The scriptures read are Esther 7-8, Psalm 144 and 2 Corinthians 3.
Esther 7-8. At her second dinner with Haman (boo! hiss!) and the king, Esther reveals that she is a Jew and she and her people are doomed to die because of their enemy. And who is that enemy? Haman! (boo! hiss!) Haman (boo! hiss!) realizes the danger of his position and begs with the queen. But he ends up impaled on the 75 foot stake he had intended for Mordecai (yay!).
The king gives Haman's (boo! hiss!) estate to Esther and his position to Mordecai (yay!). But he still hasn't countermanded the order to massacre the Jews! So the king lets Mordecai (yay!) write it and seal it with the signet ring of the king. Mordecai (yay!) goes farther, giving the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies. This new decree goes out to all the provinces of the empire.
Psalm 144. A psalm of David, the warrior-king.
2 Corinthians 3. Paul's critics attacked his credentials as apostle. Paul says the people of the Corinthian church itself are all the credentials he needs. And they were written by the Spirit of God.
Paul contrasts the old covenant with the new, the fading glory with the eternal glory. He contrasts the dead covenant of law with the covenant of the living Spirit of God. And the Spirit, Paul reminds us in v. 17, is the Lord, who needs to be obeyed.
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