Passage Read: Esther 7-10
Meditation Verses: 8:11-12
Thought
There are times when God does all the fighting, where the Jews have to only watch and wait and see the Lord deliver them. But most of the time, He requires them to take part, to fight for their freedom or advancement or deliverance. That's the case here. There was no way the king's earlier command could be revoked, so they wrote a corresponding command, allowing the Jews to assemble and defend themselves. If they didn't stand together, they would be easy prey. But if they did stand together and fight, God would grant them victory. And that is what happened.
Application
There are lots of times I wish God would just make my problems disappear, that everything would be easy and I could just coast along in His wake. But God doesn't want me to be lazy, but wants to train me to do battle. If I fight for Him, if I fight the battles He wants or that I cannot avoid, He will be with me and grant me success. I don't need to be afraid. But I also can't just sit back and do nothing, in hope that He'll step up and deliver me. In that case, I'll probably be left high and dry.