Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 3:1-4

Today a new name appears in our story - that of Haman. We know very little about him except for the fact that, through a series of promotions, he rises to a position of great eminence, second only to the king. The Scripture records one detail about him, however, which is rather significant: it says he was "the son of...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 3:7-8

We pause to expand on the point we made yesterday, namely that the fierce persecution which has been directed toward the Jewish people has been the very thing that has enabled them to maintain their clear spiritual identity. The fact that they have survived the cunning of such evil rulers as Pharaoh, Haman, and, in modern...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 3:5-6

When the news is carried to Haman that one man in the kingdom will not bow down to him, he is extremely angry. By this time it is a well known fact that Mordecai is a Jew. Haman, bearing as he did a strong hatred of the Jewish people, would have liked to have ended Mordecai's life there and then. He knows, however, that to...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 3:9-15

Clearly Haman knew that his plan to exterminate the Jews needed careful thought if it was to succeed. As Persia prided itself on its structure of law, his first task was to draw up a new edict which demanded the death of all those who were Jews, then have it approved by the king. When, at last, the cruel document is...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 4:1-9

When the news of Haman's cruel edict reaches the ears of Mordecai, his reaction is one of stunned sorrow. He realizes that because of his unwillingness to bow before Haman, every single Jew is to be annihilated. Immediately, he puts on sackcloth and ashes - the Jewish symbol of deep mourning. So dressed, Mordecai makes his...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 4:10

We said yesterday that when Mordecai and Esther were confronted with the news of Haman's edict, they surely must have glimpsed something of the sovereignty of God, which had led them to Persia and overruled their lives there. The issue of divine sovereignty is something about which we, as Christians, ought never to tire of...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 4:10-14

When Esther receives the message from Mordecai requesting her to meet urgently with the king and plead with him to repeal the edict authorizing the massacre of her people, she is at a loss to know how to proceed. Her response, as paraphrased in the Living Bible, was: "All the world knows that anyone – who goes into the...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 4:15-17

Mordecai';s appeal to Esther that she should look at the situation in the light of God's sovereignty convinces her that she should get to see the king as quickly as possible. As so much is at stake, she wisely decides to enter into a three-day fast and, informing Mordecai of her...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 5:1-2

Esther';s three days of prayer and fasting are over and now she has to approach the king. To come before the king uninvited could mean instant death. But Esther has already concluded that if her people are to be saved, there is no alternative. "If I perish, I perish," she says (4:16)....

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 5:3-8

King Xerxes is so overwhelmed by Esther's stunning beauty that even before she has time to explain why she has come into his presence uninvited, he says: "What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you" (v. 3). Esther, however, makes this proposal: "Will you and Haman attend a banquet later today?"...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 6:1-3

The great King Xerxes, despite his comfortable bed and luxurious surroundings, is unable to sleep! It has nothing to do with the food he has eaten at the banquet. God is at work in his life to see he is kept awake. We ought never to forget that the Almighty can reach into a human heart at any time. Remember how He came to...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 5:9-14

When Haman receives the news that he is invited to a special banquet arranged by Queen Esther, his joy knows no bounds. Arriving at the palace gates, however, and seeing Mordecai standing there so confidently, his joy leaves him. Haman thinks to himself once again: this rebellious Jew will not bow down before me....

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 6:4-14

Haman awakens with a tremendous sense of optimism and well-being. "Today," he muses, "the king will most probably give me a great honor and then I shall be in a position to rid myself forever of the man I most hate - Mordecai the Jew." Having given his carpenters orders to build a gallows, on which he plans to hang...

For Reading and Meditation:     Esther 7:1-4

No doubt Haman, having suffered so much shame and humiliation, would have preferred to have stayed at home rather than attend the second banquet given by the queen. He knows, however, that to ignore the queen's invitation would only add to his difficulties. So, licking his wounds, he makes his way to the royal affair. As...