The Bible Series Esther
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Transcript
Psalm 135:5-6 says this:
For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
The difficult thing is when you and I do not see what the Lord is doing… we know He is working… but is He???
Purim… It is one of the nation of Israel’s celebrations and feast now celebrated for almost 2500 years… celebrated this year on March 6-7, 2023. It gets its name from the type of dice used “PUR” to determine things or events.
A two day celebration
Feasting / Celebration
Gifts given / Special attention to the poor
It begins with the reading of the Megillah of Esther:
Scroll of Esther (Display scroll)
This book records for us the events leading up to and bringing about this celebration
Interestingly… God is not mentioned in the book of Esther:
Wilkinson had this to say… “There has been opposition to acceptance of Esther as divinely inspired, especially because no form of the name of God is used, and yet there are 187 references to the Persian king. Nor is there any mention of the Law, the offerings and sacrifices, prayer, or anything supernatural.” He would also state… “God’s hand of providence and protection on behalf of His people is evident throughout the book, though His name does not appear once.”
Holman states this concerning Esther: “…one cannot understand the story apart from God’s remarkable presence and providence with His people - however invisible He may seem to be at times.” Elsewhere he writes, “Although the name of God is not mentioned in Esther, nowhere in Scripture is the care of God more evident.”
PROVIDENCE
PROVIDENCE
That word PROVIDENCE: you cannot read this book without seeing it played out:
Some like to call it Chance… or Coincidence… BUT WITH GOD… it can only be addressed as PROVIDENCE!!!
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (PROVIDENCE)
divine guidance or care;
God conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny;
marked by foresight, occuring as if by an intervention
It takes approximately 46 minutes to read the narrative of Esther. Before the Megillah is read, the reader recites the following three blessings and all those listening answer Amen as indicated:
(1) Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the reading of the Megillah. (Amen)
(2) Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time. (Amen)
(3) Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion. (Amen)
As one reads Esther there is suspense, laughter, and even sorrow. However, there is NO DOUBT that God almighty is at work!!!
The Overview
The Overview
This book is found to take place between Chapter 6 and 7 of Ezra. The key characters in this story are:
Esther
Xerxes
Mordecai
Haman
The book is written with an irony, one of the most narrative books of the bible.
The First Half
It seems as you watch the scenes unfold that things are falling apart for the characters and the Jews as a whole. There is a real threat presented to the individuals, the nation, the outcome for God’s Promises. There is presented here a REAL NEED FOR GOD!
Have you ever had those days, weeks, years???
The need is there… and you want a Moses to come on scene with miracles, or an Elijah to speak words of truth and demonstrate God’s Power! You look for some sign or wonder with anticipation… God are you there?
The Pivot Point comes at the center of the book… when the King just so happens to have trouble sleeping
Daniel 4:35 describes the power God has… Psalm 2:1-4 is descriptive about how God views a Kings behavior:
“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
The Second Half
There is almost a cheering that occurs as you read the pages… What seemed like CHAOS and CONFUSION all of a sudden the pieces fall into place. What felt like utter defeat is now seen as Unimaginable Triumph! Interestingly enough there is no prophet who comes, no sea is parted, no amazing miracle witnessed YET the hand of God is SO VERY EVIDENT… PROVIDENCE has its invisible fingerprints all over this narrative.
Chapter 1
We are introduced to King Xerxes, his power, and insight into how he leads and makes decisions...
A 180 day feast is seen, no doubt to exploit his wealth, power, and drink… but also to plan his invasion on the Greeks.
Around the last day of the feats he calls for queen Vashti to show her off and she refuses the king… he seeks his council, the law, and decides to banish her making a decree for all women and their husbands.
We know from history he attacks the Greeks and ultimately faces a defeat… he wants comfort.
Chapter 2
Vashti is gone so he decides to through a beauty pageant so to speak and seek a new queen.
Esther is then introduced… an orphan raised by her older cousin Mordecai who had been taken captive back when Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Jews.
Mordecai tells Esther to hide the fact that she is a Jew
The king would sleep with all the virgins, spending one night with each, and then make his choice of who he wanted to be his queen
The King chooses Esther 2:15-17
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
A little later Mordecai overhears a plot to kill the king, reports it to Esther and saves the king’s life! … and nothing comes of it.
Chapter 3
Here we are introduced to Haman… he is powerful, prideful and arrogant and wants all to bow down to him.
Mordecai refuses to do so… this enrages Haman who finds out Mordecai is a Jew
His hate for the man and the people results in him going to the king, convincing him that these people should be wiped out and the date set is determined by casting the “PUR” that is lot to find the day and month.
Letters of this decree the king makes are sent to ALL provinces!
Chapter 4
News reaches Mordecai and Esther… they are overwhelmed with grief and worry
There is fasting that takes place (no prayer is mentioned or petition to God)
Mordecai instructs Esther to reveal she is a Jew to the king… Esther 4:13-14; 16b
She has been given both Position and Opportunity
Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”
“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
Chapter 5
Esther approaches the king unsolicited… and he welcomes her
Esther request a banquet with the king and a special guest Haman
Haman in his pride goes home to gloat to friends and family Esther 5:11-14
Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, and the number of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had promoted him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king. “Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows fifty cubits high made and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet.” And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
Chapter 6
In Esther 6:1 we see providence and I would imagine a smile or laugh by God...
During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
He discovers Mordecai was not rewarded for saving his life
First thing in the morning the Haman goes to request Mordecai’s life and the King seeks who to consult to honor Mordecai!!! Esther 6:6-9
So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed; and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’ ”
The king then orders Haman to do this for Mordecai!!!!
Haman is mortified goes home to cry and have a pity-party but is taken in the midst of his party to the queens second banquet
Chapter 7
At the banquet Esther reveals that Haman is going to kill her and her people…
This make the king furious with Haman… he storms out
Haman begs for his life from Esther and falls on her… it so happened the king walks back in
Haman is then hung on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.
Chapter 8
Mordecai is promoted to take Haman’s position
The king looks over the decree and sees no way out of it so he writes up a new one to have the Jews fight their enemies
Chapter 9
There is two days of fighting and two days of victories
The gentiles see this and many decide to become Jews
Purim is instituted to celebrate the victory and preservation of the Jews
Chapter 10
At just 3 verses this potion looks at the man Mordecai and how he was known throughout the empire and promoted to 2nd in command
We read this story and we laugh, wonder, maybe even read in awe… but what does this mean almost 2500 years later...
God Are You There?
God Are You There?
Israel would need this book of Esther as they would wait 400 years seeming to watch as God was silent… Yet working!!!
Daniel reveals God’s plans, his working and preparation to set the stage on a GLOBAL level for the coming of His Son Jesus Christ.
At the celebration of PURIM the Jews will close their reading with one final blessing…
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who wages our battles, defends our rights, avenges the wrong done to us, punishes our oppressors in behalf, and brings retribution upon all our mortal enemies. Blessed are You Lord, who exacts payment in behalf of His people Israel from all their oppressors; God who delivers. (Amen)
Then many go about the celebration, about their lives like it was a good story as if God has no place in their lives.
Do not leave here today thinking that this does not apply to you:
God has you where you are, going through what you are, working where you work...
What position and opportunity has God placed you in???
Your neighbor, your employer or coworkers, friends
“For such a time as this”!… the world seems to be falling apart
Struggles, grief, wrong done, … these are things common with this life we live
Paul says in Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
“FOR GOOD”… notice though that not all things are good.
Are you willing to pay the cost, for God’s purpose for your life?
Right now things around you may be falling apart, but remember this that God is still at work today, His Son is returning… and ULTIMATELY we are going to see things fall into place!