Sermon Central
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"Esther’s Finest Hour”
Contributed by John Hamby on Jul 9, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: Esther is called upon to stand for the people of God.
A Study of the Book of Esther
“Esther’s Finest Hour”
In the last chapter a previously unknown man named Haman was elevated by the king to a position second only to himself. Part of that posi-tion was that everyone was to bow and pay hom-age to him. Mordecai refuses to show Haman the respect that had been commanded. Haman was so incensed that he was able to deceive the king into passing a law that would not only kill Mordecai and all the Jews in the Persian Empire and seize their properties.
Mordecai becomes aware of this and he and the other Jews begin to publicly mourn in sack cloth and ashes. Mordecai makes Esther aware of the situation and instructs her that she must intercede with the king for her people.
The chapter ends with several serious obstacles in carrying out this task. Not the least of which is that she has not been called into the king’s presence in more than 30 days.
1. To speak to the king, Esther has to break the law for which the penalty is death.
There is a certain irony in the fact that in Chapter one, Vashti the queen risked her life by refusing to appear when summoned by the king and in now in Chapter 4 Esther the new queen risks her life by appearing before the king unsummoned.
“Those who appeared before the king without invitation were liable to immediate executi0n. This was no empty threat. Contemporary depictions of the Persian king excavated at Persepolis show him seated on his throne holding a scepter, flanked by various officials, including a soldier with an axe.” [Edwin Yamauchi. “Persia and the Bible” (Grand Rapids; Baker, 1990. P.360]
2. To make her appeal to the king, Esther has to confess she has deceived the king.
Esther will attempt to persuade the king to spare her life and the lives of her fellow - Jews. But to do so she has to admit that she, has deceived the king -by keeping the fact that she is a Jew a secret.
3. Esther is attempting to convince the king to reverse an irreversible law. The decree which permitted the enemies of the Jews to kill them and confiscate their property was executed as a law of the Persians and the Medes, an irrever-sible law (see 1:19; 3:10-11; 8:8). It does not look as though the king will or can undo the law he has allowed to be decreed in his name.
4. Esther sets out to oppose Haman, one of the most powerful persons on Earth at that moment in time. The king has handed over a great portion of his power to Haman, which enables him to pass laws the king has not even read. To appeal to the king is to go against Haman, a wealthy power-broker who has the king’s ear, not to mention the king’s signet ring.
5. Esther is pursuing a plan which will strike a serious blow to the king’s pride.
For the king to deal with Haman as the situation requires, the king will have to admit he has not been wise in exalting Haman to power and position of second in power only to himself.
The ultimate encouragement to the children of God is the assurance “that the king’s heart is like channels of water in the Lord’s hands.” (Prov. 21:1)
Between chapters 4 and 5 there is a dramatic pause. We are left in suspense as we are not told anything that happened during the three day fast. This pause represents a silent, yet powerful interlude during which Esther seeks wisdom and strength to do what she needs to do. Even though God was silent during those three days, we can trust that He was at work, nonetheless. During a waiting period, God is not only working in our hearts, He is working in others’ hearts.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isa. 40:31). When we find ourselves in one of those interlude periods of our lives, when we need to wait upon the Lord for wisdom, strength and direction, we too should ask for others to pray with us, and then we should give it over to God, and wait with a listening ear and a watchful eye. That’s exactly what Esther did – she waited, fasted, prayed, and listened in her heart and soul. Because of this interlude with God, Esther was able to approach the moment of truth – to step into the presence of the king, calmly and wisely and confidently.
First, The Plan of Esther. (5:1-4)
• The Appearance of Esther Before the King. (5:1-8)
