©Brett Dolezal
Chapter 10 (ESV) - King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor 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? For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.
Question to consider: In the end, what did king Ahasuerus even accomplish?
The epilogue of king Ahasuerus seems kind of underwhelming, but it kind of sums up his actions in this book. When he married Esther, he gave people a tax break and later he imposed a tax. In between he gave away his signet ring to men (and a woman) more powerful than he. I honestly think the name Ahasuerus, which was to describe a great and mighty warrior, was meant to be either flattery or ironic.
Beyond telling the tale of how the Jews came to celebrate Purim, the elevation of Mordecai ushered in peace and could have paved the way for a young Nehemiah to serve the son of Ahasuerus, Artexerxes, as the trusted cupbearer who would be given the tools necessary to help Ezra the scribe complete the rebuilding project started in Jerusalem.
In all of this we see the providence of God weaving His plan through history. Some look at the world and its events and only see turmoil and chaos. Some look at the world and see star-crossed lovers and fate. Scripture helps us to look at the world as revealed to us by the One who created it.
We see a world that acts in rebellion against God, and God who works in the midst of this rebellion to reconcile us to Him. The gods of men’s design reflect the ideals and attributes of a fallen world: they subjugate and toy with mankind, they value earthly riches, and they require cruel tasks to be appeased. The God who revealed Himself in scripture came as a humble servant and sacrificed Himself for His subjects. He still comes to us every time we gather together in His Name in His word of Law and Gospel and in His sacraments.
Dear Lord, thank You for coming to us since we never could achieve what’s necessary to come to You. Thank You for calling us to be Your brothers and sisters even when we were still Your enemies. Please help us to bring this good news to the world. Amen.