Esther 9:16-22 — Celebrate!
READ THIS: Esther 9:16-22
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.
18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 19 That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.
20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?
If you remember yesterday, we saw the Jewish people fighting back and completely wiping out their enemies. This continues in this passage, as we see thousands of their enemies destroyed, but done very differently than the rest of the world’s way of doing things. The Jewish people could have taken the fortunes, cattle, and more from those they defeated, but as we mentioned yesterday, they knew their task was to destroy their enemies, not take their things and hoard them.
When all the fighting seems to have stopped, we see the Jewish people, led by Mordecai in doing so, feasting and celebrating the good news that they are safe from harm and that their family lines will continue! This part is SO cool to me. In the midst of all the chaos, the Jewish people stopped everything and celebrated what God had done for them. It can be easy for us to get distracted and busy in our world today, and often times that makes us miss out on realizing that God has been with us, fighting for us, and delivering us from trouble time and time again.
THINK ABOUT IT:
1. Why do you think the Jewish people chose not to take the money and plunder from those they defeated? What dangers could it have caused if they had?
2. How often do you stop what you are doing to thank God for what He’s done? What makes it hard to stop doing things and be thankful?
TRY THIS:
You probably saw this coming, but your challenge today is to genuinely practice question number 2! At LEAST twice today, stop what you are doing and spend some time reflecting on what God has been doing around you! Thank Him for what He has done, and thank Him for what He will do.
SONG OF THE WEEK:
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