For such a time as this

Introduction:

We’ve made it to the most referenced verse in the book of Esther. It’s a t-shirt/coffee mug verse. “For such a time as this”. We proudly sip our coffee and wear our super soft long sleeve tshirt with that cute font, but we fail to realize that Esther was risking her life. It was incredibly possible in her mind, that for such a time as this, might be her death sentence. For someone who took her uncle’s advice and refused to tell anyone she was a Jew, such a time as this suddenly meant people knowing her faith and the king killing her for approaching him.

We often want to make the Christian life out to be easy because we know Jesus. But this passage will remind us that it’s not always happy go lucky and sometimes we’re going to face difficult situations and difficult decisions.

Bottom Line: God puts his people in positions for his purposes to be used for his glory.

Read Passage: Esther 4:1-17

Esther 4:1–17 CSB

When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly. He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate. There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s command and edict reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them. Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attended her, and dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened as well as the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead with him personally for her people. Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther. Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, “All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last thirty days.” Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai. Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.” So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.

Mordecai’s Mourning (v. 1-4)

When Mordecai learned what had happened he was broken, tore his clothes and mourned the news in the city streets. He wasn’t allowed beyond the King’s Gate since he was wearing sackcloth.

For obvious reasons, Jews in every province, were mourning as well, and were fasting, weeping and lamenting the decision.

Esther Response (v. 5–6)

Esther’s servants find out about about Mordecai and bring news to her. The text seems to indicate she’s ignorant of the decree, but is concerned for Mordecai, so she’s fearful.

She sends clothes out to him and tells him to get dressed, but he refuses.

She sends Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs out to him to figure out what was going on with him.

Mordecai’s Request (v. 7-9)

Mordecai recounts the whole situation to Hathach, including the deposit into the treasury.

Mordecai gives a copy of the edict, so that Hathach can show it to Esther and ask her to approach the king for help.

Hathach brought the info back to Esther.

Esther’s Response (v. 10-12)

Esther sent Hathach back to Mordecai reminding him that you had to be requested to be in the king’s presence and that he hadn’t called for her in the last 30 days. To just show up and knock on the door was a death sentence if the king didn’t approve By extending the golden scepter.

She doesn’t immediately leap to some sort of heroic act. But she behaves as if she’s scared and doesn’t know what to do. She counts the cost and she sends word back to Mordecai hoping he’ll count the cost too.

Mordecai’s Warning (v. 13-14)

Not being the answer Mordecai was looking for, he responds back to Esther to say, “Don’t think you’ll escape punishment because you’re in the castle. You’ll die too. If you keep silent now, God will revise up another deliverer. Who knows, “perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”

For all the talk of her concealing who she is, now Mordecai is insisting she not be ashamed and reveal her identity.

Esther’s Response (v. 15-17)

Esther sends word to Mordecai to assemble all the Jews he can and to have them fast for 3 days and that her and her female servants will do the same. After that, she’ll go and approach the king and if she dies, she dies.

Mordecai did what Esther said.

Application:

Mourning is an appropriate response to suffering.

I think sometime when suffering happens, every wants to fix it, but we don’t create space for mourning.

Mourning gives us an opportunity to be reminded:

of our own frailty

of the broken world we live in

of the imperfection of the people around us

Of our need for God’s hand in our lives for rescue and restoration

Mourning also gives us the ability be empathetic towards other people’s suffering

But we don’t mourn as they we have no hope.

Esther and Mordecai seemed to be broken, but then came to the realization, though they didn’t say it exactly, that God could do something to help.

The gospel invites us to hope in Jesus, even when we walk through bad situations.

Jesus lived the life we couldn’t, died the death we deserve, and defeated sin and death so that we might have life.

So, we can mourn with those who mourn, but we aren’t hopeless.

Question: Is there anything in your life you need to mourn?

2. We should not be ashamed to be known as followers of Jesus.

Mordecai worked so hard to get Esther to conceal her identity, that it seems like, in God’s providence, he was going to make himself known in the grandest way possible.

There are a lot of what-ifs that don’t have answers. What if Esther would have just owned her faith? What if the king would have known, would have signed off on the decree?

In our context, there are almost no times when we are unable to identify as a Christian.

I recognize some workplaces might prohibit us from having a lunch and learn about our faith, but most workplaces won’t keep us from identifying as a Christian and talking to people who want to talk to us about it.

The family we support in France talked about how in their current country the government is happy for you to have a faith, if you want, but they don’t want people having conversations so they don’t fight about it.

But their son was asked about his faith after school one day by some classmates who were muslim.

We should be ready, in season and out of season, when someone asks us for the reason for our hope.

Question: When or why are you inclined to not be open about your faith?

Maybe you would say that you’re not ashamed, but that you’re just not around people who aren’t Christians.

How can you find opportunities to build relationships with those who don’t yet believe?

Maybe you would say that you can’t talk about it at work?

How can you put yourselves in situations for people to ask you, so that you can engage in conversation?

Serving opportunities?

Maybe you would say, I’ve already told all the non-Christians I know and no one cares.

Pray that God might change their hearts

Look for opportunities to serve

Share again

If I’m honest, I‘ve found myself convicted lately at the lack of gospel conversations I’ve had recently with those around me that don’t believe. It seems to me that I’m just indifferent. I’m not scared. I just don’t care…and that’s not good.

So you can pray for me. That God will help me see opportunities and enter in to them instead of just passing them by.

Perhaps, you might be like me and we could pray for each other. Maybe praying for each other would help us walk in the opportunities around us.

3. God put you in the place he put you for a reason.

He put you in this time, in this community, in this church, in your family, in your job for his divine purposes.

There is no secular/sacred divide. I’m not doing God’s work, while you all go do your own thing through the week. When I’m meeting with a potential a website client, that’s not secular work to lets me make money so I can provide for my family so I can be a bivocational pastor with sacred work to do at church.

God owns it all. God calls each of to vocation and the places he puts us.

Sure, you have an interest in teaching, but God put that desire there.

Sure you want to coach baseball, but God put that desire there.

Sure you want to live in that neighborhood, but God knows the people he is placing your around.

Question: What has God called you to this week?

Good news, you’re probably not going to have to die to obey Jesus this week.

God wants to use you all week this week, not just to teach kids church or move the slides.

Challenge: Confidently walk in your faith this week.