Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and
weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite,
which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter
to Esther and she arose and stood before him.
“If it pleases the
king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing
to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the
dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy
the Jews in all the king’s provinces. For how can I bear to see disaster fall
on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”
King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew,
“Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they
have impaled him on the pole he set up. Now write another decree in the king’s
name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s
signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring
can be revoked.” Esther
8:3-8
Haman’s
plot had been exposed, and he was punished by death (Esther 7:9-10). Haman’s
estate was given to Esther to be run by Mordecai (Esther 8:7). This was
certainly a surprising turn of events. For a queen who was hesitant to enter
the presence of her king out of fear for her life, her brave actions paid off.
But, one thing remained undone.
Even
though the king understood Haman’s motivation to eliminate the Jews, the edict
was still in place. The king knew the truth, but his kingdom did not. Esther
made another bold entrance into the king’s court.
This
time she was warmly received. Esther had kept the king from making the egregious
error of killing all of the Jews, helped him avoid public humiliation, and
allowed him to sleep at night. She had enough credit in the bank that she
didn’t fear approaching the king this time.
Esther
didn’t assume that the matter would be resolved. She took action to assure that
the edict would be revoked and her people would be protected. It’s easy to
assume if everyone appears to be in agreement that a decision has been made and
action will be taken. But, if Esther hadn’t enter the king’s court the second
time, then all of her efforts would have been in vain. Sure, Haman was dealt with,
but his plan would have continued on as prescribed.
While
you would think that the king would have acted on his own immediately, that
assumption would have been the end of Esther’s people. Clear communication
trumps assumption every time.
How
many times has an assumption led to disappointment or conflict? You assumed
that the other person understood things like you did. You assumed that after
the conversation that they would do the right thing. You assumed that they
would use their God-given common sense. Never assume.
What
open loops do you have today? What were you expecting to be accomplished that’s
still pending? Have you checked in with that person to see what’s happening?
Maybe it fell off of their radar. Maybe it’s wasn’t as important to them as it
was to you. Now, don’t get all obsessive and controlling. Ask, but only once.
Support
Galatians 419 Ministries with a Tax Deductible Donation through the Joy to the World Foundation:http://joytotheworldfoundation.org/operating-projects/149-galations-419-ministries/backing
To
subscribe or leave a comment on the galatians419 devotional blog:http://galatians419.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment