Esther 10:1

"And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea."

this chapter is very short; second shortest in the Bible. With only three verses, each verse tells us and focuses on certain points of interest for us. And the king Ahasuerus - he was king during this period of transition from the Medes and Persians to Greece; the Lord God raises up kings and establishes them as well as He removes kings. It is the Lord's will, what of it? He knows that which has been, that which is and that which shall be. They are not in ruling power of their own making only for the Lord's Divine will to be done. You and I are brought into this world for a reason, His reason. the sooner we understand that and acknowledge that, the sooner we are able to fulfill our purpose. How many ask, 'What is my purpose in this world?' It is for us to come to know Him personally and see His hand and ways revealed in and through our lives. How many waste a life and never know anything of this? They are never able to begin becasue they won't trust and abide in Him. Thus, they miss their purpose of life. And what is worse, that having lived an entire lifetime and missing it all. Laid a tribute upon the land - as king he was able to tax and seize the wealth of the people; The land, refers to the 127 provinces of his empire. It was extended from India to Iran, the Middle East. A huge swath of land and people and was a major part of the transition from Babylon to Rome. This verse is an indication of that transition. The land was no doubt already taxed, but apparently there arose a need for another means for more. Blessed is the nation that no tribute is needed to sustain the kingdom. Of this earth there is nothing like that, only the kingdom of our Lord. For there in heaven there will be no need, for all provisions will come from Him. He is the great provider, Jevoah Jireh. When PEter was confronted by the tax collectors, Jesus answered that need and provided by the coin in the mouth of the fish. And when asked of paying tribute unto the empire, Jesus repliled, 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and render unto God the things that are God's.' He is able to provide for earthly tribute. And upon the isles of the sea - islands conquered and under his rule in the Aegan Sea; His empire was expanding and these new additions of the islands no doubt had wealth untouched by their ability in merchant ships. But I wonder of the need to raise a new tribute, as we consider the other verses here, I wonder if Mordecai lowered the money of the Jews being paid and the lapse had to be accounted for somewhere so they taxed the islands? But the wealth of the nations changes hands, goes through countries and business transacations, but it is all His. He allows for the gold, and wealth of the land to be given or taken. The more we trust in Him the more is entrusted. Are we faithful? Is the church able to give an account of the wealth that has been entrusted to it? Can the building of material possessions while the Gospel languishes in foreign lands be justified? The money poured out into concerts and entertainment, can it be justified while hunger, poverty grips 3/4 of the world?