"For Such A Time is This"

Esther 3:1-4:17

As we continue our study in Esther tonight, let’s recap:

Chapter 1

During the period of the Persian Medes Empire

The story of Esther begins in 483 BC

King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia

In Shushan the Citadel

3rd year of reign-Feast 180 days for all the leadership of those 127 provinces “showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty.”

Note: his glorious kingdom, his majesty.

There are times we live in the same manner and life is about us and everything in our world and the God we serve is still in the midst as we will discover in this story.

If that was not enough partying, they have another feast and they drank royal wine in abundance “for all the people in Shushan the citadel, from great to small. A Block party if you will.

-ritzy ordeal

King commanded 7 eunuchs to retrieve Vashti, the queen to come and tramps herself around in something provocative or totally in the nude with nothing on but her royal crown. That booze was talking to him.

“in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold.” She turned heads.

She was sober and refused to put herself on display for everyone to enjoy and for her to feel totally humiliated and violated.

The king approached his cabinet to seek counsel because he was furious that Vashti would not cooperate.

King, if we let this slide under the rug, not only has Vashti wronged you, but us men will never ever be able to reign in our women again.

Queen Vashti was removed from her position.

A decree went out, “all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.” The officials sent letters out to all the provinces that “each man should be the master of his own house.”

Before we look at Chapter 2, I want to provide a time line on the world stage around this story to appreciate the mindset of King Ahasuerus and the people at large.

At the beginning period of Esther 1, Xerxes is preparing for an enormous military campaign against Greece. At this point in time in Esther 1, Persia was the greatest empirical power in the world.

The six month display of wealth, power, and military leadership was fitting at that moment. We know in the story of Daniel that God used Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish His will in bringing judgment on Israel. Even though we see nothing that spells humility in this scene. There is nothing that reflects that this king and this empire recognized God’s hand in their success. No humility whatsoever. We know as recorded in the Word of God that God controls principalities and powers.

Jeremiah reminds us of that in prophesying the conquering by King Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 25:9 “9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.”

Why are these thoughts important? Gas over $4.00/gallon, diesel over $6.00 gallon, grocery costs are soaring, our utilities and insurance have increased. There are tensions in the Middle East, tensions with Russia, Tensions with North Korea, we do everything we can do to bring threats on our allies and our present administration in its second period is all over the map-oh listen, God is behind all of that too. Is He drawing America back to God? I pray so. I just pray God in His great mercy will not punish us too harshly for our arrogance, pride, and attitude of supposed self-sufficiency. I can assure you God is working His plan as we speak.

Let’s continue.

In 480 BC, Xerxes personally led the massive Persian invasion of Greece.

At first, things went extremely well.

The Persians defeated the Greek defenders at Thermopylae—the famous stand of Leonidas and the Spartans—and Xerxes' forces advanced into Athens.

Then came the disaster.

At the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, the Persian navy suffered a major defeat. Xerxes then withdrew to Asia, leaving his general Mardonius and a large force behind to complete the conquest.

Then, in 479 BC, the remaining Persian army suffered the decisive defeat at Plataea, and Persian forces were also defeated at Mycale. The grand Persian invasion of Greece was effectively over.

So, a turn of events. Catastrophic reversal. 480-479BC

There are 4 years between Esther 1 & 2.

Now listen, Chapter 2’s time line:

Esther 2:1 “1 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.”

I shared prior that he must of been remorseful for his decision against Vashti. I do believe he was lonely. But I just wonder if he sized up the times in one period as compared to another period.

Just how well he and the Persians had it just four years ago.

How did things take such a turn around? One moment I’m on top of the world, his empire seems invincible, his court was celebrating, his military ambitions lay ahead of him, and Vashti was still queen. and in Chapter 2 his prestige and military ambitions had suffered a severe blow, and besides that he was lonely.

Vashti was gone. His invasion of Greece had failed. His navy had been devastated at Salamis. His army had ultimately been defeated at Plataea. The dream of conquering Greece had collapsed.

Chapter 2 Continued:

To resolve the King’s hurt-have a beauty contest and solicit all the most beautiful women of the provinces. Have them go through the beautification requirements and you cherry pick the one you want. “This thing pleased the King and he did so.”

We are first introduced to Mordecai-a cousin of Hadassah (Jewish name) Esther which means star. Esther’s parents died, she was orphaned and Mordecai chose to raise Esther. He was the Son of Kish, a Benjamite.

Esther-scripture states she was lovely and beautiful. The women that were chosen were under the care of Hegai in preparing them to meet the King. Esther pleased Hegai and she obtained his favor. 7 choice maidservants were provided for her to prepare her and given the best location in the house.

Esther had not revealed her nationality as instructed by Mordecai.

Mordecai paced in front of the house for the women to keep up with Esther’s welfare like any acting Father would do. Note something: I imagine there were more times that Mordecai saw Esther than Esther seeing Mordecai. He was moving around incognito to not draw attention to their relationship.

If you are a believer, regardless as to how you are walking with your Heavenly Father, He’s walking around keeping watch over you.

Well, as any great story goes, Esther found favor with the King:

Esther 2:16–17 “16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.”

There was a feast offered by the King and he named the Feast, Feast of Esther, proclaimed a holiday all through the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of the King.

Meanwhile, Modecai sat by the King’s gate and he overheard doorkeepers plotting to assassinate the King. Mordecai let Esther know to tell the King. When inquiry into the matter took place there actions were confirmed and they were hung by the gallows. What is interesting is that it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king. Mordecai’s actions were recorded before the king.

Let’s realize something here as well. All of actions are recorded before our King as well.

Mordecai’s actions were not immediately rewarded, but they were recorded.

What an earthly king may overlook, the heavenly King never overlooks.

Who would read:

Hebrews 6:10 “10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Malachi 3:16 “16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.”

Ecclesiastes 12:14 “14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

“Mordecai did the right thing, and apparently nothing happened.”

No parade. No promotion. No reward. No public recognition.

His faithfulness was simply written down in a book.

But Esther 6 will reveal something important: Recorded does not mean forgotten.

You may have done something for the Lord years ago that nobody remembers. You may have served when nobody thanked you, given when nobody knew, prayed when nobody heard, remained faithful when nobody applauded—but heaven keeps better records than Persia.

Jesus Himself taught this principle in Matthew 6:4.

Matthew 6:4 “4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

In that same section, Jesus also talks about praying in secret, our secret closets.

“Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you…”

Chapter 3

King Ahasuerus promotes Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite. Highest seat next to the King. #2 in control of all the provinces.

People paid homage to him.

Mordecai would not pay homage to Haman or bow down to him. Bad blood.

We really do not know why Mordecai would not bow. I imagine like Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they would not bow to the statute of Nebuchadnezzar. Only worship the Lord Your God in the Exodus 20.

Samuel went to Saul and shared words, “heed the voice of the Lord.”

1 Samuel 15:3 “3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ””

Saul did opposite of what the Lord instructed him to do. He spared Agag King of the Amalekites and he also took the best of the sheep, oxen, the lambs, etc. that was good and was not willing to destroy them.

Samuel confronts Saul.

1 Samuel 15:13–15 “13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.””

I imagine from the ancestry there was antisemitism built up against the Jews in Haman’s ancestry.

Haman was filled with wrath that Mordecai would not bow down and rather than take his anger out on Mordecai, he was going to take it out on the entire Jewish people.

Esther 3:6 “6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.”

Note something. When Cyrus of Persia took over the Babylonian captivity, he decreed that the Jews could go home back to Jerusalem but only a handful went. 20% of the population of Persia was Jewish.

Pur a celebration to this day of the Jewish people. They will read the entire book of Esther during that celebration. Pur is like dice, the dots. They cast dice to make the decisions of their gods, superstition. The Jews had twelve months before their eradication would take place.

Esther 3:8–9 “8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.””

Where would that kind of money come from? I guess in the same way that Adolph Hitler funded his hatred and annihilation of the Jews.

The Nazis progressively stripped German Jews of their businesses, homes, investments and other property through what became known as “Aryanization.” After Kristallnacht in 1938, the regime imposed an extraordinary one-billion-Reichsmark fine on Germany's Jewish population. It also confiscated insurance payments that otherwise would have gone to Jewish owners whose property had been destroyed. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum notes specifically that confiscation of Jewish property and valuables helped provide funds for Germany's large-scale armaments program.

During Operation Reinhard, in which approximately 1.7 million Jews were murdered, one of the stated objectives was to seize the victims' money, jewelry, clothing, businesses, apartments, land and other property.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau and other Nazi killing centers, after victims had been murdered in the gas chambers, prisoners assigned to the Sonderkommando were forced to remove bodies and search them for valuables. Gold teeth, crowns, bridges, and other precious-metal dental work were removed from the corpses before cremation.

Antisemitism is incompatible with biblical Christianity

Haman's hatred begins with one man, Mordecai, but expands to an entire people:

Esther 3:6: “…Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.”

That is prejudice in one of its ugliest forms: I hate this man, therefore I hate his people.

The Christian has no biblical permission to hate Jewish people—or any people—because of their ethnicity. Haman looked at an entire race and determined they deserved his hatred. The Gospel teaches us to look at people and recognize that they are our neighbors whom God commands us to love.”

Leviticus 19:18 “18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

James 2:8–9 “8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

What do we owe the Jewish people?

Romans 9:4–5 “4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

The patriarchs were Jewish. The prophets were Jewish. The apostles were Jewish. The Scriptures came through Israel. And according to His humanity, our Savior was Jewish.

Jesus didn't merely have some incidental association with Judaism. Jesus was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, and was crucified as “King of the Jews.”

Paul writes of his love for his fellow people:

Romans 10:1 “1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”

King took his signet ring to make the edict official. It was sent out to all of the provinces.

Esther 4

When Mordecai learned this news he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a bitter cry the Scriptures tell us. He went front and center to the king’s gate where no one should show up there in that manner.

Esther 4:3 “3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

V. 4-Esther sent clothes for Mordecai to change into but Mordecai would not accept them. She sent Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs to talk to Mordecai and find out what was wrong. And Mordecai conveyed the news of Haman/s actions and how much money he offered for our annihilation to take place.

Esther 4:10–12 “10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.”

Esther 4:13–14 “13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””

I gave a tremendous amount of history for basically a one concept, one message thought.

We are reminded that Esther was and is Jewish. She was raised with Jewish values, teachings and the OT Bible in her upbringing.

She had Judeo upbringing and knew right from wrong.

Let me remind you of some others that knew right from wrong.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Early on, Daniel and his friends drew a line in the sand and they were not crossing that line based upon their Jewish teachings.

Daniel 1:8 “8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”

Daniel 3:16–18 “16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.””

These men took some biblical stances and did not waver.

To the contrary, I can only assume for the amount of time Esther was raised in Shushan the citadel among pagans and with a pagan name and pagan traditions, she undoubtedly became watered down. She was between a rock and a hard place to honor her cousin Mordecai and not give away her Jewish identity, but the bottom line she gave in to letting her body be exploited for the King without any normalcy of betrothal or marriage, or a union between one man and woman, etc.

She did not take a stance.

All of these parties are in this story for a reason. Firstly, you are not a second class citizen if you are a teacher, police officer, salesman, postal worker, etc. Mordecai and Esther are examples of those that are allowing themselves to be used where they are planted. There are no extra brownie points with God if you are a preacher or a deacon, or a SS teacher, etc. God can use us right where we are.

Secondly, despite poor choices, giving into the majority, following the crowd, all we can control is right now.

Esther had to ask the question, how did I get here? Why am I in this predicament?

“yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Philippians 3:13–14 “13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Oh dearly beloved, your past is behind you and you can’t change it. You can change today. God’s mercies are new everyday.

“If you only knew where I worked and the environment I work in.”

Have you ever thought that might be why you are there? God wants you to make an impact.

Too many people around me know my past? Well, I thought you were to find some new friends that build you up. Find new people to influence and the old people in your past will see its real over time.

All Esther had was these moments and ahead to be a change agent. She could be regretful, remorseful, but the Lord had given her an assignment for that moment and the days ahead. If you have asked forgiveness of your past, He has forgiven you. Forgive yourself and move on. God wants to use you today where you are with what you have for His glory.

Let’s pray.