Beginnings of a Great Reversal (Young Adult Ministry)

Esther 5

Questions:

What characteristics of God have been highlighted through the first 4 chapters of Esther?

Why doesn’t God more obviously show up in the different situations of our lives? (do miracles, solve our problems, etc?)

Have you ever had a situation in your life where things seem like they are going one way, then all of a sudden things change and the end result is completely different than you expected?

Chapter 5:

Esther and the Jews pray and fast for God’s protection (4:16).

Esther goes before the king without an invitation (5:1-3).

Esther hosts a banquet for the King and Haman (5:4-8).

Haman gets angry at Mordecai’s response (5:9-10).

Haman takes the advice given by his wife and friends and builds a gallows (5:11-14)

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Esther is a very interesting book. It is one of two books in the Bible where God is not mentioned by name. Song of Songs is the other book. It is amazing that while God is not mentioned, we can see Him at work in every detail and through every situation in the book.

That is one of the overarching main ideas of the entire book: God is always at work even when we are not aware of it.

Esther is where we can turn to see God’s providence on display. He is the unseen power that controls everything according to His purposes. You have probably already seen this through your study of the first 4 chapters.

Can we take a moment and just reflect on the character of God. (You already discussed this a bit. Share with me some of the characteristics of God that you came up with so far from chapters 1-4).

The very fact that God’s name is not used, miracles are not performed, etc… is an amazing display of God’s providential control over all things. The story of Esther is a great place to help us see God’s omniscience and omnipotence in action.

Everyone loves a story… and this story teaches us a lot! Esther may play the leading role … but God is definitely the main character.

As we come to chapter 5, we are half way through the book of Esther and the tension that has been building throughout all of these events is building towards an eventual climax. We are close… but we are not there yet.

—show an example of a timeline with climax builders (Tension building throughout..... mini climax at 3, 6 — major climax at 7-8 --- resolution 9-10)

Chapters 5-7 tell us of the Great Reversal that took place as part of Esther’s story. While the climax happens in chapters 7-8, in chapter 5 we start to see the beginnings of a Great Reversal.

Because Esther is a narrative, you can look at each week as a next step in the overall story that God has put in place to bring about His ultimate plan. God has placed every person exactly where He wants them. Ahasuerus (Xerxes) is King. Esther is in the palace. Mordecai (Jew) is seated at the city gate. Haman (Agagite) is Prime Minister. And God is working.

God even uses the natural tension between Mordecai and Haman to help build the tension in the story. (have you talked about this yet?)

Saul (Benjamite) was supposed to kill King Agag (and therefore the rest of the Amalekite people In 1 Sam. 15) but he didn’t. Samual finally hacks King Agag up into pieces by the end of chapter 15. So, Haman (and his family) carry a pretty deeply rooted bitterness and hatred toward the Jews.

Knowing that history helped me to see why Haman has such a hard time getting along with Mordecai. Even through the events in Esther’s life are about 550 years after the death of Agag, neither Haman (Agagite) or Mordecai (Benjamite) seem like they had forgotten the tribal feud between their two peoples.

Haman has convinced the king to make an edict that will effectively wipe out the Jewish people from the kingdom. Mordecai has brought it to Esther’s attention. Esther tells Mordecai to have all of the people fast and pray for 3 days. She also says that she and her women will fast and pray for 3 days. That is where chapter 4 ends, and where we will begin our study today.

Let’s read through chapter 5 together.

Esther 5 ESV

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.” And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

One of the overarching main ideas of the entire book is: God is always at work even when we are not aware of it (even when we can’t see it).

As we consider chapter 5, let’s talk about a few truths drawn from the text.

1. Do what is right, no matter the cost and leave the outcome to God. (5:1-3)

Verse 1 starts with “on the third day”. What third day? Remember chapter 4:16. Esther, her women and all the Jews were going to be fasting and praying for 3 days. Now it is the third day of that fasting and praying and Esther realizes that she has to act… and act right away. As you look at the event unfolding in verses 1-3, I think that Esther realizes that she has to live out her convictions no matter the consequences.

Take note… she doesn’t just rush into doing something.... she realizes the problem… she takes the time to fast and pray.... seek God’s wisdom… and develop a plan before she just rushes in.

What are her convictions at this point? Haman has developed a plan that would cause the mass genocide of her people. That’s a pretty big deal. She feels pretty strongly that this is wrong.... and realizes that she has been placed in the only position in the entire kingdom that might have a chance at doing something to change the situation. Her conviction is… this is wrong. I need to act immediately.

Now, what are the consequences?

Death for her entire people (Jews) if she does nothing.

Death for her if she does try to do something. The law of the land was that if you approached the king uninvited… that you would be immediately killed. NO questions asked. So, no one went before the king.... unless they were invited. Not even his wives. Esther 4:10-12 tells us all of this. This passage also tells us that it had been 30 days since the king had summoned Esther.

Esther has a decision to make. She is faced with the dilemma of conscience vs consequence. Ever been there? If not, you will be. Especially in today’s world.

What is amazing about Esther is, that as the narrative flows from chapter to chapter, there is not much hesitation from Esther. At each event, she responds well. We have no reason to believe that when faced with this problem.... that she will respond in any other way than doing the right thing.

So, Esther puts her life on the line. She decides that she must act… and she must act quickly.

While the book of Esther highlights God’s sovereignty… His ability to be in control of the situation without been seen or heard. It also highlights how God works through the obedience of His people.

Esther is at a point now where she must be bold, obedient.... but also very wise with how she proceeds.

What does she do? She starts by praying and fasting.

She was about to do the most dangerous thing of her life. Go before the king uninvited. If he was in a bad mood.... she was dead.

Here is a good reminder for us. In the challenges of our lives… we are to pray. Esther gives us a good example.... that is perfected by the example of Christ throughout the NT.

If you look through the gospels, each time before Jesus made a major ministry decision or shift… he prayed.

Mark 1:35 ESV

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Are you making a major decision right now? Prayer will see you through.

Are you struggling with some major challenge in your life? Prayer will see you through.

Can we pause our narrative and talk a bit about prayer?

One of the big problems Christians, especially believers from the Western part of the world (our area), is that we tend to try and go into battle for Jesus equipped primarily by our own cleverness, communication skills, new ideas and sexy programs.

When someone schedules a Prayer meeting.... why is that meeting normally the least well attended event? (share personal story)

I think we are so quick to forget that a spiritual battle is being waged all around us… and we are right in the middle of it. We will never see success in the spiritual battle unless we pray.

Trying to navigate life without prayer is like going into battle with no ammunition. It’s like trying to work on your car with no tools or build a house with no supplies.

When we pray… we are not just crying out and expressing what we need.... we are showing how utterly dependent on God we really are.

Esther knew this… she she tells everyone to pray. So for 3 days, they all pray and fast… demonstrating their dependence on God to provide for this situation.

—> how can you pray?

Read the Word

Meditate on the Word

Pray the Word —> let your prayers begin with God’s character.... and let that meditation flow into your time of prayer, communicating with Him.

Esther knew that she had to do the right thing no matter the cost.

(here is another principle that came to mind.... Standing for Jesus may not be easy.... but it will always be worth it.)

If you haven’t already been put in a work or social situation where you have to take a real stand for Jesus… and go against the culture. You will. And when you do, you will have to make the same decision that Esther makes.

No matter what context you are in, there will be times when you must stand up for the right thing… even it it comes at great cost to you.

Trust that God (who is always at work even when we can’t see him) has the outcome in His hands.

As we do the right thing.... we are to pray. But, we are not to just pray… we are to

2. Pray while cultivating the environment for a favorable answer (5:1-8)

Esther takes a big risk by going before her husband, whom she hadn’t seen in at least 30 days, uninvited…

Let’s keep in mind the character of the king. He could be pretty rough and barbarous.

A historian of the day recorded that one time, when Xerxes was invading Greece there were some engineers who could not finish building a bridge because of bad weather and storms. The bridge was completed but only after some delays. The king had all the engineers executed. When he got mad… he could get really mad. So you could see why Esther might be a bit concerned about catching him on a bad day…

But as we see here in the text, he also really loved Esther and as soon as the King saw his beautiful bride walking in wearing her best drip… his heart melted and he extended the golden scepter. The king was glad to see her.... he expresses this in verse 3 when he said.

Esther 5:3 ESV

And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.”

Most people think this was hyperbole.... an exaggerated statement to express how happy he was to see her.

Evidently this was a habit of some Kings… when you read through the Book of Mark (6:22-23) Herod makes the same statement.... but in that situation… the person actually takes him up on it! A bit awkward.

When the King saw Esther I think that he also knew that whatever she had to share must have been important enough for her to put her life on the line. So, he extends the scepter… she touches it and he asks her what is on her mind.

Esther invites the King and Haman to a banquet. In verse 5, the King doesn’t seem to waste any time. He says, “Hurry!!! get Haman so that we can do exactly what Esther has requested...”

Here is where we see Esther using all the wisdom that she has most likely been asking God for.

She is tactful. She is strategic in how she is operating.

What does she know about her husband?

He really likes feasts. He loves dinner parties and banquets. We saw that at the very beginning of the book. (1:3 and 2:18 are both feasts, there are two feasts here in 5:4 and 7:2) and there are two feast days that end the book in 8:17 and 9:22).

Esther knew what her husband loved… and she used that to help cultivate a favorable environment in which to ask her real question.

(Thing behind the thing culture...... & Patron Client Relationships ) — There may be some cultural insights that we miss… when we view this narrative through our own cultural lens. — American’s tend to just rush in and ask and do.... other cultures are not quite the same way.)

At the end of verse 8, you would think that Esther would give her real request. But she doesn’t… Why?

She must not have thought that the environment was just right to be able to get the response she was hoping for. So, at the end of this first banquet. The king again says.... tell me what you’d like and I’ll give up anything you want… even up to half of my kingdom.

So, she invites the king and Haman to another banquet. The king can’t believe his good luck… two banquets in a row with the wife that he loves..

Esther is demonstrating wisdom and insight. She knows her husband… and how to win his favor. She knew that in order to cultivate an environment for a favorable answer… she needed to wine and dine him.

She knew that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

Esther approached this situation with wisdom and tact. She could have just rushed into the throne room, in a panic and thrown out her request to the King....

She didn’t. Why? I think she knew that without the right preparation… her request could have fallen on deaf ears… and even could have been taken as an insult… she could have offended the kings pride by suggesting he had made a mistake when he granted Haman his request to kill all the Jews.

So, she wisely continues to cultivate her relationship… she creates the perfect environment for her ask.... so that when she gives her super important request… it would really be heard… and not just disregarded.

Esther knows that she must act… and do right no matter the personal cost.

She begins with prayer… seeking the Lord.... most likely asking for His provision, protection, and wisdom to know how to proceed

Then she uses that wisdom to cultivate an environment that will hopefully produce a favorable answer.

One last summary truth I want to draw our attention to today is that:

3. We are to take actions that are thoughtful, prayed through, and courageous. (Not naive, and foolish pseudo courage that sometimes can be mistaken for bravery. (5:9-14)

Esther saw the need to act, no matter the personal cost. She began with prayer. Then she acted wisely. She cultivated an environment that would help produce a favorable response.

Esther saw that she had been placed in a position of influence… she had a seat at the table… and she had to use that influence for God. She had a responsibility to act.

The entire book of Esther is built around the truth that God is always working, even when we can’t see him. The book tells of God’s providence and sovereignty without once mentioning His name.

Here is the flip side of that lesson. Throughout the Bible, God has demonstrated that He has chosen to work out His Sovereignty through His people. God works through the events of history for the good of His people.... but that truth does not take away or lesson our responsibility to God. It actually calls us to obedience.

As believers, our responsibility before God requires at least two things.

Courage:

Wisdom:

Esther has demonstrated both.

As Christians in a pagan world, we need courage. Real courage. Courage that acts well and with wisdom no matter the personal cost.

As we are faced with decisions.... hopefully they won’t be as life and death as Esther’s situation. But regardless of the scale, we are to follow the same pattern...

Consider our course of action. Pray through the entire matter, think through the actions we are going to take well, seek the wisest path… and then make sure that your wise planning… and courage are synced up with your dependence on God.

So far in the story, Esther has been a responsive character. She has been a supporting character that has just responded to others as events unfold. Chapter 5 is the beginning of a big turning point in the story.... and Esthers response and actions play a big part in that.

Her conviction of what was right.... strengthened by her wise and prayerful actions takes her from playing a reactionary supporting role to being the one whom God is using to make things happen… to dominate the outcomes of the events.

Esther’s courages and wise actions are beginning to set the stage to make a real impact for her people. But, is it too late?

In this chapter we see that both Esther and Haman are both acting based on their convictions.

Haman is annoyed by this Benjamite name Mordecai… his pride is wounded.... he goes home and wines to his wife about how great he thinks he is… and about how Mordecai refuses to bow to his over sized ego.

Haman seems to be a man of great passion, anger and extremes. Doesn’t he? His wife seems that way too. When Haman is finished wining about his “problems”, Zeresh suggests that he should build a gallows that was 50 cubits high… so that Mordecai could be hanged on it.

A bit extreme, don’t you think? 50 cubits = 75 feet.... almost as tall as an 8 story building.

Esther’s convictions are driven by her desire to help others… she prays, demonstrating her dependence on God.... and then she acts in a way that could cost her everything.

Haman’s convictions are driven by his desire to help himself. He consults the people who will tell him what he wants to hear… and then he acts in a way that (he thinks) puts him in no danger but will satisfy his desires and over inflated ego.

Both Esther and Haman are passionate about their convictions.

As the chapter closes the reader is left waiting to see who’s passionate convictions are going to win.

Both Esther and Haman take action..... (as you get close to the climax of the story in chapters 7-8), the outcomes will be very different than expected.

Conclusion/ Application

There is so much that we could talk about related to this passage.

All of you are at a stage in your lives where you will have some pretty major life decisions to make.

As you navigate those things.... follow Esther’s pattern.... not Hamans.

Overarching main idea:

As believers in a pagan world, we need to understand that God is always at work even when we are not aware of it.

Even when it is not obvious that God is there…. He is!

Main idea of Chapter 5: Pray continuously, Make wise decisions, Act with courage

Implications:

Do what is right, no matter the personal cost and leave the results to God.

Pray while cultivating the environment for a favorable outcome.

Take actions that are thoughtful, prayed through, and courageous.

Intended Response:

As God is working.... how are we to respond?

Pray!

Wisely Act!

Be courageous and do what is right (regardless of the potential personal loss)!