The Miss Universe competition is in its 62nd year now. How many winners of that competition can you name? None? That’s what I thought. And yet every Christian should be able give the name of at least one beauty queen: Esther. She is well known to Bible readers as the woman who saved her people, the Jews, from a man named Haman. He wanted to kill all Jews and would have succeeded had it not been for Esther. Actually, that’s not quite right. It wasn’t Esther who saved the Jews; God did. Esther was simply a beauty queen in service of the King of kings. As we take a closer look at the Old Testament book of Esther we’ll see how it illustrates the truth of Jesus’ ascension – that God reigns over all for the benefit of his people.
The true story of Esther takes place about 480 years before the birth of Christ and about 50 years after the time of Daniel. While some Jews by this time had returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem, many remained where they had been taken captive. Only now the Babylonians were no longer in control. The Persians were under the kingship of Xerxes. Life wasn’t bad for Jews living in the Persian Empire. They were able to carry on business and worship the true God. Some Jews even served the Persian king. That seemed to be the position of Mordecai, a relative and guardian of Esther. It was this Mordecai who urged Esther to campaign for the position of queen when King Xerxes deposed the previous queen, Vashti. Esther won the competition but didn’t let anyone know that she was a Jew.
Not long after Esther’s crowning, Mordecai learned about a plot against the king. He reported it to Esther who in turn told Xerxes. Mordecai was given credit for saving the king though he received no reward at the time. Life seemed to be good for Mordecai and Esther until Haman came along. Xerxes made Haman the chief among nobles and all the other nobles and servants were to bow in his presence to show respect. But for whatever reason Mordecai steadfastly refused to do this. This bothered Haman so much that he plotted the death of not only Mordecai but also the death of every Jew. And so Haman approached Xerxes and offered to donate a large sum of money to the treasury if he would be allowed to “rid the empire of a meddlesome people.” Unfortunately Xerxes didn’t ask any questions and assented to the plan.
Haman’s plot was not just a threat to the Jews; it was a threat to God’s plan for mankind. Why? Because he had promised that from the Jews the Savior of the world would come. Haman’s threat then was not unlike King Herod’s when he tried to kill the baby Jesus. But like King Herod, Haman would also be thwarted by the King of kings. Let’s find out how.
When Mordecai learned of Haman’s plot through the king’s decree, he publically mourned and carried on until Esther sent a messenger to find out what the matter was. Mordecai explained and urged Esther to advocate on behalf of her people. Esther, however, was reluctant. Even though she was the queen she couldn’t barge into the king’s presence whenever she wanted. If the king felt like it, he could have her put to death for the perceived insolence. Mordecai, however, warned, “…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 4:14)
That is the closest mention of God that you’ll find in the book of Esther. But God’s fingerprints are all over this true story. Three days after the exchange between Esther and Mordecai, the king had trouble falling asleep so he had read to him the recorded events of his reign and “happened” to hear about the plot that Mordecai had uncovered and reported. When Xerxes found out that nothing had been done to honor Mordecai, he jumped out of bed and asked if there were any royal advisors in the hall. Haman had just walked in to the palace. He had come to ask the king if he could hang Mordecai on gallows he had just built. You see, Mordecai had continually refused to bow down to Haman driving the man insane with anger. But before Haman could make his request, the king asked him what should be done for a man the king wants to honor. In his arrogance Haman thought that the king must be talking about him. And so he said that the king should dress the man in robes the king himself had worn, put him on a horse that the king himself had ridden, and then parade the individual through town. It’s a wonder Haman’s heart didn’t stop when Xerxes said next: “Go at once…Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew… Do not neglect anything you have recommended” (Esther 6:10).
Poor Haman. He had come to ask for Mordecai’s execution, but instead wound up organizing his promotion! Even Haman’s family seemed to realize that Haman was fighting an unseen power and wasn’t going to win. That fact was confirmed when servants came to whisk Haman away to a private banquet with Queen Esther and the king. Haman had already been to one such dinner the day before and had come home most likely stuffed with saffron and definitely puffed with pride. Of all the people, the queen had only invited him! But this was all part of Esther’s plan to reveal to the king what Haman was up to. So when Xerxes asked her what he could do to thank her for the dinner parties, she let it all spill out. “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” (Est.7:3, 4a).
When the king asked who would plot such a thing, Esther pointed to Haman. The king was furious and he stormed out of the room to regain his composure. Haman stayed to beg Esther for mercy, but as he moved towards her, he tripped and fell on top of the queen and it was at this moment that the king returned. Now he thought that Haman was trying to molest the queen right there in his presence. Haman was immediately taken away and hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
In our Epistle Lesson this morning we heard the Apostle Paul say, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:18-22). Through the facts of the book of Esther, the Holy Spirit is opening our eyes to the truth that the King of kings reigns over all for the benefit of believers. What’s unique about the story of Esther is that God didn’t use angels or other obvious miracles to keep his people safe. He simply worked quietly behind the scenes controlling the smallest details like the placement of a wrinkle in the carpet (if that’s what it was) to cause Haman’s clumsy, ill-timed stumble onto to the queen. God even used imperfect people to accomplish his will. Take Mordecai for example. Why had he been eager to have Esther become queen of Persia? Of course! It would mean power and prestige for his family. But at what cost to Esther’s faith when she involved herself in a marriage to a foreigner, which was not a God-pleasing thing to do for the Jews? Nevertheless God allowed Esther’s coronation and used it for the benefit of his people.
Aren’t you glad that you have a King who can easily overcome the most determined and powerful adversary? Aren’t you comforted to learn that even though your elected officials might be corrupt like Haman, your called workers and your councilmen imbeciles, and your parents or your boss seemingly clueless as Xerxes, your future does not depend on them, but on him who has ascended high above the heavens! No, don’t be disappointed if you never see an angel walk beside you in a dark street, or never receive an email from God confirming that he’s just topped up your meagre bank account. Jesus’ ascension unequivocally declares this truth: your Savior-God reigns over all for your benefit. Even the smallest details in your life like the timing of your unemployment, or the length of a travel delay (or church construction delay) all this is governed by Jesus because he is not sitting poolside in heaven enjoying retirement. He is here with us actively ruling for us.
But does God really rule for you like he did for the Israelites? I mean they were his favorites, right – his chosen people? Well so are you. When Haman told King Xerxes that the best way to honor an individual was to let that person wear a robe the king had worn, I thought of how the Apostle Paul once wrote: “…all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). At baptism we were clothed with the righteous robes of the King of kings. You’re no longer standing before God in fig-leaf fashion like Adam and Eve hoping to hide last week’s arrogance, yesterday’s petulance, or this morning’s ambivalence over the holy things of God in this worship service. Through baptism you have been declared a favored child of God and have been dressed for heaven. Not even Esther in all of her physical beauty can compare to how spiritually beautiful you look to God.
And God has not only dressed you for heavenly success; he’s also put you on parade like he did Mordecai. I don’t mean that we should strut around acting as if we’re better than everyone else. That was Haman’s game but it’s not ours. Martin Luther put it well when he said, “A Christian is a free lord of all, subject to no one, but a Christian is also a servant of all, subject to everyone.” May God be with you as you humbly serve him in the place he has put you at this time – serving as grandparents, as children, as students, as whatever he has made you. Serve with Ascension confidence that your labor for the King of kings is never pointless. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
When and where did Queen Esther live?
Who was Esther’s relative and guardian?
What was the name of the villain in today’s text? Why was he so angry? What warning do you find in his behavior?
How does the story of Esther illustrate this Ascension truth from Ephesians? “God placed all things under [Jesus’] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:22).
The Israelites were God’s chosen people and so are believers. Baptism makes us certain of this. What detail in the story of Esther can be used to illustrate the blessings of baptism?
