The Hidden Hand of God
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“He has done so much for me”
This i believe
Welcome
The Hidden Hand of God
The Hidden Hand of God
Does someone need to hear about God before he/she thinks of God?
Can someone be raised in a home by atheists, or in a secular society that tries to push God as far away from our thoughts as possible and yet, he/she begins to ponder about the Divine?
Can you read a story that does not mention the name of God and yet come away with a sense of awe, a sense of amazement at the mighty work of God?
Is there such a story?
The last place you’d expect to find such a story is the Bible.
Yet there is a book in the Bible that does not mention God. And that creates some degree of controversy.
Martin Luther says he wished the book never existed at all.
Other theologians have questioned whether it should be included in the canon of Scripture.
What book am I referring to? Esther!
When we study the book of Esther, we see the hidden hand of God.
JSB: “The miracle of this book is that there are no miracles!”
Intro to book:
The book of Esther never mentions God’s name, yet God clearly orchestrates all of its events.
Esther, a Jew living among the exiles in Persia, became queen of the empire in about 480 B.C.
Haman, a Persian official, sought to eradicate the Jewish minority, but God had prepared Esther “for such a time as this” (4:14) to save his covenant people.
The book reveals to us the origins of the Jewish observance of Purim, which celebrates Israel’s survival and God’s faithfulness.
The author is unknown, but some believe it could have been Esther’s cousin Mordecai, who is a key person in the book.
Throughout the book we see God’s sovereign hand preserving his people, showing that everything is under his control.
Over the next two weeks, I’d like us to dive into this epic story and see what we can learn from it.
This story is even more relevant today as we see a world around us that seems out of control
English Standard Version Chapter 24
20 The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
Historical Background:
God has raised up the nation of Israel to be His chosen people, His treasured possession in the earth. He entered into a covenant with them, gave them His laws, was present in their very midst, watched over them, protected them.
But they turned from Him. They turned to idolatry, wickedness and rebellion. He warned them repeatedly by His prophets but they persisted in their sin. Eventually,
the northern 10 tribes of Israel were taken captive by Assyria in 722 BC.
the southern 2 tribes of Judah and Benjamin were conquered by the Babylonians.
Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC
Then it was Babylon’s turn to be judged for her pride and ruthlessness.
6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.
The Medo-Persians conquered her in 539 BC. They are the new world rulers.
God called Cyrus by name 150 years before.
Cyrus issued a decree that Jews can return to Jerusalem. The first group of exiles return under the leadership of Zerubabel in 538 BC. Many of the exiles did not return. Mordecai and Esther were among those
The story of Esther is set in Susa (modern Iran) in the court of the Persian king Xerxes I (Ahasuerus), who ruled 486–465 BC. He is remembered by ancient historians as a ruthless and powerful king.
1 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,
Maps of Persian Empire
The story begins King Ahasuerus throwing a huge feast for all his officials and servants.
Prob around 483 BC
The army of Media and Persia were invited. The Nobles, governors, military leaders are there
This celebration lasted 180 days
He is showing his riches and splendor
When this is over he throws another feast, [or this is a culmination of this 180-day celebration] for the inhabitants of Susa and the palace complex lasting 7 days.
It was a very luxurious, elaborate setting
we read in v 6
Designers, Event-planners: “There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.”
Queen Vashti also has a feast.
At the end of the seven days, an inebriated king decides, ‘Since I am showing off all the beauty and splendor of my palace, why don’t I show them the most beautiful woman in all of Persia?’
But to everyone’s surprise and to his dismay, Queen Vashti refuses to appear!
He is enraged. He is ticked off. “How dare you?”
You are embarrassing me in front of the whole world!
Maybe they were having some marital problems
In any case, the optics of this isn’t good at all.
So he calls his advisers in. What should he do?
They quickly determine. Vashti has set a dangerous precedent. She has dishonored her husband the king. Maybe, the noble women will follow suit.
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.
Their advice: dethrone her!
She is never again to appear before the king
Remove her from the royal position
So it was done. But that leaves a royal vacancy.
Now the search is on for a new queen!
This my friend is the story behind the Miss Universe pageant. That’s how it all started :)
the search is on. This is where we are introduced to the hero and heroine of this story.
5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite,
6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away.
7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8 So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
Esther’s upbringing
Mordecai’s ancestor was one of the exiles under Neb. He took on the responsibility to raise a little orphan girl, Hadassah, his own cousin.
Thank God for ministries that are out there seeking find homes for orphans.
You and I will never know what it feels like to be an orphan. The emptiness, lostness, loneliness, the desire to belong, to be loved.
Many couples today adopt. Thank God. Thank you.
Jewish name was Hadassah, ‘myrtle’
She was given the Persian name “Esther” ‘star’, a reference to the star-like flowers of the myrtle
The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at.
God demonstrates His beauty and His love for aesthetics by showing us beauty in the stars, sky, flowers, autumn leaves, waterfalls, and in faces.
Heard one groom “I get to wake to this beautiful face everyday.”
9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem.
Because of her beauty, her attitude, she wins the favor of Hegai, the eunuch in charge.
1. Esther’s favor
1. Esther’s favor
I believe in the favor of God. You ought to also.
Joseph found favor with Potiphar.
He also found favor with Potiphar’s wife but she didn’t find favor with him.
There is favor and then there is predator-behavior, grooming.
He found favor with the keeper of the prison.
David found favor with Jonathan and Michal.
Daniel found favor with the king’s eunuch also.
These were all young people I mentioned. I think the favor of God is more relevant to the young people.
I don’t know who is the king’s eunuch to you today - but I pray that God’s favor rest upon your life!
just as it did with Esther.
The Spirit of God and the hand of God is upon your life and sets you apart as different. Regardless of the walls, the difficulties, the odds against you, God is able to make a way for you.
Now that I spoke about favor, I want to juxtapose that with something very critical
2. Esther’s obedience
2. Esther’s obedience
10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.
20 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him.
Esther’s childhood, her upbringing was highlighted by one characteristic - obedience.
I believe this was crucial to her finding favor.
Has anyone ever won your favor when they were rebellious? Disobedient.
Without Esther being obedient to Mordecai, she would never have been selected by God for this task.
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
She obeyed Mordecai as a child.
She did not reveal her ethnicity to anyone during the selection period
Even as a queen she continued to follow the advice of her uncle Mordecai.
Obedience helps us to learn what is right.
Obedience teaches us to humble ourselves
Obedience removes selfishness from us
Obedience prepares us for position.
Obedience brings us into favor.
So the selection process is on
12 months of beauty treatments [some of you would say, If only I can have a few hours!]
6 mo with oil and myrrh
6mo with spices and ointments
15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.
Here again we are seeing Esther’s teachability, the way she honors the leaders in her life.
She follows the advice of Hegai. She didn’t say “You are not Mordecai, my uncle. You’re not Jewish. You’re not a godly man. Why should I listen to you?” or “Actually, Hegai. There are new beauty products on the market.”
She goes into the king-
3. Esther’s success
3. Esther’s success
17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
WOW!
An orphan girl
A Jewish girl
A foreigner
A descendant of an immigrant
A descendant of a slave?
Let’s not forget
a young woman with a godly upbringing, thanks to Uncle Mordecai
a young woman of great character - obedient, wise, respectful, a good attitude
not just beauty -
Esther’s beauty was her ticket into the contest. Her favor gave her the advantage bu it was her obedience and attitude that gave her success.
She showed class, dignity, her poise, her virtues
Esther is crowned queen of all Persia!
The Hidden Hand of God is moving.
What is God preparing you for? I don’t know
How are you preparing yourself?
The three steps shown here: Obedience. Favor. Success.
Divine favor follows obedience.