Fingerprints of God: In Divine Defense

Trust that divine defense is never absent, delayed, or neglected, but only sovereignly timed to secure our future and to seal our destiny.

Esther 9-10 – ^9:1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's command and edict were about to be carried out, 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. ² The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. ³ All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. ⁴ For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. ⁵ The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, ⁷ and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha ⁸ and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha ⁹ and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder.

¹¹ That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. ¹² And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” ¹³ And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day's edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” ¹⁴ So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. ¹⁵ The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.

¹⁶ Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. ¹⁷ This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁸ But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹ Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.

²⁰ And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, ²¹ obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, ²² as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

²³ So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. ²⁴ For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. ²⁵ But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. ²⁶ Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, ²⁸ that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

²⁹ Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. ³⁰ Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, ³¹ that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. ³² The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.

^10:1 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. ² 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? ³ 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.

Have you ever been bullied by someone, and then someone stronger than you jumped in to defend you? A couple of weeks ago, during a football practice, a boy was bullying my son, Asher, and pushed him to the ground. When his older brother, Arius, saw that, he jumped in to defend his brother and tackled the bully.

In the story of Esther, the bully was a wicked man, Haman who plotted the genocide of Jews, when God saw that He jumped in to defend His people, and tacked the bully. However, His defense wasn’t supernatural.

The problem is that people expect divine defense to be supernatural. They need to know that often, God defends His people through human agents.

This is what happened so far in the story of Esther. Though the name of God was never mentioned in this book, the fingerprints of God were on all the events that led to the defense of His people. 

In chapter 1, His fingerprints were seen in sovereign silence.

In chapter 2, in divine direction.

In chapter 3, in deepening darkness.

In chapter 4, in trying times.

In chapter 5, in providential patience.

In chapter 6, in providential presence.

In chapter 7, in radical reversal.

In chapter 8, in divine deliverance.

And now, as we close our series today, in chapters 9-10, finally, in divine defense. It took the whole book to get to this point.

The big idea is that divine defense is never absent, delayed, or neglected, but only sovereignly timed to secure our future and seal our destiny.

The question is, do you want God to secure your future and seal your destiny? If yes, then learn to wait patiently for His divine defense. In Esther 9-10, after much waiting, notice how God rises to defend His people to secure their future and seal their destiny; He will do the same for you, not because you and I deserve that but because He is loving God and His mercy endures forever. He does that through three deliberate, divine, decisive actions that capture the essence of God’s loving nature.

God Defends His People to Supply Providential Protection (Esther 9:1-19)

In Esther 9:1-2, we see that when God defends, His divine defense ensures that providential protection is supplied beyond the initial defense. In the ESV translation, Esther 9:1-9, “¹ Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's command and edict were about to be carried out, 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. ² The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples.”

The day of the Jews’ destruction turned into the day of their deliverance as seen in verses 3-4, “³ All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. ⁴ For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful.”

Remember, Mordecai was nobody and had no power or position. God removed Haman and gave his position and power to Mordecai. Thus, God defended His people through human agents. Consequently, verses 5-6 says, “⁵ The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men…” with verses 7-10 listing the names of the sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, the co-conspirators who were among the dead.

Esther 9:11-12 says when all of this was reported to the king, he asked Esther if she wished anything else to be done. And she responded in verse 13, “And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day's edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.””

The question is, if they were already dead, why did Esther request that they be hanged? I believe it’s because even though Haman and his sons were gone, their followers who shared their hatred of God could have continued their mission. To strike fear into their heart, the power of the kingdom had to be demonstrated publicly in favor of the Jews. Like their father, they too were hanged to show that anyone who dares to harm Jews will be hanged.

Esther 9:14-16 continues, “¹⁴ So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. ¹⁵ The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder. ¹⁶ Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder.” The text, in verses 10, 15, and 16, reminds us that they struck their foes, but they did not plunder because they weren’t fighting for selfish greed, but for survival.

Esther 9:17–19 tells us that God granted them rest and relief, saying, “¹⁹ Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.”

Here, this divine defense illustrates how Christ is our defender forever. Colossians 2:13-15 tells us that at the cross, He destroyed our ultimate enemies—sin, death, and Satan. Like Esther’s story, the day Satan thought he had won was the day he was utterly defeated. Like the Jews rested after their victory, we too rest in the finished work of Jesus. 

Application

The tables turned—not because Israel was stronger, but because God was sovereign, and as a result, the whole government machinery that once functioned against God’s people was now operated by and for God’s people. When we feel weak and helpless before our adversary, the devil, who uses people, positions, and powers to hurt us, know that our redeemer lives. When you feel defeated before sin, Satan, or something else, know divine defense may not be supernatural, but through human agents, God will defend you and shower you with a never-ending supply of His providential protection. This is what He did for Jews in the Persian Empire.

God Directs His People to Secure Perpetual Preservation (Esther 9:20-32)

Esther 9:20-32, reads, “²⁰ And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, ²¹ obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, ²² as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.”

Throughout the Bible, God directed His people to remember the acts of God through certain feasts and festivals. Directed by the invisible hand of God, Mordecai and Esther established the feast of Purim so that every generation would remember how God defeated their enemies to preserve His people. Verses 23-31 talk about the history, the purpose, and observance of Purim and Esther 9 ends with verse 32 saying, “The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.”

Purim illustrates the defeat of the enemy of our souls on Easter. Just as Purim was not merely a feast but a proclamation of divine defense, Easter should not be just a holiday but a celebration and proclamation of Christ’s complete work on the cross. 

Application

Just as Purim directed God’s people to rehearse His salvation year after year and generation after generation, and rejoice in His providence; Easter should direct us to rehearse His salvation and rejoice in His providence.

God Destines His People to Sustain Permanent Peace (Esther 10:1–3)

Esther 10:1-3 ends the book with, “¹ King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. ² 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? ³ 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.”

Mordecai’s deliverance brought peace, stability, and blessing to Israel. But who destined him to be the deliverer and sustainer of peace? It was by the unseen hand of God. The same God has destined you and me to seek the welfare of others by proclaiming the peace of Christ and making disciples of all nations.

In these closing verses of the book, the role and responsibility of Mordecai on behalf of Israel illustrate the role and responsibility of Christ on behalf of the whole world. Mordecai points us to Christ—the greater Deliverer, our hope of eternal peace. Christ is always seeking the welfare of His people and speaks peace to us all. 

Application

God has destined us to be His adopted children to sustain permanent peace between Him and us. The book of Ephesians tells us God did that before the foundation of the earth, but in our reality, we attain that peace when we invite Christ, the Prince of Peace, into our lives and let Him rule and reign in our lives. Our country and the world need that peace.

Closing Thought

As I close, I want us to imagine what it will be like when one day Christ will return, subdue all evil forever, and bring His church into eternal peace and joy. No more enemies, no more mourning, no more hate, sin, and death, only feasting with our eternal King forever.

Action Step

Look for God’s fingerprints in your life. If you have been saved, that alone should tell you God has defended you against the enemy of your soul. He directed you by the power of the Holy Spirit and destined you to be His forever through the complete work of Christ on the cross. So, the triune God has been involved before the foundation of the earth. All you need is to seek the welfare of others and speak peace, and proclaim Christ crucified, risen, and coming again.

Appeal

Trust that divine defense is never absent, delayed, or neglected, but only sovereignly timed to secure our future and to seal our destiny so that we may be His witnesses who seek the welfare of others, and speak the peace of Christ crucified, risen, and coming again.

Can you still call Him a protector when it seems that God is silent?

Can you still see Him as defender when the storm is not stopped, when the enemy advances, and the rescue feels late?

I ask because the real test is not whether God shows up in desperate hours of your need, but whether you will stand firm while God patiently and providentially paves the path for your defense and shapes something deeper than your comfort.

It comes down to this: if you cannot see the hand of God, can you trust His heart?

He says in Psalm 91:14-16,

¹⁴ “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

    I will protect him, because he knows my name.

¹⁵ When he calls to me, I will answer him;

    I will be with him in trouble;

    I will rescue him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him    and show him my salvation.”

Learn More

Hear the full message

Read more in the Esther series