Remembering Rest

In this week’s lesson, we will conclude our series in Esther. As we seek to do that, the text for this evening will invite us to look at rest in a different. As you might remember, the Jews have been facing an uphill battle. First, they’re exiled. Then Esther is put into the royal palace and married off to Ahasereus. After this, Mordecai offends Haman and that results in a death sentence for the Jewish people at large. As we have seen, God had other plans and saw fit to use Esther to soften the kings heart, execute Haman, and issue a decree to the Jews to call them to rally to defend themselves against the attacks of those who heeded Haman’s command to execute all Jews.

The result of that decree was a stunning defeat of all who attacked the Jews which ended up with over 75,000 Persian deaths. Well, to go from certain death to a surprising victory called for a party and that’s what happened. In this weeks text, we will be reminded of the importance of enjoying and remembering the rest that God provides us in victory.

Now, in Esther 9:18-10:3, we will find that they’re enjoying what came to be known as the Feast of Purim. One commentator writes, “Like Hanukah, the Feast of Purim has now developed into more of a national holiday than a religious one, although it starts with specific prayers and a reading of the book of Esther. The celebration also involves giving gifts of food to friends, charity to the poor, and a big meal. When the book of Esther is read, the audience joins in, cheering when Mordecai’s name is mentioned, and shouting and making noise when Haman’s is. Wooden noisemakers called ra’ashan or “graggers” help with drowning out the name of Haman. Consuming alcohol is usually part of the event, and it’s said one should drink until "Cursed is Haman!" sounds the same as "Blessed is Mordecai!" There are also music, dancing, parades, and people dressing in costume.”

He further writes, “The idea of celebrating a deliverance has extended to smaller communities and even individual families. Jewish towns and families who experience miraculous deliverance from persecution have been known to enact their own annual celebration, called a “local Purim” or “personal Purim.”

With that said, as we look at Esther 9:18-19, I want us to first notice a

Rest Received

Esther 9:18–19 NKJV

18 But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another.

Again, following the successful defeat of over 75,000 enemies, the Jews are going to celebrate their deliverance jubilantly. Now, the basis of this celebration isn’t over the absence of hardship in their lives, but in God’s overcoming of their hardships, of their impending defeat.

So, for us, the practical lesson that we should take from this is to ask ourselves whether or not we have experienced gracious deliverances from trials in our life and whether we have rightly celebrated them?

I think one area that we can all agree on is that we all, likewise, have had an impending defeat looming over us in our sin and yet God has conquered that evil and brought us to Himself. So, like Israel, we should make sure to rejoice in the gracious salvation that God has provided us in this life. It is good to be saved and it is good to celebrate that you are saved. Mordecai obviously agrees with that thought as we will look at our next point which is:

Rest Must Be Remembered

Esther 9:20–32 NKJV

20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. 23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, 24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; 25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

As Mordecai looked at the joyous celebration, he knew that this was something that needed to be remembered in the history of Israel. In our culture, we tend to have short memories filled with fading emotion about big events. But one thing the Bible teaches us is that we need to be careful to preserve a sense of thanksgiving in our hearts by remembering God’s work in our lives. So, to remember this deliverance from evil, Mordecai established a feast. What do you think the New Testament has established for us to remember the rest that we have in Jesus?

If you guessed the Lord’s Table, you’re right. While that isn’t the only way we remember, it is one of the most magnificent ways. In Luke 22:19-20

Luke 22:19–20 NKJV

19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

When we look at the Early Church in Acts, I believe that we see that they were gathering weekly on Sunday and there they would partake of the Lord’s Table. In Acts 2:42 we read,

Acts 2:42 NKJV

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

In Acts 20:7

Acts 20:7 NKJV

7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

The point I’m trying to make isn’t about how often we should take the Lord’s Table, but that the Lord’s Table is the celebration that Jesus has given us to remember the rest that He has given us. Jesus has conquered our sin, He has conquered Hell and the grave for us. We were certainly doomed without hope, but God sent His Son to live and die for us and He now reigns forever. At one point, we should have lived every day shaking in our boots, but Christ has purchased eternal peace and victory for us.

Now, the final thing I want us to notice is:

Rest Rethought

As we look at Esther 10:1-3, I want you to notice how impressive the reach of Mordecai becomes. This last chapter isn’t interested in Esther, but Mordecai and it seems that Mordecai has basically become a new Joseph. He is the kings right hand man and he rules with power and respect to care for his people.

Esther 10:1–3 NKJV

1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. 2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness 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? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.

While this seems amazing, and it is, we need to make sure that we remember one thing: While it’s great that Mordecai is exalted to this position, they are still in exile. So, when they celebrate that rest every Purim, they should also remember that there is a better rest to come. And in some sense, so should we. Now, hear me out. You’ll never be more saved than you are right now. But when you gather with us on Sunday and worship and take the Table, you’re not only remembering the peace you have now, but the everlasting peace that God is going to bring to fullness when the Lord comes.