Esther - Preparing to be used “For Such a Time as This”
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Have you ever faced a time in your life where your circumstances just seemed plain awful? Like things could not get any worse, only to get worse.
Maybe you are in a marriage where it seems your spouse just doesn’t care about you.
Maybe you have faced death in your family and think, I just can’t do this.
Maybe you are in a financial hardship that is really no fault of your own and you wonder, “God, what are you doing?”
Maybe you are facing medical conditions or problems that seem just overwhelming and you think, “God, where are you?”
I want to tell you that often in the midst of difficult circumstances, God is busy working behind the scenes and wants to use you do the extraordinary even in the midst of your circumstance, even if we can’t see Him working.
Often, it is only after the fact that we see His Mighty hand.
So today, I would like to help you to be prepared to be used by God for a time such as that, because I can almost guarantee that you are going to face some difficult circumstances.
We are going to take a look at Esther.
You can begin turning there now (p.354 in pew Bibles)
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It is right before Job which is right before Psalms which is in the middle of your Bible. Open to the middle and go left a couple of books.
As we take a look at some of the circumstances of the life of Esther, we will find they weren’t so good, but God had a plan and used her in the midst of those circumstances, just like He would like to use you in the midst of your circumstances.
So as we go through this story, I hope to give you some insight into what is going on so we might understand this story a bit better and learn how we might be prepared to be used by God “for such a time as this.”
Let’s being in Esther 1:1-5, 7-8
1 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: 2 At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 3 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.
4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa… 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.
Ok, let’s stop there a moment.
Here we have a king that is quite full of himself, as many kings were. From a worldly standpoint, he had good reason to be full of himself. He was ruler of a huge empire.
Xerxes Histroy
After he became king, he put down a couple of revolts in Babylon and Egypt and had hopes of conquering Greece.
It might be for this reason that he decides to display his great wealth to all his nobles and officials, his military leaders, as well as the princes and nobles of other provinces, so they would be with him in his quest to defeat Greece.
So, for 6 months, he had all the powers of the nations of his empire partying and perhaps talking up this military mission.
At the end of 6 months, he had a week long closing ceremony that would rival any Olympics ceremonies and spent liberally on his guests including indulging in great amounts of wine.
So, here are all these macho military men and leaders of areas of Xerxes empire, drunk and getting drunker for a whole week. Not a pretty site.
Many of you know how rude and crude men, or anyone for that matter, can get when they are drunk.
Well this is the situation, the current Queen Vashti finds herself in.
Now she is giving a banquet for the ladies while the guys are boozing it up.
Let’s continue
Esther 1:10-11
10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him-(he names them)- 11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.
Now, ladies, imagine for a moment, your drunk husband calling out to you to come over so all his drunk buddies can check you out.
Some commentators believe that when it says “wearing her royal crown,” that that is all she was to be wearing when she came in to be oogled by these drunks.
The Queen refuses and this upsets Xerxes.
Xerxes makes a law, which can’t be repealed, deposing her and stripping her of her title.
War battles begin
Secular history informs us that Xerxes set out not long after this to try and defeat Greece, but ultimately returned without conquering it.
This is probably where Chapter 2 picks up. His anger has subsided and he is thinking about his babe of a former wife, but he can’t have her because he made a rash decision that could not be repealed.
So Xerxes is bumming.
Then, one of his attendants, probably desiring to get in good with the king and knowing his fondness for the female form, makes a suggestion.
Esther 2:2-4
"Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. 4 Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.
Imagine that. The king thinks it is a good idea to bring in a bunch of beautiful virgins for his pleasure. Go figure.
Anyway, a search is made throughout his empire. He rounds up beautiful young virgins from every corner of his empire and they all undergo spa treatments so they can be made to look even better for this chauvinist and selfish king.
This is where we meet Esther, a young, Jewish virgin and Mordecai, her older cousin.
Esther 2:7 tells us that Esther “was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.”
So Esther lives in the town where the palace is because Mordecai is in the service of the king as a minor official with duties at the king’s gate, which is the place of commerce and legal activity.
Now, while the Jews had been exiled and taken into captivity in Babylon about 100 years before this, they had gained some freedoms about 50 years after that and were at this point free to live there and work for the king. Now even though they had freedoms, they still had a lot of people who were not particularly fond of them.
So, Esther 2:10-11 tells us that
10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11 Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
Ok, I want to stop here a moment and learn a few things.
The first thing we need is to
Learn to Listen Up
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Esther listened to Mordecai and kept her mouth shut concerning her being a Jew.
There are times we need to open our ears and shut our mouths.
James 1:19 - Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
This is why it is important that we surround ourselves with people whom we give freedom to speak truthfully to us.
This was part of Xerxes problem. He had advisors, but these were often just yes men.
Tell the king what he wants to hear or what you want him to do for your own benefit.
These yes men were not helpful to him. They encouraged him to speak or act when he should have been quiet and listened for a while.
Proverbs 14:3 says, “A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.”
But Esther, unlike Xerxes, listened to her wise cousin Mordecai and kept quiet about her heritage.
This was just something that did not need to be talked about at this time.
First, it is not that she is lying, she is just not offering this info.
Sometimes people just start talking and they give too much information.
First, You have no obligation to tell everyone everything about yourself.
Secondly, when we are talking about ourselves, we aren’t listening to others.
If we are going to be used by God we need to be better listeners.
Listening to wise people in our lives that give us advice and
being listeners to other people so we might be able to give advice to them.
Transition
So Esther listened and kept her Jewish heritage quiet.
Now, the king would have these virgins come to him in the evening and then leave in the morning and they would not return to the king ever again unless they pleased him and he asked them to return.
It is here that we read in Esther 2:15 that Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her
Let’s consider her life a moment.
Parents died, living with older cousin to raise her
King taking young girls out of home and now must live as part of a harem
Life is switched up again.
Considering all of this, it is easy to see how she could have just been
withdrawn, or living a bitter life.
But she obviously wasn’t.
Instead, she was living in a way that stood out to others and found favor with them.
If we are going to be used by God in extraordinary ways, we need to
Learn to Stand out
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How do we do that?
Not by the way we dress or the way we look.
Look what it says about Esther.
Esther 2:15
15 When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.
She did not take anything special to impress the king. She went to the king with the natural beauty of herself and she stood out among the women.
Yes, she had a year of beauty treatments, but that was required and it is not that we should not take care of ourselves. But we need to realize that
Who we are is not determined from the outside, but from the inside.
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When Peter was talking to wives about their beauty, he says that you can win husbands over without words but by your behavior…
1 Peter 3:2-5a
2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.
This is for all of us, not just women.
A person who is beautiful on the inside is truly a person who stands out in a crowd.
Illustration – High School girl
When I was in high school, I remember this one girl who looked beautiful. On the first day of my freshman year, as I went around to all my classes, I found that I had all but one class with this girl. I thought to myself, this is going to be a great year.
Until I got to know her. She was just a sour person. She complained and thought of herself quite highly.
It is funny, but as I got to know her, she did not really look as beautiful as I once thought.
That is because real beauty comes from inside of a person.
Perhaps you are thinking, “Well, Esther is about to have it made. She could possibly be queen and have a great life. It is easy to have a beautiful spirit when your life is good.”
Listen, who you are does not depend on your circumstances.
It is your circumstances that reveal who you really are.
And besides, Esther was not at all in a great situation.
Remember her situation
Not only has your life been in upheaval, but now you are part of a harem of a man who is far from good to women.
She has the possibility of being cast aside as used and damaged goods.
Or she may become the wife of this king who is going to be having other women whenever he wants and is going to be regularly getting drunk.
Gee, Life sure is good (sarcastically)
Maybe you
feel like you are in some pretty awful circumstances and
feel there is no hope.
I want to encourage you today and let you know that there is hope.
There is hope that even in the situation that seems beyond being able to be used, God still can and desires to use you.
The question is …
Will you order your life and live it so that you might experience the joy of being used in an extraordinary way?
Think about that as we continue on.
Transition
So we learn from Esther to Listen up and Stand out, but what else can we learn.
As the story continues we find that Esther is made queen because she stands out as someone who is truly beautiful.
We see a couple of things at the end of chapter 2 and in chapter 3 that are important to the story of Esther and continue to show God’s sovereignty even in the poor circumstances of life
Mordecai discovers a conspiracy
Her cousin Mordecai, in his role as an official at the king’s gate overhears some conspiracy talk against the king and he tells Esther and she tells the king giving credit to Mordecai. The conspirators are hanged and all this is recorded in the official record.
Haman 2nd in Command
In chapter 3 we find that a man named Haman is exalted to a place of honor higher than anyone else and everyone must bow down to him by the kings command.
Mordecai doesn’t bow down, Haman finds out about it, and finds out that he won’t do it because Mordecai is a Jew. As a Jew, he worships the Lord God and no one else.
So Haman, when he finds out that Mordecai won’t bow down to him and that he is a Jew doesn’t want just to kill Mordecai, he wants to kill all the Jews.
So , in Esther 3:7-11
7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, they cast the pur (that is, the lot) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business."
10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 "Keep the money," the king said to Haman, "and do with the people as you please."
Here is another instance of the king speaking without thinking, and this is largely because he has surrounded himself with people who are selfish and want what they want. He has no wise advisors to listen to, only self interested people.
So a decree is issued and sent everywhere. And in
Esther 3:15
15 Spurred on by the king’s command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.
The king is not interested in people, only in having a few beers.
Mordecai hears the decree that the Jews are to be slaughtered in 11 months on a particular day. He and all the Jews tear their clothes and put on sack cloth and ashes as a sign of mourning and distress.
Esther, not having heard what was going on, sends to find out the situation from Mordecai.
He tells her the situation and urges “her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.” (Esther 4:8)
She reports back to Mordecai that it has been a month since she has been summoned to the presence of the king and anyone going to him without being summoned will be put to death unless he extends his golden scepter to them to spare their life.
Imagine Esther’s situation
She has been the Queen for a little more than 4 years.
You live with a guy who could kill you or have you deposed.
He makes all kinds of inane decisions.
He is a drunk.
He is sleeping with other women.
He gives you a call when he is in the mood for you.
He hasn’t given you a call in a month.
He really only cares about himself and what he wants.
Esther’s circumstances are not the most ideal.
Now, you are supposed to approach the king and plead for mercy for you and your people even though it is against the law and he would likely have you killed if he takes it as dishonoring.
So she tells Mordecai all this.
And Mordecai responds back.
Esther 4:13-14
"Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Mordecai directs Esther to remember who is in control.
Sometimes we too need to
Learn to Look up
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We need to look up to Him who is in control
We need to look up to Him who is able to accomplish more than we ask or imagine.
We need to look up to the one who uses all things for the good of those who love him, who are called according to His purpose.
How often we keep our eyes on the problem and trust in our own wisdom and our own strength.
We need to continual look up to God.
Remember Who is in control
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Hebrews 12:2
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured terrible circumstance for us and now is seated at the right hand of the Father in full control of circumstances and events that are transpiring on this earth and is more than capable of using what we see as awful circumstances for his own glory.
If you leave here today with anything, leave with this.
No matter what situation you find yourself, Look to God to direct you and guide you because He is still on his thrown, He is still in control.
So, Esther does just that as she once again Listen’s up to her wise uncle.
Esther 4:15-16
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."
She looks up and trusts the plan of God in this situation.
She trusts Him for her eternity.
She trusts Him even if it means sacrificing her life here.
This is where the rubber meets the road for Christians.
Do we trust the Lord only for this life?
Only for the comforts we find here?
Or do we trust Him for eternity?
Will we willingly go to our death if it means following Him in obedience?
John, in revelation records Jesus’ words to the seven churches and in his letter to the church of Smyrna, John records this.
Revelation 2:10
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:19
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
But our hope is not for this life only. It is for eternity. And when we keep our eyes on Christ, Looking up to him, He will strengthen us to endure and even find contentment in any circumstance, even in the face of death.
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:12-13
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
So as Esther has lived her life in the midst of difficult circumstances, she has Listened up, She lived life in such a way as her inner beauty stood out, and as trials have come she looks up to God and His control.
This finally enables her to
Learn to Speak Out
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Esther 5:1-3
1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
3 Then the king asked, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you."
Ecclesiastes 3:7 tells us there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak”
Esther listened to the wisdom of Mordecai and was silent about her heritage, but now she has been strengthened to risk her life because now is not the time to be silent but to speak.
She has been put in a position where she can speak for those who are unable.
Proverbs 31:8
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”
Esther does this. She looks to God who gives her the strength and who also gives her success in this matter.
But I want you to notice in this that she does not just blurt out what she desires.
Here is where many people forgo the fullness of God’s blessing of being used.
God wants me to speak so I will speak, who cares how it comes out.
God cares how it comes out.
Considering other people in how something is communicated is godly and wise and eliminates undesirable consequences.
Speak the truth in love.
When we are faced with confronting someone, speak in a way that shows respect for them.
So often in marriages, this where failures occur on both sides.
We speak in ways that show disrespect for people, for positions, for authority.
Even in times when the Lord leads us to have difficult conversations, He cares about how we go about it.
Esther does this in a way that shows respect for the king and honors him.
Esther 5:4
4 "If it pleases the king," replied Esther, "let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him."
They come to a banquet.
Now, either Esther is still a bit nervous or she senses, that this is not the right time, because when the king asks what her request is, she responds
Esther 5:7-8
"My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question."
She needs a bit more time.
I tend to think both things are going on.
She is nervous about bringing this subject up, but God in His wisdom, is going to use this divinely inspired delay.
The king and Haman depart and Haman is all full of himself and joyful that he has been invited 2 days in a row to dine with the Queen, but on his way home he sees Mordecai, that dishonoring Jew who won’t bow down to him.
He talks with his friends about how exalted he is but that Mordecai is ruining his life by not bowing down to him.
His friends and family suggest building a huge gallows and ask the king in the morning to hang Mordecai on it. Haman loves the idea and that he will be able to truly enjoy the banquet with Queen Esther that next night.
Haman is in his glory in his own pride, but
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”
While Haman is having a great night thinking about Mordecai swinging from the gallows in the morning, King Xerxes is having a divine case of insomnia, so he instructs a servant to read the record of his reign. Maybe this will put him to sleep, and if not, he will be reminded of how great he is.
As the record is being read, it is found that Mordecai exposed the plot against Xerxes and Xerxes discovers nothing has been done to honor Mordecai.
God has a great sense of humor, because as Haman comes to ask the king to hang Mordecai, Xerxes has it in mind to honor him.
Haman is called in.
Esther 6:6-11
6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?"
Now Haman thought to himself, "Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?" 7 So he answered the king, "For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ’This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’"
10 "Go at once," the king commanded Haman. "Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended."
11 So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!"
Haman is not feeling so well now. He rushes home, but he is quickly escorted to the banquet Esther is having.
They have the banquet and Esther finally makes her request to the king.
Esther 7:3-4
3 Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life-this is my petition. And spare my people-this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king."
She honors the king in her request. Esther communicates with wisdom.
Esther 7:5-6
5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?"
6 Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman."
The king is enraged at Haman. He even leaves his wine as he storms out.
Haman tries to persuade Esther to change her mind.
Xerxes walks in as he is falling on the couch where Esther is reclining.
This is too much for Xerxes and he orders him to be hanged on the gallows Haman built for Mordecai.
The king could still not revoke the order that Haman wrote however.
Instead, he let’s Mordecai write a new decree that gave authority for the Jews to defend themselves and attack any adversary that came against them.
And on the day when their enemies tried to annihilate them, they were prepared and defended themselves by the strength of the Lord and had victory.
God is faithful to protect His people according to his will, no matter what the circumstance.
Conclusion
He is even able to use a young girl, in poor circumstances, and even use those poor circumstances, to glorify Himself. He is glorified when people trust in Him and obey Him. When we do that, we find contentment in life.
Would like to be content in life?
Learn to Listen, both to the wise people God has placed in your life as well as to others whom God may use you to minister to.
Learn to Stand out by the way you live, relying on the inner beauty that God has given you to come out by the way you live your life.
Learn to Look up, keeping in mind that God is in control and He is good. This will give you the strength to obey in difficult circumstances.
Learn to Speak out in obedience to the Lord in a way that shows honor and respect to those we are speaking to, even if we don’t honor and respect them.
What are your circumstances like today?
If you are married to a drunk and selfish person, you can find peace and contentment in the Lord.
If you are facing life and death situations, trust the Lord and glorify Him by living for Him. As you do, you will find great peace, peace even beyond our ability to understand it.
Maybe you are in a situation that is not even your own doing and you see little way of getting out of it. God can use this situation in your life in an extraordinary way.
No matter where you find yourself today, let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us be strengthened so we might be used for such a time as this.
Pray.
