Esther 8:17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention God, but it is still of considerable historical significance. Antisemitism has deep roots! That said, the retribution delineated in verse 11 seems extreme, even horrible to us today. It’s no wonder Gentiles were so scared they proclaimed themselves to be Jews, as it says here! The problem is, many people feel there is no consequence to antisemitism so they indulge in it with impunity. Even apart from the devil’s hatred of the people chosen by God, human beings have a bad tendency to inflate themselves (they think) by putting other people down. The devil has seized on that to generate antisemitism, and it has certainly been manifesting recently. On the occasion mentioned here, God “flipped the script” and gave Jews legal permission to do to those who hated them what was done to them on October 7^th of 2023. They didn’t have the weapons in ancient Persia that Hamas used against them in the 21^st Century, so the carnage wasn’t as complete, but the threat of it was obviously very effective. At issue is the whole concept of peace through strength. In America today, some people are making a stink about people having their visas revoked because of their overt antisemitism, but that is certainly mild compared to what happened in Persia! It is significant that the land of Persia is today called Iran, and the Islamic government there is actively pursuing nuclear weapons for the express purpose of wiping Israel off the map, literally. I’ve heard well-meaning Christians, even, bemoaning the idea that Israel and/or the US might conduct a preemptive strike to take out Iran’s nuclear capability, but the fact remains that other nuclear-enabled countries have at least a semblance of sanity, which the mullahs of Iran have not demonstrated. If they had nuclear weapons, they would rejoice to use them! I don’t know what God’s solution is at this point, but I do know that His final solution is the return of Christ as King, and I look forward to that.

I’ve never had a trace of antisemitism, but I am certainly all too familiar with racial prejudice, from a number of angles. Growing up as a Caucasian in postwar Japan, it was inescapable! I saw Americans looking down on Japanese and Japanese despising Americans, and at times it got pretty ugly. Mankind is a mess, and we need the redemption of Jesus Christ! I don’t have the political influence of Mordechai, certainly, nor do I want it, but I can express the love and character of Jesus Christ on a personal level, and that is the best answer to prejudice of all sorts.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that You are greater than all our human flaws and sins, and that You have made repentance available to everyone. Help me be, say, and do what You desire, so that those who see me may be drawn to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!