Sermon Tone Analysis

Esther - part 3 -

Live Stream

Today we are going to finish this brief study of the book of Esther.

In this study we have been focusing on the characters of the story.

We began by talking about King Xerxes as we explored what life in Esther’s time would have been like.

Last week we took a look at the relationship between Haman and Mordecai.

Today we are finally going to talk about Esther.

During this study we have often compared Esther’s story to Ruth’s, the many ways they are similar as well as the many ways they are different.

For example, a big theme that can be found in both stories is a truth about God that James quotes...

We’ve mentioned some differences, such as Ruth’s story focusing on a family while Esther is about something that affects a whole group of people.

Ruth’s struggles involved being a poor widow, while Esther lived among royalty.

Even their backgrounds were completely different.

I like the way the Ruth & Esther Bible Study that I printed out to go along with this series points it out...

In a way, Esther was Ruth’s opposite: a Jewess who married a ruthless pagan despot, not a Moabitess who married a devout Jewish farmer.

When we talked about Ruth we discussed names.

Let’s look at what Esther’s name means.

We are introduced to Esther in Chapter 2, verse 7, and we learn that her Hebrew name is Hadassah.

Hadassah is also the term for “myrtle”.

For the Jews, the myrtle symbolized peace with God and prosperity.

A very fitting name for someone who God would use to bring peace to His people.

Here is a picture of a myrtle flower.

Notice it’s star-like shape.

The name Esther may come from the Old Iranian word for “star” which sounds like Hadassah.

Original readers of this story would have associated “Esther” with the Akkadian goddess Ishtar, who is associated with love and war.

The deeper we dig, the more upside down, twisting and turning, opposite meaning, hidden purpose information there is that we can uncover.

Another interesting note about her name, when you look at her name written in ancient Hebrew it is very very close to a word that means “to hide or conceal.”

This idea of hiddenness is a theme that is in the plot line of the story as well as the portrayal of God’s presence in the book of Esther.

There is some debate about the book of Esther not belonging in the bible because God isn’t mentioned.

Even though God isn’t mentioned, it is impossible to read this book and not see Him at work throughout the entire story.

It makes me think of young kids who play hide and seek.

I have some pictures as examples.

To me, this is how hidden God is in the book of Esther...

Pictures

Has there ever been a time in your life when you were uncomfortable about being known as a Christian?

Or a time when it would have been risky for you to be known as a Christ follower?

About 12 years ago my old room mate invited me on a mission trip that he was going on to the UK because they needed more guys to help with a sports camp they were doing for school aged kids.

When the plane landed at the airport the person leading the trip advised us to avoid saying anything about God or mission trips when we went through customs, but instead to just say that we were doing a sports camp.

The reason for this was because it was not uncommon for them to refuse entry into the country based on reasons related to Christianity.

Fortunately, for me and the group I was with, we didn’t have to worry about our lives, but all across the world Christians risk their lives every day sharing the Good News of Christ that they have experienced.

We have it pretty good here where we don’t have to worry too much about that.

Although on some level, I’m sure that most of us have felt uncomfortable about being a Christian at some point in our lives.

What was that moment for you?

Trying to fit in with friends.

Trying to lay low at work so you don’t get fired.

You tried to talk to someone about Christ once before and walked away feeling like you took more steps back than forward.

Someone you know is very vocal and embarrassing so you don’t want any of their labels to be applied to you.

Maybe you have been in a risky situation.

Whatever the situation was, think about that moment as we talk about Esther today.

Was it risky or uncomfortable?

If you have never had an experience like this, think about the experience that Esther was going through.

We’ve already talked a little bit about Mordecai, but what kind of person was Esther?

In the general sense, she was probably a lot like Mordecai.

She clearly believed in God and followed some of the laws of their ancestors, but God probably wasn’t at the top of her list of priorities either.

When you compare them to people like Daniel, who also grew up under a foreign king, they don’t appear to have anywhere near the level of devotion to God.

Daniel didn’t hide his belief in God, he wouldn’t eat the unclean food provided by the king, he respected the people who had authority over him, he prayed and sought God’s wisdom consistently.

Esther, on the other hand, had become a part of the culture around her. Almost 50 years before she became queen, the Israelites had finished rebuilding the temple, but only about a tenth of them actually went back home.

The vast majority stayed in Persia.

At this point, Esther wasn’t required to stay here.

Then she hides the fact that she is Jewish.

Other than hiding her nationality, it doesn’t look like she tried to hide or avoid taking part in the kings beauty pageant.

None of this is to demean Esther.

It’s just interesting that she made such a huge impact for the Jewish people.

She was a part of a God orchestrated event that is still celebrated with holiday to this day.

Purim.

She is one of the most important people in scripture, yet she was no Daniel.

She brushed shoulders with Persian royalty, but she didn’t put God at the top of her priorities.

She was a part of one of the most important stories in the bible, but God is never mentioned.

To me, that’s huge!

I definitely believe that God should be of primary importance to us, but this story also gives me hope because no matter how much I want to grow and serve Christ because of His love for me I know that I am still human.

No matter how much I want to learn from the good things that Daniel or Paul did in scripture and be more like that, I know that’s probably not gonna happen.

Not that it couldn’t, but I don’t see myself keeping it together in a pit of lions.

I don’t even like getting on boats, I can’t imagine being shipwrecked.

I’ll never be, nor do I want to be, an Andy Stanley, Charles Stanley, Billy Graham, Craig Groeschel, or an “insert your favorite preacher here”.

Neither would Esther, but God still did amazing things through her.

That is such great news for me.

And if you ever feel uncomfortable or feel like you would be taking risks for being a follower of Christ, it’s great news for you too.

So we know the story… Haman decides to take out his anger on Mordecai and the Jews.

He enlists the power of the king to allow his hammer of punishment to strike.

In the end it comes back on him because of Esther.

So how does she get involved in this?

We know she was in the right place at the right time.

She had the unique ability to influence the king.

But if she isn’t a super devoted follower of Yahweh to begin with, why does she decide to step in and risk her life?

If you have your bibles and want to follow along, we will be in chapter 4 of Esther today.

As we examine this moment in Esther’s life I want to challenge you to examine these life changing moments in your life as well.

Think about how you can recognize and respond to them.

Let’s look at how Esther recognizes and responds to this event.

As we go through this story, remember that she could have just written off Mordecai’s fear.

She could have taken comfort in her position at the palace and the fact that her heritage had been kept a secret.

She could have reacted in any number of ways.

In the same way, we could react to opportunities God gives us in any number of ways.

If you are taking notes, our thought for today is this...

God wants to partner with you in His mission to transform other people’s lives with His mercy and grace.

How does God want to change someone’s life through a stove installer?

A farmer?

A cook?

A salesman?

A mom? A friend?

A complete stranger?

In chapter 4 Esther is confronted with this “moment” where she must decide to either avoid any risk and keep doing what she has been doing this whole time, hiding her heritage, or step outside of her comfort zone and choose to take actions that will put her at risk.