Mordecai in Royal Robes Cheered in Shushanby CBPepper
8:16Esther 8:16
The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
After the plot to destroy them was overturned by a new royal decree giving them full right to defend themselves, the Jews came into relief and happiness and celebration and esteem, with feasting in every province where the command came, so that many others joined them out of fear. It marks their triumphant vindication after overwhelming danger of slaughter, when their chief enemy perished on his own gallows and Mordecai was brought next to the throne in royal apparel and great honor, to the rejoicing of the city. It shows God working for His people and answering the faith of the believing ones, making the wrath of man to praise Him by turning their gloom into light and delivering them from the snare set for them. Their light and gladness came when threatened with death for refusing worship according to man's command, and it is an example of the joy of the church in the morning when its long night of tribulation is over and God works its final deliverance.
Setting and Deliverance
The verse belongs to a striking period in Jewish history under the great Persian king Xerxes, called in the Bible Ahasuerus, when by providence a Jewish maiden was brought to the throne of Persia. At that time Haman the prime minister, at the head of the Amalekites as the wicked and sworn enemies of God's children who stood in the king's favor, plotted to destroy them, and God's overruling power saved them from their enemies. It stands in the book of Esther, whose English text never contains the name of God, though the name occurs five times in the original in the form of an acrostic. That book gives the origin of the feast of Purim.
After Esther pleaded with tears for her kindred and her people and for reversal of Haman's decree, the king gave authority to write a new decree in his name sealed with his ring. That new decree granted the Jews in every province and city full right and power to defend themselves against all who would attack them and to destroy their enemies. That very night the king could not sleep and had the chronicles of the kingdom read before him, heard of Mordecai's faithfulness in saving his life, and, through Haman supposing the honor was for himself, had Mordecai promoted to great honor. Haman was then hung on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai. Mordecai came out from the king and was brought next to the throne honored in royal apparel of blue and white with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple, and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Mordecai's elevation came not by political intrigue, party politics, or the will of the people, and he never sought the office or imagined it possible. God placed His humble servant in captivity and exile in prominence for the furtherance of His cause when the welfare of God's people was at stake. The Jews' having light and gladness and joy and honour means their coming into relief and happiness and celebration and esteem. In every province and every city where the king's commandment and favor came there were joy and gladness and feasts and good days, so that many of the people of the land became Jews because the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
The verse marks the triumphant vindication of God's people after overwhelming danger and threat of slaughter, with their adversary perished and Mordecai exalted. It marks the utter overthrow and absolute defeat of their enemies, with Haman as the devil's agent perishing. In Ahasuerus's reign God frustrated Satan's attempt to annihilate them, and Satan's malice was defeated by God's love turning the gloom of Haman's cruel decree into light, joy, and honor. Their rescue from Haman's plot to destroy God's people preserved God's people and the godly line.
Providence and Final Hope
The verse shows God working for His people and answering the faith of the believing ones, showing His care for His peculiar people and making the wrath of man to praise Him. After Esther pleaded with tears for her kindred and her people, the Jews were given full right to defend themselves against any who would attack them, and that deliverance is the outcome the verse describes. That very night the king could not sleep and had the chronicles read before him, heard of Mordecai's faithfulness in saving his life, and, through Haman supposing the honor was for himself, had Mordecai promoted to great honor, while a counter decree was issued for the Jews to destroy their enemies and Haman was hung on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai. Committing the way to the Lord and trusting in Him brings it to pass, for He is able by providence to turn gloom into light and to deliver from any snare the evil one sets. What had been the gloom of Haman's cruel decree for slaughter became light and joy and honor for the Jews, for Satan's malice was defeated by God's love.
Mordecai was brought next to the throne of Persia by the providence of God at a time when the welfare of God's people was at stake. His elevation came not by political intrigue, party politics, or the will of the people, and he never sought the office or imagined it possible, but God placed His humble servant in captivity and exile in prominence for the furtherance of His cause in the earth. Through him proclamations emphasizing the power of the God of Israel went broadcast throughout the regions of an empire whose domination was deemed universal, so that through an absolute heathen monarchy the knowledge of the true God was heralded to the ends of the earth as missionary work for the world.
The light and gladness came by God's deliverance when His people were threatened with death for refusing to worship according to man's command. The contest is always between God's way and man's way, as in Cain killing Abel for refusing his way of worship and in the Jews seeking to kill Christ for refusing their ideas of Sabbath-keeping. The Sabbath controversy will end in the effort to put to death those who will not keep the Sabbath according to man's command, but God will work deliverance for His people as in the days of Esther. The Jews rejoiced after deliverance from overwhelming danger when their adversary had perished and Mordecai had been exalted, and their joy is an example of the church's joy at its future deliverance in the morning, when its long night of tribulation is over.
After the plot to destroy them was overturned by a new royal decree giving them full right to defend themselves, the Jews came into relief and happiness and celebration and esteem, with feasting in every province where the command came, so that many others joined them out of fear. It marks their triumphant vindication after overwhelming danger of slaughter, when their chief enemy perished on his own gallows and Mordecai was brought next to the throne in royal apparel and great honor, to the rejoicing of the city. It shows God working for His people and answering the faith of the believing ones, making the wrath of man to praise Him by turning their gloom into light and delivering them from the snare set for them. Their light and gladness came when threatened with death for refusing worship according to man's command, and it is an example of the joy of the church in the morning when its long night of tribulation is over and God works its final deliverance.
Setting and Deliverance
The verse belongs to a striking period in Jewish history under the great Persian king Xerxes, called in the Bible Ahasuerus, when by providence a Jewish maiden was brought to the throne of Persia. At that time Haman the prime minister, at the head of the Amalekites as the wicked and sworn enemies of God's children who stood in the king's favor, plotted to destroy them, and God's overruling power saved them from their enemies. It stands in the book of Esther, whose English text never contains the name of God, though the name occurs five times in the original in the form of an acrostic. That book gives the origin of the feast of Purim.
After Esther pleaded with tears for her kindred and her people and for reversal of Haman's decree, the king gave authority to write a new decree in his name sealed with his ring. That new decree granted the Jews in every province and city full right and power to defend themselves against all who would attack them and to destroy their enemies. That very night the king could not sleep and had the chronicles of the kingdom read before him, heard of Mordecai's faithfulness in saving his life, and, through Haman supposing the honor was for himself, had Mordecai promoted to great honor. Haman was then hung on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai. Mordecai came out from the king and was brought next to the throne honored in royal apparel of blue and white with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple, and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Mordecai's elevation came not by political intrigue, party politics, or the will of the people, and he never sought the office or imagined it possible. God placed His humble servant in captivity and exile in prominence for the furtherance of His cause when the welfare of God's people was at stake. The Jews' having light and gladness and joy and honour means their coming into relief and happiness and celebration and esteem. In every province and every city where the king's commandment and favor came there were joy and gladness and feasts and good days, so that many of the people of the land became Jews because the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
The verse marks the triumphant vindication of God's people after overwhelming danger and threat of slaughter, with their adversary perished and Mordecai exalted. It marks the utter overthrow and absolute defeat of their enemies, with Haman as the devil's agent perishing. In Ahasuerus's reign God frustrated Satan's attempt to annihilate them, and Satan's malice was defeated by God's love turning the gloom of Haman's cruel decree into light, joy, and honor. Their rescue from Haman's plot to destroy God's people preserved God's people and the godly line.
Providence and Final Hope
The verse shows God working for His people and answering the faith of the believing ones, showing His care for His peculiar people and making the wrath of man to praise Him. After Esther pleaded with tears for her kindred and her people, the Jews were given full right to defend themselves against any who would attack them, and that deliverance is the outcome the verse describes. That very night the king could not sleep and had the chronicles read before him, heard of Mordecai's faithfulness in saving his life, and, through Haman supposing the honor was for himself, had Mordecai promoted to great honor, while a counter decree was issued for the Jews to destroy their enemies and Haman was hung on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai. Committing the way to the Lord and trusting in Him brings it to pass, for He is able by providence to turn gloom into light and to deliver from any snare the evil one sets. What had been the gloom of Haman's cruel decree for slaughter became light and joy and honor for the Jews, for Satan's malice was defeated by God's love.
Mordecai was brought next to the throne of Persia by the providence of God at a time when the welfare of God's people was at stake. His elevation came not by political intrigue, party politics, or the will of the people, and he never sought the office or imagined it possible, but God placed His humble servant in captivity and exile in prominence for the furtherance of His cause in the earth. Through him proclamations emphasizing the power of the God of Israel went broadcast throughout the regions of an empire whose domination was deemed universal, so that through an absolute heathen monarchy the knowledge of the true God was heralded to the ends of the earth as missionary work for the world.
The light and gladness came by God's deliverance when His people were threatened with death for refusing to worship according to man's command. The contest is always between God's way and man's way, as in Cain killing Abel for refusing his way of worship and in the Jews seeking to kill Christ for refusing their ideas of Sabbath-keeping. The Sabbath controversy will end in the effort to put to death those who will not keep the Sabbath according to man's command, but God will work deliverance for His people as in the days of Esther. The Jews rejoiced after deliverance from overwhelming danger when their adversary had perished and Mordecai had been exalted, and their joy is an example of the church's joy at its future deliverance in the morning, when its long night of tribulation is over.