ESTHER
Ahasuerus
(Xerxes)
Reigned from India to Ethiopia at Shushan (Susa) during
the reign of the Persian Empire (Dan.
2:36-39)
Esther
1:1-9
He
threw a lavish party for 180 days (3
months)
Followed
by a 7 day feast.
Esther
1:11
On
the 7th. day, the
king summoned Queen
Vashti
to appear "in
order to show her beauty to the people and the officials."
HE
WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH WOMEN AND THEIR BEAUTY
She
refused, so the king put her away as queen,
never
to appear before him again.
Esther
2:2-4
The
king's servant suggests rounding up all the beautiful virgins in the
kingdom
A
beauty pageant
of young women to be brought before the king to choose from.
Esther
2:5-7
We
are introduced to Mordecai
(A Benjamite
& grandson of Kish)
of
royal descent:
1
Sam. 9:1-2 Kish
was the father
of King
Saul
Mordacai
reared his
cousin, Esther (Hadassah),
as his own daughter. for
she was orphaned.
Esther
2:12-14
A
deplorable arrangement. A
new woman for the king each night!
Esther
2:8-11
The
king favored Esther
- But she did not reveal her Jewish heritage as
being of the Jewish captives.
NO
WONDER MORDECAI PACED THE FLOOR in his concern for her.
Esther
2:21-ff
Mordecai
warns Esther of a plot to kill the king, who in turn tells the king
in Mordecai's name.
The result: 2 guilty eunuchs were put to death.
Esther
3:1-6
We
are introduced to Haman
(An
Agagite)
1
Sam. 15:1-2, 9 Agag
was the king spared of the Amalekites
whom Saul
and the
people failed to utterly destroy per God's instructions.
See
how disobedience effects future events?
The
king advanced
Haman
to be head
over his princes. Because
Mordecai refused to bow to Haman - Haman
devised a plan to kill all Jews.
Esther
3:8-11
Haman
offers
10,000 pieces of silver
to the king's treasury for the purpose of payment
to those who would destroy all the Jews.
Esther
3:12-ff
In
one day, the plan was determined to exterminate all
Jews. Does
this remind us of Hitler's efforts under the German third Reich?
Esther
4:1-3
Mordecai
and all Jews MOURNED in sack cloth and ashes.
Esther
4:5-9
Mordecai
sends word to Esther about what is happening and asks her to go
to the king and plead for her people.
Esther
4:10-12
Esther's
reply: "If I do this, I will be put to death." Her
initial concern was for herself rather than her people.
HER
HOUR HAD COME. WHAT WOULD SHE DO?
It
has been said that "Everyone has their 15 minutes of fame."
What
would you do in your
hour?
WHO
WOULD YOU
GLORIFY - Yourself or God?
Jesus,
in His
hour gave up Himself in order to glorify the Father.
Jn.
12:23-27 (Jesus)
"The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
(24) Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of
wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it produces much grain. (25)
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his
life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
(26) If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I
am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me,
him My Father will honor. (27) Now My soul is troubled,
and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour?'
But
for this purpose I came to this hour.
(28) Father, glorify Your name...."
Esther
4:13-14
Mordecai's
response: "You will die anyway!"
We
are going to lose our life, either way we turn. Which way will you
go?
Mt.
10:38-39 (Jesus)
"And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me
is not worthy of Me. (39) He
who finds his life will lose it, and
he who loses his life for My sake will find it."
"But
if you keep silent, God
will provide deliverance from another source."
MORDECAI'S
FAITH WAS ROOTED IN GOD'S ABILITY TO DELIVER
Is
our
faith rooted in God?
When
temptation comes, will we look
for deliverance?
1
Cor. 10:13 "No
temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to
man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape,
that you may be able to bear it."
Do
we know as Mordecai did, that God is the source
of every blessing?
Jas.
1:17 "Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes
down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow of turning."
Do
we believe as Mordecai did, that God's greatest interest is His
people?
Rom.
8:28 "And
we know that all things work together for good to those
who love God, to
those who are the called according to His purpose."
Esther
4:14
"Yet
who knows whether you have come for such a time as this?"
Who
knows what great purpose God may have for us? And how will we
recognize it when it comes? It
might not seem
great at the time.
Did
Rahab know that her great moment would be to protect the lives of 2
men by hiding the spies on the roof of her house and helping
them to escape over the wall of
Jericho? (Josh.
2)
Heb.
11:31 "By
faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not
believe, when she had received the spies with peace."
Mary,
(sister to Lazarus and Martha),
claimed fame when she anointed Jesus. (Jn.
12:3 identifies her as Mary) It
didn't seem so great to those around her. Mk.
14:3-9 Criticized
for her good work, she did what she could & is remembered.
Esther
4:15-ff
Esther's
reply: "Pray & fast for me for 3 days and nights."
"I
will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I
perish!"
WE
MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER IN THIS SAME WAY
Jn.
15:12-13 (Jesus
speaking to His disciples) "This is My commandment, that
you love one another as I have loved you. (13) Greater love
has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his
friends."
Rom.
5:6-8 "For
when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died
for the ungodly. (7) For scarcely for a righteous man
will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would
even dare to die. (8) But God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us."
This
is how we are to love one another. We are living our moment now.
How
will we respond when opportunity to serve presents itself?
1
Pet. 1:22-23 "Since
you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another
fervently with a pure heart, (23) having been born again,
not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the
word of God which lives and abides forever."
INVITATION
God
has provided our way of escape from eternal death. This
might be your moment to choose life or death.
Heb.
2:1-9 "How
shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"
