A Better Party in a Better Kingdom

Introduction

Jared Sizemore is most well known around here as the husband of Blythe, our children’s director

But what you may or may not know is that he is also an author

He wrote a space sci-fi trilogy

Now, I read and listen to a lot of space sci-fi books, so I am definitely the target audience here

It was just about 2 years ago now when book 3, The Amethyst Project, came out to conclude the trilogy

I really enjoyed the whole series but thought that book in particular was really good

I was sharing that with him when I finished and he was, trying to think of the right word, relieved maybe?

He said that for him, writing the last book felt a little anticlimatic

After all, he knew how it was all going to resolve

But for me, the reader, I had been tracking all the breadcrumbs he had laid along the way but I didn’t know how it would all resolve

In some ways, I think that is a helpful picture for us this morning as we draw to the end of Esther

If you have been following the story at all, you have seen the set up and we have talked about some of the reversals that have already occurred

But imagine life for the Jews throughout the kingdom of Persia

They had been under a death order for 11.5 months

And while the decree had gone forth authorizing the Jews to defend themselves from attack, that order may have only arrived somewhere recently

They didn’t know how the story would end

Summarize Esther 9:1-17

And so we come to chapter 9

This morning, I am going to summarize the first part of chapter 9 and then in a couple of minutes we will read the rest of chapter 9 and the 3 verses of chapter 10

Esther 9:1 “Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.”

The day is finally here: a day that had been marked by dread and fear at Haman’s decree

And yeah, they could fight back, but they still didn’t really know how it would all go down

But instead of it being a day of death for the Jews, it was a day of deliverance

The Jews defended themselves against those who sought their harm

In fact, we learn that the fear of the Jews had fallen on some of the people and in chapter 8 we read that some had declared themselves to be Jews

This amazing reversal actually led to some converting and becoming part of the people of God!

Then we learn something fascinating in verse 4

Mordecai had become great in the king’s house

His fame had spread throughout the whole empire

And early in this series I compared Haman to Mordecai

One more fascinating comparison

The king had to mandate people to bow before Haman

But people honored and revered Mordecai willingly!

The Jews saw great victory on that one day both in Susa and throughout the empire

Xerxes, the twisted king that he was, seemed to really like it so at he extended the order for one more day in Susa

Haman had already been killed but now his 10 sons are impaled on the gallows as well

Transition

Which brings us to our Scripture reading for today

Scripture Reading: Esther 9:18-10:3

Esther 9:18–10:3 ESV

But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another. And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants. Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing. King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

Pray

Transition

As we look today at the last part of Esther, want us to see two things

A Better Party

How the Wedding Supper of the Lamb is so much greater than Purim

A Better Kingdom

How the Kingdom of God is so much greater than the kingdom of Xerxes

A Better Party: Purim vs Wedding Supper of the Lamb

Esther has been a book of feasts and parties

Chapter 1 opens with a party

Technically 2 parties

One that lasted 180 days for all his servants and officials

Then another one that lasted for 7 days for all the people in the capital city of Susa

Xerxes threw a party to celebrate Esther being made queen

Esther revealed Haman as the enemy of the Jews at the second of two dinner parties

The word translated “feast” or “party” occurs 20 times in Esther… and only 24 in the entire rest of the Old Testament

Quick aside: Makes Esther’s call for a time of fasting in chapter 4 even more fascinating and counter-cultural

But the story ends with a far greater party than any of the previous in the book

Verses 17 and 18 tell us that Jews throughout the empire rested and feasted the day after their deliverance

They were celebrating and partying because Haman’s wicked plan had been thwarted and they were safe

What started as a spontaneous response of joy became institutionalized as an ongoing party of remembrance by Mordecai

In verses 20 and 21 we see that Mordecai declares that it should be celebrated every year

Look at verse 26

Esther 9:26 “Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them,”

Remember earlier in the story, Haman selected the date for his original death edict on the Jews by casting lots, or “pur”

So the name of this feast, Purim, is a play off of that

Elements of Purim celebration (9:17-22)

14th and 15th day of Adar each year declared a holiday

Day of feasts and gladness

Gifts of food to one another

Gifts to the poor

This incredible holiday is still practiced by Jews today remembering their deliverance from Haman some 2500 years ago

Unquestionably, for all the partying in the book of Esther, this party that closes the story is better than any of them

And yet, there is a better party yet to come

Revelation 19:6–9 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.””

That party, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, will be the greatest of feasts

For all of the joy and gladness the Jews experienced at their deliverance, it was but for a moment in time

Threats would come again

I’ll say more about that shortly

But at that feast, that banquet, that incredible party, there will be joy and gladness forevermore

The triumphant Savior

Esther 8:15 “Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.”

Mordecai dressed in royal robes

But at that wedding supper, the beautiful, pure bride will be dressed even better

God’s bride, the church, will be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure as Revelation 19:8 tells us

And a celebration of our deliverance that will never again be threatened

Because we, the people of God, will be with our God, in the royal throne room of our God!

A Better Kingdom: Persia vs the Kingdom of God

So Esther opens with a party and closes with a better party

A party that anticipates the great party that awaits all the people of God

But then something curious happens - chapter 10

Esther 10 ESV

King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

As a narrator, wouldn’t it have bookended the story really nicely to just end with chapter 9?

Chapter 10 is almost this odd epilogue, a strange appendix to a story that seems resolved

Content of Chapter 10

King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) taxes the empire

Xerxes’ power and Mordecai’s honor are recorded in the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia

Mordecai was second in rank to the king and popular with the people

Mordecai sought welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people

Peace

For a people whose lives were in jeopardy, the book ends by telling us that Mordecai spoke peace to his people

In this, Mordecai is a type of Jesus, pointing us to Jesus

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Mordecai spoke people to the people

But Jesus makes peace for his people… and did so by the shedding of his own blood

An Unfinished Story

But why does the narrator tell us about Xerxes taxing the people?

That is a weird detail and I want to suggest it is maybe the last reversal in the book of Esther

Esther 2:18 “Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.”

On naming Esther queen, the king granted remission of taxes

But here he starts taxing them again

Narrator is telling us that, for all that has changed throughout this story, not much has changed

Xerxes is still king… and not a good king at that

Persia was a broken kingdom that would not last

And led by a king foolish enough to think he was a god who would reign forever

But we, the people of God, are awaiting a better kingdom ruled by a better king

Revelation 11:15 “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.””

Aren’t those some of the most amazing words in all the Bible?

New Creation Church

Quick aside: church plant

Want to take a quick aside and share a cool detail about the church planting effort

A few months ago, I stood up here and said we had been receiving three common questions

Where are you going to meet?

When will you start?

What will the name of the church be?

Well, God in his kindness has provided a small church out by Skye Ranch for us to rent in the evening

And we are slowly working to grow our launch team and reach neighbors to prepare for being a worshipping body as the Lord leads

In fact, we meet tonight if anyone wants to come and see a little more of what God is doing

But then we come to the name of the church

2 weeks ago, we announced to the launch team the name of the church and want to share it with you: New Creation Church

A lot I could say about that name, but a big part of it is simple

We are awaiting the better kingdom, the new creation

That day when all that is wrong will be made right

When all that is broken will be mended

When we will be with our God forever

So New Creation Church: a church that is longing for, living for, and laboring for the coming of the New Creation, that better kingdom!

Conclusion to Esther

As we come to the end of Esther, I want to step back and draw a couple of important conclusions from this book

Providence

Much is made about the fact that the name of God is never mentioned in the book of Esther

We never see anyone talk to or about God

We never hear anyone pray or call on the name of the Lord

We never see anyone go to temple or worship

God is never named and there are no miracles recorded

And yet, the fingerprint of God - his character and his actions - are all over the narrative

Esther is, in short, the story of God’s providence

There are no miracles or divine intervention

Just a faithful God ordaining all things that come to pass to protect and preserve his people

As WSC 11 says, “God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of all his creations and all their actions.”

At every point in Esther, and every point in our lives, God’s providence is at work accomplishing his good purposes

The Book of Esther teaches God’s people that even when God’s face is unseen and his name is not mentioned, his sovereign hand is still at work protecting his people.

A Better King

King Xerxes

Xerxes, a selfish, power hungry, drunk womanizing king who never left his royal throne, did not care for his people except to receive from them the adoration that he thought he deserved

King Jesus

Jesus left the glory of heaven to live a perfect, sinless life and then to die for his beloved people

Our King is so much greater and is worthy of all praise and honor

The Preservation of the People of God

Esther 4:14 “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””

This is nearly universally seen as the most well-known verse in Esther

“For such a time as this”

However, I want to suggest that is not the most important part of that verse!

“Relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews…”

God will preserve his people

We often refer to this as the “remnant”

A remnant of God’s people will always remain

We should not be surprised that the people of God are under attack by way of attempts to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate

We have an enemy that wants to snuff out the people of God

As in Esther, the foe and enemy, that wicked Haman, set out to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, so also strives the great enemy of the people of God, Satan himself

But hear these words: “relief and deliverance will rise” for the people of God

Yes, we have an enemy that wants to snuff out the people of God

But that enemy does not and cannot and will not succeed

In fact, in the moment of what seemed to be the enemy’s greatest victory - the crucifixion of Jesus - the reverse occurred

The crucifixion was the victory of Jesus and the people of God, not his or our defeat!

“Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.’ - WSC 26

Parties

Esther opens with a massive party - really, two of them

180 party followed immediately by a 7 day party that served as the strategic planning for the ill-conceived attack on Sparta

The grand narrative wraps, just before the epilogue of chapter 10, with a party - Purim

But what awaits is a far greater party that will serve not as a war planning session or even as a celebration of deliverance a la Purim

That party is the wedding supper of the Lamb - the great feast

Purim was a great party of deliverance

There is a reason Jews still celebrate it today

But that party is going to be greater still

Us with our King

An extravagance that Xerxes could have never imagined

And pure delight forever

Wrap It

I pray that as we close Esther, you will be able to see in your own life the providence of God

He is preserving you - because preserving and protecting his people is what he does

He will preserve you until he brings you to be with him forever in his royal throne room

Oh glorious day when we will enter into the great heavenly party with our King

Pray