INTRODUCTION
Opening Statement: One of Megan’s favorite stories is Cinderella. She was the abused, ophaned house slave with no hope of a future or ever attending the royal ball much less luring the handsome prince into marrying her. Her fairy god-mother magically helps her to not only attend the royal ball, but she steals the heart of the prince. The clock strikes 12, she runs out of his arms and drops a glass slipper in the process. After a frantic search, the prince finally found that Cinderella’s foot fits the glass slipper she left behind and knows that she was the one that he encountered that night. They marry, live happily ever after, end of story.
Transition: The book of Esther is the biblical answer to Walt Disney’s story of Cinderella. An orphan girl from an enslaved nation ends up marrying the king. It’s short story at its finest.
Title: The Story of Esther - A Heroine in Personal Crisis
Notation: The storytellers of the Bible select details by two criteria when writing about people: they give us positive models to follow and negative examples to avoid. The Esther story is so interesting because it includes both. Esther is first portrayed as a young person in a foreign land who is caught in an identity crisis without the guidance of a mother or a father. And then, she is portrayed as a heroine figure who is transformed through a national ordeal.
OUTLINE
I. Setting the Stage
A. Background Information: Esther’s family was deported by the Babylonians in 597 BC. King Cyrus, and the Persians conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Their philosophy was not to deport and assimilate. So, beginning with King Cyrus in 539 BC and continuing with King Darius and King Artaxerxes through the year 456 BC, they permitted the Jewish captives to return to their homeland.
B. Historical Contextualization: The OT books of Ezra and Nehemiah give us some interesting details as to how they were able to return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem, complete with a new wall and a new temple. The story of Esther covers about a 10 year period and takes place between the 6th and 7th chapters of the book of Ezra, between the first return led by Zerubbabel and second return led by Ezra. Evidently, Esther was adopted by her cousin Mordecai and for some reason they had not returned to their beloved Israel 85 years later after the first returns began. Esther was born while in exile and knew nothing of her homeland and ethnic origins by personal experience. She was no doubt informed of her religious identity by Mordecai from a very early age as the story reveals. For some of the Jewish captives, their nation was lost in oblivion and captivity for 70 years (Jer. 25:11). But for Esther and many other Jewish people, many of them never made it back to the land that was promised to them by God. The dramatic story recorded in Esther takes place in 465 BC in the Persian capital city of Susa. With this in mind, allow me to summarize this story by focusing on the main character- Esther.
II. Looking at the Heroines Story
A. The Setting
Depressed over a recent military defeat, the King of Persia requested that Queen Vashti come in and perform some kind of lewd dance to indulge his pride of sexual possession. She refused, and as a result, she was banned from the King’s presence and lost her royal crown. The king’s attendants suggested that a search be made for beautiful young virgins worthy of the kings harem with potential to become the new queen. One historian notes that there were 400 girls total. They would be soaked in oils and perfumes and groomed for a whole year in preparation for one night with the King. Then one by one, night after night, they would go try to leave a lasting impression on the king. Those who were rejected as a potential queen lived the rest of their lives like widows. For the King, this whole process undoubtedly became a bit laborious as night after night, he spent it with a different woman, eager to leave an impression. Enter Esther.
B. The Identity Crisis
When the physically attractive Esther enters the story in chapter 2 after being chosen to be a part of the king’s harem, she is somewhat of a passive young woman in an identity crisis, taking her cues from step-father cousin Mordecai. She went by two names (Esther 2:7) and she concealed her true identity (2:10, 20). Unlike Daniel, she evidently ate non-kosher foods (2:9) which violated Jewish dietary laws. She did not appear to feel out of place in a harem and when it came her turn to spend the night with the king, we have no record that she resisted (2:15). In fact, she was chosen as the best of all the virgin lovers and ended up becoming the Queen. This was clearly something which violated her Jewish faith. At this point in the story Esther is a beauty queen taking the path of least resistance in a pagan culture. What happened next transformed her.
C. The National Ordeal
In chapter 4, cousin Mordecai sends word to Queen Esther that a plot has been hatched by wicked Haman to exterminate all of the Jews on a certain day about 8 months away. It was already signed into law in fact. Haman detested Mordecai who wouldn’t bow to him because he was a descendent of Agag, associated with the Amalekites (1 Sam.15), long-time enemies of Israel. This exacerbated the problem that led up to this cruel edict.
D. Two Worlds
At first, she was going to take the path of least resistance once again and conceal her identity (4:11). But she realized that she could not live in two worlds anymore. Unwilling to bear the burden of other’s expectations and unwilling to allow others to make decisions crucial to her future for her, she makes a decisive, independent choice in favor of her religious values. This is the very moving and dominant theme that emerges in the Esther heroine story.
E. Key Verses
Look at verses 12-16 of the fourth chapter of Esther. Esther 4:12-16 4:12 When Esther’s reply was conveyed to Mordecai, 4:13 he said to take back to Esther this answer: 4:14 "Don’t imagine to yourself that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear from another source, while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!" 4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 4:16 "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. I and my female attendants will also fast in the same way. Afterwards I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!"
F. Her Dilemma
When you read those verses, one gets the feeling that everyone had turned against Esther, even Mordecai, to some degree. In so many words, he threatened, "If you don’t do something now, then I know for a fact that there will be a Jewish Liberation Movement that takes place and I can’t guarantee your safety. Even though you’re in the safe confines of the palace walls, your life will be in danger if you remain silent in such a time as this." Mordecai’s appeal is passionate: "Esther, I have raised you up… God has raised you up to be more than just a sex-object to a pagan king." Notice how Mordecai’s plea’s appeal to her Jewishness. There was a greater purpose for her being there that she needed to realize. She came to this conclusion: "Enough of the easy life. It’s time to put my name on the line. I am Jewish and I believe in the living God and in His covenant with Israel. I am ready to make a stand for my people." Esther is transformed from sex-object into a powerful woman of God willing to risk it all by standing before a king who could execute her on a whim. Esther’s beginnings were suspect and her identity vague early in the narrative. However, no longer does Mordecai make her decisions for her after this moment. She devises and executes the plan from this moment forward in the narrative.
G. The Climax of the Story
She goes before the King but was afraid to reveal her dilemma. She finally decided to request a special meal with the King and Haman present. Haman didn’t have a clue that Queen Esther was raised by Morecai whom he hated. In fact, he boasted of his new status with the Queen (5:12)! The dramatic irony is really funny (see 2:21-23 and 5:6, 12-6:12). She finally disclosed her request for her nation, unmasking the villain Haman as well as her true identity (7:3-10). She was transformed by the whole ordeal.
H. The Conclusion of the Story
The fact that the edict to exterminate the Jews could not be reversed. But there was no reason why a counter decree could not be issued that would allow the Jews to defend themselves, kill their attackers, and take spoils on the day that Haman’s edict was to become effective. That’s what happened. People feared the Jews and Mordecai became a prominent ruler in Susa (10:3) and Esther remained the Queen.
III. Imitating the Heroism
A. Application: The greatest act of heroism one could ever accomplish would be to take an honest look at who we are and what we are becoming or have become as a nation or as an individual, and then, in full view of the awfulness of that picture whatever it may or may not include from our past, to be transformed into something that God could use to change our world. Like Esther, we’ve tried to live in two worlds for too long, even allowing other people to make decisions for us. God wants us to stop sliding along with circumstances and taking the easiest way out of a situation all of the time. God wants a total commitment. He has allowed us to live at this particular hour in our history to rescue Christianity from those who would like to see it become an extinct belief system. It’s time to make a stand in our culture. The corporate church in this postmodern culture today must rise up with one "Esther-like" voice in order to rescue a nation and to introduce a Christian counter-culture. We’re at a time in our history when we need some reckless abandon to the kind of life God has called us to. It’s called commitment. Some Patrick Henry’s who will say "Give me liberty or give me death." Some Nathan Hale’s, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." This is your hour church, your finest hour as we stand on the brink of another century. Stand. Speak. Die! But whatever you do, don’t just sit there and be silent. Be the church; don’t just attend one. Some churches just want to shout the gospel and the Christian counter culture values at people from a distance. That’s easy. That’s how the church gets stereotyped. In order for us to have a clear, relevant voice, we must involve ourselves deeply in the lives of confused people, to think ourselves into their culture and their problems and to feel with them in their pains. Everyone here is called to some kind of ministry regardless of your past. In order for you to have that ministry, you’re going to have to take a stand in some very personal areas of your life.
1. Some of you need to take a philosophical stand. You’ve been living in two worlds for too long, taking your cues from this world and the materialistic system that drives this temporal age. Rethink your life.
2. Some of you need to take a moral stand. You’ve become your own moral authority. You’ve adopted some questionable morals and justified it in your own mind. You’re happy with who you are and what you’re becoming and you’re also self-deceived. As pastor, I can be a "camp counselor" and tell you what you want to hear so you’ll come back next week. Or I can be a leader who tells you what you need to hear, that God demands something of you, that you can confront your behavior and can change.
3. Some of you need to take a spiritual stand. You’ve been holding back on following Christ. Some think that total devotion to Christ is squandering the only life that you have. You need to make a decision right here, right now.
4. Some of you need to take a relational stand. Your marriage is in serious trouble. It’s time to make a stand.
B. Quotation: Marshall Fishwick said: "The uncommitted life isn’t worth living." This life is not the rehearsal; it’s the real thing.
C. Illustration: Three military recruiters showed up to address high school seniors. Each recruiter - representing the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps - was to have fifteen minutes. The Army and Navy recruiters got carried away, so when it came time for the Marine to speak, he had just two minutes. He walked up and stood utterly silent for a full sixty seconds, half of his time. Then he said this: "I doubt whether there are two or three of you in this room who could even cut it in the Marine Corps. But I want to see those two or three immediately in the dining hall when we are dismissed." He turned smartly and sat down. When he arrived in the dining hall, those students interested in the Marines were a mob. The recruiter knew that commitment comes from appealing to the heroic dimension in every heart.
CONCLUSION
Application: I see an additional point of application arising out of the story of Esther that I want to look at in conclusion. Esther’s story tells us something about the providence of God at work in the intricate weavings of fragile human decisions. Some are concerned that the name of God never appears in this book neither are there references to the Hebrew religion or the temple, and there are no miracles. All of these are evidences that the story of Esther was taken from the Persian records. God redeemed a piece of secular history for a sacred purpose. One cannot read this book without being conscious of God. God doesn’t always work with flashing neon signs. Sometimes, like Mordecai, He chooses to work behind the scenes bending fragile human decisions toward His purposes and bringing the right things into our lives at just the right time. There are many evidences of this: 1) Esther chosen to be Queen; 2) Mordecai discovering the plot to kill the King; 3) Casting of lots to destroy the Jews resulting in a late date that gave time for the Jews to prepare; 4) The King’s welcome to Esther after ignoring her for a month; 5) The King’s patience with Esther in permitting her to hold another banquet; 6) The King’s insomnia that brought to light Mordecai’s good deed. After reading this story, you get the feeling that God is touching life at every point. Even though you may be wondering where God is as you face life, know that He is active though hidden amid the shadows. When God seems absent, He’s present.
Summation: The Book of Esther is a story of national deliverance by the Providence of God through a woman who was willing to take a stand and as a result was transformed. It is a rescue story that involves overcoming obstacles to finally triumph in the end. Really, this story prefigures our salvation stories. It’s a microcosm of the whole plan of redemption. Satan is now trying to destroy God’s people. Our only safety is in Christ. We must echo the response of Esther in our salvation-rescue stories. "If I perish for believing in Jesus as my Savior and Deliverer… if I perish for identifying myself with Him and His cause, then I perish. I am willing to risk it all on Him alone." That’s really what salvation is all about.
