Esther 2-3: God Behind the Scenes- Page 354 In the Pew Bibles

As we begin this morning, would you please turn in your copies of God’s Word to the Book of Esther chapter 2:1-7. If you are using the pew Bibles, you will find it on page 354. We will read these verses shortly, so please have them marked and ready for that time.

Last week we were introduced to the 5 main characters in the Book of Esther. King Xerxes, Queen Vashti, Haman, Mordecai & Esther. We also looked at some of the history leading up to and in to the events of Esther. We finished with a look at chapter 1 of Esther, which included a 6th month war planning summit to plan, and quite frankly sell, the invasion of Greece. That summit ended with a 7 day drunken feast in which a drunk king and his drunk advisors deposed of his Queen. Kind of an auspicious start to our study in Esther!

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Failed Military Campaign.

We find out in verse 17 of chapter 2 that between the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2, a period of up to 4 years had taken place. We find out from the pages of history that this period was anything but uneventful. To begin with, not long after the 6 month summit, Xerxes and his forces made their way towards Greece. The Persians had a huge army and a navy fleet that included as many as 300 ships, all of which traveled to Greece. It was at this time where Xerxes had the bridge built across the Hellespont, the bridge I mentioned last week that was destroyed by a terrible storm. Right around the same time 2 different storms also destroyed a large portion of the Persian naval fleet.

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map

In the end over 80,000 Persian soldiers made it to the pass of Thermopylae. At the time the Greeks had assembled an army of 10,000 ready to head to the pass, but when they found out the size of the Persian army, they withdrew. In the end they were able to put together combined forces or around 6-7,000. This army included 300 Spartans. If you watched the movie called “300” starring Brad Pitt a few years ago, and this is not an endorsement of the movie, but if you watched it, you have an idea what happened. While the Persian army significantly outnumbered the Greek/Spartan army, the terrain of the region put them in a precarious situation. (Turn attention to the map on the screen) The army had to march through a pass that was only 15 meters wide, the sea on one side, a wall and mountains on the other side. On top of that, the Persian army was not as accustomed to hand to hand combat, the Greeks, and particularly, the Spartans were experts.

In the end, the Persian army won the battle, but the Greeks in that area were able to hold them off long enough for Greece to prepare to defend Athens later. If you love history like I do, do a search on The Battle of Thermopylae some time, it is really very interesting reading about the battle. The Greeks could have done even better, but a local shepherd betrayed his country to collect a reward Xerxes had offered, he showed the Persians a hidden path that enabled them to battle from 2 sides, which gave them what they needed to ultimately win the battle. While they won that battle, in the end they lost the war and Xerxes had to return to Susa with his tail between his legs.

This brings us to chapter 2 of Esther. With that, would you please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word. Next Slide

Esther 2:1-7

Esther 2:1–7 NASB95

1 After these things when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. 3 “Let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given them. 4 “Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly. 5 Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, 6 who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

In looking at Esther 2:1, the anger of the king that “had abated”, was, most likely, not his anger regarding Queen Vashti, but his anger based on the defeat of his army to the Greeks.

I want you to picture in your mind what I believe is taking place here. For the past almost 4 years, King Xerxes has been sidetracked by preparations for and participation in a huge military campaign, a campaign that was not completely successful. The only thing successful about the campaign was that it took his mind off of what took place with Queen Vashti at the end of chapter 1. Well there is nothing to sidetrack him anymore and his thoughts now return to, what most believe to be a hasty drunken decision and equally drunken advice that took place on day 7 of the week long party. A decision that based on the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be changed.

Now regret sinks in. By the way, Esther 2:1 is one of the reasons I believe that King Xerxes really did love Queen Vashti. Next Slide

The First Non-televised Version of The Bachelor.

When I was first thinking through what is taking place in this chapter, I was thinking about calling this a Beauty Pageant, but this is way more than a beauty pageant, the winner didn’t just win a pageant, she won a position, the position of queen. So in some ways this is similar to the show The Bachelor.

But that is where the similarities end, because the rest of the women in this contest were not permitted to return to the life they knew before the show, no, they became a permanent part of the kings harem. To be clear here, they lost all opportunities at ever really experiencing the love of another man. Oh another man may have possibly fallen in love with her, but to act on that would have been suicide for both of them. In many ways the rest of her life was to be spent as a sex slave to serve the whims of an irrational king.

Now there are a couple of things that are in the mind of the King leading up to what takes place in the next few verses.

First, as I mentioned a moment ago, we get the impression he regrets the decision made in deposing of Queen Vashti.

Second, he spent 6 months selling the war to the people of the kingdom, and the 7 day party at the end of selling of the war, was a celebration of the victory to come, a victory that never came. King Xerxes is already living in the huge shadow of his father, King Darius, and now it seems the shadow has grown. He desperately wants to get both his mind and the collective minds of the people of the kingdom off of the failed war. What a better way than a nation wide beauty pageant! Keep in mind, based on 2:3 the king already had a substantial harem from which to choose a wife. Next Slide

Esther 2:3

Esther 2:3 ESV

3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them.

The last thing he needed was to add to the harem! Yet here he is appointing officers in all 127 provinces to find beautiful young virgins in each of the provinces from which to select a new queen. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that 400 beautiful young virgins were selected.

The Two Main Characters.

It is at this point where we are introduced to Mordecai and Esther. Next Slides

Esther 2:5-6

Esther 2:5–6 ESV

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.

As was mentioned last week, and as we see in verse 7, Mordecai was Esther’s cousin and since the death of her parents he had raised her as his own daughter. Next Slide

Esther 2:7

Esther 2:7 ESV

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.

He was also a descendent of King Saul, and that will come into play in chapter 3. When we read in verse 6 about being carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, it was is not speaking of Mordecai, it was speaking of his great grandfather, Kish.

Now it is after this that the story gets interesting, and based on many commentators and historians, not in a good way, especially in regards to Mordecai. We learn in 2:11 that Mordecai had some sort of position in the palace, because he was able to check on Esther daily, and in order to do this he had to have a position of authority in the palace. Many believe that Mordecai used his position to make sure Esther got noticed.

Now perhaps you may be thinking, well what’s the big deal with this? It’s a big deal for at least 3 reasons.

The first reason is that as an Israelite, Esther was prohibited from marrying anyone other than an Israelite man.

The second reason I already mentioned. The women who didn’t win permanently lost their freedom. They became a permanent part of the Kings harem.

Third, and this is the most heart wrenching, we see it in verse 14: Next Slide

Esther 2:14

Esther 2:14 ESV

14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

We learned earlier that all of these women were virgins and here they are going into the kings quarters in the evening and not returning again until the morning. There is little doubt about what took place that night.

If what the many experts say of Mordecai are true, he is anything but a man to be respected at this point in time. But our God is a God of 2nd chances and in chapter 4 we see Mordecai change his heart, but before that we see in chapter 3 his pride put all of the Jews in a dangerous predicament.

But before we look at those 2 chapters, let’s look at 2:17 Next Slide

Esther 2:17

Esther 2:17 ESV

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.

The providential Hand of God was over the life of Esther, and she won the heart of the King, she was now the queen of the most powerful Nation on Earth. Next Slides

Uncovering a Plot to Kill the King.

Based on what we read in 2:21-23, Mordecai was promoted to the position of a wise man or judge, that is the type of men that sat in the King’s gate.

Esther 2:21-23

English Standard Version Chapter 2

21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Normally when someone is instrumental in saving the life of the King, the reward is substantial and immediate, but for some strange reason that did not happen in this instance, in fact the reward doesn’t take place for several years, and not until chapter 6.

This is all a part of God’s perfect timing, God is waiting for the perfect time for Mordecai to receive the kings reward.

Fast forward 5 years and we arrive at chapter 3, and in chapter 3 we see: Next Slides

A Plot to Kill the Jews.

In chapter 3 we see, what many believe, the pride of Mordecai endanger the entire Nation of Israel. It is also where we first meet Haman the Agagite.

Sometime over the previous 5 years Haman had been promoted to the 2nd highest position in the land. As we learned last week, Haman the Agagite was a descendent of Agag, the Amalekite King. King Saul was commanded to kill all of the Amalekites and he disobeyed to command of God. As a result, one of the arch enemies of the Nation of Israel was still alive, and still an arch enemy.

Now stories like this from the Old Testament can be kind of confusing at face value, I mean why would God want an entire people group put to death?

Well in some ways this chapter answers that question for us. You see if Saul had done what the Lord had asked him to do, this man Haman wouldn't even be in the picture!

(1) Refusing to do what the Lord asks (of any of us), always puts someone in jeopardy.

(a) If you're are single, it puts your future in jeopardy.

(b) If you're married, it puts your marriage in jeopardy.

The Lord doesn't just "idly" say or request something. Even if we don't understand the reasoning, we must trust that He has a reason for what He asks of us!

(d In this case, it was the safety of all the Jews in Persia!

(2) Haman is now "above all the princes who [were] with him "second-in-command" to the King!

Let’s look at chapter 3 together:

Esther 3

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Now when we read in verse 2 that Mordecai refused to bow and then in verse 4 that the reason he refused to bow was because he was a Jew. The tendency of many is to think it was because of his devotion to God, that he was willing to put his life on the line for his devotion to God. That is understandable, but I don’t believe it is accurate. If he had been willing to die for his devotion to God, then he would have taken the 900 mile journey back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, and he would have taken Esther with him.

That would have prevented both of them from violating the commands of God. Instead he stayed behind, and Esther with him. Thankfully the providential hand of God was on Esther and she was now the queen, but even she was not safe from the edict Haman got the King to approve.

No, I believe that it was the pride of Mordecai, the descendant of King Saul, the enemy of the Amalekites of which Haman was a part of, that caused Mordecai to refuse to bow. And his refusal put the entire Nation in danger.

After this Haman had his counselors cast lots to figure out the best possible day to have all the Jews in the entire Persian Empire put to death. All 127 provinces, which included those back in Jerusalem who had rebuilt the Temple. Amazingly he got King Xerxes to approve of his plot. Of course the King had no idea that Esther was a Jew, but we will get to that another time.

So, what are the keys from todays lesson?

Well the first 2 we mentioned briefly last week, noting we would look at them in more detail in the coming weeks, which we did some of this morning and will continue to until we finish the Book of Esther: Next Slides

God is in complete control, we can trust His Providential Hand.

God is in complete control of all that is taking place. Esther was hand picked by God out of as many as 25 million women in the Persian Empire. This was not a coincidence, it was the Hand of God. Next Slides

2. God’s Timing is always Perfect.

The second lesson we talked about last week is that God’s timing is always perfect. There is reason that Mordecai was not recognized for exposing the plot against the king and saving his life. God’s perfect timing had not yet arrived.....but it will! Next Slides

3. The Commands of God are never meant to enslave us, they are meant to protect us.

The 3rd lesson is this, the commands of God are never meant to enslave us, they are meant to protect us. Had Saul obeyed the command of God, Haman, the enemy of the Jews would have never been born.

The best is yet to come in the book of Esther, feel free to get a sneak peek and read ahead.

Let’s close in prayer.

Benediction: 1 Chronicles 29:11-12

1 Chronicles 29:11–12 NASB95

11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12 “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

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