Light and Gladness

In the book of Esther, Haman used his influence over the king to deceitfully enact a decree which doomed the Jewish people to destruction at the hands of their enemies.  Jewish people in all the provinces were shocked and confused over the edict.  They put on sackcloth and mourned bitterly as the king and Haman, his trusted advisor, had a drink together.  In an ironic twist that puts Hollywood's best efforts to shame, the Jew Mordecai Haman hated--who was the driving force behind his desire to annihilate the Jews--he was forced to publicly honour.  Later that same day it was revealed Esther the queen was Jewish and Haman's scheme backfired in spectacular fashion with him being hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, while Mordecai was promoted to Haman's former post.

Because no law of the Medes and Persians could be changed, Mordecai was given the power and authority to write a new law which gave the Jewish people the right to unite, defend themselves and plunder any person or province who sought their harm.  Esther 8:15-17 reads, "So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king 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. ¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honour. ¹⁷ And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them."  When the new decree was announced mourning was replaced with light and gladness, even as Mordecai's sackcloth was exchanged for robes of blue and white, and his dust and ashes was replaced with a great crown of gold.

When the decree signed into law by Haman with the king's signet ring was announced, the minds and hopes of people were shrouded in darkness.  They were heavily burdened with the sentence of death placed upon them that could not be altered.  Yet the king gave favour to the Jewish people for the sake of Esther his beloved wife and Mordecai who had foiled a plot against the life of the king.  In a moment light of salvation and deliverance shone and drove the darkness away, and the heavy burden was lifted.  In this we see a lovely picture of what God has done through the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.  We were in darkness and under the sentence of eternal damnation for our crimes, but God has shown us favour through the sacrifice of Jesus whose yoke is easy and His burden light.  For all those who believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, we are made glad, given joy and eternal honour by His side.  Wherever we go and whatever befalls us, none can snatch us out of God's hand.  Because Jesus is our Light and Salvation our future is bright.

Because all who are in Christ are sons of light and not of darkness 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 says, "You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."  Some connect watching with soberness as warning and alerting to error, but this passage lays out for us how we ought to live as sons of the day:  walking in faith and love, living together with Jesus and we comfort and edify one another.  Friends, will you receive the comfort of God today with gladness?  If the Jews in Esther's day had light, gladness, joy and honour because they were given the legal right to defend themselves, how much more ought we to celebrate and find comfort in our Saviour who has saved us from wrath and delivered us from Satan's schemes?