“7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, ‘Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now write another decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring – for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.’ NIV

‘King Xerxes gave Haman’s property to Esther and Haman’s position to Mordecai; Mordecai became, in effect, the ‘’prime minister’’ of the Persian Empire. And Xerxes also gave Mordecai the signet ring that he had taken back from Haman; with the ring, Mordecai would now have authority to issue decrees in the king’s name (Esther 3:10-12)…But there remained one problem: Haman’s decree concerning the destruction of the Jews was still in effect. So Esther again begged the king to have that decree overruled.

Xerxes pointed out that no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring (could) be revoked (verse 8). The solution, then, was to write another decree which countered the first one. Mordecai was assigned the task of wording the new decree.’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’,p.776.

What a reversal of fortunes for Mordecai, Esther and the Jews! Things can change. Take heart. When things look desperate, be sure they can change. While we have God we have hope.

Verse 8 makes me think of the Bible. Here we have a more sure and certain word than that of any earthly, powerful potentate. It is an unfailing word from an omnipotent King. Day by day, as we read it, we see clearly that things can change; people can change; circumstances can change. But it also shows that even if/when they do not, all is still well because the ‘’only wise’’ God is in control.

Be sure that, although they may be permitted their brief hour on the stage, the bullies of history will not have the final word.

Thought: ‘Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.’ Corrie Ten Boom.