, then we understand I have a new nature (a new spirit) and I will turn things over to my spirit, so that [as in this story, Mordecai—] Holy Spirit will come along too.

Story: When the king turned everything over to Esther — King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman to Queen Esther. And Mordecai came before the king.

Application: I believe the reason this helps us is that God accommodates us for whatever level we can give. If we cannot say I want Holy Spirit to take over because that is external to me and I just cannot do that, then He says Just turn it over to yourself — to your new nature. We say I can do that. He says Fine. Go that route, and that lets Holy Spirit in.

Story: Haman is killed and Esther has been given control; therefore, Mordecai has been given control. There is still a substantial problem, correct? The Law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked, has gone out.

3 Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews.

4 The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, so Esther arose and stood before the king.

5 Then she said, "If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces."

6 "For how can I endure to see the calamity which shall befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"

Esther says Just revoke the Law. However, the king cannot revoke the Law.

Picture: God cannot revoke the Law of Sin and Death. It is not because of a weakness of God; He cannot because of His nature. Otherwise, He would not be God anymore.

The king could not revoke the Law; however, there is a solution…

7 So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews."

8 "Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring may not be revoked."

The king did not know what to do, because he knew that Law could not be revoked and that it would lead to death. What was the king's inclination? To spare the Jews.

Picture: God's Law of Sin and Death condemns everybody. Not everybody is going to be redeemed; in fact, most people who have ever lived will die under God's Law. [And the Lord God is not going to change His mind.]

Application: Though the Lord God is not going to redeem everybody, His inclination is that everybody would be saved, as presented in the following verse—

Story: The Law was already out and there seemed to be no way to change it, although the king wanted to. He says I will give it over to you.

Picture: In our lives, we have an impossible situation. We just say Holy Spirit, You take it.

Story: The king gave it to Esther; so who took over? Mordecai does.

Picture: We give it to our new nature Let my new nature — my spirit — decide this. Who takes over? Holy Spirit does.

Story: The king did not reject his authority. He exercised his authority.

Picture: When we choose the Spirit, we are not really giving up; we are exercising our authority [by being the king] and saying You take care of it. At the moment that we do not reject our authority, we exercise our authority.

Neither Esther nor anyone else, including the king, can revoke the old Law that leads to death. But what can they do? They can make a new Law, which has more power than the old Law…

9 So the king's scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors and the princes of the provinces which extended from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to every province according to its script, and to every people according to their language as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language.

10 He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horses, riding on steeds sired by the royal stud.

11 In them the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right to assemble and to defend their lives, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate the entire army of any people or province which might attack them, including children and women, and to plunder their spoil,

12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).

13 A copy of the edict to be issued as law in each and every province was published to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

That is a great solution: do not revoke the old Law, which is still in effect; issue a new Law that has precedence over the old Law. The order has gone out to kill the Jews, but the new Law now allows the Jews to defend themselves.

• Do you see any case here where Mordecai gave orders to the king? Certainly not.
• Did the queen given orders to the king? No.
• Who gave the orders? The king gave the orders!

Picture: We are free and we are under no obligation.

Application: In Romans 8, Paul says We are under an inner compulsion driven by common sense of the flesh. That is what we want to say.

Story: The queen — with Mordecai — wants to influence the king. What are they trying to do? They want to get all the information to the king.

Picture: That is what Holy Spirit is trying to do for us. He does not order us around, because we have been given dominion through Messiah Jesus. Holy Spirit wants to give us the right information, so we will make the right choices.

Application: The Law that supercedes the Law of Death is the Law of Mordecai (Mordecai represents Holy Spirit). So the Law of Holy Spirit replaces the Law of Sin and Death. That is great news because the Law of Sin and Death is like the law of gravity; it never stops working and it is not repealed for the children of God — it just changes. For unbelievers, the Law of Sin and Death means the person sins and God strikes. For biblical believers, the Law of Sin and Death means the person sins and something happens — maybe something inside dies.

Many people say I am weak on sin. I do not because I believe every sin has some consequence. However, we do not endure all the consequences. Who protects us? God's Holy Spirit, who takes precedence over the Law of Sin and Death.

Just as the Law of Medes and Persians goes out to the whole world — the Law of God (Law of Redemption) has gone out to the whole world. However, most people are indifferent to it; the people who read it and acknowledge I am a sinner are going to be redeemed.

That is what we have pictured here—

14 The couriers, hastened and impelled by the king's command, went out, riding on the royal steeds; and the decree was given out in Susa, the capital.

15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

16 For the Jews there was light and gladness and joy and honor.

17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.

1 Now in the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on the thirteenth day when the king's command and edict were about to be executed, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them.

2 The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm; and no one could stand before them, for the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples.

5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying; and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.

It worked!

The result…

20 Then Mordecai recorded these events,

Picture: Who wrote the Bible? Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit wrote the Old Testament and the New Testament. He sent letters (the epistles of the New Testament) to all the Jews.

Picture: The Epistle of James was sent to all the Jews who are scattered abroad.

21 obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually,

22 because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it is a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

1 Now King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land and on the coastlands of the sea.

2 And all the accomplishments of his authority and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?

3 For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus,

Picture: We are still seen as the authority. In our lives, Holy Spirit does not try to lord it over us — He wants to be our Helper, helping us to recognize that we have dominion.

Picture: That is what Holy Spirit does for us; He does not try to boss us, but He seeks our good.

And one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation.

Picture: That is what Holy Spirit does for us — speaks for our welfare (good) and for God's glory.

Father God, thank You for giving us the book of Esther, an allegory that has a rich spiritual meaning about the inner workings of, and the relationship between, Holy Spirit, our new nature, our flesh and our will. How grateful we are to be given such a great picture of how Holy Spirit is received, resisted, grieved, quenched, and has power in our lives. Truly this is a time of study that we can point to as a turning point for us because of these deep truths you have opened up to our minds.

Thank You for delivering us from the Law of Sin and Death to the Law of Liberty [through Messiah Jesus], which frees us from all condemnation. I now want to walk by the counsel and guidance of Holy Spirit through my spirit, my new person.

Father God, help me to [continually] turn my will toward Holy Spirit, so He can kill off my flesh — our mutual enemy. When the time does come for You to Rapture those of us who believe Messiah Jesus is our Savior, I want to be like Paul, thanking You for what You have done to give me Victory, through Holy Spirit's leading, to know the flesh is not the real me. Thank You for this understanding.

In Messiah Jesus' name I pray these things. Amen.

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