Esther - Pt. Two - For Such A Time As This
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to CHCC. Today marks our second week in the book of Esther. Things picked up pretty quickly in the first two chapters which we unpacked last week. King Ahaseurus threw a big party to celebrate his kingdom and to gain political support for his upcoming attempt at defeating Greece.
History would reveal that this conquest would prove a massive failure, and at the time of writing of Esther, the author and initial audience would have known this and so it sets up a theme early on of the inadequate leadership of king Ahaseurus (Xerxes).
During this party, the king gets drunk and decides he wants to parade his wife around for the other political leaders. Queen Vashti refuses this command and it sets the king off. Angry and embarrassed, he seeks his council on how to respond to this refusal. They decide there is nothing worse than this—for a wife to refuse her husband—and so they set up a royal order; Vashti is banished, never allowed to set herself before the king again and to then find another queen to take her place. Their thought is that this response will cause all women to honor their husbands throughout the vast empire.
When the king sobered up, it tells us that “he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.” And once more, the king receives some council. This time they decide that in order to select the new queen they need to bring all the beautiful young virgins before him and the one that pleases him shall become queen.
Esther is one of these women selected into the harem. She is introduced to us as one who was orphaned; she lost both her mother and father and was raised by her cousin, Mordecai.
And one of the pieces of advice Mordecai gives Esther is to “not make known her people or kindred.” This has sparked one of the debates surrounding the book of Esther and one of the comparisons many take between Esther and the book of Daniel.
Where Daniel was open about his faith and would not compromise his belief and obedience in the law, we see both Esther and Mordecai approach this event quite differently. They are silent; they seem to have assimilated into Persian culture.
The reality is that the text doesn’t give us a lot to determine why Mordecai thought it best to remain quiet about their Jewishness. Was it wisdom? Did God reveal to Mordecai to remain quiet? Was it simply out of fear? Was it a lack of faith in God? While I don’t think that was the case, necessarily; ultimately I believe that what the text reveals between Esther and Daniel is that God can and does work through all ways. His will, His sovereignty, and His providence are on display.
And even though God is never directly mentioned in the book of Esther, we are already seeing in the first two chapters that His fingerprints are everywhere in the story. Esther’s story helps us to see that God is just as much present in the little details as He is in the big, miraculous moments.
As Jon D. Levenson says, “A coincidence is a miracle in which God prefers to remain anonymous.”
And as we read the next two chapters this morning I hope we will continue to see that reality. God is setting the stage for a great miracle as all the pieces are beginning to be put into place. Our passage will also introduce to us another character—the main protagonist in the story. It will reveal the dangers of pride, anger, and a vengeful spirit.
So if you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Esther chapter 3, verse 1 as we begin our study.
PRAY
After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him.
So, real quickly here, since we may have forgot how chapter 2 ended. Mordecai—Esther’s cousin—while sitting at the king’s gate one day, overheard two of the king’s eunuchs, devising a scheme to kill king Ahasuerus. So Mordecai gives this information to Queen Esther, who in turn, shares it with the king. After some investigating, they find the accusation to prove true; the two men are hanged on the gallows and the event is written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
The reason I mention this is because the way this whole ordeal, chapter 3 begins by saying “After these things…” This is what it is referring to—Mordecai uncovering this assassination attempt and essentially saving the king’s life.
The idea is that Mordecai will thus be promoted for his loyalty and dedication to the king. But the writer surprises us; the promotion goes to another man altogether.
Has that ever happened to anyone? You’re set up and in line for the promotion and then the rug gets pulled from under you. It goes to someone else and you’re thinking, “Who is that?” “Oh, we decided to hire outside for the managerial position…”
This is one of the twists in the story of Esther. Where we would expect to read about the reward of Mordecai for his report to the king, we instead read of a promotion of this Haman fellow.
Let us continue to see what takes place next.
And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
Well, that escalated quickly. Now, once again, we are left without the why to the event. Just as we don’t know why Esther was told by Mordecai to remain silent about her heritage, we again aren’t told why to the reason for Mordecai refusing to bow down to Haman.
Some suggest that maybe Mordecai resented Haman for being promoted when he felt that perhaps it should have gone to him for his loyalty to the king. But I’m not sure that is it, since verse 7 reveals to us that five years have passed since Esther was made Queen. Quite the time jump here. The book began 3 years into king Ahasuerus’ reign, then four years later, Esther is selected as queen, and now another five years have passed since then.
And what is more, if this was the reason for Mordecai’s refusal, his own colleagues didn’t see it for they themselves were asking him why.
Others suggest that the refusal to bow was borne out of a religious nature. However, other extrabiblical resources tell us that Jews did, in fact, bow to pagan officials of the Persian court. In fact, the bowing wasn’t done in a religious nature at all, but rather a simple court protocol. This isn’t worshipping the golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar. Bowing down is on par with people bowing or women curtseying to the Queen of England today.
It was a respect thing, rather than a worshipping thing. Some have suggested that perhaps Haman, who was pagan, may have been wearing an emblem of an idol on his garment to which Mordecai refused to pay homage.
I think the answer is found in the little details of our text this morning. What do we know of Mordecai and what do we know of Haman? Not much. But what we do know is revealing.
When Mordecai is introduced to us in 2:5, it doesn’t give us any insight into his character or intelligence. Sometimes, like with Noah or Job it tells us they were righteous or found favor with God. With Mordecai, it tells us that he was a Benjaminite. He was of the tribe of Benjamin.
When Haman is introduced, again, he isn’t presented as wise, noble, or strong. The only detail we are given is that he was an Agagite. For us today, we might give this information just a passing glance. But the ancient day readers, this was a big deal! They would have caught this immediately. As Karen Jobes comments:
The author implies that the perennial relationship of enmity between the Jews and the Agagites is mirrored in the personal relationship between Mordecai and Haman. The original readers would expect the relationship to be characterized by conflict and aggression.
Why? Time for us to dive into the history of God’s Word. There was a king of the Amalekites at the time of Saul (who was of the tribe of Benjamin). And this king’s name was Agag (another great name here). Interestingly, the Amalekites were descendants of Esau; remember the older brother of Jacob, whose birthright was stolen from him? He wandered off into the wilderness after that whole ordeal and eventually this group of people came about and they were a pain in the rear end to the Israelites. A brother feud continuing through future generations.
In fact, the Amalekites had the distinction of being the very first people of the world to attack and attempt to destroy God’s covenant people. And because of this, God promised Moses that he would completely erase the memory of the Amalekites and that Israel would be at war with them for generations.
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Then in Deuteronomy, God commands Israel to go to war against the Amalekites to blot out their memory forever.
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
Now in the time between Moses to king Saul, God gave Israel the Promised Land. And when Saul (remember, tribe of Benjamin) came to power, God gave him instruction through the prophet Samuel to wipe the Amalekites out utterly and completely.
And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
And Saul did as he was instructed…almost. He did wipe out nearly every single Amalekite but he spared the king—a man by the name of Agag—as well as some of their best sheep and cattle. Doing so was in direct disobedience to God.
And over the centuries after Saul spared Agag, other constant enemies of Israel became known as Agagites, even though they had no ethnic relationship to the Amalekites. For example, in the first century AD, Jewish writers would often refer to the Romans as Agagites.
Now, Rabbinic tradition holds that Haman was, in fact, a blood relative to Agag. But even if he wasn’t, the term was often used towards pagans who stood in direct opposition to Israel. Simply put, the author of Esther, by labeling Haman an Agagite, is simply characterizing him as anti-Semitic and an enemy of the Jews.
Isn’t it interesting to see how past disobedience has a way of making consequences for future generations. And the reality is that sometimes our choices, sadly, don’t just effect us, but will effect our future generations.
And another interesting fact, the name Haman sounds very similar to the Hebrew word hemah which means “wrath”—which is fitting of his temperament in this story. Speaking of, let’s see Haman’s plan for this personal slight.
In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”
Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
You may not be familiar with the Jewish festival of Purim but it is a yearly festival where the Jews celebrate their survival at the hands of the Persians. The name comes from verse 7, where it tells us that Haman cast Pur (lots) to determine when to put his plan into motion. And as we shall see later, this is in contrast to Esther and Mordecai who looked to the loving providence of a personal God who redeems and cares for his covenant people. And during this festival each year, they read the book of Esther. So a little spoiler to the story of Esther if you were not familiar with it. But if you didn’t, Esther and her people overcome this plot to eradicate them. But you should probably know that since the Jews are around to this day and Israel is a nation, so maybe not that big of a spoiler.
Anyway, Haman draws up a plan here to not just take Mordecai down, but his entire race. And to do so, he brings a plan to the king and what he presents is mostly true, but with a big lie at the end that puts the Jewish people in grave danger.
He tells the king there is a certain race of people in the Persian kingdom who has a different set of laws. This is a true statement; the Jews followed the Law of God above all else. They are a scattered people as Haman said and they were dispersed throughout the empire. What Haman lies about is that they “do not keep the kings laws.” The reality is that one in particular—Mordecai—did not keep one law which was to honor Haman. In reality, it was a very trivial law that Mordecai wasn’t keeping. And if Haman presented it as such, king Ahasuerus would most certainly not have agreed to eradicate an entire people for such a small thing. He would likely have had Mordecai killed at worst.
So Haman twists the truth to his liking to get the response he wants. What is more, Haman promises 10,000 talents of silver into the kings treasury from the spoils of killing so many people. And after a botched effort to defeat the Greeks, the coffers of the king were probably lower than he’d like.
So the king agrees. And what is sad is that he doesn’t even inquire to who these people are. He just agrees to have them killed and the people of Susa are confused and scared and shocked. Meanwhile, the king and Haman are enjoying a drink.
Again, the reader is showing us the ineptitude of king Ahasuerus. Once more he is swayed by poor judgment from one of his leaders.
So let us see what happens next in chapter 4.
When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
When Mordecai receives word about Haman’s plan, he responds in the common way to grief at the time. He tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. This is something we see throughout the Bible, from King David to Ezra. Even the Persians tore their clothes as a sign of grief and mourning.
The response of Mordecai reaches Esther and has her concerned for her cousin. She sends him new clothes but he refuses them. She is more concerned now so she sends one of the king’s eunuch’s to find out what has Mordecai so worked up. He sends Hathach back to Esther with the decree as well as the request/command to go before the king and beg his favor.
Esther understands the Persian way; no one can enter the presence of king and live unless he holds out the golden scepter to them. Historical documents tell us that the Persian king would have a royal guard behind him carrying a large axe that he would use on anyone who appeared before the king unannounced and without permission. So Esther isn’t over exaggerating here; this is a very serious situation to find yourself in.
What is more, Esther tells Mordecai that she hasn’t even seen the king in the past month. She doesn’t even know where she stands with her husband at this point.
And then we get to perhaps the most well known section of Esther. Mordecai challenges Esther to approach the king because this is her time and place.
Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 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?”
It almost comes across as a threat. In fact, some theologians argue that Mordecai is threatening Esther here. I believe he is simply laying out the reality of the situation to her.
For all the lack of God in the text, Mordecai’s response reveals a faith in God to uphold His covenant with His people. He trusts that they will not be wiped off the face of the earth; they will be preserved because God is faithful.
And we see this throughout history with Israel, but we see it as well in the Church. Through Christ, God has delivered His people from sin and death.
Mordecai also perceives the whole situation to have divine providence over it. “Perhaps, Esther, you have been placed here in this position at this time for this purpose!”
Mordecai’s challenge is a call to purpose and to action. Yes, God is in control. But also, God chooses to work His will in and through His people.
There was a lot at stake for the people of God in Esther’s day and in the future. The promises of God to Abraham and Moses were at stake. For Ezra and Nehemiah a generation or two later, the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem would have been impossible. None of what was then accomplished under God’s hand could have happened if God’s people had all been wiped out. Ultimately, from where would have come the Christ who was to be born among God’s people? The whole future of God’s people and his purposes of salvation were at stake.
Mordecai adds crucially in 4:14b, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” This is an important verse. Mordecai didn’t try to read the hidden hand of providence; he didn’t try to second-guess what God would do. Instead he stood on the promises of God—promises of goodness to his people—and encouraged his cousin to act in a way that was right. He said in effect, “Perhaps you are the queen right now, in God’s good timing, for the deliverance of his people.” Providence can only be seen with clarity, as Mordecai understood, when we look back and see what God has done. Mordecai reminded Esther that her being the queen might be a key moment in God’s perfect timing.
Let’s finish this chapter as we close this morning.
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Karen Jobes explains that “Prayer is usually assumed to accompany fasting in biblical idiom.” So we can understand Esther’s call to fasting is also a call to her people into a time of serious prayer. As we close, there are two applications I want to make for us today. First, prayer is the proper response to any and all situations. I hate to admit how often it isn’t my first response, though. I’ll walk through all other avenues sometimes and then, when I’ve exhausted those efforts, I’ll go to prayer. But how much better to simply enter into God’s throne room immediately?
The heart of Esther here is the right one. She knows the situation is dire and rater than make her own little plans to sway the king to her favor, she simply enters into prayer and calls for her people to do the same.
When we face trials, tribulations, and uncertain times, we must be a people who make prayer the priority.
Secondly, I want us to see that in the story of Esther we are reminded of a God who is a deliverer! From the very beginning, this has been God’s agenda—to bring relief and deliverance to His people. In fact, we see this all the way back in Genesis 3:15 immediately following the fall of man in the Garden. This is known as the “protoevangelium” or “The First Gospel” where God promises a future victory over sin and death.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
So with this understanding, we have a responsibility as God’s Church to bring this hope to the world. Wallace P. Benn gives a convicting statement. He writes:
In the church, because of self-interest and protection of our comfort zones, we sometimes fail to follow God’s missionary heart to win a new generation for Christ. If we don’t want the church to do anything other than that which brings us personal comfort, and we therefore stand in the way of God’s purpose to redeem a new generation, we will find ourselves going against the flow of God’s plan and will simply be bypassed by God. That is a very serious comment. In the years that I have been a Christian minister, I have seen this happen in churches. I have seen senior Christian leaders who have not gone with the flow of God’s agenda, the missionary heart of God to bring relief and deliverance to his people. They have turned in on themselves, allowed the church to become self-absorbed, pandered to personal agendas, and failed to obey the missionary call of God to save the lost and to be a light to the world. It has been well said by Archbishop William Temple, “The Church is the only organization that does not exist for itself but for those who live outside of it.” It exists supremely for the glory of God, and he is glorified when we follow his agenda and are the people he wants us to be. When we refuse to obey him, God raises up other people who will. His plan will be fulfilled, but we will miss out on the blessing he meant for us.
The issue for Esther and us is, Will we put our own personal comfort first or will we seek to honor God and his purposes by caring for his people? We do well to ask ourselves the question, Is the well-being of God’s people high on my agenda? or Do I see the church existing for me? The challenge of this passage is to put the well-being of God’s people before our own.
I pray we would be a church that seeks God in prayer and petition through all seasons, and I pray we would be a church who seeks the interests and needs of others before ourselves; because in that we have a wonderful opportunity to reveal the love of God to those who need Him.
PRAY//COMMUNION
