How to have Peace in Adversity

Who

How many people here have ever celebrated Purim? My family and I had an opportunity several years ago to visit a messianic congregation in Pittsburgh who was celebrating purim. Oh what a wonderful experience that was. It's a night of celebration with food, music and a play where they reenacted the story of Esther. They hand out noisemakers and every time Haman is mentioned in the story you're too boo, but everytime the name Mordecai is read you cheer. Overall, we had a really fun evening. It's important for us to remember that the story of Purim is our story because in saving the Jewish people God preserved the line of the Messiah. Well If you have ever experienced hardship and trials you will relate with the story of Purim. In the middle of hardship we find peace. So will you join me in this journey into the story of Purim?

We find the story of Purim in the book of Esther. Did you know that Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not mention God? For that reason, some argued it should not be included in the Bible. However, it is hard to miss how God is at work in this book. As we dive into the story of purim this morning I want to examine two reasons why purim should bring peace to you when you face hardship.

The first reason Purim should bring you peace is because it celebrates the sovereignty of God. Our story begins with the king of the Meads and Persians, Xerxes. We learn in chapter 1 that King Xerxes and his nobles are having a party celebrating their military success. Do you remember from our reading earlier what happened? The king is celebrating gets drunk and then commands his servants to what?

Esther 1:11 ESV

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.

So the king gets drunk and wants to show off to everyone how beautiful his wife is. What happened next?

Esther 1:12 ESV

12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

She refuses. Which obviously enraged the drunk king. So he calls his royal advisors and what is there concern?

Esther 1:17 ESV

17 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.’

Their fear is women all over the country will refuse to obey their husbands so the king must act!

Esther 1:19 ESV

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.

So because of that advice King Xerxes begins a quest to find a new queen which is where Esther enters the story.

Esther 2:5–7 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. 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.

Already we see the sovereign hand of God at work first Queen Vashti refuses the king’s request and the decree goes out for her to be banished which opens the door for Esther to become queen. When you believe in the sovereignty of God you don't believe in coincidences. Then Esther is chosen as a possible candidate to replace her, also not a coincidence as we will see. Mordecai however does warn Esther to hide her Jewish heritage from King Xerxes.

If you are familiar with the story, you know that Esther, the Jew, is selected to be the next queen. Not a coincidence, it was the divine will of God.

I just love the book of Esther because it is just filled with God’s sovereignty. The next event we see is found in Chapter 2

Esther 2:21–23 ESV

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.

So after Esther is chosen as the new queen her cousin Mordecai overhears two of Xerxes bodyguards planning to assassinate him. Also not a coincidence, She takes this information to King Xerxes where it's found out that the plot is true and the men are then put to death. However at this point in our story nothing special is done for Mordecai. This becomes important later.

The evil character in our story is Haman, one of Xerxes top advisers. Haman as he travels throughout Persia demands that people bow and worship him and of course Mordecai being a faithful Jew refuses to bow to Haman. This of course infuriates Haman. Chapter 3 verse 5 & 6 Says,

Esther 3:5–6 ESV

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.

The word purim comes from the Persian word pur which means to cast lots or the lottery. Listen to chapter 3 beginning in verse 7-9

Esther 3:7–9 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. 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.”

Haman returns to King Xerxes and informs him of this group of people living in Persia who refuse to follow the laws and because of this Rebellion Haman wants King Xerxes to issue a decree that will allow Persians to kill all of the Jews.

As the story continues in chapter 4 verse 1 which says, “When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly.” I always was taught that tearing your clothes and putting on sackcloth and ashes was a sign of mourning and repentance but I did some research so I could explain it a little better this morning. So I found an article by Prof. Pinchas Shir entitled mourning as a Hebrew Man listen to what he has to say,

“This may sound very unusual to modern people, but these peculiar folkways have clear logic and symbolic meaning behind them. In Hebrew is שַׂק (sak) or שַׂקִּים (sakim) is “sackcloth” – a rough fabric woven from goat or camel hair used mostly for storage and not very comfortable to wear. But that is the point of deliberate mourning is to bring about a sense of humility. The Hebrew word for “ashes” אֵפֶר (efer) symbolizes terrible ruin and destruction. The fire burns up everything in its path and leaves behind only ashes. Thus אֵפֶר (efer) “ashes” serve as the ultimate symbol of desolation and ruin. Ashes are light. The wind blows and they are carried away leaving behind nothing. Tearing clothes also represents the act of destruction. Garments in the ancient world were very expensive and were even used as a substitute for currency. Deliberately destroying one’s own clothes is a visual expression of grief and inner turmoil. These customs and unusual behavior express regret and humility before our Maker. They serve as a recognition of man’s frail existence and stress the condition of our existence without Almighty’s goodness in our lives.”

It is important to note that when he heard the devastating news, He didn’t start formulating a plan he turned to God and humbled himself and mourned. Because he was aware of God’s sovereignty.

The second reason Purim should bring you peace, it displays God’s Providence in the lives of his people. Not only is God in control over all our circumstances he also provides for His people through our circumstances. These two points are really intertwined; we see that in God’s sovereignty He is providing for his people. In our story God in his sovereignty made Esther the Queen of Persia and as we will see God uses Esther to save his chosen people the Jews from destruction. Chapter 4 verse 8

Esther 4:8–9 ESV

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.

So Mordecai instructs Esther to approach the king and beg him to say her people, the jews. There is one snag in this plan

Esther 4:11 ESV

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.”

So Esther is faced with a choice: self preservation or risking her life to save her people. I think it may be difficult for us to grasp how much danger she was in. If we remember back to the beginning of the story What happened to queen Vashti when she defied the king? She was banished. So if king Xerxes is in a bad mood when she approaches what could happen in the moment? He could get angry that she came uninvited and the king could decide to let her be put to death. If you read through the entire book of Esther you will see that he has a history of being controlled by anger.

I love Mordecai’s response to Esther

Esther 4:13–14 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. 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?”

What is Mordecai’s response? My translation is don’t think that by keeping quite you can save yourself. Mordecai knows that God will save the Jewish people whether Esther risks her life or not. How does Mordecai know that God will save the Jewish people? Because of thee promise of God right? At this point in history, the Jewish people were still waiting for the promised Messiah.

Lets look at Esther’s response

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.

So after 3 days of prayer and fasting Esther approaches the king uninvited in the throne room. The King extends his golden sceptre as she approaches the throne at which point she invites King Xerxes and Haman to a private banquet.

As I mentioned earlier, The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God. But some Jewish scholars believe that God’s name is hidden in this invitation because if you take the first letter from each word in the Hebrew it spells God’s name.

So the king accepts the invitation and At the end of the banquet King Xerxes asks Esther what she wishes and she asks them to come to another banquet the next night. At the same time there is a side story happening in our text. Haman builds a seventy foot gallows to hang Mordecai on. That night the king can not sleep and asks for the book of memorable deeds to be read.

By God’s sovereignty and Providence the servant reads the story of Mordecai warning the king of a plot to kill him but that nothing had been done to honor him.

So the very next morning Haman planned to go before the king and ask that Mordecai be hung on the 70 foot high gallows. However as soon as he entered the throne room King Xerxes asked him a question,” Haman if I were to take a man and honour him what shall I do?” Haman thought only of himself because in his mind who else would the king want to honor. Pride comes before the fall. Excitedly Haman replied, “well I would clothe him with the royal garment the king himself has worn and I would place him on a horse the king himself has ridden and place a royal crown on his head. Then have a noble official parade him on a horse through the square of the city and proclaim, “this is what is done for the man the King wants to honour”.

Here comes the twist to the story: Xerxes looks at Haman and says hurry and do just what you proposed, take a garment and a horse for Mordecai the Jew.

Once again Haman planned evil for God’s chosen people but God is His sovereignty and providence and perfect time.

Not only saved Mordecai but honored him. After Haman completes this embarrassing task, he heads to the banquet with Esther and the King. Chapter 7 tells the tale,

Esther 7:1–10 ESV

1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.

Evil Haman planed for Mordecai became his own fate. Through faith, Esther risked her own life to save the lives of her people because the king issued a new decree that the Jews could defend themselves on the 13th day on the 12th month and they did. The Jews then held a banquet to celebrate God’s sovereignty and providence on the 14th day of the 12th month.

So if God is sovereign and He will provide we can sit back and do nothing right? If we think back in our story, Ester was tempted to do nothing. She was afraid that if she went before the king without being summoned he could react in anger and have her killed. She was tempted to stay in the palace and hide her identity.

What did Mordecai say? You think that you can hide yourself in the palace and be the only Jew to survive? God doesn’t need you to save His people if you won’t go to the king He will raise up someone else to save His people.

But I think we still face the same struggle today in our culture. We are tempted to stay self focused in our “safe palace” of Christian circles. We need to turn our focus off ourselves and on to others.

Last year, I was watching a homeschool conference, online of course, and the speaker was talking about preparing our kids to launch. And he explained that many times our focus is wrong. We worry about where they will go to college or what career they will choose. He said that is where they land, launching involves preparing them to go. I have heard more than one sermon on the will of God. Some more helpful than others. But he summed it up better than I have ever heard.

The will of God is for us to love and serve others.

How well does that sum up the climax of Esther’s story? Was that not the choice she faced? Would she protect herself or risk her life to love and serve her people? I personally was challenged by this. Do I go to work everyday with this attitude? How will you, how will I love and serve others today?

I heard a message on WTLR where they mentioned the “One another verses” if you never have studied them you should. 16 of the 59 urge us as believers to Love one another.

I want to leave you with this passage. From John chapter 15

John 15:10–17 ESV

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Dear brothers and sisters we are here for such a time as this? Will you reach out to a lost and dying world with the love of Jesus Christ? Will you pray for Ukraine? We have brothers and sisters in Christ there. Josiah has a clip for us.

“It is a solemn thing to intercede for the nations of the world! Let us mobilize prayer! We can tip the scales of history. Christians can be the controlling factor in the unfolding drama of today’s world - let us not allow ourselves to be chased around by the enemy, but let us go up at once and take the kingdoms of this world for Jesus…He is delighted to give them to us…

In practical terms, may these truths make our prayer lives as individuals, and in prayer meetings, outward-looking, Satan -shaking, captive -releasing, kingdom- taking, revival - giving, Christ - glorifying power channels for God!” Patrick Johnstone, author of Operation World

Let us pray.