1. Heroes
If you have been keeping up with the 2014 Winter Olympics you probably know who T.J. Oshie is. After the St. Louis Blues forward scored the clinch goal for Team USA in an Olympic hockey match against Russia in a never-ending shootout, Oshie has quickly become everyone's new favorite player. He even gained nearly 50,000 new Twitter followers after leading his team to victory. But, he's not only talented. He's humble. Here's what Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Dejan Kovacevic posted on Twitter following the exciting game:
Just had good talk with America's newest hero. Only don't call T.J. Oshie that. "The American heroes are wearing camo. That's not me."
2. Esther
You've probably heard the adage, "behind every good man is a good woman." Maybe a better one is, "Behind every good man is a surprised mother-in-law."
Today we will study a case in which it could be said, "Behind a great man (who was not a good man) was a great woman (who was a good woman) who changed the course of history." She was a heroine to the people of God.
3. Background -- Map
a. The Jews are returning to Jerusalem in waves, not all at once.
* Zerubbabel led the first group
* Ezra the second
* In the midst of this, there are still many Jews in what is now the Persian Empire
b. The major characters in this story...
* Xerxes; is the 5th king of the Persian Empire and he is in the 3rd year of his reign which began in 486 BC after the death of his father Darius the First. He is a man focused on power, money and sex. He had a pretty violent temper and often acted without thinking.
* Vashti; is the Queen of Persia she is a woman of character and conviction, we see her only in the opening scene.
* Esther; is an orphan girl who is being raised by Mordeci, she is a woman of both inner and outer beauty.
* Mordecai; is a Jewish man whose family was exiled when Jerusalem fell. He is a cousin of Esther and has been raising her ever since her parents died. He is a man of integrity and faith.
* Haman; is the villain of the story. He is the second in command of Persian Empire. He is a man consumed with himself and full of hatred. He is a descendant of the Amalekites (Saul was told to utterly destroy them centuries before).
c. During the time of the return, Xerxes takes the throne of Persia.
* All but a few thousand of God's people -Israel - were in the Persian provinces. The King had the leaders of 127 provinces come to his impressive palace for a celebration to lasted 187 days -- more than six months.
* It was common for the Persians to put on a feast before launching an invasion. In this case they were planning to invade Greece. The invasion would end up with a victory for the Persians at Thermopylae and a crushing defeat for Xerxes at Salamis in 480BC.
* It was a feast of drinking, of sin, etc. At the end of a week-long drunken feast, the King sent for Vashti to come and display her beauty. History suggests that she was pregnant with the Son who would later replace Xerxes. She refused. The King accepted the suggestion to reject her and choose another to be queen in her stead.
* Esther was chosen. She was a young, beautiful Jewish girl. Her cousin Mordecai had offended a vain official named Haman, who by trickery got a decree signed that all the Jews should be put to death. The decree was unalterable.
* God stepped in and in a providential way delivered His people from the decree that Christ might come of their seed as promised. Gen. 12:1-3).
o Xerxes discovers that Mordecai had uncovered a plot against the King and had never been rewarded
o Haman was trying to eradicate the Jews but in a twist of events becomes the means of blessing Mordecai
o The decree against the Jews stood, but Xerxes decreed that the Jews would be allowed to defend themselves and do so with victory
o Mordecai becomes second in charge of the empire (Haman's pervious position) -- he establishes an annual commemoration of the delivery of the Jews (Purim)
4. The Jewish Feast of Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire where a plot had been formed to destroy them.
Based on the conclusions of the Scroll of Esther, Esther 9:22): "[...] that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor" Purim is therefore celebrated by:
1. Exchanging reciprocal gifts of food and drink known as mishloach manot.
2. Donating charity to the poor known as mattanot la-evyonim.
3. Eating a celebratory meal known as a se'udat Purim'
4. Public recitation, usually in synagogue, of the Scroll of Esther known as kriat ha-megillah.
5. Reciting additions to the daily prayers and the grace after meals known as Al HaNissim.
6. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.
I. The Invisible God Becomes Visible Through His People
A. God Has been Active with His People -- Even in Captivity -- Daniel
B. God Has worked in the Lives of Pagans for his people -- Cyrus
C. God is at Work in the Account of Esther -- EVEN THOUGH He is not Mentioned
D. Lessons --
1. We May not Always See God at Work, but He is Ever Present
2. We may be the only connection some people will have to God
II. The Invisible God Offers a Viable Invitation
A. To Be Part of His Saving Actions
1. Personal Salvation -- Matthew 11.28-30
2. Salvation of Others -- Esther 4.14; Matthew 28.18-20
B. To Make Us His Co-Workers
1. God delights in taking the most unusual circumstances to choose the most unlikely people to do the most extraordinary things.
* Abraham and Sarah are the beginning of a vast nation made up of their descendants, but they did not have a child of their own until Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 years old!
* Moses -- outcast from Egypt; shepherd in Midian; 80 years of age at his call'
* Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers and then thrown into prison when falsely accused, ends up preserving his family and a host of people from other nations by becoming second in command to only Pharaoh.
* Peter, who repeatedly fails in the clutch as Jesus' disciple, blows it big time by denying the Lord three times even with cursing, but then is reclaimed by Jesus and leads 3,000 people to Christ on the day of Pentecost.
* Saul, trained to be a Jewish Rabbi, was the lead persecutor of Jesus' followers who felt that Jesus was a blasphemer and was responsible for Stephen's death. Yet Saul becomes the apostle Paul, God's apostle to the Gentiles.
* Esther, who hid her racial identity and who had no power other than her beauty, preserves her people from mass genocide because of her courage and willingness to be known as a Jew.
2. At this time (4.14)
a. Are we here by chance or by God's planning?
b. If we choose the latter, act like it!
3. For the betterment of others -- 10.3
3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.
Conclusion
1. The Lesson is that our God is alive and moving in this world. His divine plan of redemption and deliverance is unfolding... AND -- you like Esther have been invited to be a part of it. YES - God is inviting you to be a part of something that is much bigger than we. It is something that will outlive and outlast us. It is something awesome and beautiful; powerful and eternal; and something new and alive!
2. THE -- only question that remains is this:
* Will you be a part of it and seize the divine moment?
* [Will you like those heroes of Sept 11, 2001 -- who ran into a burning building to save others without any regard for their own life... DO THE SAME?
3. What divine moment is God waiting for you to seize?
* It may be something big that has been chasing you down for years... OR -- it may be something that on the surface seems small but is packed with power...
* When you boil it all down -- it comes down to one thing... 'Desire.' What is you desire? IF -- you desire is to be used by God... God will use you.
4. Schindler
The film Schindler's List chronicled the heroic efforts of a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Through his unselfish activities, over a 1200 Jews on the trains to Auschwitz were saved. After Schindler found out what was happening at Auschwitz, he began a systematic effort to save as many Jews as he could. For money, he could buy Jews to work in his factory which was supposed to be a part of the military machine of Germany. On one hand he was buying as many Jews as he could, and on the other hand he was deliberately sabotaging the ammunition produced in his factory. He entered the war as a financially wealthy industrialist; by the end of the war, he was basically financially bankrupt.
When the Germans surrendered, Schindler met with his workers and declared that at midnight they were all free to go. The most emotional scene of the film was when Schindler said good-bye to the financial manager of the plant, a Jew and his good and trusted friend. As he embraced his friend, Schindler sobbed and said, "I could have done more." He looked at his automobile and asked, "Why did I save this? I could have bought 10 Jews with this." Taking another small possession he cried, "This would have saved another one. Why didn't I do more?" His Grave is in Jerusalem.
