A Time Such as This - Esther 4

Introduction

Recap Series

The King glorifying himself for months

the king showing his wrath by getting rid of his queen

the king bringing in all the girls of the kingdom for his own gratification

Mordecai not bowing to Haman

Today might be the most know chapter of the book of Esther

I would argue for the wrong reason

“A Time Such as This”

the tendency and desire for this passage is to make it about us

we like the story of a girl who God has placed in this position for just this moment and the fate of the Jewish nation lies in the hands of this young queen

that God has placed us where we are, and we need to be strong because the salvation of so many lies in our hands

wow, we are powerful and important in our version of scripture

Esther 4 (CSB)

1 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.

2 He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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.

6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate.

7 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.

8 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.

9 Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther.

10 Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai,

11 “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.”

12 Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.

13 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.

14 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.”

15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

16 “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.”

17 So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.

Pray

You are here, in this time and place for a purpose. Seek the Lord earnestly and live to advance his kingdom.

Emergency to Urgency

Saying when I worked in the secular world

poor planning on your part does not require and emergency on my part

not the truth here, as all jews were set to die

Haman thought it was repugnant to just kill Mordecai, so all the jewish people were set to be killed due to Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman

Your prayer life changes in an emergency

Esther 4:1–7 (CSB)

1 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.

2 He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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.

6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate.

7 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.

retell what is taking place

Mordecai learns of the decree to kill the jews

Mordecai and jews in the kingdom begin to fast and pray

Mordecai fasts at the kings gate

nobody in a mourning state was allowed in front of the king

Esther attempts to get Mordecai to stop

Mordecai sends word of why he is fasting

We often live in ignorant bliss

word went all around the kingdom

Esther 3:14 (CSB)

14 A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples so that they might get ready for that day.

word had not made it to the queen

not blaming Esther for her ignorance, she does not know what she does not know

we are ok to live in ignorance

would the lack of knowing kept Esther alive, possible

but you get a sense from the text that her servants knew her ethnicity

they were going back and forth between her and Mordecai

they were going to be told to fast as well

surely at some point the word would have gotten out that she was Jewish

Loud voices of faith seem radical

Mordecai did not break the law by going into the courtyard but stayed at the king’s gate

he was loud - explain the look and sound of fasting

whaling - not for the attention of men, but God

sackcloth and ashes

the look was mourning and sacrifice

Mordecai was making a scene, as word got to Esther that he was doing this at the king’s gate

her first response was to send him some clothes to wear

meaning stop what your doing and stop making a scene

you are appearing radical, people are going to know you are with me

Voices of faith need to know and explain the words of truth

We need a little more radical - voices and actions that stand out from the rest of the world

if the only difference between me and the lost person sitting next to me at a community event is that I am here on a Sunday morning, can I really call myself a person of faith

I am more a person of religion or habit than faith

This does not mean that we need people to argue more

we have enough of divisive fighting in our world

we are not looking for the best ways to engage in a debate

as if I just debated in a better way

we need to live what we believe

this may mean that we sit out of events that the rest of the community partakes in

this may mean that we have to make a scene

standing for the Lord for right does not always allow us to stand in the background

We do not see the emergency as our emergency

if we did we would live with a sense of urgency to our lives

things that we do now would not seem near as important

we would not care what people thought of our constant prayers

we would not care as much about our reputations

we would seek the Lord with everything that we had

Urgency to Understanding

Five weeks ago was when Hamas attacked Israel

a week later was the mass shooting in the northeast

after these things before we even know what is happening we hear the cries, “something has to be done.”

we are not looking for pointless action to make us feel like we are doing something

Esther 4:8–14 (CSB)

8 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.

9 Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther.

10 Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai,

11 “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.”

12 Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.

13 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.

14 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.”

Retell what is taking place

copy of the written decree sent, earlier exactly how much Haman was willing to spend was told

Hathach is supposed to explain the decree to Esther

she was either unable to read, or being in Susa it was written in Persian, not Aramaic

Command Esther to go to the King

Esther had always done what Mordecai had commanded of her

Esther was going to have to reveal her ethnicity to the king

Mordecai had previously told her not to do that

Esther explains the dangerous possibilities of what he is commanding

nobody can enter into the king’s presence

she has not been asked to see the king in a month

explains the law, as if Mordecai did not know

Mordecai explains that her location will not prevent her from being caught up in the decree

God will save his people

but maybe she is there for just this time

Now is a time for clear understanding

Heather and I have been in the doctor’s office and walked out and we have heard two completely different things

the decree wasn’t the only thing explained, but how dire the situation is

I don’t think that Esther telling them the law about going to the king was new information to them

it was like a, “you understand what you are asking?”

We are way more concerned about worldly matters than we are spiritual

it is understandable

we are concerned with the things right in front of us

we are concerned with the things that immediately impact our families

and we have been taught that our life with Christ is a personal relationship

so isn’t he more worried about what is happening in my life right here, right now

we feel like eternity is an eternity away

there will always be tomorrow

really we are spiritual procrastinators

we will put off spiritual matters until tomorrow so that we can keep ourselves busy with today.

Temptation of preaching to make you feel guilty

you are here for such a time as this… so go and do what you are supposed to do

so much is riding on your obedience

we have been told by so many well meaning preachers that so much is riding on on us and our obedience

God is going to deliver his people

Mordecai knew this, he knew that the Israelites would be delivered

maybe not all, not their family if they did not act, but God would deliver his people

What is God wanting to do through you

His plans do not hinder on your obedience, you are not that powerful

but he desires to include his people on his plans

there are blessings in this life that we receive with obedience,

I am not saying it is transactional,

but we live in the blessings of God when we are living in his will

over in over while Jesus walked the earth we see where they tried to lay hands on Jesus, but it wasn’t his time

we see this with the Pharisees as they wanted to arrest him

the pharisees in Nazareth that wanted stone him

we see it with those who ate the loaves and fish that wanted to make him king

but it wasn’t his time

his time and is plan will go forward with or without you

but he desires you

this is why he includes you in the plan,

he sees the way our faith grows as we put ourselves our there and live for him

Understanding to Action

Nothing makes Heather feel nice and secure as when she asks if I know what I am doing when I am trying to fix something and I tell her, “No, I’m just going to take it apart and see what happens.”

Esther 4:15–17 (CSB)

15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

16 “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.”

17 So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.

Retell what is taking place

Esther now commands Mordecai

assemble all jews in Susa and fast

she and her servants will do the same

she will go to the king

if she dies, she dies

Living for Christ is not found in religious rules

misunderstanding the passage

spoiler alert… God saves the Jewish people through Esther and Mordecai

this does not happen simply because they fasted

meaning if we do this spiritual principle we will get God to act in our favor

living for Jesus is found in the gospel

think of the book of Romans

from the very first chapter we read the gospel is the power of God for all who believe

that all have fallen short of the glory of God

but God proves his love by Jesus dying for our sins

we deserve death and hell, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

all who confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved

Romans 12:1 (CSB)

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

this is what Esther meant when she said that if she dies she dies

that I am offering my life for God to do what he will

that it is all I have to offer, he’s my life Lord

This is what the Lord is asking from you… your life

you in the place that he has planted you to serve him with your life

this means living in the gospel yourself

this means living out the gospel, sharing the gospel with those you are with

sacrificing your life for his glory and for his kingdom

Look at the moment in history we find ourselves

a time when Christianity in the US is in the minority and on the decline

a time when we see antisemitism openly proclaimed, shouted and chanted,

not just around the world but in the streets of the US

we see wars and rumors of wars

though it may seem far away because it is not in Pawnee or Hodgeman County God has placed us here, to live for him and proclaim his Gospel

in such a time as this

His kingdom does not rely on you, but he is inviting us in to be a part of a great revival

will you offer your life in worship to him

Exalting Jesus in Esther Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. Describe a time the Lord called you to do something but you were full of fear rather than faith and did not obey. Why is Esther 4 a good chapter for many of us who have been in this position?

2. In what ways, if any, are you currently hesitating to obey the Lord? How can the gospel fuel obedience?

3. In the time of crisis, how far do you have to make it down your reaction list before you get to prayer? Why is prayer always the best reaction to difficult circumstances?

4. Why do we tend to conceal our grief or struggles rather than sharing them openly?

5. Who is someone God has used to encourage you to be obedient to something God was calling you to do? Why do we need others who will help spur our obedience? How can we encourage one another to be obedient?

6. What, if anything, are you hoping “somebody” will do in your faith family or in your city? Why do you think you are not the “somebody” to do it?

7. How might the gospel bring us to the point where we are willing to say, “If I perish, I perish, but I am going to obey at all costs”?

8. How often do you consider and take advantage of the fact that through Christ we have full access to meet with God the Father?

9. To what degree are you amazed that the Father wants us to be in his presence? Explain.

10. How often do you express gratitude for Christ’s identification with and mediation for us? Why is Christ called our great high priest?