August 14, 2016 Esther 4 - Picking Up the Pieces - For Such a Time as This

Lord, thank You that You answer prayers and work on our behalf – sometimes that answer is different from what we expect –In all things You can be trusted. Help us to trust You in our most difficult situations. We are looking at Esther and You acted on their behalf – but they trusted You before You acted. Make us people who trust You and people of prayer who learn to call on You in our time of need.
We are looking at Chapter 4 this week – what happened – Haman – who is the villain of the story – a lifelong enemy of the Jewish people – Haman rises to great power and has great control over the king – and gets the king to declare a law that the Jews would be killed on the 13th day of the 12th month – so the empire is in upheaval – and the place is in turmoil.
Esther 4: 4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. 2 He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.
Mordecai expresses his opposition to this law in the only way he can – he protests this injustice – and follows the rules – because it was unlawful to go beyond the king’s gate – and so this is a peaceful protest. God and prayer is never mentioned in the book. But there is a hidden story behind the story – the Jews are crying out to God and asking Him to enter their circumstances to change things. The idea of fasting and weeping and sackcloth and ashes is a sign of desperation. We will all find ourselves in situations in which we have no control and we need God to act on our behalf. There are times we should fast? When is the last time you fasted? Weeping and wailing before God. We must get to a point in our lives to where that is how we pray. I want to take a sidestep – to share some practical things in experiencing the presence and activity of God. These are some thing I have worked on in my life – some principles to help us on a daily basis to welcome God into our lives – He is there, but to really invite Him to participate in what we are doing.
1) Review. This happens in the evening – when you are on a regular type of schedule. Evening and morning – the first day – there is something about life beginning in the evening – Like the Sabbath begins the evening before. I like to take some time to reflect on the day – where I met God – how I missed God working in my life – where I’ve failed…. Where was God today and did I engage with Him?
2) Anticipate. This should be done in the morning. In each of these, you can incorporate the elements of spiritual discipline – prayer, scripture reading – etc. And when you leave that time – anticipate – expect – to meet God throughout the rest of the day
3) Repeat. God will speak to our hearts through reading of Scripture – take a phrase with you and repeat it throughout the day – it refreshes you throughout the day.
4) Refocus – find little moments to get away from everything – it might be 30 seconds – a break – where you refocus your attention to God.
5) Invitation – when special events or activities come up – especially those you dread – know that you will go through that event with or without God. And this is you recognizing – you can go through this WITH God.
This is simple – a rule of life, the ancient saints used to call it. I like to think of it as developing a rhythm of life. It becomes a part of who we are in our relationship with God.
Back to Esther:
4 Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them.
She must not have heard the edict. She thinks her uncle has gone off his rocker.
5 Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom the king had appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.
Hathach becomes a go-between.
6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict which had been issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show Esther and inform her, and to order her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to plead with him for her people.
Mordecai has grasped the gravity of the situation. Their world had changed instantly. The world of the Jewish people had changed instantly. 9/11 was huge for us – it changed our world completely. Think about this – in a moment – ALL of their people were to be killed – how much that must have drastically changed their world – and Mordecai understood the gravity – but he also had wisdom of what to do – how to act in this new environment. We must understand our times. We must have a clear understanding of what is going on in our world. And in order to do that – we need to understand that there are hidden things – (Not conspiracies) – but spiritual battles that are going on – and in order to do that – we need to pay less attention to the rhetoric that is going on.
Then we need to seek wisdom from God in how to act.
I’ll be honest – in the church – I think all of us are to blame – but there are a lot of opinions but not a lot of wisdom how to act. I think the key is this verse from Jesus – the Rulers of the Gentiles lord it over one another – it is not so among you. He was saying – true wisdom in knowing how to act will always look different from how the world does it. It will be radically different – and the only way to understand that is to understand how Jesus lived – and what He taught – and that means reading Jesus and seeing what He says – and it causes us to act that way. It goes against everything we normally think. But we are to act that way – it is the only way to have wisdom in our situation.
John Wesley – the founder of the Methodist church – and in our country – we look at things – culturally, politically, etc. – Left/Right/Moderate. Wesley believed in something different – a radical center – a radical middle – which is not right, left, or moderate.
The Reformation had taken place – Luther/etc. – then later, there was the Radical Reformation. They believed – though Lutheran and Calvin made great progress – some say they did not go far enough. We need to go back to Jesus and said – this is how we ought to live – and then to the book of Acts – and said – this is how the church is to be. I think we need to go back to how Jesus lived.
9 Hathach came back and related Mordecai’s words to Esther. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered him to reply to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” 12 They related Esther’s words to Mordecai.
Mordecai says – plead with the king! And Esther responds – I am not allowed – I can only go to him when I am called!
I have not been to the king these 30 days! It is like things are not going well in the relationship!
But Mordecai is not afraid to risk his life for God – and expects others to do the same. Mordecai has faith in the unseen hand of God.
13 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. 14 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.
Esther – going back to the beginning – up to this point – every time it talks about Esther, the text uses the passive voice – she initiates nothing. And Mordecai says that she has the opportunity to ACT. She has been with the king for 5 years and the king does not know her identity – that she is a Jew.
14b - And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”
For such a time as this.
All the events that were out of Esther’s control throughout her life – have led her to this time. We have all had things done to us. And it has had an impact on our happiness and prosperity – and it has led us to this point – for such a time as this! God has something – He wants to take all of it and use it – to pick up the pieces and make something different of the pieces. Oftentimes, the pieces don’t fit back together when stuff breaks – but God is able to turn it into something else for Him. God has called us for such a time as this – not to look for something else – or to wish for days gone by – because they are gone by and are never coming back. We have been called for such a time as THIS! We live in such a time! But it is FOR such a time as this because we have been chosen. For this time.
15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me;
The one who has been silent is no longer. She is no longer meek and mild – she is large and in charge!
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.”
She has no promise. She has no guarantee. What Esther is – is a picture of Jesus – she saves her people by offering her life for her people. It is not even disguised.
17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.
Esther 5:1 Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace.
Can you imagine?
2 When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.
Proverbs says that the king’s heart is like channels of water – God turns them wherever He wishes. The unseen hand comes through.
3 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.”
And at that point, Esther has got to be like. PHEW! Up to this point – Haman was holding all the cards – and at this point – Esther is holding all the cards – AND SHE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW TO PLAY THEM! She knows how to hold em – knows how to fold em…. – and she will do it perfectly.
4 Esther said, “If it pleases the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
She knew he loves banquets. Vashti would not come to the banquet – and that started the problem – and Esther will not only come to the banquet – she is throwing the banquet. And she says – invite HAMAN to the banquet. She sets him up – and the rest of the story is next week – let’s pray!
Lord, thank You – You want us – You said that we should be as innocent as doves and as shrewd as serpents – to be wise. Esther is such an incredible example –of understanding the times and in knowing what to do – May we be the same – in Your name we pray.