Esther appointed Queen (Pt. I)

Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
God’s hand
God’s hand
God is always at work, even when you may not see it. His hand works out things. This is even when you do not see Him name. His works testify of Him.
Sarah gave birth when womb had been closed for years
Joseph was used as a prisoner to save the people
A virgin gives birth to our Messiah
Through death came life
Though Jesus death and resurrection came the ability for man to have eternal life with God.
(Transition) in our story tonight we will see God’s hand in placing Esther right where He wanted her to accomplish His will. As we look at this chapter tonight we will see the hand of good at work in the affairs of the people.
By the kings Harem
By the kings Harem
1 After these things when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.
3 “Let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given them. 4 “Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
In these verses is there anything that stands out to you? Any questions raised?
The king in remembering Queen Vashti who was disposed (v.1), who gives the king advise (v.2)?
The king’s attendants
The advise is gather beautiful young virgins
How was the king going to have the young virgins gathered (v.3)?
By appointing overseers in each provinces.
Have them brought to Susa.
How was the queen going to be chosen (v.4)?
The one who pleases the king
“God is preparing His heroes, and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their place in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from (A.B. Simpson)
It has been a four year gap between (Es1:2-3) and now (Es2:16)
There was the planned attack against Greece, and it was a failed attempt and the king returned humiliation instead of honor.
The King’s advisors step up, speak out, not necessarily for his good, but to protect themselves too since they had hand in disposing Queen Vashti.
The harem would consist of “all” beautiful virgins to be gathered (taken).
Josephus in his writings say this was about 400 women.
These women would never return home, never be able to be with anyone but the king.
Consider this as we move on (Pro21:1)
1 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.
God does the orchestration here, His hand is working things out.
God did not force Ahasuerus to fully understand God’s plan, or accept the plan, or that even that God approved of the king’s harem (Wiersbe) but God so directed the people in the situation that decisions were made to accomplish God’s purpose
The same holds true today. God raises people up to places of power and authority, and removes them. He situates people where He wants them.
It is good for us to always remember that God is on the throne! Even when it may not look like it.
“There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than the doctrine of divine sovereignty.” (Spurgeon)
God’s hand in Choosing Esther
God’s hand in Choosing Esther
5 Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, 6 who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled.
7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known.
11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared. 12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women—
13 the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.
What comes to mind, or sticks out to you in this passage?
What facts do you learn about Mordecai in (vv.5-6)?
Son of Jair, son of Shimei, Son of Kish.
He was a captive taken from Judah under the time when Jeconiah was taken.
Why was Mordecai raising Esther, and who was she to him (v.7)?
Her parents died, and he was her cousin, His uncles daughter
Who did Esther find favor with when taken into the harem (vv.8-9)?
Hegai, who was in charge of the women.
You will notice that he provided her with extra provisions (hum, sound like God’s hand?)
Esther kept something secret (Hidden), what was it (v.10)?
Her people, her kindred and was because Mordecai instructed her (again, is this God’s hand for the moment?)
Here are some questions to consider on your own time, but due to time constraints tonight we will not cover.
How long was the beautification period, and it consisted of what (v.12)?
After an evening with the king, what would happen to the young lady (v.14)?
How did Esther know what to take in with her for her evening with the king (v.15)?
Do you see a time marker (v.16), if so when is it?
After being crowned as queen, what did the king do (v.18)?
God’s hand:
Mordecai and his influence (vv.5-7)
You can see God’s hand by bringing Esther to him and then he having great influence over here (vv.5-7)
Just a side note, Kish, His grandfather was an exile to Babylon in 597 B.C. (2Kings24) and was able to return under Cyrus in 539 but still stayed.
We can know that Mordecai had a place of authority (Es2:21) since sat in the gate, more than likely not until after Esther’s coronation and after Mordecai saved the kings life w/no recognition (v.23).
Gods hand also in that the people in Susa did not know that Mordecai or Hadassah (Esther) were Jews, it was hidden, at least for a time.
(Transition) Now originally I hoped, planned to do this chapter in one night, but that is not going to happen for I want to pause and look at God’s hand just a little more and some things discovered when studying for this lesson.
Hidden Jews?
Hidden Jews?
There seems to be a problem, two Jews passing themselves off as Persians.
Bet they did not, were not able to keep kosher laws, but God’s hand still used them.
They did not keep separated from the Gentiles, or Esther from marrying a Gentile, yet the hand of God still used her.
They did not practice the standards and ways of Jewish worship, yet God still used them.
Wiersbe made some interesting comments on this.
Anyone had the right to conceal his or her true nationality, it is not a sin, as long as no one asked them and they did not lie.
“All truths are not to be spoken at all times.” (Matthew Henry, quoted by Wiersbe).
He went on to say “though an untruth is not to be spoken at anytime, Nevertheless, Esther and Mordecai did not acknowledge the God of Israel in the midst of that pagan society is unfortunate.”
The law was in place until the death of Christ on the cross, Jews were meant to keep the law, the kosher laws, Daniel and his friends did, so how could, would God overlook their unfaithfulness to accomplish His purpose?
Oh wait, what about the mixed marriage, Did not Ezra, and Nehemiah deal with that? Yet in this care God uses a mixed marriage.
“When you consider the backslidden state of the Jewish nation at the time, the disobedience of the Jewish remnant in the Persian Empire, and the unspiritual lifestyle of Mordecai and Esther, is it any wonder that then name of God is absent from this book?” (Wiersbe)