Introduction:
A. I want to begin with a fictitious and humorous obituary – sounds like an oxymoron, right?
1. Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, their name is “Someone Else.”
2. Someone Else's passing creates a vacancy that will be very difficult to fill.
3. Someone Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone Else did far more than a normal person’s share of the work.
4. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one person was always looked to, “Let’s ask Someone Else do it.”
5. Whenever leadership was needed, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; “Someone Else will get it done.”
6. It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most generous givers in our church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference as they usually did.
7. Someone Else was a wonderful person. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do without Someone Else!
B. The Jewish people in Esther’s day also wondered what they were going to do.
1. They wondered if someone else was going to come to their rescue.
2. Last week we learned that the Jews in Esther’s day had been threatened with extermination.
3. The evil man, named Haman had been given the king’s signet ring and therefore he had the authority to have all the Jewish people destroyed, killed and annihilated.
4. A date for this destruction was chosen by casting lots, and the decree was written as a law of the Medes and Persians, was irrevocable.
5. Can you imagine how hopeless and helpless the Jewish people must have felt at this point?
C. Yet in the midst of all this, God was not sleeping.
1. In God’s sovereign plan, He determined that He would put one person in a position to make a difference when this horrific plan would be put in place.
2. That one person is Esther, and look how far in advance God began working all this out.
3. It was in the 3rd year of King Xerxes when he removed Queen Vashti, and began the one year Miss Persia contest that culminated in Esther being chosen.
4. Esther has been queen for about 8 years, because Haman’s wicked plan was made law in the 12th year of King Xerxes.
5. So the big question is: Will Esther step forward and make a difference, or will she, like us, and like Moses long ago, ask God to employ someone else?
6. Let’s pick up our story in chapter 4.
I. The Story
A. The Bible says: When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly (Esther 4:1).
1. What do you think of Mordecai’s behavior?
a. What do you make of the way he put on sackcloth and ashes and went into public wailing?
b. Do you judge his noisy lamentation as a mere melodramatic show?
2. Well, actually, this was the custom and culture of that time and place.
a. When people in Esther’s day wanted to express their grief, they wore loose-fitting, dark-colored coarse garments made of goat’s hair, which hung on them like a large burlap bag.
b. On top of that, they would take ashes from the remains of a fire and throw them on themselves so they would be covered with them and appear ghastly and unclean.
c. Sometimes they would even sit in the midst of a cold ash heap covered with ashes.
d. Added to this was their loud lamenting and wailing.
3. So this is what Mordecai did here. He held nothing back.
4. Before we move on with the story, let me say something about handling grief.
a. Although there is no right or wrong way to handle grief, I wonder if the way Esther’s culture handled it wasn’t more helpful than the way we handle it.
b. In our culture, we are conditioned to keep our grief more private.
c. We might be going through family problems, or the loss of a loved one, or facing cancer, and if someone asks us how we are doing, what do we say? “Fine.”
d. Now I know we don’t have to spill our guts or bare our soul with everyone who asks, but wouldn’t it be better if we could be more open about the grief and sorrow we might be experiencing?
e. Allowing others to help bear our burdens not only helps us tremendously, but it is also a blessing and gift for others to be allowed to be close to us and to be there for us.
B. Let’s return to our story.
1. The Bible says: But he went only as far as the king's gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it (Esther 4:2).
2. The king was a lot like some people we know – they don’t want to hear or see anything that would bring them down.
a. So he didn’t listen to CNN, and he didn’t allow anyone in the palace who was grieving.
3. So Mordecai knew that he wouldn’t be allowed to go all the way to the king’s gate, but he wanted to get as close to the palace as possible.
a. Perhaps he went there hoping to get the attention of Queen Esther.
b. For it is doubtful that Esther know much if anything about the horrific edict.
c. Esther lived in the secluded, highly protected environment of the harem, locked away from the concerns of the common people.
C. We learn that Mordecai was not the only one who was publicly mourning the edict.
1. The Bible says: In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes (Esther 4:3).
a. Try to imagine this picture of widespread sorrow and loud mourning.
b. The closest thing we come to that kind of experience is when we experience a natural disaster – like a hurricane, tornado, or flooding, or a terrorist attack like 911 or the recent Boston Bombing.
c. When disaster strikes, people come together to grieve and help each other like at no other times.
d. After experiencing a hurricane in Florida, one person said, “It blew down all our fences and we finally got to meet all our neighbors.”
e. Consider this truth: Suffering and hardship has never ruined a nation, but peace and prosperity has!
f. We learn more and grow more during hard times, rather than through good times.
2. The story continues: When Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them (Esther 4:4).
a. So Esther didn’t know why Mordecai was mourning, nor did she know about the edict.
b. There’s a good lesson for us in this – don’t assume anything.
1. Sometimes we assume people know something or know about something, but that is often not the case.
2. We shouldn’t assume that church leaders are aware of what you are aware of, because often times the leaders are the last to know.
3. We shouldn’t assume our friends know what has happened to us or how we feel.
4. Sometimes we are hurt or offended when someone doesn’t lend the support we think they should, but in reality sometimes they don’t even know that it was needed.
c. So when Esther heard that Mordecai was mourning, she wondered what was going on.
d. Being a part of the King’s household, she was not allowed to speak to Mordecai directly, so she sent him some clothing to replace his sackcloth, perhaps as a way of offering comfort to him for whatever he was going through.
D. When Mordecai refused the clothing, Esther sent one of the king’s servants to find out why Mordecai was doing what he was doing.
1. The Bible says: Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to urge her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said (Esther 4:5-9).
2. So Mordecai laid it all out for Esther.
a. He told her about Haman’s evil plan, and about the exact amount of money Haman promised to put into the king’s treasury.
b. Just so that she knew he wasn’t exaggerating, he sent along official evidence – a copy of the text of the edict.
c. I’m sure Mordecai said something like this to the servant, “Have your queen read this and have her notice that it is signed with the king’s signet ring.”
3. So Mordecai carefully covered all the bases.
a. He had volatile information the queen needed to know.
b. But he also knew that he had to put the issue on the line for Esther.
c. So Mordecai asked her to go to the king and plead for mercy for her people.
4. I’m sure Mordecai knew that what he was asking Esther to do was a risky move for her and for her people, but what else could be done?
E. How did Esther respond to the news of Haman’s plan and Mordecai’s request?
1. The Bible says: Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king” (Esther 4:10-11).
2. Esther wasn’t sure Mordecai knew what he was asking her to do, so she sent the proverbial, “Yes, but…”
a. If Esther obeyed Mordecai, she stood to risk everything, including her life.
b. Although the king was her husband, she couldn’t just stroll into his office and casually unload what was on her mind.
3. That’s not how it worked in ancient Persia.
a. You didn’t appear before the king unless you were called.
b. And it had been 30 days since he had last sent for her.
c. Polygamy must have caused and compounded this situation.
d. There is an interesting picture that was found in an ancient archeological dig that showed a Persian king sitting on his throne, and behind him was a guard with an enormous axe.
e. How’s that for intimidation? If anyone appeared before the king without being summoned, the guard was ready to remove their head.
4. So if Esther went before the king without being summoned, he could have her put to death.
a. On top of all that, she was Jewish.
b. Who knows how that Gentile monarch would have responded when he found out about his queen’s nationality!
5. But before we judge Esther too harshly as cowardly, I want you to think about the times that you were too much of a coward to do what was right or to do what needed to be done.
a. It’s easy to be brave when we’re protected and secure, and when we have nothing to lose.
b. But when something is really on the line, we are inclined to rationalize saying, “But I could lose my job…or I could lose my best friend, or my boyfriend or girlfriend…or I might look like a fool.
6. Now I don’t want to be a preacher who preaches with rose colored glasses, or tries to insinuate that when we do what is right everything comes up roses.
a. God’s rewards aren’t always dispensed in this world.
b. Some people who have stood for what was right have suffered for it.
7. So this was a huge dilemma for Esther, and it is for us when we face similar challenges.
a. But Mordecai knew Esther, because he had raised her.
b. Mordecai knew Esther’s character, and he knew how far he could push her.
F. So what would Mordecai say in response to Esther’s reply?
1. This is one of the greatest moments in the story of Esther.
2. The Bible says: When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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?” (Esther 4:12-14).
3. This goes down in history as one of those “turning point speeches.”
4. Mordecai made three compelling points:
a. First, he made it clear that if she did nothing that would not guarantee her safety. Being a Jew, she would most likely die like the rest of them.
b. Second, Mordecai expressed his faith that God was not limited to her, and that God would not allow His people to perish. God will use someone to save the Jewish nation.
c. Finally, Mordecai emphasized the possibility that Esther might be the one that God had chosen to save His people.
1. Could it be that this explains why Esther had been chosen to be queen?
2. For such a time as this! For this very moment!
3. Mordecai basically says, “Esther, this is your hour! Stand, speak and perhaps die, but whatever you do, don’t be silent!”
G. How would you have responded if you were Esther? Look at her response!
1. The Bible says: Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “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.” So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions (Esther 4:15-17).
2. In Esther’s response we see her true colors and they are brilliantly bold.
a. Her words reveal enormous faith mixed with courage.
b. Esther determined to make a difference, no matter what the personal consequences.
c. She has reached her own personal hour of decision and has not been found wanting.
3. Even though her reply was not couched in overtly religious language, it was still was a confession of faith.
a. By asking all the Jews in Susa to join in fasting she acknowledged her need for God and her need for the support and fellowship of God’s people.
b. And even though prayer is not mentioned, it usually accompanied fasting in the OT.
c. The whole point of fasting was to prepare oneself for communion with God and to render the prayer experience more effective.
4. Did you notice that this was an extreme fast?
a. It lasted 3 days, not just the customary one day fast that we see in the OT.
b. It involved eating and drinking nothing during the three days.
c. And it involved doing so both night and day.
d. Many of the Jewish fasts and other religious fasts were only conducted during daylight hours, and people were allowed to eat once the sun went down, but not in this case.
H. So this is the suspenseful cliffhanger we will leave our story at until next week.
1. Mordecai went and carried out Esther’s instructions.
2. All the Jewish people of Susa fasted for three days along with Esther and her maids.
3. When the three days are over, Esther will appear before the king uninvited.
4. What will happen to Esther and to God’s people? Tune in next time to see the amazing thing God does.
II. The Application
A. I have one primary point for application that I want to encourage us to come to grips with and here it is: Each one of us can make a difference.
1. In an overpopulated world, it’s easy to underestimate the significance of one person.
2. There are so many people who have so many gifts and skills who are already doing so many things that are so important, who needs me, right?
3. We wonder: What can I as one individual contribute to the overwhelming needs of our world?
4. It is so easy to allow the vastness of our surroundings and the vastness of the needs to do a number on us, isn’t it?
B. I vividly remember one of the greatest “ah-ha” moments of my life.
1. I had graduated with an associate’s degree from Northeastern Christian Junior College – a school with about 200 students.
2. To finish my bachelor’s degree, I went to Harding University which was a school of about 2000 students at the time (Now it has about 7000 students).
3. Anyhow, I went from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond.
4. I experienced a bit of an identity crisis.
a. I looked around me at all the other preaching students and all the other great Christian leaders on campus, and I felt so small, and so intimidated.
b. I felt like everyone else was so spiritual and so gifted, and I felt I wasn’t.
5. As I began to fall into despair and fear, God put a message in my mind and heart.
a. I didn’t hear an audible voice, and yet the message was so clear.
b. What God said to me was this: “Just be the person I made you to be and that is enough. Stop comparing yourself to others, and just work on being the best you that you can be.”
6. It was like a light came on for me and the cloud hanging over me was lifted.
a. I remember running to Diana’s dormitory to get her and tell her everything I had realized.
b. Of course, what I had embraced was as basic as it can be, and it should be obvious to us all, but it was a revolutionary thought to me.
C. The truth is that everyone of us is a unique creation of God.
1. Listen to this great quote by Richard Fuller who was an American architect, author, inventor, and futurist, “Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren't any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn't be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life's challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person.”
2. You are the only you in all the world, and I am the only me there is.
3. Each of us is the only person with our exact heritage, and our precise series of events in the pilgrimage and sufferings of life.
4. We are the only one with our exact personal convictions, our personality, our skills, our appearance, our touch, voice, style and our sphere of influence.
5. God doesn’t want me to be anyone else, He made me to be me. And He made you to be you.
6. And God continually works things out in a way that He brings us to a place where He needs us to employ our unique selves in His story.
7. God brings us to those moments when we have been called for “such a time as this.”
8. It is in those moments when we can really make a difference.
D. I don’t know what your special hour or task is, or when or what it will be.
1. Your “such a time as this” might be a ministry or need or a person in our church family.
a. The possibilities are unlimited.
2. Or your “such a time as this” might be a need or a person in the world.
a. Again, the possibilities are unlimited.
3. But don’t let the options and possibilities overwhelm you.
E. Let me encourage you to embrace two truths:
1. First of all, we must believe that one person can make a difference.
a. Until we believe that one person can make a difference, we won’t be willing to take a risk.
2. Second, we must realize that we can’t make a difference until we try.
a. Until we move from the safe harbor of theory to the risky world of reality we can’t actually make a difference.
F. I like the way Edward Everett Hale addressed this subject in this poem:
“I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
G. Let me end with this classic illustration: “Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
1. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the rising of the sun, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
2. As he got closer, he noticed that it was a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
3. He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
4. The young man paused, looked up, and replied, “I’m throwing starfish into the ocean.”
5. “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the wise man.
6. He replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die.”
7. The wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!”
8. At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”
9. Just like that young man, and just like Esther, one person can make a difference.
10. Will you make a difference or will you just hope that someone else will do it?
Resources:
Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1997.
Jesus Is A Better Mediator, Sermon by Mark Driscoll, http://marshill.com
Esther, by Joyce Baldwin, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, IVP, 1984
