Sermon Series: Learning Life’s Lessons from the Old Testament Saints
Subject: Esther--The Sovereignty of God at work in a person and in the destiny of a nation.

Esther 5:1-7
"Three days later, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her, holding out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched its tip.
The king asked her, "What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!"
And Esther replied, "If it please your majesty, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king."
The king turned to his attendants and said, "Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested." So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.
And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, "Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half of the kingdom!"
Esther replied, "This is my request and deepest wish. If your majesty is pleased with me and wants to grant my request, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you, then tomorrow I will explain what this is all about."

Drama, power, romance, intrigue--this is the stuff of which best-selling novels are made.
The writer weaves into the narrative of Esther the profound interplay of God’s sovereignty and human will. God prepared the place and the opportunity, and Esther and Mordecai chose to act for Him.
The author of the book of Esther is unknown, but the purpose is obvious...to demonstrate God’s loving care for His people through the sovereign acts of His divine purpose and will. The date of the writing was approximately 483-471 B.C. Esther became the queen in 479 B.C. Although Esther follows Nehemiah in the Bible, its events are about 30 years prior to those recorded in Nehemiah. The story is set in the Persian Empire, and most of the action takes place

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in the king's palace in Shushan (susa), the Persian capital.
The king is Khshayarshan, which in Hebrew becomes Ahasuerus and in the Greek language is Xerxes. His father was Darius 1, and his grandfather was Cyrus the Great; so he came from an illustrious family. Ahasuerus ruled over the Persian Empire from 486 to 465 B.C. The empire was divided into twenty "satrapies"; which in turn were subdivided into "provinces"; and the king was in absolute control.
Esther is one of only two books named for women (Ruth is the other). The book is unusual in that, in the original version, No name, title, or pronoun for God appears in it. This caused some church fathers to question its inclusion in the cannon, but, God's presence is clear throughout the book.
The book of Esther tells of the near destruction of the Jewish people. It tells how a Jewish woman named Esther risked her life to save her people. Esther and her uncle lived in the land of Persia, where the Jews were in exile. After Vashti, queen of Persia, insulted her husband, the king, she was deposed, and the king began looking for a new queen.
Esther was selected for her beauty, but kept her Jewish nationality a secret. Meanwhile, a wicked man named Haman became the king's advisor and began plotting the extermination of all Jews in the empire. Esther's uncle learned of the plot, and begged Esther to intervene, pleading "Who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?" So Esther risked her life and approached the king about the matter. The king heard her plea, and the Jews were saved, while Haman was hanged on a gallows he had prepared for Esther's uncle.
This remarkable deliverance of the Jews is celebrated by the Jewish feast of Purim. Our story begins with these words:
"That happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time he ruled his empire from his throne at the fortress of Susa.
In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his princes and officials. He invited all the military officers of Media and Persia, as well as the noblemen and provincial officials. The celebration lasted six months--a tremendous display of the opulent wealth and glory of his empire."
Question! What was the purpose behind the banquet? Scripture doesn't tell us, but secular history does. The Greek historian

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Herodus (485-425 B.C.) may refer to the banquet in his History. Where he states that Ahasuerus was conferring with his leaders about a possible invasion of Greece. Ahasuerus' father, Darius 1, had invaded Greece and been shamefully defeated at Marathon in 490. While preparing to return to Greece and get revenge, Darius had died (486 B.C.); and now his son felt compelled to avenge his father and expand his empire at the same time.
In 480 B.C., The Persian navy was destroyed at Salamis, while the king sat on a throne watching the battle; and in 479 B.C., the Persian army was defeated at Plataea. Thus ended Ahasuerus' dream of a world empire.
Back to the banquet!
At the end of the six months of partying, the king held one last banquet, lasting seven days! The queen Vashti also gave a banquet for all the women present. Half drunk, the king requested the queen to come to his banquet to display her beauty, but she refused to come! Her refusal caused the king to become furious and he burned with anger. Since Vashti had embarrassed the king before his own leaders, the king had to do something to save both his ego and his reputation.
Anger! It has a way of blinding our eyes and deadening our hearts to that which is good and noble. One ancient writer wrote: "Angry men are blind and foolish, for reason at such a time takes flight and in her absence, wrath plunders all the riches of the intellect, while the judgment remains the prisoner of its own pride."
Concerned about the repercussions of Vashti’s disobedience, the king asked his seven counselors what he should do. Their advice...depose Vashti and replace her with another queen! Still motivated by anger and revenge, and seeking to heal his wounded pride, the king agreed to their advice and had Vashti deposed.
The first verse of chapter two of Esther reads: "But after Xerxes' anger had cooled, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made." So, it was suggested by his attendants that a beauty contest should be held throughout the empire. It had been four years since Vashti was deposed. Speaking of the "beauty contest," all the virgins chosen were conscripted against their will and made a part of the royal harem. Every night, the king had a new partner; and the next morning, she joined the rest of the concubines. The one that pleased the king the most would become his new queen!

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Esther, the Jewish orphan girl, daughter of the deceased Abihail, and cousin of Mordecai, is now selected to become queen. Verses 7, 9 and 15 of chapter 2 suggest that Esther must have been a most beautiful woman. The process by which choice was made was in full accord with Persian and oriental custom. Jewish tradition says that Mordecai tried to hide Esther so that she should not be taken by the royal agents. Mordecai also instructed her not to make her Jewish parentage known, presumably lest it should occasion prejudice or intrigue against her.
Mordecai himself was evidently employed in the service of the royal court. No one who was not connected with the royal service would have been permitted to reside within the palace of Shushan. In chapter 2:19 and 21 we see him fulfilling a regular duty at "the king’s gate," and in 3:2, we see him counted among "the king’s servants" which served at the gate. In chapter 4:10, we see the king himself referred to him as "Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate."
Chapter 2:21-23 says: "One day as Mordecai was on duty at the palace, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bighana and Teresh--who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters became angry at king Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. But Mordecai heard about the plot and passed the information on to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were hanged on a gallows. This was all duly recorded in THE BOOK OF THE HISTORY OF KING XERXES’ REIGN."
We are now in chapter three and four years have passed in peaceful Shushan. Esther has reigned as queen, and Mordecai has tended to the king’s business at the gate. Then everything changed, and all the Jews in the empire found themselves in danger of being killed--just to satisfy the hatred of a man named Haman.
Haman was an "Agagite," which could mean he came from the district in the empire known as Agag. Or, it could mean that he was descended from Agag, king of the Amalekites.
If this is so, then it can be easily understood why Haman hated the Jews. God had declared war on the Amalekites and wanted their name and memory blotted off the face of the earth.
At some time between the seventh and twelfth years of the reign of Xerxes, the king decided to make Haman chief officer in the empire. Not content with merely having a high

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office and using it, Haman wanted all the public recognition and honor that he could secure. So the king gave a special edict concerning Haman. It required that all people must bow before him. Haman was a very proud man. Pride blinds people to what they really are and makes them insist on having what they really don’t deserve.
When little men cast long shadows, it is a sign that the sun is setting. Haman was a little man, indeed, but his vanity compelled him to make himself look and sound bigger than he really was!
Haman’s promotion may have brought out the worst in Haman, but it brought out the best in Mordecai; for Mordecai refused to pay homage to Haman. "When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. So he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Since he learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes."
Haman went to King Xerxes and offered him 375 tons of silver to put a program into effect that would wipe out the Jewish race!
The king agreed!
Chapter 3:12-13 says: "On April 17, Haman called in the king’s secretaries and dictated letters to the princes, and the governors of the respective provinces, and the local officials of each province in their own scripts and languages. These letters were signed in the name of King Xerxes, sealed with his ring, and sent by messengers into all the provinces of the empire. The letters decreed that all Jews; young and old, including women and children--must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen nearly a year later on March 7. Their property was to be given to those who killed them.
With his dastardly deed done, he sat down with the king and had a drinking party!
Chapter four begins with these words: "When Mordecai learned what had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail."
Inside the palace, Esther received the report that Mordecai was dressed in sackcloth and ashes so she sent him some new clothes. Mordecai refused the clothes, so Esther sent one of her attendants to the gate to ask Mordecai what was wrong. Hathach, the attendant, was given a copy of the decree. He was asked to tell Esther to go to the king and beg for mercy for his people.

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In chapter 4, verses 10 and 11 gives Esther’s reply. She reminded Mordecai of what he already knew, that nobody not even the queen, could rush into the throne room and ask for an immediate audience with the king. If she were to do so, she would take her life in her hands. Besides all this, she hadn’t seen the king for a month, and it was possible that she had somehow fallen out of favor. Ahasuerus was unpredictable, and Esther didn’t want to make matters worse.
In his reply, Mordecai reminded Esther of three solemn facts. First, he told her that her being a palace resident was no guarantee that she would be delivered from death. The royal edict said "all the Jews", and Haman would see to it that every last Jew was discovered and slain, even those in the palace.
Second, Mordecai reminded her that her silence wouldn’t prevent deliverance from coming from some other source. Mordecai had faith that the people of Israel would be protected from annihilation. However, he warned her that even if deliverance did come, some the Jews might be still slain, and Esther might be among them.
Mordecai emphasized a third fact: Her being in the palace was not an accident, for she had "come to royal position for such a time as this." (Esther 4:4)
As we ponder Mordecai’s words, we learn some basic truths about the providence of God that are important. The first is that God has divine purposes to accomplish in this world. There is nothing in this world that is outside the divine influence of the purposes of God.
God accomplishes His purposes through people. For reasons we don’t fully understand, God permits wicked people to do evil things in this world, but He can work in and through unbelievers and His own people to accomplish His purposes.
God will accomplish His purposes even if His servants refuse to obey His will. If Esther rejected the will of God for her life, God could still save His people; but Esther would be the loser. If you and I refuse to obey God, He can either abandon us and get somebody else to do the job, and we will lose the reward and blessing, or He can discipline us until we surrender to His will.
Another lesson from Mordecai’s speech is that God isn’t in hurry but will fulfill His plans in due time. God waited until the third year of the king’s reign before taking Vashti off the throne. Then He waited another four years before putting Esther on the throne. It was not until the king’s twelfth year that God allowed Haman to hatch his evil

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plot, and He decreed that the "crisis day" for the Jews would be almost a year away. Chapter 4, verses 15-17 read as follows: "Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same.
And then, though it is against the law; I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die." So Mordecai went away and did as Esther told him."
From the human point of view, everything was against Esther and the success of her mission. The law was against her, because nobody was allowed to interrupt the king. The government was against her, for the decree said that she was to be slain.
When Esther finally got the attention of the king, she requested that he come to her banquet along with Haman. When the first banquet was over, she made one more request for them to attend one more banquet. She promised the king that she would reveal her purpose at that banquet.
On his way home from the banquet, again he met Mordecai, and one more time Mordecai refused to bow before him. Haman was furious, and decided that he would build a high gallows and make preparation to hang Mordecai on the gallows!
But something very important was going on in the king’s sleeping chamber that night.
Chapter six begins:
"That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered his attendant to bring the historical records of his kingdom so they could read to him. In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate the king. What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this? The king asked.
His attendants replied, "Nothing has been done."
Just then, Haman had arrived in the outer court. His purpose was to ask that Mordecai be hanged on his gallows!
When Haman arrived before the king, he is confronted with this question: "What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?" Haman thought to himself, "Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?" So he replied, "If the king wishes to honor someone, he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as the king’s own horse with a royal emblem on its head. Instruct one of the king’s most noble princes to dress the man in the king’s robe and lead

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him through the city square on the king’s own horse. Have the prince shout as they go, "This is what happens to those the king wishes to honor!"
The king responded with agreement and Haman has the assignment to lead Mordecai through the city in triumph!
While Haman was reporting the happenings of the day to his wife, the king’s attendants came to take him to Esther’s banquet. When the banquet was well underway, the king asked Esther what was really her desire. Her answer! "If your majesty is pleased with me and wants to grant my request, my petition is that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had only been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would have been a matter too trivial to warrant disturbing the king.
"Who would do such a thing?" King Xerxes demanded. "Who would dare touch you?"
Esther replied, "This wicked Haman is our enemy." Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden. When the king returned, Haman had fallen on the couch where the queen was reclining begging for his life! The king was enraged. His attendants immediately covered Haman’s face which signaled his doom. The king ordered Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai! Haman’s estate was given to Esther, and Mordecai was given the position of Haman, ruling in his stead!
Esther made another plea to the king...please reverse the decree of slaying the Jews. This he immediately responded to and a letter was sent to all the officials of the empire with new instructions from the king. The Jews were to be prepared to fight for their lives and save their property. On the day when the decree was to be acted upon, the Jews killed thousands of their enemies, hung the bodies of Haman’s sons from their father’s gallows; and declared a wonderful day of victory.
To this very day, the Jews around the world celebrate PURIM which yearly reminds them of this great event in the history of their nation in which they were saved from annihilation! And the book of Esther is read each year around the world with joy and gladness by celebrating Jews!
This story proclaims the glorious fact that our God is in total control of history! We often let ourselves get disturbed with the events around the world. War, famine, earthquakes, pain, heartache...it is all a part of living in this world. But never forget God is still in charge and everything will come out just the way He planned it in eternity past!