“…on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.” – Esther 9:1 

Scripture reading: Esther 9:1-19

Three times we read that no plunder was taken in this warfare. That is opposite of what the ancestor of Esther and Mordecai, King Saul, did with the enemy Agag in 1 Samuel 15. He was supposed to destroy the plunder, but he took some. Saul failed to see the holy battle he waged in the name of the Lord. Mordecai’s people took no plunder, for it belonged to God. God’s rest was sufficient for the people of God. King Saul and his sons knew about hanging, but now it is the sons of Haman of Agag who are hanged, no longer tormenting God’s people. Restful joy had already been given in principle in Chapter 8, but more unfinished business needed to be addressed to know the fullness of rest.

In our day, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, the rest that we receive from Him exceeds the rest in this chapter. Christ says to us, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus Christ as the true Prince of Peace, fulfills the rest found in Esther 9. We are to confess that Christ bore God’s forsaking, so that God would never forsake us. What peace to hear God say to us in Christ, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Suggestions for prayer

Pray with thanks that God is with you always in Jesus Christ. Pray that you may be sensitive to that presence with a peaceful and obedient heart.

Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.