Esther 7:1-10; The Wrath of the King

Sermon in a sentence: :The King brings wrath upon his enemies.

Introduction

In Lord of the Rings the Two Towers we have the King of Rohan, Theoden. He was once a strong leader and warrior. However, he was under the spell of Saruman the White. Saruman sent Wormtongue to provide council to the king. It was not until Gandalf releases Theoden from the spell that the king can exile Wormtongue. What a wonderful moment it is when we see Theodon come to his sense and begin to come for ill advisor.

We also enjoy seeing this happen in the real world. We love when the bad guys lose, right?

The Right Kind of Anger (vs. 1-7)

This is the first time we see Ahasuerus become angry for the right reason. But he should have also been mad at himself for being so stupid! (2 Samuel 12:7)

As men, we especially must have the right kind of anger.

Psalm 4:4 ESV

4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

Ephesians 6:4 ESV

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Peter 3:7 ESV

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

As Christians, we must be able to have righteous anger. We have a prophetic role of restraining evil.

Psalm 3:7 ESV

7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

Psalm 5:6–10 ESV

6 You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

Psalm 139:21–22 ESV

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

The Right Kind of Fear (vs. 6-7)

Haman should be afraid of the king’s wrath.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Had Haman feared the LORD, he would not have been in the situation.

I ask you friends, has your own lack of fear for God lead you down the road of self destruction?

Does Colgate Baptist Church fear God rightly?

Do we fear him over embarrassment?

Do we fear him over our preferences?

Do we fear him over kings?

The Right Kind of Punishment (vs. 8-10)

Haman’s punishment was the very thing he wanted done to his enemies.

Apart from Christ, we want to rule over God’s commands for us. Our punishment will be that he will eternally subdue rebels.

The only hope for rebel sinners is that there has been one who became my curse by being hung on the tree!

Galatians 3:13 ESV

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.