Two Plans; Esther 5:1-14

Introduction

Recap where we are in the story

the decree has gone out, all the Jews were to be killed in 11 months

The Queen has been notified and filled in on everything that is happening

she has been told, God will deliver his people

He desires to use his people

you need to go to the king

Today - Two Plans

I once had somebody tell me that whatever you think about when you first wake up is what you worship

I do not know if that is true

I wake up a lot trying to figure out what day it is

am I supposed to be speaking somewhere that day, if so, what am I talking about

truth is we often think about and chase after what we believe will give us joy

being a person, a place or another thing

praise honor and glory in this world

but living a life of faith, means that we find our joy in Christ and live for his glory.

Esther 5:1–14 (CSB)

1 On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance.

2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.”

4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for them.”

5 The king said, “Hurry, and get Haman so we can do as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared.

6 While drinking the wine, the king asked Esther, “Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be done.”

7 Esther answered, “This is my petition and my request:

8 If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and perform my request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will do what the king has asked.”

9 That day Haman left full of joy and in good spirits. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the King’s Gate, and Mordecai didn’t rise or tremble in fear at his presence, Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

10 Yet Haman controlled himself and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh to join him.

11 Then Haman described for them his glorious wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king had honored him and promoted him in rank over the other officials and the royal staff.

12 “What’s more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am invited again tomorrow to join her with the king.

13 Still, none of this satisfies me since I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate all the time.”

14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows seventy-five feet tall. Ask the king in the morning to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows constructed.

PRAY!

When our joy is found in something other than Christ, we are not living by faith, but out of a desire to satisfy our own selves.

A Prayerful Plan

Esther did not come up with a plan, then pray

this is the common way to pray

decide what we will do, then ask God to bless it

instead of seeking his wisdom and will for the situation

Fasted for three days

Prayer was not short changed

when the three days were completed, not a day earlier

Feet were put to prayer

Esther 5:1 (CSB)

1 On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance.

when the time of prayer was over, she enacted the plan

We must be willing to walk… to listen in prayer and do as the Lord has called

when in the Garden, Jesus said the time for sitting is over, get up

Mark 14:41–42 (CSB)

41 Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”

obedience to God

does not mean that she did not worry for her life

living and seeing God’s people perish was not an option

Favor was gained

Esther 5:2 (CSB)

2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Gained = put on

Favor = grace

this is not the king doing this, but God granting her grace in a high risk situation

grace was not taken advantage of

though she risked all in appearing before the king, she did not take it for granted

kept with the royal protocol of touching, many believe she kissed the tip of his scepter, showing humility

some of the most prideful people in the world are believers that act as if they are better than others because they know the truth of God

if we knew the truth and accepted the truth, you above everyone else would be the most humble

a moment of clarity

Esther 5:3 (CSB)

3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.”

for the first time in the story we see the king actually perceptive of something other than his wants and desires

We get the sense that he knows there it must be something great that would cause the queen to risk her life

so he offers up to half his kingdom

not a legit offer, but a phrase to reassure her that she has gained favor with him

The plan continues

Esther 5:4–8 (CSB)

4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for them.”

5 The king said, “Hurry, and get Haman so we can do as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared.

6 While drinking the wine, the king asked Esther, “Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be done.”

7 Esther answered, “This is my petition and my request:

8 If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and perform my request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will do what the king has asked.”

some believe that she was nervous and was buying time to ask

not at all

I believe the wording leads us to see that this was all a part of the plan

the banquet had been prepared before she went it

meaning it was not just Esther walking in faith, but the servants that had been fasting as well

they now, are fulfilling the plan birthed in prayer

so we see Esther not backing away from danger, but not getting too far ahead either

she could have attempted to ask right then and there

but this could have brought shame to the king

he was on his royal throne

this was not the place to find out that his queen has been hiding her ethnicity from him for the last five years

Another banquet

reading through this you can almost feel anxious for her and just want her to get it over with

I believe this is still a part of the plan, this is not just a change in or lacking in courage

she gets a “promise” of favor with the king

come again tomorrow, “if i have found favor, if the king is going to grant my petition, come again tomorrow.”

A Prideful Plan

Everything we see in Esther’s plan, we see the opposite in Haman’s

Esther’s plan birthed out of concern over the lives of her people

Haman’s plan from nothing but his own pride and honor

Esther 5:9 (CSB)

9 That day Haman left full of joy and in good spirits. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the King’s Gate, and Mordecai didn’t rise or tremble in fear at his presence, Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

The plan to kill the jews did not satisfy Haman

leaving a banquet with the royals,

a man with a death sentence would bother him

this one act by Mordecai robbed all joy that Haman had from the banquet

His joy is wrapped up in world

his own glorification

what about us

do you see the rapid shift in emotion

do you like Haman go from one extreme high to an extreme low

full of joy and in good spirits to full of rage

if yes, your joy is not founded in Christ

Haman tells us that his joy is wrapped up in the world when he tells his wife and others all the things he has

Esther 5:11–13 (CSB)

11 Then Haman described for them his glorious wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king had honored him and promoted him in rank over the other officials and the royal staff.

12 “What’s more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am invited again tomorrow to join her with the king.

13 Still, none of this satisfies me since I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate all the time.”

I am big time in the kingdom, just had dinner with the king and queen

they want to do it again tomorrow

people bow when I walk by

I have so many sons (a big deal at this time)

Where is your joy found

there are so many things that we find joy in

status like Haman

I must be seen as important, title is worth so much

Pastor in Memphis

it might be in our kids

our kids have to be successful, important people or we as parents have not done our job

maybe it is in stuff

if I do not have the latest, best, biggest or most

Is your joy in Christ, or what he offers

if bad things happen, if life gets hard, is he still worth it

if tomorrow everything is gone, is he still worth it

can you like Job say,

Job 1:21 (CSB)

21 saying: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

if healing does not come this side of heaven

is he worth everything, if not, that is your idol and that is where your joy is found

The lie… this will fix my joy problem

for many it means getting the right thing

material possession, job, amount of money

and it is always more

for Haman, it was killing Mordecai

knowing that he was going to die was not enough

but a plan to hang in on the gallows, 75 feet high pleased him

explain the gallows… spike impale them

A Purposeful People

So what do we do with all of this

we have a queen who offers her life, live or die she is going to stand for her people

we have a man who is not satisfied by the honor he has, but will not satisfied until death comes to this man

I wonder if we live in the in between

we are not standing in the place of danger like Esther

but we are not trying to have people killed that we do not like either

isn’t there a middle ground that is okay… NO

because as a believer, this is not your life

Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is not your life because your life has been crucified

that is not who you are anymore

you are a child of God, if you have confessed him as Lord

you now live by faith in the son of God

faith that the Lord will never leave you

not that we will not have problems in this world, but that he will not leave us in those problems

not that we will not have temptations

but we will not be tempted in ways others have not, and not without an escape

Your life has a purpose, it is not to glorify and indulge yourself

but to love God and love people

to bring glory to God and further his kingdom

we give ourselves to the one who gave himself for us

choose today not if you will stand like Esther if the time comes

choose today if you will live a purposeful life, one that says I have been crucified with Christ and it is not longer I who live!

Discussion Questions

Exalting Jesus in Esther Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. Describe a time when you were used to the detriment of God’s kingdom. How and when did you experience conviction over it? What did you learn from the experience?

2. How can we know we are being used for the development of God’s kingdom rather than its detriment?

3. Describe a time when you followed a plan that was determined by your will rather than God’s Word. How did this turn out for you (and others)?

4. How can we be certain we’re discerning God’s plan for our lives from his Word rather than devising plans from our wills?

5. Have you ever used prayer for delaying rather than obeying? If so, why? How can we minimize this tendency in our lives?

6. Describe a time you walked obediently in faith and experienced the Lord’s favor, provision, and blessing. How do we know he will provide all we need if we obey?

7. In what ways can we feed idolatry in our lives rather than forsaking it?

8. How does the gospel answer our need for true significance?

9. What can we do to surround ourselves with voices of conviction rather than just voices of compliance?

10. In what ways are you hoping the Lord will use you in the development of his kingdom this year?