Esther 3-4: God Behind the Scenes

Last week we looked at King Xerxes failed military campaign against Greece, at the beauty contest in all 127 provinces to find the most attractive woman they could to replace Queen Vashti, a contest won by Esther, which was all a part of God’s perfect plan, a plan that is unfolding in miraculous ways more and more as we travel through then pages of Esther. We also saw Mordecai uncover a plot to kill the King, yet for some strange reason he never received the recognition or reward that would commonly be given in situations like this, of course since we have the completed story, we know that this was also a part of God’s perfect plan, the reward would come, but not until the Sovereign Lord picked the perfect time. We will see that in chapter 6. We ended last week with an introduction to Haman and saw his plot to commit genocide on the entire Jewish race because of his hatred for Mordecai. A hatred that stemmed from, what many theologians consider, a prideful Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman.

In last weeks message, we looked at one reason why his refusal to bow wasn’t motivated by a devotion to God, but probably pride, and that was that if Mordecai were that devoted to God, he would have gone back to Jerusalem, and likely have taken Esther with him. Had he done that, the Jews would not have been facing the very real possibility of genocide.

I’d like to look at 2 other reasons this morning.

There is no command in Scripture to not bow to before another individual.

In fact there are many instances in Scripture of one individual bowing before another. From Jacob bowing before Esau, to Josephs family bowing before him, Ruth bowing before Boaz, to David bowing before King Saul, to other people bowing before David.

We are clearly commanded not to bow before idols, but we are not commanded to not bow before other individuals. Of course bowing before an idol would be bowing in worship, while in most instances bowing before another individual would be more of a show of respect.

It is highly unlikely that Xerxes would have issued a command to bow to one of his officials, if it wasn’t also a requirement to bow to him as the King.

Yet we see no indication that Mordecai refused to bow before the king.

If you haven’t already, turn in your Bibles to Esther 3, page 521 in your pew Bibles. We will start in verse 7. Next Slide

Esther 3:7

Esther 3:7 ESV

7 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.

I’ve titled this verse: Next Slides

Haman’s Big Plans Put on Hold.

Now to understand this verse you first have to understand Haman. Haman was a very superstitious man. I am certain that his desire was that the Jews be killed as soon as possible, but his superstitions would not let him just pick the soonest date possible. Instead he called all of his magician and astrologer friends and they decided that in order to pick the best day possible, they needed to cast Pur, now remember the word Pur, because that word comes in to play towards the end of Esther. To cast Pur meant to cast lots, which is sort of like throwing the dice to determine the best day.

My guess is that as they started with the first month, which was the current month, Haman waited while holding his breath, probably disappointed when that month wasn’t selected. Month after month went by, each month got a “No” answer, finally the lot fell on the 12th month, basically a year out. I imagine Haman was less than thrilled, but at least he had a specific month and day.

Having the date almost a year out, was all part of our Sovereign God’s plan to turn the tables on the wicked Haman.

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In the next few verses we see Haman’s successful attempt to:

Haman’s Pulls the Wool over the Kings Eyes.

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Esther 3:8-11

Esther 3:8–11 ESV

8 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. 9 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.” 10 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. 11 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.”

Now I want you to notice something here, something very important.

At no point in time do we see Haman identify the people he wants destroyed. He purposely hides their identity, and amazingly Xerxes doesn’t seem to even care who the people are, but that shouldn’t surprise us, we have already seen Xerxes is an irrational man. It becomes clear in chapter 6 that King Xerxes had no idea of the identity of the people, but we will get to that later.

The title of this series on the Book of Esther has been “God Behind the Scenes”, but it is important for us to realize that God wasn’t the only one working behind the scenes. Satan was also at work, he is ultimately the mastermind of Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews. You see he understood that God’s redemptive plan for all mankind flows through the Jews, and if he can end this race of people, he completely undermines the work of God. While Haman was listed in Esther as “an enemy of the Jews”, the ultimate enemy is Satan himself, Haman is a tool in his hands. This is key for us, because we have a tendency to look at those who oppose us as our ultimate enemies, when in fact they are tools in the hand of our ultimate enemy.

What I am saying is this: Next Slides

Satan is our Real Enemy.

So, why is this important to us? It is important to us because if we harbor bitterness and hatred for those who come against us, as if they are our enemies, we generally close the door on any chance we have at reaching them with the love of Christ.

Hatred and bitterness has yet to win a single soul for Christ.

Instead, we need to see those who may oppose us and our faith as tools in the hands of Satan, and seek to love them and pray for them, and who knows but God may use us to bring them to Him.

We have now reached chapter 4, a very key chapter in the Book of Esther that includes Esther’s most popular verse. To begin with we see: Next Slides

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Esther 4:1-11

Esther 4:1–3 ESV

1 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. 2 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. 3 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.

Finally we see a broken and humbled Mordecai go where we have no indication he had gone for quite some time, the throne of the Almighty. In verse 3 we see that “in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great morning among the Jews, with fasting”. It is important to note that while we don’t see prayer mentioned, in historical Jewish settings, prayer always accompanied fasting.

While we see a humbled Mordecai’s heart changing, Esther isn’t quite there yet. We read in verse 4 & 5: Next Slides

Esther 4:4–5 ESV

4 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. 5 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.

Based on my reading of these verses, similar to Mordecai, Esther had become accustomed to her comfortable surroundings. She had now lived in the palace for at least 6 years. 1 year as a part of the pageant of 400 women vying for the heart of the king, and now 5 years as the queen. And here the man that had raised her as if she was his own daughter is mourning in sackcloth and ashes at the entrance of the Kings gate and the first thing she does is send him a change of clothes. There is no indication that she is at all concerned over why he is mourning, only that he is not dressed properly for the entrance of the kings gate. It’s like she is thinking, “Hey, we have reputations at stake here.” But as we see, he refused the clothes she sent. Finally in verse 5 we see her send to find out what is causing him to mourn. Next Slides

Esther 4:6–11 ESV

6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, 7 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. 8 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. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “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.”

What we are seeing in these verses is: Next Slides

Esther Reminds Mordecai of the Laws of the Medes and Persians. Vs. 11

She pointed out accurately that she couldn’t just go before the king without being summoned, to do so could easily cause her to loose her life.

So what does Mordecai do? Next Slide

Esther 4:13-17

Esther 4:13 ESV

13 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.

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Mordecai Reminds Esther of the Laws of the Medes and Persians. Vs. 13

Mordecai reminds her that just because she is the queen, does not mean she is safe from the edict of the king.

Mordecai then declares what is the most popular verse in the Book Esther. Next Slide

Esther 4:14 ESV

14 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?”

This is a very powerful verse. As I read this verse, one key thing becomes clear to me.

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A Broken Mordecai’s Change of Heart.

Mordecai had had a change of heart. Rest assured Mordecai had now sought the Face of God on what to do. His repentant heart did what repentant hearts always do: Next Slides

Repentant Hearts Always Move the Heart of God.

I believe that when Mordecai was mourning, praying and fasting, that God spoke to his heart and let Mordecai know that He was the Sovereign God and He was still in control. He was still working behind the scenes to bring about His glory and protect His perfect plan.

When Mordecai uttered the words “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place” I believe he was speaking as one who had heard from God. God had reminded Mordecai of His plan to redeem the world through the Nation of Israel and as a result of that plan, He would deliver them.

With that knowledge firmly planted in his mind, he goes on to give Esther the ultimate challenge: “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:15–17 ESV

15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “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.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

The words of Mordecai moved Esther into action, but before she acted she issued her own command 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.”

She directed Mordecai the assemble all of the Jews in Susa to fast and pray for 3 days, night and day. She wanted to seek the face of God and ask Him to move through her.

Which brings us to the next key point, we already pointed out that Repentant Hearts Always Move the Heart of God.

Well: Next Slides

Whenever the Heart of God Moves, the Hand of God Follows.

The move of God becomes abundantly clear in chapter 5, we will look at this more when we continue our journey through Esther.

So what are our key lessons this morning?

First, and this has been a repeated lesson throughout all of Esther, God is Sovereign and in complete control at all times. We saw that when God put off the evil plans of Haman for almost an entire year.

Second, our ultimate enemy is not those who appear to come in opposition to us, they are merely tools in the hands of Satan. Our hatred and bitterness to not move the heart of God, and do not win anyone to Christ.

Third, A Repentant Heart Moves the Heart of God.

And fourth, Whenever the heart of God Moves, the Hand of God Follows.

Closing prayer