Introduction:
A. The story is told of a husband who was heading out to work one day, when his wife said, “I bet you don't know what day this is!”
1. The husband was perplexed, but was always a quick on his feet, he said, “Of course I know what day this is, my dear. How could I forget!?”
2. With that, he turned and rushed to catch the bus for work.
3. At 10 AM, the doorbell rang and when the wife opened the door, she was handed a box containing a dozen long stemmed red roses.
4. Then at 1 PM, a foil wrapped, two pound box of her favorite chocolates arrived.
5. Later, a boutique delivered a designer dress.
6. The wife couldn't wait for her husband to come home.
7. The husband confidently returned from work, feeling satisfied that he had recovered what could have been a very bad situation.
8. His wife warmly welcomed him home saying, “Oh, my darling, first the flowers, then the chocolates and then the dress! I've never had a more wonderful Groundhog Day in my life!”
B. There are certainly many special days in our lives, but most of our days are just regular days that begin and end rather predictably.
1. Day after day, for the most part, we could enter into our diaries the same words: “Just another regular day, nothing special.”
2. But then there are other ordinary days that begin very normally and predictably, but become extraordinary.
3. Those kinds of days may come surprisingly out of nowhere, and they can change the course of our lives.
C. Can you remember some days like that in the lives of biblical characters where they woke up on just another ordinary day, but then things took a dramatic, extraordinary turn?
1. How about the day in Noah’s life when the rain began which resulted in the great flood that covered the whole earth and destroyed all life, except for Noah and his family and the animals God had brought him to save?
a. Noah had known the flood was coming and had built the ark, but he didn’t know when it would come.
2. Or what about the day in the Sinai wilderness when the bush began to burn and wouldn’t go out?
a. Moses had been hanging around the desert for 40 years, and when that 80 year-old’s morning began, he had no idea God was about to send him on a mission to lead God’s people out of Egypt.
3. Or how about that day on the Judean hillside when a Jewish teenager named David was tending his father’s sheep as usual.
a. David had no idea that God was sending Samuel to anoint him to be the next king of Israel.
4. Or how about the day that Jesus was born, and then the day he was raised from the dead – no one expected those things to happen on those days.
a. Or what about the great day that hasn’t yet happened – the day when Christ will return?
D. That’s the way life is – we never know when an ordinary day is going to become a pivotal and extraordinary day.
1. That’s why we must be faithful and we must be watchful for we don’t know when each of us may be called into service as God’s special instrument for whatever the special assignment might be.
2. This is exactly how it happened one day in Esther’s life.
3. As we learned last week, Esther was an unknown, orphaned, young Jewish woman whose life had absolutely no connection with the most powerful man in the Persian Empire – King Ahasueras.
4. But God, in His providential tapestry, was weaving these two unrelated lives together.
5. Esther’s “launch day” began like any other ordinary day.
I. The Story
A. Let’s start at the very beginning, Esther 1:1, the Bible says, Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, (Esther 1:1-3)
1. Ho-hum…just another king, living out another day of another year of his reign.
2. We notice that the king is in the 3rd year of his reign.
3. We also notice that the king gave a banquet.
4. Nothing too unusual about that, right? Kings were always throwing parties.
5. However, as we will see, this banquet was an extravaganza – notice its size and duration.
B. Notice verse 4: 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.
1. Wow, can you believe that? A banquet that lasted 6 months…half a year!
2. That makes some of our political and celebrity blowouts look like a stingy potluck!
3. So for six months, every kind of exhibition displayed the majesty and glory of King Ahasuerus.
4. Surely this included loud music, wild dancing, too much eating, and drinking to excess.
C. If all that weren’t enough, when the one party ended another immediately began.
1. Look at verse 5: 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace.
2. So rather than just having the officials, nobles and the military at the party, the King now opened the doors and let everybody in, from the least to the greatest.
3. Surely they came by the thousands. This party lasted for seven days.
4. Look at the description of this party: 6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 8 And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. (Esther 1:6-8)
5. The glory of this setting must have been mind-boggling.
6. And as expected, there was plenty of booze and it was some of the best wine.
7. The guests could drink a lot or a little.
8. It was a celebration of a lifetime – truly a banquet to be remembered.
D. But there was someone very important missing from this party – Queen Vashti.
1. We learn in the next verse that the queen was giving a banquet of her own: 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
2. No problem with that – the queen is having one party and the king is having another party – one for the guys and one for the gals.
E. But then something happened.
1. Here we have one of those unexpected but pivotal moments that changes everything.
2. No one woke up that morning expecting that something would happen that would change the course of their lives, but that is what took place.
3. The story continues: 10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. (Esther 1:10-11)
4. Whenever people party too long and too hard, usually some kind of negative, detrimental thing takes place.
5. The king , in his inebriated state, decided to show off another of his prizes: the physical beauty of his wife.
6. The king ordered that his wife, the queen, parade herself before his drunken guests for them to enjoy and envy.
7. Scholars have debated the meaning of the king’s command – what exactly did the king request of his queen?
a. Obviously, he was asking for more than just a brief appearance, or the queen would not have refused.
b. Some suggest that the king requested that Vashti should come before the people “unveiled” which would have been scandal enough in a Persian court.
c. Other scholars suggest that the king was requesting that the queen come before them wearing only her crown, which would have been a different kind of scandal.
8. But whatever the king’s request meant, the queen just said “no!”
9. The Bible says: 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.
10. So here we see one of those pivotal moments, one of those moments of conflict where how people respond can change the course of a person’s life, or even the course of a nation.
11. The king made a request he never should have made, which forced the queen to take a stand she did not really want to take.
F. Obviously, King Ahasuerus was not used to being said “no” to and his queen’s refusal enraged him.
1. No doubt his drunkenness contributed to all of this – both his inappropriate request and his angered response.
2. What should the king do? What did the king do?
3. The Bible says: 13 Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, 14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” (Esther 1:13-15)
a. Every head of state has people around who want nothing more than to please him, regardless of what this requires, and Ahasuerus was no exception.
b. These seven princes are named, so they cannot be confused with the seven eunuchs mentioned early, who were the king’s household servants.
c. These seven princes were his cabinet, his advisors, and so he asked them what should we do about the queen’s refusal.
4. The Bible continues: 16 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” (Esther 1:16-20)
a. Quite a speech, wouldn’t you say?
b. Do you think it is an example of overreaction?
c. One wonders if Memucan had a little trouble of his own at home.
d. Can’t you just hear this all-men’s gathering, muttering and mumbling, “Yeah, that’s right, man. We better nip this in the bud before it grows out of hand.”
5. What did the king think about Memucan’s suggestion?
a. The Bible says, “21 This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people. (Esther 1:21-22)
G. Right about now, you may be thinking, “What in the world does all of this have to do with righteous things, and where does Esther come in to all this?”
1. After all, all we’ve got so far is six months of revelry, a huge gathering at a banquet, a drunken king, and a bunch of insecure, frustrated men.
2. But remember what we said last week, God moves in mysterious ways.
3. And God not only moves in mysterious ways, He often moves in mundane ways.
4. Let me remind you of our scripture reading for today from Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
5. God can move the hearts of the rulers of the world wherever and whenever He wishes.
6. But let me remind you, God is never in a hurry.
7. As the poet George Herbert wisely penned, “God’s mill grinds slow, but sure.”
H. As we turn to Esther chapter 2 and notice in verse 16, that it is the 10th month of the 7th year of Ahasueras’ reign, we realize that four years have gone by between chapters 1 and 2.
1. What happened in those 4 years?
2. History tells us that during those 4 years, Ahasueras made an ambitious but disastrous attempt to conquer Greece.
3. So picture king Ahasueras returning to his beautiful palace, weary from battle and discouraged by defeat.
4. The king longs for someone to greet him and comfort him, but he is alone – he has no queen.
I. With all that in mind, let’s look at the beginning of chapter 2: After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king's young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so. (Esther 2:1-4)
1. Four years had passed since the king had disposed of the queen.
a. His anger had abated, he was no longer drunk.
b. He’s thinking clearer and he is lonely.
2. His servants see something happening to their master – he’s moping around. He’s depressed.
3. What would cheer him up? Surely a new queen would make a difference.
4. So they proposed a plan that would not only get a wife for the king, but one that would assure that the new queen was the most beautiful woman in Persia.
J. So, finally the stage is set, God’s invisible hand has been at work, and we are finally introduced to our main character - Esther.
1. 5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. (Esther 2:5-8)
2. Don’t miss the powerful transitional phrase: “Now there was a Jew in Susa.”
3. Mordecai is totally unrelated to the king and to the Persian kingdom.
4. He was a Jew living out his years in exile and he was raising his orphaned cousin, Esther.
5. What do we learn about Esther? She was orphaned and she was beautiful.
6. And she is one of the girls chosen to be part of the Miss Persia pageant and the winner of the contest will become the next queen.
7. Although Esther must be honored and excited about being chosen, she has no idea at this point why it would be so critical that she become the next queen.
II. The Application
A. So what lessons can we learn from today’s part of the story of Esther?
1. There are many that come to mind, but let me briefly give you four to meditate on.
B. First of all, we learn that there is great danger anytime we become merry with wine.
1. Just look at the trouble the king Ahasueras got himself into when he was drunk.
2. That’s why Scripture gives us such serious warnings about coming under the influence of drugs.
3. Proverbs 20:1 warns, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”
4. The New Testament warns: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery…” (Eph. 5:18).
5. Debauchery is defined as “extreme indulgence in sensuality, orgies.” Synonyms include: corruption, vice, depravity, immorality, and sin.
6. If we allow ourselves to be under the influence of all kinds of drugs including alcohol, then we will not be in our right minds and the result will be wrong decisions and debauchery.
C. A second important lesson we learn is: Those in leadership must be careful how they lead.
1. Whether we are leaders in the church, at work, in society or in our homes, we must be careful how we lead.
2. God has given leadership authority to certain individuals, including kings, elders, husbands, fathers and mothers, but God does not ordain some extreme, self-serving, and humiliating concept of leadership and submission.
3. We must not lead in a way that we get obedience by order or submission by legislation.
4. The real power of a leader comes from the character of his or her life, the wisdom and love they offer to those they lead.
5. Jesus’ word on great leadership was: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt. 20:25-28)
D. A third important lesson we learn is: Sometimes followers have to say “no” to their leaders.
1. We have to admire Queen Vashti, because in the midst of an unsavory scene she was brave enough to say no to that which was wrong and so she took a stand against the one who had power over her.
2. We may find ourselves in a situation just like that where we are being asked to do something that is wrong, and we must be ready to refuse.
a. If our government asks us to do or approve of something that is wrong, then we must say no.
b. If our employer asks us to do or approve of something that is wrong, then we must say no.
c. If your church leaders asks you to do or approve of something that is wrong, then just say no.
d. Even if your husband or parent asks you to do or approve of something that is wrong, then you must say no.
3. God has called us to obey our leaders, but we must not obey them if to do so would mean we disobey God.
4. Remember how the apostles had to stand up to the authorities when they were commanded not to preach about Jesus anymore?
E. Finally, and most importantly, we learn that God is always at work and we can trust Him.
1. Whether we see Him or not, God is always at work in our lives.
2. None of us know when God is going to take the mundane or ordinary and turn them into something meaningful and extraordinary.
3. Esther had no idea of the events that were transpiring in the royal palace, nor the development of an edict that would totally change her whole life.
4. Esther was just going about her no-big-deal-business of living her life, greeting the sunrise of each ordinary moment, carrying out her day-to-day responsibilities.
5. That’s why we must walk closely with God, remaining pure and committed to the things of God, so that we will be an instrument in God’s hand, ready at any moment to be used by God in extraordinary ways.
6. God is always at work carrying out His promises to His people.
7. Who knows what the plans of the Lord include?
8. At this point in the story of Esther, Esther had no idea that her people were about to be in danger and that God would need someone in a place of power to save them.
9. Esther had no idea that that person in a place of power would be her and that Queen Vashti had to lose her place of power so that Esther could fill that vacancy.
10. Esther didn’t know any of this, but God knew it all.
11. God always knows, and that’s why God is always at work, and that’s why we can trust Him!
F. Are you fully trusting God with your life?
1. Are you trusting Him with the ordinary, mundane, and uneventful days and moments of life?
2. Who knows when God is going to turn the ordinary into extraordinary?
3. That’s why we should strive to be trustful, watchful, and faithful – like Esther.
Resources:
Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1997.
