Sermon
Esther
June 27, 2004
Pastor Donald Sheley

I'm going to ask you to take the passage that we've printed for you there on Esther. I told you the reason that excited me towards the Old Testament for the summer is because we went to the parables that Jesus told and realized that his preaching was made up of stories, parables; and if Jesus preached in stories then I thought what a wonderful thing let's preach in stories for the summertime. Now you'll notice that most of our lessons are about 90 percent of Scripture, and I want that. I want you to have a Bible in your hand. I want you to follow along as we share the stories and you'll hear with your ears and you'll see with your eyes these are glorious truths from the past.

But I also suggested that we would do very little sermonizing, and between the sentences or between the paragraphs I'll drop in a little theology. But what I'm going to do is tell you right up front, what I want you to observe all the way through the story this evening, and it's this, that God is the God of history. He is the sovereign God in charge of this old universe, and even though it rocks and reels and twists and turns, and we might allow ourselves to be frustrated if not concerned and somewhat filled with tension because of the happenings of the days, if we realize that our God is a sovereign God in charge of what takes place on this old universe and everything is going to come out all right.

I left the restaurant the other morning after having breakfast and I heard a couple men talking and one said, I quit reading the newspaper and I quit watching television because all it does is leave me with negative feelings and, he said, depressed. And I thought to myself now there's a smart man. I decided long ago that I would quit watching television. I do not read the newspaper. I do not listen to the radio. I do not allow my mind to be saturated with the lies of the media, and I'm surprised that many Christians sit and swallow all of that stuff on television when really they should be spending their time in the word not listening to the news commentators.

I take this position...the God I serve is the God of history and whatever happens in Iraq or in Washington I can't do a thing about it, but God's in charge and I'm not going to allow my mind to be frustrated with all of those half-truths and lies. I'm going to live my life, perform my ministry, love my people, and preach the word and God's going to take care of history, I don't have to.

Now I'll tell you what folks...I live in a lot of peace because I'm not frustrated with the garbage of the media and with all of their lies. And I'll tell you if we would, I believe, turn to the word of God and see that every move of history is controlled by God, and when it's all wrapped up -- he's going to wrap it up. And he's going to wrap it up just like he wants to; no politician or no president is going to do that. God will finish it the way he wants to.

You say, why do you say that Pastor? Because I feel that a lot of Christians live with a lot of tension and fear and they're worrying about what's happening here and what's happening there, when really there's not a thing we can do about it, and really if the God we believe in is the God of the universe and a God that's sovereign and in control of everything, why should we waste our time? Let's spend our lot, our days, living our life in joy before God and knowing his word and winning people to Jesus Christ, and when it's all over, it's all over and he will have written the last page. Now as we think about the sovereignty of God I want you to follow this lesson as we read the story of Esther tonight.

Now, just some background...this story takes place about 480 years before the birth of Christ. Fifty years prior to the story of Esther, the king of Persia has told the folks your time for captivity is over -- go home, back to Judah. And Cyrus the king releases them and sends...all of the Israelites were supposed to go home. Herodus, the Greek historian, tells us there were approximately 13 million Jewish people living in the Persian empire at the time of this story. And yet, out of the 13 million only approximately 55,000 left their captivity and went back to the Promised Land. Now that's fifty years before this story.

And you'll see that here is Mordecai; he did not returned to his homeland. He's one of them that stayed in the land of Persia, because they had succeeded and they had risen to great heights of government. There's Mordecai, one of the businessman for the king, and he's sitting at the gate. And here's another Jewish girl who is now the queen. So they didn't go home.

It happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. Now if you look on a map, that's a massive empire. 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.

Now historians will suggest that they weren't all there for six months, otherwise that would have disrupted the governmental process of his empire, so he probably called them in a province at the time and he discussed what he wanted to discuss with them. And here's what his discussion was...we don't read this in the Scripture, but the secular historians tell us that he brought these princes and these governors into his palace because he wanted to talk about his invasion to the land of Greece. A few years earlier his father had been defeated and so to take revenge he wants to go back to Greece, and so he invites them to come to discuss this whole matter.

When it was all over, the king gave a special banquet for all the palace servants and officials--from the greatest to the least. It lasted for seven days and was held at Susa in the courtyard of the palace garden. The courtyard was decorated with beautifully woven white and blue linen hangings, fastened by purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones. Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, just as the king had commanded. The only restriction on the drinking was that no one should be compelled to take more than he wanted. But those who wished could have as much as they pleased, for the king had instructed his staff to let everyone decide this matter for himself.

Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women of the palace. In other words, if the husband is going to have a banquet, she's going to have her banquet for the ladies.

On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was half drunk with wine, he told his seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted all the men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king's order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.

Just an insight into secular history...it's probably the reason why she didn't want to come and obey the king is because most likely she was with child with Artaxerxes, who later was to rule the empire, and in her condition she did not want to appear before anyone.

He immediately consulted with his advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice. The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan--seven high officials of Persia and Media. They were his closest associates and held the highest positions in the empire. "What must be done to Queen Vashti?" the king demanded. "What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king's orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?"

Memucan answered the king and his princes, "Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every official and citizen throughout your empire. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king. Before this day is out, the wife of every one of us, your officials throughout the empire, will hear what the queen did and will start talking to their husbands the same way. There will be no end to the contempt and anger throughout your realm. So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from your presence and that you choose another queen more worthy than she. When this decree is published throughout your vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!"

The king and his princes thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan's counsel. He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his house.

Now men, let me take a pause here. Anytime respect is demanded, you don't deserve it. I've heard men come into my office and say, well, I'm the head of this house and I deserve respect. I say you don't deserve an ounce of it. What do you mean? Respect is earned. It's not demanded. One of the tragic things is that too many men demand respect when they don't deserve it.

Chapter 2: But after Xerxes' anger had cooled, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. So his attendants suggested, "Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at Susa. Hegai, the eunuch in charge, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. After that, the young woman who pleases you most will be made queen instead of Vashti." This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect immediately.

By the way, what happened between his getting rid of his queen...he's gone to war and he's suffered a great defeat and he comes home terribly depressed, so he misses his wife, and that's the reason for the beauty contest.

Now at the fortress of Susa there was a certain Jew named Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. His family had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, along with King Jehoiachin of Judah and many others. This man had a beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother had died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter. As a result of the king's decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king's harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai's care. Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.

Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, for Mordecai had told her not to. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to ask about Esther and to find out what was happening to her.

Before each young woman was taken to the king's bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments--six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. When the time came for her to go in to the king, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to enhance her beauty. That evening she was taken to the king's private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem, where the king's wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, another of the king's eunuchs. She would live there for the rest of her life, never going to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.

In other words, after the contest and the preparation was made she only had one chance to impress the king, and if she didn't, the rest of her life she lived in loneliness in a harem.

When it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her. When Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign, the king loved her more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. To celebrate the occasion, he gave a banquet in Esther's honor for all his princes and servants, giving generous gifts to everyone and declaring a public festival for the provinces.

Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem and Mordecai had become a palace official, Esther continued to keep her nationality and family background a secret. She was still following Mordecai's orders, just as she did when she was living in his home.

One day as Mordecai was on duty at the palace, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthana 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.

Chapter 3: Some time later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite to prime minister, making him the most powerful official in the empire next to the king himself. All the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect. Why? Because Haman comes from the tribe of the Amalekites, and years before the Amalekites had done their very best to slaughter the Israelites, and they were the hated people of the Jewish people. So here's Haman and he's one of those Amalekites and Mordecai just refuses to bow down to him.

Then the palace officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why are you disobeying the king's command?" They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai's conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew. 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 had learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

So in the month of April, during the twelfth year of King Xerxes' reign, lots were cast [the lots were called purim] to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7th, nearly a year later. Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, "There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire. Their laws are different from those of any other nation, and they refuse to obey even the laws of the king. So it is not in the king's interest to let them live. If it please Your Majesty, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 375 tons of silver to the government administrators so they can put it into the royal treasury."

The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite--the enemy of the Jews. "Keep the money," the king told Haman, "but go ahead and do as you like with these people." On April 17th Haman called in the king's secretaries and dictated letters to the princes, 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 7th.

The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. A copy of this decree was to be issued in every province and made known to all the people, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day. At the king's command, the decree went out by the swiftest messengers, and it was proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.

Chapter 4: 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. He stood outside the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter while wearing clothes of mourning. And as news of the king's decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in sackcloth and ashes.

When Queen Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the sackcloth, but he refused it. Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate.

Mordecai told him the whole story and told him how much money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews, and he asked Hathach to show it to Esther. He also asked Hathach to explain it to her and to urge her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai's message.

Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: "The whole world knows that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him in more than a month." So Hathach gave Esther's message to Mordecai.

Mordecai sent back this reply to Esther: "Don't think for a moment that you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What's more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?"

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.

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.

Then 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 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."

What a happy man Haman was as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, he was furious. However, he restrained himself and went on home. Then he gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other officials and leaders. Then Haman added, "And that's not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!" Then he added, "But all this is meaningless as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate."

So Haman's wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, "Set up a gallows that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to hang Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king." This pleased Haman immensely, and he ordered the gallows set up.

That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the historical records of his kingdom so they could be 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."

"Who is that in the outer court?" the king inquired. Now, as it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai from the gallows he had prepared. So the attendants replied to the king, "Haman is out there." "Bring him in," the king ordered. So Haman came in, and the king said, "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 to lead 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!' "

"Excellent!" the king said to Haman. "Hurry and get the robe and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Do not fail to carry out everything you have suggested." So Haman took the robe and put it on Mordecai, placed him on the king's own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, "This is what happens to those the king wishes to honor!" Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.

When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, they said, "Since Mordecai--this man who has humiliated you--is a Jew, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue to oppose him." While they were still talking, the king's eunuchs arrived to take Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther's banquet. And while they were drinking wine that day, the king again asked her, "Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!" And so Queen Esther replied, "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. But Haman stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that he was doomed. In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king returned from the palace garden. "Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?" the king roared. And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman's face, signaling his doom.

When the king said something, all the attendants knew that was the end. They would hang a shroud over his face never to see light again.

Then Harbona, one of the king's eunuchs, said, "Haman has set up a gallows that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to hang Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination." "Then hang Haman on it!" the king ordered. So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had set up for Mordecai, and the king's anger was pacified.

On that same day King Xerxes gave the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related. The king took off his signet ring--which he had taken back from Haman--and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's property.

Now once more Esther came before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop Haman's evil plot against the Jews. Again the king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So she rose and stood before him and said, "If Your Majesty is pleased with me and if he thinks it is right, send out a decree reversing Haman's orders to destroy the Jews throughout all the provinces of the king. For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?"

Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "I have given Esther the estate of Haman, and he has been hanged on the gallows because he tried to destroy the Jews. Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king's name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king's signet ring. But remember that whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with his ring can never be revoked."

That's an interesting sentence, because here's what the king is saying. Look at, I've already put out a decree, and a decree of the Medes and Persians cannot be revoked. You can't change what I said, so whatever your decree says has got to do something with a decree I've already made, but you can't change that. So look what they do...

So on June 25th the king's secretaries were summoned. As Mordecai dictated, they wrote a decree to the Jews and to the princes, governors, and local officials of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including the Jews. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed the message with the king's signet ring. He sent the letters by swift messengers, who rode horses especially bred for the king's service.

Now let's see what that decree was -- how did he reverse that decree? The king's decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies. The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7th of the next year. A copy of this decree was to be recognized as law in every province and proclaimed to all the people. That way the Jews would be ready on that day to take revenge on their enemies. So urged on by the king's command, the messengers rode out swiftly on horses bred for the king's service. The same decree was also issued at the fortress of Susa.

In other words, they couldn't revoke them killing the Jews, but he gave them plenty of time for the Jews to arm themselves and gave them the right to kill their enemies. It's interesting, isn't it?

Then Mordecai put on the royal robe of blue and white and the great crown of gold, and he wore an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree. The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. In every city and province, wherever the king's decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.

So on March 7th the two decrees of the king were put into effect. You see, both decrees. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to destroy them, but quite the opposite happened. The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king's provinces to defend themselves against anyone who might try to harm them. But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them. God filled with their hearts with fear. And all the commanders of the provinces, the princes, the governors, and the royal officials helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai. For Mordecai had been promoted in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

But the Jews went ahead on the appointed day and struck down their enemies with the sword. They killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them. They killed five hundred people in the fortress of Susa. They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha-- the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not take any plunder.

That evening, when the king was informed of the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa, he called for Queen Esther and said, "The Jews have killed five hundred people in the fortress of Susa alone and also Haman's ten sons. If they have done that here, what has happened in the rest of the provinces? But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to you; tell me and I will do it."

And Esther said, "If it please Your Majesty, give the Jews in Susa permission to do again tomorrow as they have done today, and have the bodies of Haman's ten sons hung from the gallows. " So the king agreed, and the decree was announced in Susa. They also hung the bodies of Haman's ten sons from the gallows. Then the Jews at Susa gathered together on March 8th and killed three hundred more people.

Meanwhile, the other Jews throughout the king's provinces had gathered together to defend their lives. They gained relief from all their enemies, killing seventy-five thousand of those who hated them. Dropping on down to verse 20: Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the king's provinces, encouraging them to celebrate an annual festival on these two days. He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts to each other and to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.

So the Jews adopted Mordecai's suggestion and began this annual custom. Dropping down a few lines that is why this celebration is called Purim.

Now let's stop. I said the whole message of this story is the sovereignty of God. Now think with me. If Cyrus, 50 years before, he told all the Jewish people to get back home and only 54 or 55,000 went, Esther and Mordecai stayed behind. God then in his sovereign way brings about in the palace this time of festivity, the queen is deposed, and Mordecai's little adopted girl is chosen as queen. Now remember, she's Jewish. The interesting thing about that, and most likely there was an upheaval in the kingdom because of it, because in those days the king was required to marry one within one of the seven royal families of the kingdom, one of their daughters. This was not done. Here was a selection of a queen of a different nationality. He didn't know that, but here is the selection of Esther.

So now you've got Esther in the queen's chambers, you've got Mordecai at the king gate, and unknown to the rest of the folks they are Jewish people. Now God is setting up a scene in history that is absolutely amazing. The result is that Haman is promoted and he's one that comes from the tribe of the Amalekites. They were going to slaughter the Jews hundreds of years before, and God set the Jewish people against them. And God had every purpose of annihilating the Amalekites, but here's an Agite, Haman the Agite, who hates Jewish people.

He doesn't like Mordecai because he won't bow to him. But then when he learns that he's a Jew, he doesn't take his revenge out on one person, he decides to enwrap the whole Jewish race in the empire. Now you've got a setting where here is a Jew running the king's business at the gate, here is a queen as his wife, here you got an enemy that has declared destruction and annihilation of the Jewish people, and here you have a man who is getting ready to do just that.

But it's nighttime and the guy can't sleep. He's already been to one banquet and Esther hasn't told him what she needs, what she wants. He can't sleep. He could have done 1000 different things. He could have had singers come and sing for him. He was king. He could do anything. But he selects his attendant to find a book and read it to him. And the book out of the archives is the book that has the story about Mordecai who saved his life. God is in charge of history, folks; God is in charge of history.

And as a result, he asked the question, Have we done anything to honor this man who saved my life? The attendant says no we haven't sir. And of course old Haman probably had been up all night building that seventy-five foot scaffold, and he's just rushing to get to the king so he can get that body hanging up there as fast as possible. And here he is standing in the courtroom, the king brings him in and says, what would you do to the man you really want to honor? And of course he lays out this lavish...put him on a beautiful show horse, dress him in your robe, have somebody go down the streets yelling 'This is what the king does to those he wishes to honor.' And Haman has to be the servant who leads the horse with the man who wouldn't bow to him sitting on the horse. I mean, what a picture -- God working out the details of history.

And of course, at the banquet he's there, and Esther says, there's our enemy. The king had tremendous anger, and uncontrolled anger. He was known as a very angry king. He runs to the palace gardens because...you see she could have said you're the one that signed that decree for all of us to be killed. But he's angry because when she now names Haman as the one who authored the idea, he's angry at himself because he selective Haman for such high position. He really didn't do a good research on his character. Well Haman has only one thing to do and that's to plead for his life, and so he falls on the couch over queen Esther. And it looks like a sad scene. If you're a husband and you walked into your room and a man was hanging over your wife, you'd get all kinds of ideas too.

And the king said, That's enough! And when he said that a black scarf fell over Haman's face and he's taken and hung from the gallows he had meant for Mordecai.

God intervening -- the king can't sleep, Esther's in the queen's palace, and Mordecai's at the gate. The result of course, it all ends. The Jewish people are saved, and to this day folks, if you have Jewish friends they will celebrate Purim. And the story we read tonight is read every year, and has been, for the last 2500 years in the synagogues across the world reminding the Jewish people that God intervened in history and preserved them. And they read it with joy. And when they come to the name of Haman in the story in the synagogue all the men hit their feet against the floor - and may his name be abolished from the face of the Earth. Still after 2500 years they react when Haman's name is mentioned.

You say, Pastor, is it always true if we traced the stories and really knew them, that God is always at work in history. He really is. Remember it says about Jesus, Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, in the fullness of time God sent his Son. When you read the pages of history there was no more ideal time in human history for the Messiah to be born.

Prior to the Romans having their large empire and bringing order and law into those tribes, those tribes across that part of the world were always fighting. Now you have Roman government who has brought peace amongst all the tribes because they're all ruled from Rome. So it was the first time in world history where you could travel from nation, from country, to country across the part of the world and never be stopped or killed because the Romans took down all the barriers and borders. Now you have a world-wide scene ruled by Rome and they were quite considerate of the local religions of the people.

The next thing that happened is because they had brought all the part of the world together now there's only one language. There's only one language because everybody spoke Greek. So you have the world speaking the language of the Greeks, but of course they spoke their own individual language. So now here's the first time in human history where everybody's going to understand Paul when he's out there preaching. Everybody could understand -- it's the first time in world history.

Thirdly, what they had done it is in order for the Emperor of Rome to make sure he got his messages crisscrossing across all that part of the empire, they built the Roman roads. And now you've got all that part of the world tied together with this immense system of roads that could be traveled upon, the same language spoken, and all the barriers downs. And it was in the fullness of time when the world was ripe God sent his Son so that in just a matter of a few years Paul could journey throughout all of the Roman world at that time, preach the gospel, the missionaries could travel, and that became the early years of the church and it spread throughout all that part of the world. That was the first time in world history where a scene like that could have happened.

You say well then how does that fit in today? Ladies and gentlemen, whatever's happening in Iraq, whatever's happening in Afghanistan, whatever's happening in Washington be assured of this one thing -- the God of heaven is in charge. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the plans of the people of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever in the plans of his heart to all generations. There is no wisdom nor insight nor plan that can succeed against the Lord. And here was the prayer of Daniel...He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the Earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him, what have you done?

Here's David's prayer: Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted over all.

And then Daniel again: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things."

You can go through the Scriptures and over and over again we are reminded the God of heaven has got everything under control. We can't see it -- and I'm sure those living in the palace, those living in the kingdom of Persia those days, did not see what God was doing. But had not that happened and those 13 million Jews been wiped out, it would have wiped out the line of the Messiah. God is in charge of history, and he's going to write the last page.

And when you know that, and when you believe that with all your heart, you come to peace with a world that's being ripped apart. Amen? He's in charge. And we belong to him. We are his children, and he's our heavenly Father. I can lay my head on my pillow and sleep like a baby because the God of the universe has it all under his control. Amen? That's really what that story says, isn't it?

Father, we get so disturbed at looking at the world around us and we let it bring frustration and fear into our hearts and we get all upset -- when we do we forget you're the God who is the God of history. It's your story, and you'll write every page of it, and you'll finish it when time is ready to end. And I pray that you'll help us as people, Christians, who will keep our eyes fixed on you, our hearts centered in your word, and our words speaking your words so that we don't allow the world around us to envelop us and provoke us and cause us to fear. Keep our eyes fixed on you, dear God, I pray...and everybody said, amen. It's a fascinating story, isn't it?

My sister makes this observation: Do you notice that throughout the book God's name is never mentioned? That's interesting. And most likely the reason why it isn't -- there are various reasons -- is because these are the people who refused to go back home, and God was acting now in mercy towards them just to preserve them. They really should have been back in Israel, and God wasn't going to allow his name to be identified with their actions, but he saved them. That's interesting. Dr. Sidlow Baxter points that out. That's a P.S. to the sermon.

Next week, the Lord willing, we're going to talk about Saul. And he's a fascinating character. We'll learn the story of Saul next week. God bless you folks.