Oct 8 2023 Esther - Coincidence or Hand of God?
10th October 2023
Esther 2:17
17 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. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.
19 When the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did [g]what Mordecai told her as she had done when under his care.
Mordecai Saves the King
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to [h]lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 But the [i]plot became known to Mordecai and he told Queen Esther, and Esther [j]informed the king in Mordecai’s name. 23 Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a [k]gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.
3 After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and [a]established his authority over all the princes who were with him. 2 All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down [b]and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the king’s command?” 4 Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. 6 But he [c]disdained to [d]lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, [e]Pur, that is the lot, was cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, [f]until the twelfth month, that is the month Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. 9 If it is pleasing to the king, let it be [g]decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.” 10 Then the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 The king said to Haman, “The silver is [h]yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.”
12 Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder. 14 A copy of the edict to be [i]issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. 15 The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was [j]issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion.
4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, [a]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.
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. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom [b]the king had appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 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.
Mike: Thank you readers and Dick for leading us in worship.
We're going to pray. Let's pray for Tony. Um,
as you know, he had, well, some of you don't know,
but most of you know that he had a back surgery this week and it was significant surgery and he's really struggling, and recovery is not going as well as they'd like.
Let's pray for him. Lord, we just ask you for Tony that you'd be with him now,
pray, Lord, that you would help with the pain, that the meds and,
and you and your grace and your comfort would all work together.
that his pain would be relieved that he would be able to come home quickly
and leave rehab quickly.
Pray for Sue and just you would give her grace and strength as she has been
back and forth and there with him the whole time.
And just ask Lord that you would bless and be with her in this
time. Also, Lord, we commit them to your hands.
We commit Tony to your hands and ask for a healing and a recovery quickly. In,
in your name we pray. Amen.
So last week in our discussion time, I kind of realized,
well, I'm gonna go back 'cause a couple things were discussed and I just wanted to
just clarify from my perspective. And it's this,
it's kind of as mentioned, I I brought up others, brought up that people,
Christians, sincere Christians,
have strong and differing opinions.
Differing opinions on how the actions of Vashti, Mordecai,
and Esther should be viewed. It's just a real a reality.
People disagree. Christians disagree,
and there's one major problem is we don't have enough information to know for
certain. We just don't. There's just so much that actually Esther's written in such ways to not give you information. It's, it's almost the point of the book. And, and there is a good reason for that.
And we'll see that as we get into it because it wants to do something more than just tell the exact details of the story. There's something much bigger that it wants to do. With all three of these people, their initial actions, their motive is not revealed purposely. Now, later on we'll learn more about their motive.
But last week and this week it's like, well,
we could go many ways with why they are doing what
they're doing. Some Christians, but a small number for sure have a negative view of Esther in her decisions. Others have a negative view of Mordecai and his decisions.
That's just a reality. The story is not conclusive.
So we need to be okay and settle with our best understanding.
We just need to be able to think, Hey, this is my best understanding on this.
Along with that, the question I'll ask is, do Esther and Mordecai have flaws?
Anybody venture to guess? Yes. If they are humans in the Bible!
The one thing that is so encouraging is the Bible reveals the worst flaws of all the people in it except for one person and only that one person in the Bible does not have flaws. And that's an encouragement to us. Why? If you haven't noticed, you and I have flaws, you and I have big flaws. All of us do. So we are just like the Bible people.
If you always want to be like Moses, well hey, there you are, you're flawed just like Moses Paul,
just like Paul flawed. What we need to do is a lot of ambiguity in the story.
We don't need to defend or accuse Esther and Mordecai.
We just don't need to do that. What we need to do is listen to the story because as we
listen to the story, what we see is it is talking about a bigger story than Esther and Mordecai. So if you're all concerned about Esther and Mordecai, oh, should I have done this? Should I have done that? You miss the big story that's going on inside this smaller story.
So I believe all three are doing what they believe to be right. They may not be, but it seems to me like, you know, in, in this circumstance and situation that they find themselves, they're like, oh, I gotta, I gotta do something. And they do it trying to do what is right.
Their personalities and circumstances play a huge role in how they act in and the actions they take in their circumstances. I'll show you that. There also is another thing, their faith, and I don't mean faith, like I can believe God for anything faith. I mean faith like in Romans 14 where Paul says,
he who does not act according to their faith and what he's talking about, there is personal conviction and conscience. So it's, it's a personality decision and a conscience decision
that each of them is making. So Vashti and Mordecai are uncompromising people.
I mean that is who they are. They take strong stances against evil, what they believe to be evil.
They both exercise civil disobedience in their circumstances. Esther is compliant.
Esther practices civil obedience.
Esther is a rule follower.
Now depending on your personality, you're gonna like one or the other, you know, but neither of them is right or wrong. They're acting within their circumstances, within the situation they faced within person God made them to be in that situation.
And sometimes the most subversive thing you can do when facing evil is to be compliant depending on the circumstances.
I would say when Jesus stood before Pilate and Pilate, you know, was questioning him and telling, and he just kind of stood there and did not defend himself, I think he was as subversive, if not more so, than when he was turning over tables in the temple.
But we tend to, because of our own personalities, we go to one side or the other and God wants to, to learn how to be balanced. He wants balanced people who can discern a situation and act accordingly for that very specific situation.
So now to Esther 2: 21.
This is after what we just heard read. This is after after Esther is made queen and they have the banquet, and then there's a second gathering of virgins for some reason,
I don't know why, but doesn't really go into that.
And it says, in those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate Bigthan and Teresh,
two of the king's officials from those who guarded the door became angry and
sought to lay hands on king Ahasuerus.
So, the first question I have as we read this is, what in the world is he doing sitting at the gate? I, I mean, you know, I guess in my mind I'm thinking, is he unemployed? You know, is he is like,
is he one of those, what do they call those photographers who chase people around? paparazzi or
whatever they're called? You know, is he, is he homeless? Is he, you know,
is he, uh, uh, you know, uh, oh, like in Washington, they have millions of these giving millions of dollars. Lobbyist. Lobbyist, no,
A little archeology will help us.
So the King's gate is, you know how it,
it's really hard to get through the gate at the White House. Well,
that's piece of cake compared to this place,
piece of cake. It was massively thick walled,
a massively thick gate.
And in the wall were built the administrative offices for the palace. So right there at the gate are all these administrative offices, anyone wanting to get in would've to go through these offices.
What's going on with Mordecai is he had worked himself into an administrative position in the Empire. So he's not just sitting there, you know, whatever. He's there for a reason. It's his job to be there.
Verse 22, it says, but the plot became known.
So, there's this plot by these two guys to kill the king. The plot becomes known to Mordecai and he told Queen Esther and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name. Now, when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged and it was written in his book.
Now, as we look at this, so I'm gonna ask, is this just a coincidence?
A bit of good luck for Mordecai. Anyone thinks that No, what they call this, well, some call this a divine coincidence, meaning that it reveals the unseen presence in hand of God. That's what's being revealed here. And a theme in Esther is this unseen presence.
He's not named, but He is present throughout the book.
Now, in knowing that, let me say two things. First of all, well, let me say this first.
We must not minimize the human role that Mordecai and Esther play.
Mordecai was able to hear this because he faithfully worked his way into this position.
So it's not like a coincidence. It is a coincidence in the sense that God is working to get
Mordecai this information.
But Mordecai has partnered with God from page one of the Bible.
So, if you open your book to page one and don't count the contents and all the stuff written beforehand on that very page, God makes it very clear that it has always been his purpose in creation for humans to work in partnership with him over his creation. That has always been God's purpose for us, not the ‘Him be God and us be people’,
but for us to work in partnership, in ruling over his creation, us with an under God ruling with Him and under him. And the more we live in partnership with God, the more divine coincidences we will experience.
That's why it's so important to be in partnership with Him.
Now here's one personal opinion here that I think's important. You may not, we need to be careful not to look for divine coincidence in every coincidence. I think it's an error to do that. I read this, well, I listened to this book on tape by Nasim Tlab, none of you probably know, it's called Fooled by Randomness. And what he does is he just shows scientifically how coincidences are normal. They just happen. It's just math. Cindy and I go, we haven't as much, but on vacations we like to stay at bed and breakfast. Now you got Airbnb and bed and breakfast don't really exist anymore. But we were always amazed at how we always ran that somehow people that we had connection with in a small bed and breakfast and what a coincidence. But you know, after about four or five times, it's like, well this is what it's reality.
And I think sometimes we can maybe make a little too much of coincidences, but at the same time, that doesn't mean there aren't divine appointments or divine coincidences, we just have to go overboard.
Esther 3:1-2, it says,
After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and [a]established his authority over all the princes who were with him.
So Mordecai saves the king and the king does something horrible in their culture. He forgets! They're supposed to honor him. But the point of this is the king is clueless. Throughout the book there, this is much, there's much political satire going on in Esther, it was written as a political satire showing the cluelessness of the Persian kingdom.
Question I ask is all of a sudden there's this guy, Haman, who is he? Why did he get promoted?
What did he do? And it tells us nothing. The reason it tells us nothing is because there's a bigger story and it wants us to look for the bigger story.
And the bigger story is right there. All we need to know is in that verse, everything is right there. Last week we looked at what I said, verse five there of chapter two. We'll, we'll look at that in a second.
Don't read it. And how we would go back, that's so it's key because it,
it gives us the identity, the two identities of Esther and the two identities of Mordecai.
Well, in the introduction here of Haman, we have identity. Who is he?
He is an Agagite.
That is the most important thing for us to know
because an Agagit is a relative of Agag. Agag was the king of Amalek.
So he is a king of Amalek, the Amalekites, we, we've heard of the Amalekites. So in Exodus.
And so this leads us to the bigger story. In Exodus chapter 17, after the,
after the Israel leaves Egypt and cross the Red Sea, the Amalekites come down to destroy the
Israelites and God defeats them through Joshua. And then after they left and returned home,
God promised Israel that he would remove the Amalekites from the land completely and entirely. So there's them. Now we look at, now you can look at Mordecai's identity.
We didn't, we just mentioned he had two names, but he's a Jew. His name's Mordecai and he is the son of all these people. But right in there, he is the son of Kish. That's important.
A Benjamite. Who is the son of Kish? Does anybody wanna venture? Yes,
Saul, king Saul. So in first Samuel chapter 15, king Saul is told to go destroy the Amalekites. Oh wow.
We go from Joshua hundreds and hundreds of years later to King Saul destroy the Amalekites. He goes, he fights, he wins. And he said, especially kill the king, Agag.
But he captures Agag and he doesn't kill Agag.
And Samuel comes and he, he says, you did not do what God told you to do.
And he lost the kingdom to David because of that one act. And now centuries later, the two come in collision once again. And isn't that the way of the world? Historic enemies. Perpetual enemies.
Esther 3:2
2 All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down [b]and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.
What's the question? We ask? Why?
Why did Mordecai not do that? Now, I always used to assume, and this is possible though I don't believe it now, and most don't agree with this some, there are a few who believe, that it 'cause it was an act of worship.
But most likely that is not the case. This was just a sign of respect. It was a way of showing respect. We have ways of showing respect, don't we?
to people in authority?
And most likely Mordecai was just here, they were just asked to show respect to him because of his position. Now again, there's, there's disagreement on that though most would say that's all that's going on here. So what is his motive?
Well, it doesn't exactly tell us. It leaves us to guess.
And as you read the rest of it, it's more confusing, not clarifying.
3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the king’s command?” 4 Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.
So it's like, okay, is Mordecai doing this? Does he know something? He sure knows.
I mean, does he know Haman? Does he know whose Haman ancestors are? Does he know what Haman might do? And is this a prophetic act?
It doesn't tell us, but we can have a good understanding.
Esther 3:5
When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down,
nor paid homage to him,
Haman was filled with rage.
There's one other time this word is used.
And that's when the king was in filled with rage when Vashti would not come and dance.
So it puts the two Mordecai and Vashti together here. Now both of them in their uncompromising hatred of evil characters stand against the one in authority. And both of their actions have grave consequences for themselves and for other people.
Goes on in verse six.
6 But he [c]disdained to [d]lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
It's not saying he was wrong or right, we just need to realize there can be negative consequences when we take a stand, not just for us, but for people we love. It just happens and we need to be aware of it. We need to never compromise with evil. But we need to know clearly when something's evil and when something is not.
And sometimes there's ambiguity and tension in the real world and we need to be good with that.
We need to be good with that. I think it's hard to be good with that because we want it to be this way or that way. And sometimes it's just not cut and dry as we look at our world.
The other thing we see here is Haman. I mean he's just an example of what not to be. He’s going to try to commit genocide to destroy the Jews, to kill them all.
But we heard the plot read in the story, and we need to reject rage as Christians. We need to reject, reject threats and we need to reject and speak against those who rage and give threats.
There's no room for that with followers of Jesus, even towards evil. We are never to rage and threaten. Jesus was pretty clear on that. That's one of those things we know for sure is biblical. We cannot read the Sermon on the Mount and not know that without question is clear.
If we want to obey Jesus, not something else, Jesus - We have to follow that.
And for us, you know that we need to challenge people. We can reprove people. Well,
there's a big difference between that rage and threats. Huge difference. Sometimes on social media there's rage and threats. Correction's, okay, but never rage and threats.
Now the next slide I,
we read this whole thing of Purim,
which is the day that the Jews still celebrate to this.
And they read the book of Esther on that day and it's about the lots.
That's what they were called that they cast the 13th day of the 12th
month, the day before Passover.
This is a Passover story. This is about, Esther is a redemption story. It just, it's like, it's just a repeat of Pharaoh and Moses. It is this story that constantly runs throughout the Bible and it all points to Jesus. And Esther's a gospel story.
That's how it should be read. This is about the gospel. It's about redemption. It's about salvation. Yes, Esther and Mordecai, and these people are involved in the story and it's their lives, but it's written to tell something that is much bigger.
Esther 4:1
Then when Mordecai verse one learned all that had been done,
he tore his clothes.
So he hears this whole plot. He hears what's going on.
This edict has been sent out and all the Jews are to be killed on this day,
When Mordecai learned all that had been done, [a]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.
So there's, for the king, there's this huge disconnect between reality and what he knows. It's, it's kinda like no evil, no, no bad news gets past this gate. His kingdom is wonderful. Sounds like the world today! No bad news goes past these doors! Again. The king is left clueless. What's really going on?
And then the next slide, Esther, she doesn't know anything about this.
The whole world knows; but nobody in that castle knows anything.
All she hears is from someone that Mordecai's out there in sackcloth and ashes. And it's like, what's going on? She hears from the king's eunuch and the king had appointed to attend to her and ordered him to go to Mordecai, to learn what this was and why it was.
So, Mordecai tells him exactly what's going on and about the decree in verse 8 he says. 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 order her to go into the king, to implore his favor and to plead with him for her people. So the Jews are all going to be killed because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman! And now he orders Esther to risk her life.
Life is much more complicated than we would want, and decisions aren't always clear. That's why - we talked about this last week - when we first heard Esther speak and act, she acted with wisdom, incredible wisdom and discernment. And we need to learn how to live with wisdom and discernment.
Learning, living with wisdom and making decisions with wisdom is really hard, because it's just not always simple. Oftentimes you do not have a verse and when you make up a verse, or when you pull a verse out of context to stick into your situation, that is not wisdom.
And people, we all do that all the time. We take a part of a verse and we shove it in to a circumstance we find ourselves. So well, that's what the Bible says -but it may not say that at all, if we understand it clearly.
Dick mentioned this in the the song, the idea of be being in the world and not of the world.
Learning how to live as aliens and strangers in this world. And just a couple practical things for closing here. We need to learn how to adapt without compromising. If you have the no compromise personality, you better learn the adapt personality or you will fail, you will fail.
We need to learn how to accommodate for faith and conscience. Just like Paul said, in Rome, there were two really important things going on. Two people, two groups disagreeing over essential things for them. And Paul said that person, if that's their faith, honor that just like you want them to honor yours. That is really hard, especially when we know we're right.
It's hard.
Now, Some things are biblically clear, are biblically mandated. But it's our responsibility to make sure that what we say is, is.
And that takes work and time and learning and listening and, and unless we know it is clear and we need to not say so much! We can hold a personal conviction!
But it's just the reality that too many of, too many just use, you know, folk Bible knowledge, folk theology, just stuff you've heard all your life. But is it true? You've heard it in church all your life.
You need to say, is it true?
You've heard it from me for some of you,
30 odd years you need to say,
But is it true?
That's your responsibility. Acts chapter 17, they were noble minded because they didn't take Paul's word for it and he was writing the Bible! But they examined the scriptures every day to make sure what Paul said was true. And we need to take that responsibility upon ourselves.
Doesn't mean we all become Bible scholars, we all can't go off to seminary for 10 years or read every theological book in the world. But as Christians, we have a responsibility to take our Bible seriously.
Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this story. These lives in this small time in history, how it points to a much bigger story that's real as real today as it was then - as real today in our country as it was in Persia way back then. Give us the wisdom of Esther and Mordecai, the discernment and also Lord, the grace to know that there will be ways where all we can do is our best understanding. In your name we pray. Amen.