A Greater Decree

 Esther hurried away from the meeting with her uncle and she already had a plan in her mind. The young Jewish woman had recently been selected as the gentile King’s new wife. In a previous episode, the king’s governor Haman had convinced the king that the Jews were his enemy and had gained royal permission to write a decree, that every Jew should be robbed, killed and destroyed. When her Jewish uncle Mordecai heard about the decree, he asked her to intercede on behalf of their people. The king didn’t know that Esther was one of the now-condemned Jews until she exposed Haman’s plot to the King. God gave her favour with the king and Haman was hanged on the gallows.  Even though Haman was destroyed, according to the custom of the day the first royal decree allowing the attack on Jews could not be changed. But the King wrote another decree, giving the Jews full authority to fight back. They had a great victory which they still celebrate at the feast of Purim.

God made His first decree that mankind would be delivered to death if they chose to rebel against Him. God then defeated Satan on the cross, (as the king destroyed evil Haman on the gallows in Esther’s story). However, while Satan is stripped of legitimate authority, he still works against us whenever we drift into his dark kingdom through wilful sin and even ignorance of His Word. There, his minions seek to steal, kill and destroy God’s people. Therefore like the king of old, God has empowered us by a second decree, to fight and defeat the devil and all his plans in the name of Jesus.  What the enemy means for evil, God has already planned to use for your good. God is using him to make you stronger and to teach us to make war. God is using us to destroy the enemy’s plans against you and your family.

Friend, never fear what the devil can do to you, but in the decreed authority that Jesus has given you, live in a way that makes him fear what you can do to him.