Esther

Well if you grew up in Church like I did, you may have seen your bulletin after Sabrina sent it out and thought “Oh I know this story.” It’s one that we’re familiar with from when we were children in Sunday School of a beautiful young Jewish woman who is chosen to be queen and then intervenes on behalf of her people to prevent the destruction of her people. It’s a story that is recorded to explain why the Jewish people celebrate the feast of Purim, the end of the year celebration of God delivering His people.

And if you’ve noticed in my sermons here, there’s this undercurrent, a timeline of the Bible that we’ve been moving through that I noticed when studying for this book.

We began with Numbers, the narrative of God establishing His covenant people and guiding them to the land. We then went into Ezekiel, which was an indictment against God’s people that they had not kept His covenant and so would be removed from the land into Exile, but He also promised that after a time they would return back into the land and be restored. And now we come to the next Chapter in our One Big Story to this familiar book which is set after the Exile where many returned to their own land but many others stayed in Babylon. Their lives were there and they were comfortable living in their new home, for most if not all, it was all they had known. Some even, like Mordecai, had risen to positions in the empire of power and influence- and so it would make sense that they wouldn’t go. God’s covenant people don’t return to their land. But when we look through things with that lens, it raises a very important question, one that all the people of God ask at times: What has become of God’s covenant? Are we still His people? As we continue to live here, are the promises of God still for us? Is He still in control? These are the great questions that haunt the people of Esther’s day and ours. How can we rest and trust God when it seems like He is silent; when it seems like He is far off? What we will see this morning ultimately is that God keeps His covenant promises by His providence over all things.

What do we mean when we say this, that God does things by His providence? Simply put it is God keeping preserving and governing all of Creation and its actions. It is God seeing and governing everything that occurs; that all things occur according to God’s will. The book of Esther has these fantastic almost cinematic twists and turns, it has these ironic almost comedic moments, and it’s a wonderful story of a young woman miraculously saving her people despite insurmountable odds and tense situations. But the true savior and architect is hidden. God is not mentioned by name once in this book. No prayers are recorded. But God is orchestrating all of these decisions and guiding all of the actors.

So let’s refresh this story in our minds and let the plot play out. I want to walk through the book in small bites and lay out the story but as we walk through it, we also will see the that while He is silent, God is working, guiding, and writing this story to bring about his glory and the deliverance of His people.

It begins in Chapter One with the great king Ahasuerus of Persia, historically known as Xerxes. And the writer wants us to see the might and power that Xerxes has. He has brought in all the officials of his kingdom into the capital city of Susa in order to to throw a six month long party displaying his wealth and armies, likely as an attempt to convince his officials to go to war. After that six month long festival, the king holds a second party for everyone in the city for seven days, which seems to amount to a week long frat party for his friends. On the last day, he calls his wife Queen Vashti to come in her royal crown, so that he can show her off, treating her like just another trinket in his vast treasury. But Vashti refuses to come. We’re not told why she says no, there are as many guesses as there are reasons, but the fact remains the great king has given an order and she has refused.

This angers Xerxes, and his nobles fear that if anyone finds out about Vashti’s refusal then their own wives will follow suit and this may start some sort of liberation movement. Fearing this, the empire quickly passes a law that the women shoudl remember their place and let their husbands reign as masters of their house. Over time, needing a queen to fill the role, the advisors tell the king that he should bring in all the beautiful young women to his harem and hold what amounts to a very odd and forced version of the Bachelor. The young women were brought in and given a years worth of preparation, food, and pampering. They would spend a year being pampered with rich Persian food and expense spa treatments and then would have their night with the king, which very likely was a sexual encounter, and would not be summoned again until he called for them. Xerxes see’s no problem with this, and so the imperial machine gets to work.

And we should very quickly see that Xerxes isn’t a commendable character in this story. Quite simply he is a bro. He is a proud despot who’s powerful and has a vast empire in the palm of his hand. He sees women as mere playthings and objections for his own desires. The nations bend at his word and laws can be drawn up impacting hundreds of thousands of lives by the snap of his fingers. Several commentators note that this name King Ahasuerus sounds very similar to King Headache in Hebrew, and doubtless he lives up to this title. But this mighty king is governed by his easily shifting emotions and those around him constantly manipulate him, even to the taking of countless young women into his harem.

But also, He is being governed by the Lord. The king’s palace my sparkle and shine as great as the Temple in Jerusalem. Thousands if not millions may bow to him, his word may immediately be law. He may be able to dismiss His queen and summon all the young women to Susa. Xerxes cannot undo the will of God. He does only what the Lord has declared. Even now there is no government, no ruler, no tiny despot or wanna be ruler that is outside of the Lord’s governance. No matter what desires they bring, their plans are nothing. They cannot overthrow the Lord and rule over Him.

And here is where Esther enters the story. She is being raised by her uncle Mordecai who serves in the gate of the city as a type of advisor and scholar. She is an orphan living in Susa, and is clearly very beautiful. And so when the so called contestants of this Find a Queen contest are being gathered, she also is taken. Now we don’t know Esther’s state of mind about being taken to live in this palace harem. Guessing would be to go beyond the text, but we do know that for the year that she’s there she wins the favor of Hegai the eunuch over the women, and he quickly elevates her and blesses her. We also know that Mordecai told her to change her name from Hadassah to Esther and to conceal her Jewish identity. Which means that unlike Daniel she conceals herself and doesn’t keep the Law when it came to diet or worship. Her night with the king comes and he is so taken with her that he makes her king in the place of Vashti.

And when reading this, we may rightly have some strong moral and ethical problems when reading this story. As we just said we don’t know Esther’s state of mind or desire in this scenario. It is possible that she is being forced into this situation without her consent and is brought into this by the desires of a sinful king, and there’s a lot of problems with what’s going on here. On the other hand, if we say that she and Mordecai have just assimilated into life in Persia and are acting against the Law of God it raises a whole other set of moral issues. But we just don’t know. There’s many levels of ambiguity here that the text doesn’t give us, but I don’t think that’s the point of the narrative.

Rather what we see is God’s plans are not thwarted by sin. That does not excuse them. It does not bless the sinful situation regardless of who’s responsible. But He uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines, and despite the moral issues this story presents us with, He is using it and guiding it to accomplish His purposes. As Karen Jobe writes in her commentary, The divinely inspired author chose not to reveal Esther’s reaction to being taken into the harem or Mordecai’s motives for commanding Esther to conceal her identity. It is natural to pass judgment on these two, whether positive or negative, but in doing so we may miss an important point. This deliberate silence is part of the message. Regardless of their character, their motives, or their fidelity to God’s law, the decisions Esther and Mordecai make move events in some inscrutable way to fulfill the covenant promises God made to his people long ago.

We see this in other places in Scripture. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery, but Joseph tells them years later that what they meant for evil God used for good. Judas’ betrayal of Christ is a heinous sin, one that we would likely never consider. But God uses it as the means for Christ to die for His people. Sin, at the end of the day, is not a hurdle or obstacle in God’s providence- rather just another means for His glory.

A wicked man named Haman, an Agagite, a long term enemy of the people of God, has risen to prominence in the kingdom. And this title an Agagite is countered with the title of Mordecai earlier in Chapter 2. The author leading us to recall the long drawn out struggle of the people of God against the Amalekites. Saul, of the Houses of Benjamin was ordered to slay Agag the king of the Amalekites in 1 Sam 15, but failed to do it. So we should see the tension that is here. It is likely why when Haman marches around the palace, Mordecai refuses to bow to him. Once Haman learns of this and realizes that Mordecai is a Jew, this sends Haman into a rage and he began to set his plans in motion to not just kill Mordecai, but all the Jews in the kingdom. He casts lots, called the Purim in order to determine when was the right time to do call for the mass murder. And eventually the lots fell in the Jewish month of Adar, at the end of the year. Haman takes his plan to the king and deceives him with vague information and lies in order to get the king to sign off on it, which he does. The decree is drawn up that in a years time the Jews would be attacked and slain; men, women and children. And this sends the whole city into an uproar and the Jews of the land into understandable mourning.

And in this moment we would be tempted to think that God has now lost control. His people are under the threat of total annihilation. The most powerful nation in the world has irrevocably authorized their destruction. Surely His hands are off the wheel. Surely He’s abandoned them now. He sent them into exile, and won’t keep His promises. They’re doomed, and they need a miracle.

This is where we come to the portion that we read earlier. The people hear the news and are naturally overwhelmed. Mordecai himself goes to the gate of the king weeping . When Esther hears this, she tries to send him clothes because she is clueless as to what is going on. Instead he sends back a message pleading with her to go to the king and intercede on behalf of her people. Now this is a huge gamble for Esther. She isn’t supposed to go before the king without him summoning her first. Only his closest friends can do that. If she goes, it is an automatic death sentence for her, unless the king accepts her. She is literally putting her neck on the line just to even speak to him.

Coupled with that, he hasn’t called for her in over a month. The little despot Xerxes may have cooled to her, and maybe even found interest in someone else. As fickle and wavering as his affections and emotions are, there is no guarantee that she even is allowed to say a word. She would literally be putting her neck on the line, and then be forced to reveal her true identity as a Jew, another in a large list of those whom the king as unknowingly set up for execution.

But Mordecai grounds her back into the covenant promises and providence of God. He never says God, never mentions His promises. But it almost seems assumed. It’s as if he doesn’t even have to. He affirms, yes deliverance will come from another place. God will care for His people. But perhaps the deliverer He’s chosen Esther is you. Who knows if your right where your supposed to be because God is working things out through you. Maybe this time deliverance won’t come through a parting sea, fiery chariots, or crumbling walls. Perhaps it’s far less miraculous and far more plain.

This is the funny thing about providence. Yes God is free to work outside of means. He’s able to just act and deliver. Yes I believe in God just healing people without any explanation. Yes I believe in unexplained deliverance that often times flies in the face of reason. But far more often, God works and will work through regular ordinary means. Through people and places and scenarios, many that we may find rather boring or plain. But it’s only in hindsight that we see the working of God in our lives through the mundane.

But also notice Esther’s response. Being grounded in God’s promises and providence she takes action. She steels herself, and at the risk of her life, works to deliver her people saying I will go to the king, and if I perish, I perish.” And after three days of fasting, Esther goes to plead for her people.

And Here is the clearest picture of the Gospel for us this morning. There are lots of lessons and personal takeaways in Esther. Living as a believer in the world. Being bold trusting in the providence of God. These are all there. But if you really want to see yourself in the Text this morning, it’s in verse three. We are the ones weeping and lamenting. We are the ones laying in the sackcloth and ash with the sentence of death over us, not from some wicked stooge, but from the holy King. We are the wicked ones. We are the ones in need of a deliverer. We need someone to run to the King, risking death and interceding on our behalf to save us from sure destruction. But the good news of the Gospel for you this morning is that Christ is our true and better mediator. Jesus Christ has also identified with His people, and not just at the risk of death, but through His death He has brought us salvation. Where God providentially guides Esther and those around her to save them as a people. God has even more guided all things since the beginning of time so that His covenant promises are kept. Christ came as Paul says in Romans 5, at just the right time dying for the ungodly. Esther had no real control over the situation and was at the mercy of the King. Christ is King and in His mercy willingly lays down His life. How far does God go in His providence to keep His covenant promises? He sends His Son.

So we’ve seen the Author and the Story, What happens to all of these Characters? Esther goes before the king at the risk of her life, and the king gives her mercy. He offers her half the kingdom, whatever she desires- and all she asks for is a feast with her, the king, and Haman. They both oblige, who says no when the queen invites them to her feast. But when the king asks her what her desire is, she pauses. The text doesn’t tell us why, but she asks for them to come the next day to another feast and she will then explain everything.

Haman, the vile and vengeful hater of God’s people leaves the meal delighted. The text says He was joyful and glad of heart. If you’ll forgive my license, I tend to him imagine him singing wicked songs and dancing evil dances all the way to the gate. But when he saw Mordecai, he was again furious. Haman lets his pride lift him up and as he’s with his friends and family, boasting about his power and wealth, but how Mordecai living just ruins it all. They tell him to build what’s called a gallows, it’s likely more for impaling, 75 feet high and to convince the king to kill Mordecai. And surely, this is it. Esther’s gotten so far but she’s waited too long.

But the tone of the story turns here. There’s a shift and stry goes from being a tragedy to a comedy almost on a dime. God is at work. He is guiding all things according to His will, and in His providence, the king just can’t sleep. He has someone read the memorable deeds and the all the records of the kingdom, something boring to put him out. But as it happens, there’s a record of Mordecai saving the kings life back in Chapter 3. And Xerxes has somehow never rewarded him for saving his life. Which is a huge dishonor that must be made up. Esther 6:4-11

Esther 6:4–11 ESV

And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’ ” Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

Haman leads Mordecai through the streets, singing his praises as the crowds surround him. He’s embarrassed to be seen and then as his family hearing that Mordecai is one of God’s people, tell’s he’s done. He immediately gets carted off to dinner, and it is here that Esther reveals the plot and that Haman is a conspirator. God brings about the redemption of His people ironically, through Haman’s actions as well. The gallows meant for Mordecai, are the ones that Haman himself is executed from. The Jews are allowed to defend themselves and the day, decided by the Purim cast by Haman, meant for their destruction, becomes the means by which their enemies are defeated. But we should also see the work of Christ here. We flash forward in the narrative and see Satan entering Judas to betray Jesus. Satan sets in motion to mechanism for Christ to die, and succeeds in killing Him. But the very death that he uses to kill Christ, is the very means that by the providence of God, Christ crushes his head.

So what does this mean for us. It means first that we should believe and rejoice that God in His providence controls all things. That there is nothing, be they governments or people, Satan or markets, that is outside the power and authority of God. They do not escape His will. God accomplishes his purposes through regular ordinary means. And since he rules over our things the hard seasons and dark days of life as pilgrims and exiles, in His love He preserves and protects us. That as we confessed this morning you wont loose a hair without him saying so. Therefore have joy! God is working through all things for our salvation.

Second, God keeps His promises. The one who has sent His Son to die in our place is faithful to His Covenant and by faith we are members of it. So then, you do not have to live in doubt or fear that He is going to drop you. Christ has fully satisfied for our sins and so there is no sin that speaks a better word than what Christ has declared. He who keeps His promise to send His Son to us, is faithful to bring us all the way back to His Promised Land.