Esther 8
Job 8 begins with Bildad, the second of Job’s three friends, presenting his viewpoint. Bildad emphasizes that God is just and that human suffering is the result of one’s actions before God. He advises Job to trust in the God of justice and asserts that the suffering Job is experiencing is because of the sins of either Job himself or his children. Bildad’s argument is based on traditional wisdom and teachings that have been handed down, along with the experiences of their ancestors.
1verseOn that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the Jews’ enemy, to Esther the queen. Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her.
2verseThe king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3verseEsther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet and begged him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his plan that he had planned against the Jews.
4verseThen the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. So Esther arose, and stood before the king.
5verseShe said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seems right to the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.
6verseFor how can I endure to see the evil that would come to my people? How can I endure to see the destruction of my relatives?”
7verseThen King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he laid his hand on the Jews.
8verseWrite also to the Jews as it pleases you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring; for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may not be reversed by any man.”
9verseThen the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, and to the local governors, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing, and in their language.
10verseHe wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by courier on horseback, riding on royal horses that were bred from swift steeds.
11verseIn those letters, the king granted the Jews who were in every city to gather themselves together and to defend their lives—to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to plunder their possessions,
12verseon one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
13verseA copy of the letter, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published to all the peoples, that the Jews should be ready for that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14verseSo the couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. The decree was given out in the citadel of Susa.
15verseMordecai went out of the presence of the king in royal clothing of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and was glad.
16verseThe Jews had light, gladness, joy, and honor.
17verseIn every province and in every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness, joy, a feast and a holiday. Many from among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
Flow and Structure of the Body
- Verses 1-7: Bildad argues to Job that God is righteous and does not allow the innocent to be harmed for no reason. He encourages Job by saying that Job’s children were ruined by sin and that if Job earnestly seeks God, his blessings will be restored.
- Verses 8-10: He urges Job to pay attention to the wisdom of the ancestors and tries to persuade Job by citing past precedents.
- Verses 11-19: Using plants with shallow roots or weak roots (reeds, vines, etc.) as an analogy, he explains by illustration that the life of an evildoer who departs from God collapses easily.
- Verses 20-22: He concludes by stating his firm belief that God will not abandon the blameless, and ultimately that Job’s situation will be restored and that evildoers will be put to shame.
Overall Meaning and Reflection
Bildad’s argument is based on the idea that God is never unjust and that human suffering is a result of one’s life, an outlook of “cause and effect.” This way of thinking was also the dominant religious view of society at the time. However, there are aspects of Bildad’s approach that do not match Job’s real circumstances, and there are limitations to the perspective that sees suffering endured by someone simply as the result of sin. We need to think deeply about the deep mystery between God’s justice and human suffering—namely, that the suffering we experience in life is not necessarily always the result of our actions.
Points to Ponder
- When we encounter neighbors who are going through suffering, with what perspective do we approach them?
- Reflect on the possibility that our judgments or convictions may add to the other person’s deep pain.
- Could we humbly confess that there is a mystery between God’s justice and human life that I do not fully know?
Apply It to Yourself
- When someone is suffering, I resolve to have a heart of empathy and attentive listening rather than rushing to judge.
- When I look at the difficulties that happen in my life, I strive to have a balanced perspective that does not simply blame my own sins or mistakes too easily, and that does not misunderstand the world or God.
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