Purim part 2

Introduction

During the traditional Jewish Passover meal, as the family is sharing in the different elements of the observance, there comes a point when a child is to ask a very important question: “Why is this night different from all other nights?”

This question triggers one of the most important parts of the Passover, the reading of the Haggadah, which tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

This is an important time because it is a time to remember God delivering the Jewish people out of bondage in Egypt.

But, it is also important because the family is passing down the story from one generation to another.

It pairs nicely with the Shema, which speaks of passing down the law and traditions to future generations:

Deuteronomy 6:4–7 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

In many ways, the book of Esther does a similar thing when it comes to the Jewish celebration known as Purim.

It tells not only the origin of the celebration, but also why it is important to the Jewish people.

As Gentile Christians, most of us do not celebrate Purim, so we might wonder, “Why is this story significant to me?”

Hopefully, throughout this study we’ve learned:

Believers can always be assured that God is working to bring about His will.

Pride, anger, and lack of discernment lead to impulsiveness and foolish actions.

About God’s transcendent sovereignty, in which God’s sovereign purposes often go beyond our comprehension. Therefore, we often have to just trust and obey.

We saw how evil people will set their hearts to destroy God’s people and feel justified because it serves their purposes. Despite this, we need to trust God and move forward in faith while taking the right stand the right way.

Next we learned that God uses people to accomplish His purposes, but thankfully isn’t limited by the actions or inaction of people either.

Along with that, we saw that there are always dire consequences for disobedience and inaction.

On a more positive note, we saw that not only does God have a purpose for His people, but that purpose is more important than our comfort or feeling of security.

So, God calls us to a courageous faith in Him, to trust His timing, to not seek the praise of people but the praise of God, and to completely reject all malice towards others.

In the midst of trying times, we were reminded that God uses various means to deliver His people from wicked men. So, we don’t have to live in fear, because God is for us.

A few weeks back we saw that we must do the right thing, even when it is extremely hard. Additionally, that we must become more passionate about Godly justice than about worldly justice.

Then, we saw one of the most important messages of the book of Esther, that our God specializes in reversals; the greatest of which is that guilty sinners can be forgiven of our sins and have a future that is secure with our Lord!

So, as we’ve seen, this story should be greatly significant to us as NT believers.

This morning we have two more lessons to learn from this great book, focusing on celebrations and leadership.

Body: Esther 9:18-10:3

An interesting side note from 10:1: the same Hebrew word that is translated as tax here is also used elsewhere for forced labor...

This section explains the reason for the celebration of Purim.

This was important because:

Purim is a non-Mosaic celebration...

Purim could easily lose it’s significance because of the way many of the post-exile Jews celebrated it...

Because it is important, this book was written to keep the celebration grounded in God’s redemptive story...

This is important for Christians today because:

We ought to always know why we celebrate religious holidays...

Because the Gospel is evident in the story of Esther…(a great reversal; giving hope to those who had none; overcoming evil)

Mervin Breneman: “There are few books of the Old Testament more relevant to life in a society hostile to the gospel. Believers are scattered throughout the world, awaiting the Lord’s return. Although he is present and active now as much as ever, he is usually “hidden” behind the events of life that he is directing for his own glory and the benefit of his children. Although unbelievers can refuse to acknowledge him, those “who have eyes to see” are able to recognize his hand at work in the affairs of life.”

Because we ought to celebrate our redemption all the time!

This section shows why Mordecai was a great leader for his people.

Leadership is a popular topic today. Many of the best selling books are books explaining leadership.

Former pastor and now leadership guru John Maxwell has sold about 24 million books on the topic of leadership. He is just one of literally hundreds of writers who write about the topic.

Interestingly, I would argue that in spite of the sheer volume of books sold on leadership today, leadership has never been weaker in our country.

It’s not just politicians (though we could say a lot about them), but throughout multiple industries, leadership is often sorely lacking.

There are numerous reasons for this, no doubt, but I think two are highlighted by Mordecai in chapter 10.

Mordecai was a great leader because he sought the welfare of his people.

Mordecai wasn’t in this for himself. Everything he does is for the benefit of his people, the Jewish people.

In fact, there are some who suggest that the book of Esther is a piece of fiction. The main reason for this is there is no mention of Esther or Mordecai in the ancient Persian records that still exist.

However, historically speaking, there are hundreds of thousands of leaders who have been forgotten by history. And, to me, that’s the beauty of Mordecai’s story. He didn’t make it about Mordecai.

Haman made things about Haman. Mordecai, on the other hand, made his leadership all about his people.

I believe this is part of the reason why leadership is lacking today. It’s because too many leaders make their leadership about themselves instead of about the people.

Many are great at paying lip service to seeking the welfare of the people, but the proof is seen in their lives and their work, not in their words.

One of the things I’ve always loved about working with blue collar men is this: blue collar men are all about show me, don’t tell me. Show me how hard you can work; how capable you are; that you know what you are doing…don’t tell me!

We should demand the same from our leaders!

For a significant number of leaders today, whatever leadership title they aspire towards is more about their sense of success and accomplishment, personal financial growth, a desire to be in charge, their unwillingness to be led, or the influence they believe leadership will afford them.

Mordecai shows a very different, and better way.

But, before we move on, let’s really personalize this on a couple of levels.

Not everyone is called to leadership, but everyone leads someone...

How can you seek the welfare of your people (or your person)?

We are wise to focus on local leadership, where you can make a real impact...

The Christian church desperately needs people to step up as leaders...

Every year 4,500 churches in America close their doors and cease to exist.

Put that in perspective: There are just over 6,000 churches in Washington state...

In Oregon there are under 4,500 churches!

At current rates, they would all be gone!

Why? There’s not one single reason, but I think one of the biggest is not enough people are willing to step up and lead, so it falls on the shoulders of a few, who eventually burn out.

There was a book that I loved the title that came out a number of years back, and it is fitting for this topic. It’s title was “Just Do Something”.

We often wonder, “What should I do in the church?” My answer is, if you aren’t given specific instructions right now, do something and God will open up the right doors down the road. See something that is going on and jump on board. If it’s not for you, that’s fine, try something else. But, you never really know until you try!

Because he spoke peace to all his people.

This means that Mordecai spoke up for his people.

He was, in essence, a voice for the voiceless.

The Jews at the beginning of the narrative had no voice, now they have the second most powerful person in the kingdom as their voice. (Another reversal!)

This is another place, in our modern context where there is a distinct lack of leadership.

The common man has little to no voice today...

Because of television, radio and the internet, there are thousands of people who stylize themselves as the voice for the voiceless, and some have massive followers to prove their point.

The issue is, those who tend to get the most attention do so because they are the most extreme. The unfortunate result is that many of the voiceless are buying into nonsense because they believe those on the extremes are the only people speaking for them.

What are we to do about this? Paul gives us perfect advice:

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

The way believers speak peace today is to watch the words that come out of our mouths, only looking to build one another up (not simply ourselves) with the goal of your words bringing grace to those who hear.

Therein lies the difference: corrupted leaders speak words that, while seeming to be for others, are actually for their own benefit.

Today we call this virtue signaling, but it’s been around forever. Paul called it “ear tickling.”

The church, and therefore our entire community, needs people who are committed to building up other with their words.

What kind of an impact would this have?

A true Christian leader today is one who seeks the welfare of his people and speaks peace to his people.

So let’s go out an do it!