God’s Faithfulness in Esther

Introduction:

Story of the Bible

The Story of God’s Faithfulness

The Story of Israel during the Exile

Scripture Reading:

Esther 4:13–17 (CSB)

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. 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.”

Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “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.” So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.

A Brief History

Before we get into the story of Esther, theres a little Jewish history we have to go over

Two weeks ago, we talked about the exile

God’s people were unfaithful to him… time and time again, God sent prophets to warn his people to repent and return to him

They didn’t listen, and they eventually were taken into exile by the Babylonians

And two weeks ago we talked about their role in exile

God wasn’t done with them—He wanted them to be a light to the nations, glorifying God

But this week (and next) we are talking about what happened after the exile?

Even as Israel is in exile they knew that it wouldn’t last forever

The prophets (particularly Daniel) spoke about a judgement that was coming on Babylon

So what ended up happening (as prophesied) was that the Persian Empire lead by King Cyrus, came and defeated the Babylonian

Which at first doesn’t sound like the best news…

We were captives by one people and now another people came and beat them and took their place…

This would be true, but Cyrus was a way different king than Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian King)

(SLIDES)

Religious and cultural tolerance: Cyrus allowed his subjects to practice their own religions and maintain their local laws and cultures. He also returned images of gods that had been taken during battle and worshipped the city's gods in Babylon.

Mercy: Cyrus spared the lives of defeated kings and allowed them to advise him on ruling over the conquered people.

Involving conquered people in governance: Cyrus often left local elites in place and took over the existing administrative structures of the places he conquered. Cyrus allowed his subjects to participate in governance.

Adopting other cultures: Cyrus adopted habits of dress and ornamentation from the Elamites. Not destroying/replacing culture.

Freed the Jews: Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity in Babylon and allowed them to return to Jerusalem.

(SLIDES)

So after Cyrus took over the Babylonian Empire, we see two different groups of Jewish people

(SLIDES)

Some of them took the offer to return to Jerusalem

Their city that has been demolished and abandoned

They were tasked with rebuilding the city, homes, and the temple of God

Cyrus actually gave them back all of their holy items that were in the original temple that the Babylonians raided and stole

And we’ll talk about these people next week

These stories are found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah

(SLIDES)

But there were also Jews that decided to not return

They wanted to stay where they had grown and lived the last 70 years

It took Ezra and his group 900 miles and 4 months to make the journey

There is danger—bandits/robbers—wilderness—supplies

Some were too old to return

Some were sick or disabled

If you had a large family with lots of loved ones

And some were lazy, disobedient, complacent with their new culture

But all of that to say… there were a large group of Jews that never went back to Jerusalem

And today we are going to be looking at the story of Esther

It follows the story of the Jews that didn’t return to Jerusalem

We will see God’s faithfulness to his people that remained in Babylon and Persia.

The Story of Esther

So today I am going to do a birds-eye overview of the story of Esther and then we will talk about some of the particular aspects of the story and what it means to us today

The Backdrop—Queen Vashti Angers The King

The Search For a New Queen—Esther

Characters

King

Esther

Mordecai - Esther’s cousin/guardian / doorkeeper

Haman

Mordecai Saves the King

Cuts to this story

His deed goes unrecognized

Haman’s Plan to Kill the Jews

Esther 3:5–6 (CSB)

When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage. And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, it seemed repugnant to Haman to do away with Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom.

Mordecai Appeals to Esther

Pleads with her to act

Such a time as this

Esther Approaches the King

If I perish I perish

She asks for the king and Haman to attend the banquet she’s throwing

They go

He asks what she wants at the banquet

She asks that He and Haman go to a second banquet the next day

He agrees

Haman leaves “full of joy and in good spirits”—encounters Mordecai—builds a gallows

Esther 5:9–14 (CSB)

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. Yet Haman controlled himself and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh to join him. 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. “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. Still, none of this satisfies me since I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate all the time.”

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.

Mordecai is Honored by the King

Esther 6:1–3 (CSB)

That night sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king. They found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, when they planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus. The king inquired, “What honor and special recognition have been given to Mordecai for this act?”

The king’s personal attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”

For previously saving his life

Irony as Haman chooses how Mordecai is honored

Haman is Executed

Esther asks that the king would spare her life—and her people

Points to Haman as “the adversary and the enemy is this evil Haman”

Haman pleads with Esther

The king walks in and sees him on the couch with her

He is hung on the gallows that he built for Mordecai

Esther Intervenes for the Jews

Esther reveals her relationship to Mordecai

The King put Mordecai in charge of Haman’s estate

Esther begs the king to revoke the edict of Haman—to kill the Jews

He tells them they can write whatever they want in the kings name and use his seal of approval

They gave the Jews the right to defend themselves from the attack that would come

The Jews are Victorious

The Jews successfully defend themselves

In the end they killed 75,000 of “those who hated them”

And they celebrated

A Festival to Remember

They also decreed that this victory and deliverance would be celebrated every year

The Epilogue—Mordecai’s Fame

Esther 10:3 (CSB)

Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was famous among the Jews and highly esteemed by many of his relatives. He continued to pursue prosperity for his people and to speak for the well-being of all his descendants.

This story is wild—it’s a great story

It almost feels like a Shakespearean play

Esther’s unlikely road to becoming queen

The evil Haman bent on destroying her people

Mordecai saving the king’s life—and being forgotten

Haman’s reversal of fate

Mordecai’s rise to power

The salvation of the Jewish people

But what is this doing in the Bible—or more importantly—what can we take from this story today?

And there’s a lot to this story—but I want to focus on two aspects

The first is the:

The Notable Absence of God in Esther

You may not realize it in your first read through

But if you take time and read through the book—it pops out

God is never mentioned in this book

The Jewish people are mentioned—but not Yahweh—their God

At a surface level this book looks like a Shakespearean play because it seems like a work of fate

The stars aligned to save the Jewish people

Think of all of the things that had to happen for the Jewish people to be saved:

Queen Vashti had to anger the king and be kicked out

Esther had to be the one out of hundreds of women that the king chose to replace Vashti

Mordecai happened to be there, overhearing the plot to assassinate the king, and stopped it

The king happened to not be sleeping well one night and happened to read the book of history—and they happened to read to him the story of how Mordecai saved his live

Haman happened to walk in at the right time—when the king wanted to honor Mordecai

I mean these things don’t seem to happen in real life… right?

But as we begin to reflect on the book—we see that God was at work behind the scenes

In Mordecai’s plea to Esther, can you hear his faith?

(SLIDES)

Esther 4:13–17 (CSB)

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. 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.”

Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “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.” So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.

If you knew the words of the prophets… this story begins to ring some bells

Joel 2:12–14 (CSB)

Even now—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

turn to me with all your heart,

with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

Tear your hearts,

not just your clothes,

and return to the Lord your God.

For he is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger, abounding in faithful love,

and he relents from sending disaster.

Who knows? He may turn and relent

and leave a blessing behind him,

so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering

to the Lord your God.

I wonder if Mordecai had Joel’s words on his mind

To receive such harsh news—the Jews have been commanded by the king to be annihilated

Is his thought was—we have to return to God with fasting, weeping, and mourning

We have to trust ourselves to our God

And who know?

Maybe he will turn and change our course and give us a blessing?

So they fasted and mourned for three days and three nights

And what happened?

God didn’t come down in a cloud and save his people

There was no audible voice of God recorded in Esther

There wasn’t an encounter like Moses and Pharaoh in Exodus

But we see that a wave of disaster was headed their way—and somehow a way through was provided

And I think as we read and meditate on this story—the implications of it in our lives is huge

As Christians we can confidently say that there are no such things as coincidences

We know that God is behind the scenes of our lives orchestrating a great story

And not only that—but that God works in very mundane and practical ways

Not every work of God is a supernatural, miraculous intervention

But God is at work, even when we don’t see the full picture

Story: Ministry Calling

I am confident that God is also at work in your life

It’s probably the most quoted verse in Esther but it is a powerful verse

(SLIDES)

Esther 4:14 (CSB)

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.”

Think of what it would’ve been like to be Esther

Hearing the news of the queen

Then the news of the search for a new one

How surreal it would be to be chosen to be queen

You know that you come from a small group of powerless people that have been living in exile

And instead of all of this happening for her own enjoyment and success…

I’m just lucky…I’m just blessed

And to hear these words:

“Perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this”

Maybe this was never about you…

Maybe God had placed you in this position for bigger things—to save your people from death

The question is: do we view our lives in the same way?

That each of you have been born—for such a time as this

That your life isn’t meaningless or arbitrary

But like the Psalmist says

(SLIDES)

Psalm 139:16 (CSB)

Your eyes saw me when I was formless;

all my days were written in your book and planned

before a single one of them began.

Even my calling to ministry

Came to this church because my dad happened to start coming when I was in college

I happened to go to a mens Saturday study—and John happened to be teaching

I happened to go to Open

Serving because I was there early

Starting serving in JHM… but I didn’t like Jr High students

Lost my job—unemployment

The week it ends I come on staff here

God has planned each day of our lives

We might not see the big picture in the day by day but we can trust that God is in control

Nothing in life is a coincidence—nothing catches God off guard

The second aspect of this story I find important to us is that fact that Esther is:

A Story of Remembrance

The whole point of the story of Esther was to explain and recount the story of their deliverance

At the end of the story we are told that Jews would celebrate this event every year

And Jews till this day, still celebrate this as a holiday

(SLIDES)

Esther 9:20–28 (CSB)

Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, both near and far. He ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar every year because during those days the Jews gained relief from their enemies. That was the month when their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday. They were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.

So the Jews agreed to continue the practice they had begun, as Mordecai had written them to do. For Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them. He cast the pur—that is, the lot—to crush and destroy them. But when the matter was brought before the king, he commanded by letter that the evil plan Haman had devised against the Jews return on his own head and that he should be hanged with his sons on the gallows. For this reason these days are called Purim, from the word pur. Because of all the instructions in this letter as well as what they had witnessed and what had happened to them, the Jews bound themselves, their descendants, and all who joined with them to a commitment that they would not fail to celebrate these two days each and every year according to the written instructions and according to the time appointed. These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life and their memory will not fade from their descendants.

We see here the importance of remembering the past

As Christians we might not celebrate all of the Jewish Holidays—but we have a new story to remember and reflect on

Christmas—the story of the incarnation

Easter—the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection

Pentecost—the story of the Holy Spirit filling the early Church

The story of our deliverance

And it is important to remember and reflect on these life-changing events

And I think this is important because it helps us to place ourselves in the biblical story

You see, we are constantly distracted by what ‘story’ we are a part of

A story of success and fame

A story of personal growth

Or maybe even losing sight of any story—and feeling like life is meaningless

But we are all apart of something bigger than our individual stories

We don’t read the Bible like it is a fictional story

We live in the world of the Bible

The God who save Esther and his people is the same God we pray to

We believe that at a specific point in history—God took on flesh and became man as Jesus of Nazareth

We believe that Jesus actually died on the cross—and rose from the dead

And because He has done that… we have no fear in our death

We believe that there is actually good news to be shared to this broken world

Do you guys understand?

As followers of Jesus, we are to be so consumed with the story of God—and our role in it

I never read Harry Potter growing up but I knew kids that dared to believe that it might be true and genuinely desired to receive a letter from Hogwarts

And that is fiction

But I’m telling you all today—can you dare to believe that the story of the Bible is actually true

That as we look back and remember—we place ourselves in the story of what God is doing in our lives and in the world

And this is what the book of Esther is—the Jewish people still celebrate this holiday

It shows us the importance of remembering our past—and how God has delivered us

(END SLIDE)

Conclusion

I really love the book of Esther

It is a great story

I really recommend reading it sometime this week

And we really see that God is at work behind the scenes—even when it doesn’t seem like it

Esther shows us that God is faithful

Next week we’ll talk about God’s faithfulness to the Israelites who returned to rebuild Jerusalem

But in the story of Esther we see God’s faithfulness to his people living as exiles

He remains with and watches over his people as they are living off in foreign lands

As they are surrounded by pagan culture

As they are hated and persecuted by the authorities

And we here want you to know that this is the same God we worship

God is faithful to his people

And because of the cross—we (who were once enemies of God) are now called his children

That God is faithful to you

He will finish the work he started in you

That no matter how perilous of a situation we find ourselves in—he is committed to rescuing us and restoring us.

Whether we are rebuilding the temple (‘doing the Lord’s work’)

Or in a foreign land surrounded by unbelievers

God is with us.