Esther 3 Devotional

Who Decides the Lot

“In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman to determine a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.”Esther 3:7 (BSB)

Haman is promoted above all the princes, and everyone at the king's gate bows to him except Mordecai (3:1-2). Not content to punish one man, Haman decides to destroy all of Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the empire (3:6). He has the lot, called Pur, cast to choose the day (3:7), and receives the king's signet ring. Couriers carry the order to kill young and old, women and children, on a single day (3:13). Then the king and Haman sit down to drink while the city is thrown into confusion (3:15).

Murder is planned at a table and sealed with a ring, and chance itself seems enlisted to set the date. But Proverbs says that when the lot is cast into the lap, its outcome is decided by the LORD (Proverbs 16:33). The lot was cast in the first month and fell on the twelfth (3:7), and that long delay will leave room for rescue. Organized evil still does not decide how the story ends.

To think about: What situation looks to you like it is in the hands of chance or cruel people, and how can you entrust it to God?