Life in a World of Conspicuous Power

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This passage is for all of you who look at the world you live in - - you see the power that others seem to hold over your life … and you feel powerLESS. So much of your life seems to be in the hands of others. Sure, you have the ability to make choices - make them all the time: “Will I go to work today or will I not?” “Will I do my homework for school today?” “Will I pay the bills”? “Will I make dinner tonight? .. Or .....

But when it comes to the big things in life: “Joy, Peace, Rest, Comfort, Love” .... somebody … OUT THERE … has the power over your life - the power always seems to be in the hands of others ...

The government decides how much I’m going to pay in taxes - how much I’m going to get charged for gas. Decisions made by other people determine whether I’m going to be able to afford to buy a place to live - or where I can afford to live. Employers decide whether I’m going to get a joy, or whether I can get into the classes I want for school ...

… Whether I am loved or not … that’s the choice of others, too. And maybe you’re here this morning - you feel so powerless .... and so hopeless that your life is ever going to change.

Over and over the Bible tells us as Christians that we aren’t supposed to worry. Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice”.

“Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, that passes ....”

Was it easy for Paul to be a Christian? Beatings, jailings ...floggings, shipwrecks, attempted murders against him … left for dead on the side of the road after being on the receiving end of rocks to the head. It was anything BUT easy for Paul to be a Christian. He seemed to be powerless in so many ways in his life.

The book of Esther takes place in that kind of world and the first chapter of the book introduces us to THAT world. As the curtain opens on the first scene, in chapter 1 - the KING is the person with ALL of the power. We’re introduced to him right at the start: v. 1 … “Now in the days of Ahasuerus, THE Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces ...” (MAP)

This is a massive empire … 127 territories, covering much of the known world - - and in this entire kingdom, one man has absolute power over the life and death of every citizen - - he is the king. His name is Ahasuerus (Xerxes in Greek).

I said last week that this story is an epic - would be a blockbuster movie … let’s dig in.

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1 POWER ON DISPLAY

The story begins with power on CONSPICUOUS DISPLAY. Verse 3 tells us that the king is throwing a party. This is not like any party you or I have ever seen. It’s a party for the ‘who’s who’ in the kingdom - officials (cabinet ministers) and their servants, army officers, nobles and governors from every single one of the 127 provinces - they are all in Susa, for this party that lasts, not an evening, not a week, not even 2 … this is a six month party - 180 days. Every glance you take, at every corner of the city, what you see is wealth oozing from everywhere.

There are massive marble pillars, white and violet linen hanging decoratively in the gardens, couches made of gold and silver … to the pavement beneath your feet, made from precious stones … marble, mother of pearl, porphyry … you are walking on pavement made out of things that everyone else would have protected in a safe … from floor to ceiling, everything shouts opulence.

After 6 months, of out-of-towners, trampling through the city in party-mode (and you’ve seen the aftermath of one-night parties - just imagine the mess left behind after 6 months of unhindered drinking and carousing) … the king wants to reward the citizens of Susa for putting up with all of this, so he carries on with 7 more days of partying - this time for the local residents: “Verse 5 - “the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.”

The wine was flowing as from an inexhaustible fountain.

If you think that all of this extravagance is because the king wants to make the rounds on social media and get a reputation for being THE CELEBRITY who throws the GREATEST parties … then you’re missing the real point. Ahasuerus sees himself as a god-king. That may sound weird, except for the fact that we see the same thing in our world, today. In North Korea, Kim Jong Un, like his father and grandfather before him - he doesn’t see himself as a mere mortal - a human dictator to just be obeyed .... he sees himself as a god to be worshiped. Sadly ridiculous in N. Korea where people are starving to death, because the guy can’t even feed his people. How do you worship a god who can’t even provide your basic needs.

But in Persia … it’s believable. Look around at the excessive wealth on display - all this, the generosity of a king who throws parties for his people. The message being sent out by this party is: “Stick with me - and you will be taken care of”. “Ultimate power is right here - in MY ROYAL HANDS.”

After 7 days of the second party, when the king’s inhibitions have been numbed by the wine, and after the guests had been well-lubricated by all the drinking … King Ahasuerus decides he’s got one more possession to show off … His wife. “My wife is drop dead gorgeous. Let me show these guests so they can enjoy her and eat their hearts out at the same time - because this beauty is mine.”

-

It’s not enough to send someone to call the queen - he sends 7 men to bring her back. If you’re getting a little uncomfortable by this inebriated king calling for his wife to entertain his drunken party guests … then you’re reading this story rightly.

Now verse 11 tells us that the men were supposed to, “… bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown ...”. Many of the rabbis in history have said that, by this request, the king wants the queen to come wearing her royal crown … and nothing else. I’m not sure if that is precisely true - but it’s definitely not far off - in verse 11, ‘… in order to show the people and the princes HER BEAUTY, for she WAS LOVELY TO LOOK AT.” TWICE - her beauty. DRUNKEN MEN looking at a beautiful woman … Can hear the catcalls all the way from here.

That’s sad. And yet, it’s so true of human history. So often I hear people saying, ‘We can be good without God’. And sure, there are many morally upstanding people who aren’t Christians - who reject God. But the problem is - when you reject God, you also reject the very foundation for morality. You reject any standard outside the human mind.

And have you noticed that it’s always the vulnerable who end up paying the price - Babies aborted in the womb … or later! Wealthy, powerful men, trafficking young, vulnerable girls for sexual favors as they fly their well-connected buddies to private islands on private jets?! Some people say - “We would be better off without God in the picture.” And I say, “HOW TERRIFYING to live in a world with no holy God in heaven who says, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself - because she is created in my holy image.”

Some of you here this morning have been abused by others at some point in your life. You’ve tried to move on, but the scars never fully fade. You need to know that GOd cares. he sees. He knows and He will judge. Because He is working, maybe silently - but He’s there working, behind the scenes.”

Now, back to the story. So, the king sends his messengers to bring back his trophy wife … and meanwhile, he and the rest of the partiers wait … and wait … and wait.

2 THE KING GETS CROSSED

2 THE KING GETS CROSSED

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Hang on a second. “Queen Vashti did WHAT?!” She refused?! Nobody refuses the king. And his wife?! And in front of all of these guests?! And just as is so often the case with a drunk - the mood does an about face - in the blink of an eye - he goes from laughter to RAGE - “… the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.” A mere woman cannot stand against the might of the empire. So what’s the king going to do?

Every king worth his salt has a team of trusted advisors to help make decisions and Ahasuerus is no exception. He calls an emergency conference of the wisest and most learned legal minds … “What do I do?”

Memucan speaks up and emphasizes how grave the situation - this isn’t just about the king, this affects the whole kingdom. And right at this point - as we survey the scene - what do we see? We see a king, who has a god-complex and on top of that, has had too much to drink, gathering his most trusted advisors to help him decide how to bring the whole power of the Persian empire together to deal with a single woman’s refusal to go along with the program.

And I wonder how often you feel like a Vashti.

-

Now this is where we are supposed to laugh. We are supposed to laugh because something is not quite right at the heart of power, in the palace of Susa - the center of the kingdom of Persia. I wonder, do you see what’s going on here?

3 CRACKS IN THE ARMOUR

But that’s not the advice at all … Notice Memucan’s concern - v. 17, “For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt ...” “Queen Vashti said no to her husband.”

… Do you see how these advisors make this family problem all about them?

“This isn’t going to be good in MY home!” “I’m going to get home

Esther and Mordecai have not yet even made an appearance on stage, but events are still moving according to God’s good pleasure. Why did Vashti throw away her position and privilege for a noble but predictably futile gesture? Why did Ahasuerus make his foolish demand in the first place? Who came up with the idea of replacing Vashti with a better woman, instead of quietly resolving the offense Ahasuerus had caused? All of these events are on one level entirely explicable as normal human events, with no miraculous component. Yet all of them are necessary to make way for the process by which Esther will rise to the position where she can use her power and influence to protect God’s people against a powerful enemy. Coincidences? By no means. Rather, they are the hand of God at work in a different mode from that seen elsewhere in the Bible.

Notice, however, that none of these events would have seemed significant to the Jewish community in Susa at the time. A change in queen? Who cares what those pagans are doing? What has that got to do with the price of fish in the market? Only with the benefit of hindsight is it possible to see all the intricate details of God’s plan working together for the good of his people. So also in our own lives, we may well have no idea what God is doing. He may seem hidden and remote, refusing to answer our prayers and to give us what we so earnestly ask of him. Wait! The end of our story has not yet been told, and who knows how the pieces of the jigsaw that at present seem to have no logical connection with one another will ultimately come together? Even though we cannot see God acting, it does not follow that he is not doing anything. God’s work is not all slam-bang action; sometimes it is a quiet faithfulness to his promises in the seemingly ordinary providences of life, bringing about in the hearts of his people what he has purposed.

Third, this passage shows that God’s kingdom is not like the empire of Ahasuerus. The Book of Esther repeatedly invites us to compare and contrast the kingdom of God and the empire of Ahasuerus. There are superficial similarities between the two kingdoms, but in each case they hide deeper differences. The Lord too is a great king whose decrees cannot be challenged or repealed. His sovereignty governs all things, great and small. He must be obeyed, or we will certainly suffer the consequences. Yet his law is beneficial for men and women, unlike the drunken meanderings of a man at the mercy of his shrewd counselors. God doesn’t use people for his own purposes as if they were disposable commodities. Rather, he graciously invites them into a loving relationship with himself. His kingdom grows and does its work not through the outwardly powerful and attractive, but rather in hidden but effective ways. For that reason, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to the growth of a mustard seed, or to the work of leaven. It starts small and hidden, but it achieves its goals nonetheless (). Big is not necessarily beautiful in God’s service.

The theme of the messianic banquet provides another point of comparison and contrast between the kingdom of God and the empire of Ahasuerus. The Lord too has prepared a sumptuous banquet for his people on the last day. But when God summons his bride (the church) to his banquet, he does so not to expose her to shame but to lavish his grace and mercy upon her. He doesn’t force sinners to come unwillingly to his feast, but gently woos them and draws them to himself. We can see why Queen Vashti was reluctant to appear before Ahasuerus, but who would refuse such a wonderful invitation from God to experience life in all its fullness? There is nothing noble about refusing to appear in the presence of such a good and gracious God. On the contrary, it is the height of folly and ingratitude. Have you heard and responded to his call to come? If not, then you too, like Vashti, are doomed to be banished from his presence forever. Why would you choose to die? Why not lay down all your resistance and come to the feast?

This is all the more the case when we consider what Christ has done for his bride. Far from regarding her as a beautiful object existing solely to feed his pride and pleasure, he took one who was by nature completely unattractive and gave himself for her, laying down his own life for his people. It was while we were still dead in our transgressions and sins that Christ gave himself for us, his life as a ransom for the ungodly. Everything we have, even the very righteousness in which we are clothed to appear before God, comes from his good hand. How can our hearts not be touched again with fresh love for a King who has loved us so freely, and so graciously? With such a husband calling us, why would we not be delighted and overjoyed to come at his bidding? A King who has done so much for us can surely ask any level of obedience from us in response.

Indeed, this is how the Lord establishes male headship in the home. Like King Ahasuerus, God too decrees that men should lead their homes, but the differences are far more pronounced than the similarities. His decree is not an empty and futile gesture. For men who follow Jesus, headship can never be merely the exercise of raw power, as it was for Ahasuerus. Such so-called headship, which simply uses that term as an excuse for domineering control, is a far cry from the biblical model. On the contrary, Christian male leadership in the home and in the church is established and rooted in Christ’s own self-sacrificing love for his bride. The obverse of the coin inscribed “Wives, submit to your own husbands … as the church submits to Christ” is the motto “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” ().

Esther and Ruth Living under the Empire

The gospel truth of Christ’s love for us is the foundation for new minds that delight to submit to his ordering of creation. If Christian husbands were more like Christ and less like Ahasuerus, then perhaps we would find our wives more ready to submit to our leadership.

Who then is your real king and to whom is your heart committed? The empire wants to make us its slave. It wants to assimilate us into its ways of thinking. It offers us glittering prizes for compliance to its ways—a “successful” life, according to its own definitions. Have you been enticed and trapped? Flee from these things to the kingdom that is solid and substantial, the kingdom that Jesus Christ came to establish. Learn to laugh at the emptiness of the empire’s priorities and edicts. Come to Christ by faith and rest in his provision of forgiveness and life, thanking him for his gift of himself for us on the cross. Live according to his edicts, in which true wisdom resides. Trust that he is at work as he promised, working through even the evil impulses of the empire for good in our lives and the lives of all of his people. Finally, remember that this world is not our home: one day, when Jesus returns, our balancing act on the roof will be over and the true banquet will begin.

Life in a World of Conspicuous Power

Last week, we began a new school year with a new series of messages, going through a book that, I don’t think gets enough attention.

I am so excited to begin this new school year, in the book of Esther.

Read

This passage is for all of you who look at the world you live in - - you see the power that others seem to hold over your life … and you feel powerLESS. So much of your life seems to be in the hands of others. Sure, you have the ability to make choices - make them all the time: “Will I go to work today or will I not?” “Will I do my homework for school today?” “Will I pay the bills”? “Will I make dinner tonight? .. Or .....

But when it comes to the big things in life: “Joy, Peace, Rest, Comfort, Love” .... somebody … OUT THERE … has the power over your life - the power always seems to be in the hands of others ...

The government decides how much I’m going to pay in taxes - how much I’m going to get charged for gas. Decisions made by other people determine whether I’m going to be able to afford to buy a place to live - or where I can afford to live. Employers decide whether I’m going to get a joy, or whether I can get into the classes I want for school ...

… Whether I am loved or not … that’s the choice of others, too. And then there is disease, health crises and death … They are the contant visages of power that maybe you’re here this morning - you feel so powerless .... and so hopeless that your life is ever going to change.

Over and over the Bible tells us as Christians that we aren’t supposed to worry. Paul for example, in (TURN THERE):

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (5) Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; (6) do not be anxcious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

And we read that at think to ourselves, “But how am I supposed to rejoice in MY situation?” “My life is hard!” “There is this pain and powerlessness”

Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!

Was it easy for Paul to be a Christian? Beatings, jailings ...floggings, shipwrecks, attempted murders against him … left for dead on the side of the road after being on the receiving end of rocks to the head. It was anything BUT easy for Paul to be a Christian. He seemed to be powerless in so many ways in his life.

The book of Esther takes place in that kind of world and the first chapter of the book introduces us to THAT world. As the curtain opens on the first scene, in chapter 1 - the KING is the person with ALL of the power. We’re introduced to him right at the start: v. 1 … “Now in the days of Ahasuerus, THE Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces ...” (MAP)

This is a massive empire … 127 territories, covering much of the known world - - and in this entire kingdom, one man has absolute power over the life and death of every citizen - - he is the king. His name is Ahasuerus (Xerxes in Greek).

I said last week that this story is an epic - would be a blockbuster movie … let’s dig in.

1 POWER ON DISPLAY

The story begins with power on CONSPICUOUS DISPLAY. Verse 3 tells us that the king is throwing a party. This is not like any party you or I have ever seen. It’s a party for the ‘who’s who’ in the kingdom - officials (cabinet ministers) and their servants, army officers, nobles and governors from every single one of the 127 provinces - they are all in Susa, for this party that lasts, not an evening, not a week, not even 2 … this is a six month party - 180 days. Every glance you take, at every corner of the city, what you see is wealth oozing from everywhere.

There are massive marble pillars, white and violet linen, wrapped around poles of silver, hanging decoratively in the gardens, couches made of gold and silver … to the pavement beneath your feet, made from precious stones … marble, mother of pearl, porphyry … you are walking on pavement made out of things that everyone else would have protected in a safe … from floor to ceiling, everything shouts opulence.

In fact, more than a century later, the riches of Persia dazzled even Alexander the Great, when he walked into the palace at Susa and found 1200 tons of gold and silver bullion and 270 tons of minted gold coins. History has rarely seen such wealth as the Persian kings hoarded.

After 6 months, of out-of-towners, trampling through the city in party-mode (and you’ve seen the aftermath of one-night parties - just imagine the mess left behind after 6 months of unhindered drinking and carousing) … the king wants to reward the citizens of Susa for putting up with all of this, so he carries on with 7 more days of partying - this time for the local residents: “Verse 5 - “the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.”

The wine was flowing as from an inexhaustible fountain.

If you think that all of this extravagance is because the king wants to make the rounds on social media and get a reputation for being THE CELEBRITY who throws the GREATEST parties … then you’re missing the real point. Ahasuerus sees himself as a god-king. That may sound weird, except for the fact that we see the same thing in our world, today. In North Korea, Kim Jong Un, like his father and grandfather before him - he doesn’t see himself as a mere mortal - a human dictator to just be obeyed .... he sees himself as a god to be worshiped. Sadly ridiculous in N. Korea where people are starving to death, because the guy can’t even feed his people. How do you worship a god who can’t even provide your basic needs.

But in Persia … it’s believable. Look around at the excessive wealth on display - all this, the generosity of a king who throws parties for his people. The message being sent out by this party is: “Stick with me - and you will be taken care of”. “Ultimate power is right here - in MY ROYAL HANDS.”

After 7 days of the second party, when the king’s inhibitions have been numbed by the wine, and after the guests had been well-lubricated by all the drinking … King Ahasuerus decides he’s got one more possession to show off … His wife. “My wife is drop dead gorgeous. Let me show these guests so they can enjoy her and eat their hearts out at the same time - because this beauty is mine.”

- “On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, (11) to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at.”

It’s not enough to send someone to call the queen - he sends 7 men to bring her back. If you’re getting a little uncomfortable by this inebriated king calling for his wife to entertain his drunken party guests … then you’re reading this story rightly.

Now verse 11 tells us that the men were supposed to, “… bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown ...”. Many of the rabbis in history have said that, by this request, the king wants the queen to come wearing her royal crown … and nothing else. I’m not sure if that is precisely true - but it’s definitely not far off - in verse 11, ‘… in order to show the people and the princes HER BEAUTY, for she WAS LOVELY TO LOOK AT.” TWICE - her beauty. DRUNKEN MEN looking at a beautiful woman … A person summoned, not as a person, buta an object to satisfy the lusts of a room full of men – she’s the entertainment. I Can hear the catcalls all the way from here.

That’s sad. And yet, it’s so true of human history. So often I hear people saying, ‘We don’t need God for society to be civilized. We can be good without God’. And sure, there are many morally upstanding people who aren’t Christians - who reject God. But the problem is - when you reject God, you also reject the very foundation for morality. You reject any standard outside the human mind.

And have you noticed that it’s always the vulnerable who end up paying the price - Babies aborted in the womb … or later! Wealthy, powerful men, trafficking young, vulnerable girls for sexual favors as they fly their well-connected buddies to private islands on private jets?! Some people say - “We would be better off without God in the picture.” And I say, “HOW TERRIFYING to live in a world with no holy God in heaven who says, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself - because she is created in my holy image.”

Some of you here this morning have been abused by others at some point in your life. You’ve tried to move on, but the scars never fully fade. You need to know that God cares. he sees. He knows and He will judge. Because He is working, maybe silently - but He’s there working, behind the scenes.”

Now, back to the story. So, the king sends his messengers to bring back his trophy wife … and meanwhile, he and the rest of the partiers wait … and wait … and wait.

2. THE KING IS CROSSED

READ : “But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs …”.

Hang on a second. “Queen Vashti did WHAT?!” She refused?! Nobody refuses the king. And his wife?! And in front of all of these guests?! And just as is so often the case with a drunk - the mood does an about face - in the blink of an eye - he goes from laughter to RAGE - Verse 12 continues:

“… the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.” A mere woman cannot stand against the might of the empire. So what’s the king going to do?

, “Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, (14) the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face and sat first in the kingdom): (15) According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs? Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, ‘Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.”

Every king worth his salt has a team of trusted advisors to help make decisions and Ahasuerus is no exception. He calls an emergency conference of the wisest and most learned legal minds … “What do I do?”

Memucan speaks up and emphasizes how grave the situation - this isn’t just about the king, this affects the whole kingdom. And right at this point - as we survey the scene - what do we see? We see a king, who has a god-complex and on top of that, has had too much to drink, gathering his most trusted advisors to help him decide how to bring the whole power of the Persian empire together to deal with a single woman’s refusal to go along with the program.

And I wonder how often you feel like a Vashti.

– “For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ (18) This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will say the same to all the king’s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. (19) If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.’ (20) So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.”

Now this is where we are supposed to laugh. We are supposed to laugh because something is not quite right at the heart of power, in the palace of Susa - the center of the kingdom of Persia. I wonder, do you see what’s going on here?

3 CRACKS IN THE ARMOUR

The king has had a fight with his wife, while in a drunken state … he’s asking for advice from the best minds of the kingdom. Most of us will never reach that level of influence … but we, the humble, regular people we are .... we would probably give advice along the lines of … ‘just sleep it off king. Let’s not blow things out of proportion here. Maybe we need to get the two of you together in a room so you can talk through the tensions in your marriage. After all, the empire doesn’t need tension in the royal marriage.’

But that’s not the advice at all … Notice Memucan’s concern - v. 17, “For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt ...” “Queen Vashti said no to her husband.”

… Do you see how these advisors make this family problem all about them?

“This isn’t going to be good in MY home!” “My wife is already so stubborn … if she hears about this, there’ll be no controlling her!”

“We have to put a stop to this. King, you have to put a stop to this!” So, what’s the solution?

Well, first you have to kick out the queen and give her place to another ‘who is better than she’ (We know that this man is speaking better than he knows because Esther is on the way).

But, more than that … you have to make sure wives know that they MUST Have dinner ready on time and not talk back to their husbands.

, “This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. (22) He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.”

Do you see the cracks in the authority of this extravagant, powerful empire? V. 17 – The advisors tell the king – “You have to do something about Vashti – otherwise, you know how the world works … people will talk, the gossip will spread and the next thing you know – the whole kingdom will know what happened. And no wife will respect her husband. Word can’t get out about Vashti.”

So what do they suggest? To keep the gossip from spreading - they suggest that the king proclaim a decree about Vashti – to say that she’s expelled from his presence, seal it with his royal signet ring … and then enlist the Persian postal service to make sure that every home in the entire kingdom hear the very news that he doesn’t want getting around … and demanding that wives respect their husbands!

And these are the best and brightest that Persia has to offer – in the positions of greatest power?!

I learned, on the playground, in elementary school that the more you demand that somebody respects you … the more you will get the exact opposite result. A royal decree DEMANDING that Wives respect their husbands?! How do you enforce that?

This is the power that seems to dominate the world that seemingly powerless Esther and Mordecai live in.

And right about now, there are some of you sitting here, trying your best to follow, hopefully enjoying this story from ancient history … but you can’t help wondering … “What in the world does all this have to do with my life? Relevance please!”

Let me finish our time by pointing out just three of the many ways this chapter is so relevant to all of us here:

First thing I want you to see is the silent providence of God in what seems to be just the normal, ongoing, mundane affairs of a pagan kingdom.

Why did Vashti suddenly decide to take a stand against being treated like a toy? Why did the king make the foolish demand in the first place? Why did the advisors suggest that the queen be deposed and replaced instead of just trying to work out this little family dispute?

You can take every single event in this chapter – and explain it in purely human terms – they are all free, human choices. …. And yet, do you see how God takes all of these individual, different human choices and weaves them together to build the one road that will accomplish His sovereign plan?

Every single choice was needed to open the way for a foreign Jewish girl to become queen and be used by God for a massively important purpose.

Esther and Mordecai have not yet even made an appearance on stage, God’s name isn’t even mentioned … but that doesn’t matter – He is working out everything according to His good pleasure.

Now if you are a Jew, living in Susa during all of this – do you think you would see any significance for you in what was happening in the palace? A change in queen? Who cares – what does that have to do with the price of fish in the market? We have the privilege of looking from our perch and seeing God working out every detail for the good of His people.

Do you see what that means for you? You are praying and praying for a need you have … and you are getting zero answers that you can see …. And you feel … powerless. is God saying to you, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again – rejoice ….present your requests to God, with thanksgiving … and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Your story is still being written. And He is working through the events of the world in ways you have no way of understanding … to work out your good.

SECOND thing I want you to take from this chapter is an understanding of just HOW massively different is the power of this world – represented by Ahasuerus from the power of God.

Ahasuerus is a great king whose decrees cannot be changed … so is the Lord. Both kings must be obeyed, or there will be consequences. Just ask Vashti.

But the laws of Ahasuerus turn out here to be the drunken meanderings of a man who’s strings are being pulled by his self-centered counselors. And the laws of this Persian king are made to suit his desires … he uses his own wife like a disposable toy.

God gives His law for our good … because He loves us.

THIRD and last thing I want to make sure you take along with you from this text is the WAY God uses His power. What an infinite difference from Ahasuerus.

The King of Persia sees everyone in His kingdom as an object to be used to give him what he wants …. The Holy God of heaven sees you as a precious creation – the He created in His own image for relationship with Him.

He calls us to Himself … not to expose your nakedness – but so that He can clothe you with righteousness and honor and dignity … and to enjoy Him.

But I’m Vashti – and so are you. I’ve said, “NO! I’m Not coming to You.”

And rather than say, “Fine – you’re out. You will never see My face again.” Rather than expose my shame …

He rolls up His sleeves … devises a plan and works it out … Sends His Son to take on your flesh, to live your life, He pays your penalty Himself – the punishment that brought us peace was laid on Him … by His wounds we are healed.

And the very God, who only wanted our good - that we had rejected … THAT God, in human flesh … DIES to bring us to Himself. And then, rising again, He woos us to Himself … draws our hearts, gives us understanding and the very faith to believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ as our only hope. If you belong to Jesus Christ – it’s only because while you were completely unattractive, the Son of God laid down his life for you. It’s all gift ….

And I wonder – do you know Him? Have you experienced the freeing, love of God in Jesus Christ?! If not – why would you wait? Why would you refuse His call?

And if you have responded to God’s call – if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord – then you recognize the way that God exercises His power. Men – if you really belong to Jesus Christ – then you will exercise power like He did … God has called you to lead your family …. And to do it the way that Jesus loved the Church … and gave himself up for her. Whenever I hear a man concerned about his wife ‘submitting to his authority’ – what I want to find out is how he’s doing on his part: The other side of the coin inscribed “Wives, submit to your own husbands … as the church submits to Christ” is the motto “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” ().

​The gospel truth of Christ’s love for us is the foundation for new minds that delight to submit to his ordering of creation. If Christian husbands were more like Christ and less like Ahasuerus, then perhaps we would find our wives more ready to submit to our leadership.