Heroes of the Bible: Esther
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 9/5/2021
NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ
As most of you know, we’ve spent the last several weeks being lifted up by the stories of some of the greatest heroes of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with stories of ordinary people who had heroic faith and who, through God’s power, accomplished some pretty amazing feats! I believe that their stories can inspire all of us to live like true heroes of God.
Throughout this series, we’ve been inspired by the stories of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samson, Ruth, David, and most recently Elijah—a hero who relied on the power of prayer and supplication, who was imbued with super-speed, and who trained a sidekick to replace him after God took him to heaven in a whirlwind.
Today we’re going to meet another great heroine of the Bible—Esther.
• Next Slide: Esther
The story of Esther has all the makings of a block-buster movie—heroes, villains, drama, suspense, romance, intrigue and a happy ending. But far from a modern piece of fiction, those words describe a true story, lived and written centuries ago. More than just entertaining reading, it's the story of how one woman saved a nation!
The book of Esther is set during the height of the Persian Empire. Over a century earlier, the Babylonian Empire conquered and utterly destroy the Kingdom of Judah, and the surviving Jews were carted away as exiles to Babylon where they become servants and slaves for the next seventy years. In time, the Persian empire rose to power and conquered Babylon, freeing the Jews. However, because their homeland lay in ruins, most of the Jewish exiles remained in Persia. Among them, was a young girl named Esther.
As we explore one of the most captivating and compelling books of the Bible, I’d like to highlight three aspects of Esther’s story and discover how she became a hero to her people. Esther’s story begins with her burdens.
• BURDENS
In comicbooks, heroes are often born out of tragedy.
As a young boy, Bruce Wayne excitedly emerged from a theater in Gotham City along with his wealthy socialite parents, Thomas and Martha. But, as the trio made their way through a dimly lit alley, a mugger stepped out of the shadows, and shot Bruce’s parents in cold blood. Bruce watched in horror as his parents died in front of him. Burdened by his parents’ death, Bruce vowed to wage war on criminals as the Batman. Likewise, Peter Parker was orphaned at a young age and raised by his aunt and uncle, only to be further burdened by the murder of his Uncle Ben, which drove him to become Spider-Man. Similarly, as the sole survivor of the planet Krypton, Superman is the ultimate orphan, burdened by the death of his entire planet. Each of these iconic heroes were orphaned by tragedy. The same is true of Esther.
Esther's parents were among those exiles who choose to remain in Persia, and that decision would not only change the course of Esther’s life, but eventually save the lives of every Jew throughout the far-reaching empire.
The Bible sums up Esther’s tragic origin in a few short verses:
“At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai… His family had been among those… exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter” (Esther 2:5-7 NLT).
The Bible doesn’t give us any details about Esther’s parents or how they died, but regardless of the circumstances any child that survives the death of her parents endures significant trauma and carries the burden of that pain and loss wherever they go. Traumatized children often experience recurring nightmares, sleep problems, hyper-vigilance, impaired concentration, anger, depression, and feelings of detachment. That’s a heavy burden to bear. Thankfully, Esther didn’t have to carry it alone.
Esther’s cousin Mordecai took her into his home and loved her as his own daughter. He helped her to cope with her loss, provided a stable home, and showered her with the love of God. Thanks to Mordecai, Esther’s burdens didn’t destroy her or define her. Instead, she grew into a capable, courageous young woman.
As Christians, we ought to do for one another what Mordecai did for Esther. The Bible says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NIV). Sadly, there’s no shortage of orphans in the world today. Countless children are in need of good, godly homes. Did you know that 65% of foster parents are church-going Christians and that Christians are more than twice as likely to adopt a child than non-Christians? Yet, only about 3% of Christians are foster or adoptive parents. There are 145 million orphans worldwide and nearly 236 million people in the United States who identify as Christians, which means that American Christians alone have the resources to house every orphan in the world—if only we were willing to be a hero to those children.
But even if you’re not in a position to adopt or foster a child like Mordecai did, all of us are capable of helping others carry their burdens. By leading a hand and showing someone the love of God, we can make a difference and be a hero in someone else’s story just like Mordecai.
The next part of Esther’s story centers around her beauty.
• BEAUTY
After an embarrassing episode that resulted in the banishment of his bride Vashti, King Xerxes needed to find a new queen. So, one of the king’s personal attendants suggests, "Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti" (Esther 2:2-4 NLT).
King Xerxes loved the idea and implemented it immediately. The king's agents scoured the empire for the most beautiful young women they could find and brought them to the fortress where they would compete for the king's affections. Among the many women chosen to compete was Esther. The Bible says that “Esther had a lovely figure and was beautiful” (Esther 2:7 NIV).
When Esther and the other women arrived at the palace, they were placed in a special harem supervised by one the king's eunuchs named Hegai. The Bible says, “Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem” (Esther 2:9 NLT).
Although Esther was clearly favored, all the contestants received one year of beauty treatments with oils, ointments, and perfumes. They were given fine clothing and jewelry from the king's harem. Then, one by one, each of the women spent one evening with the king. They each had one chance to make an impression and win the king's affection. Xerxes's search for a beautiful new bride played out like a season The Bachelor. Contestants are dolled up like they're part of some beauty pageant, brought before the king, then judged on their bodies and beauty.
Sadly, the world isn't much different today. You might not be part of an empire-wide search to become the next queen, but people still judge you by your appearance, don't they? This is especially true for young women, but it's also true for women and men of any age. In fact, we often do it to ourselves. We look in the mirror and think you're too short or too tall, too skinny or too heavy, your nose is too big, your chin is too weak, your thighs are too fat, you're not pretty enough or handsome enough, etc. Social media doesn't help either. We take selfies at just the right angle to make our waist look smaller, our chests look bigger, and face look better. We get to choose from dozens of filters and then we post the picture hoping to get lots of likes and compliments as if our self-image is dependent upon the world's approval.
The world judges you by your appearance, but God doesn’t. The Bible says, “People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT). While there’s certainly nothing bad about being beautiful, it’s not what’s on the outside, but what's on the inside that really matters. The Bible also says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30 NIV). That’s the kind of woman Esther was. Esther’s beauty was more than skin-deep because she honored God in her heart. She was beautiful both inside and out.
When King Xerxes met Esther, he was instantly smitten and spellbound. The Bible says, “The king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen” (Esther 2:17 NLT). Through both her inner and outer beauty, Esther won the favor of everyone she met, including the king, and became the new Queen of Persia.
Finally, the last part of Esther’s story reveals her bravery.
• BRAVERY
Esther chapter three introduces the villain of the story, a powerful royal official named Haman. Arrogant and proud, Haman demanded that all the nobles bow before him whenever he passed by. But Haman was a wicked and cruel man, who fawned and flattered his way into a position of authority and treated the Jewish people with contempt, so Mordecai, as a God-fearing Jew, refused to bow before him.
The Bible says, “When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes” (Esther 3:5-6 NLT).
As the highest official in the empire, Haman had the king's ear and the king's trust, allowing him to easily manipulate the king to achieve his own agenda. So, Haman convinces King Xerxes, who was unaware of his new bride’s ethnicity, that the Jewish people are a plague upon the land and a threat to the empire. Haman's solution to this artificial threat? Total genocide—the complete ethnic cleansing of every Jew in the empire. Unfortunately, the easily-manipulated king agrees to Haman’s perverse plot and allows Haman a to pass a law calling for the wholesale slaughter of every Jew in the kingdom.
As one of the king’s royal officials, Mordecai soon hears about the plot and turns to Esther for help. There was only one thing to do: approach King Xerxes and plead for the lives of her people. But it wasn’t that simple. In ancient Persia, you couldn’t just stroll into the king’s throne room and demand an audience. Even the queen was not allowed to enter the king’s presence uninvited. If the king wasn’t happy to see her, he could order her immediate execution.
It was a risky move, but Esther knew there was no other way to save her people. So, she tells Mordecai, “Though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die” (Esther 4:16 NLT). Fearful but faithful, Esther determined to put her own life on the line to save her people.
After three days of fasting and praying, the Bible says, “Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance” (Esther 5:1 NLT). This was the moment of truth. With baited breath, Esther waited to see how the king would respond to her bravely entering his throne room uninvited. As soon as King Xerxes sees his beautiful bride, he smiles warmly and welcomes her into his throne room. Relieved, Queen Esther invites the King and Haman to a special dinner she’s prepared for them. Over dinner, Xerxes says, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” (Esther 7:2 NLT).
So, Esther pleads, "If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated" (Esther 7:3-4 NIV). Shocked, King Xerxes jumps to his feet and asks, "Who would dare to do such a thing?" Esther points an accusing finger and replies, "This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy!" (Esther 7:6 NLT).
Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see the look on Haman’s face! He grovels at Esther’s feet, begging for his life, but the king orders his guards to arrest and execute Haman, then passes a new law counteracting Haman’s law and saving the Jews from annihilation. Esther became a true hero for God because she bravely risked her own life to save others. Jesus calls this the ultimate expression of love: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13 NLT).
Add additional content/application to elaborate on the value of courage and risking your life for others…
To commemorate Esther’s bravery and their salvation, the Jews established an annual celebration called the Festival of Purim, which is still celebrated by Jews all across the globe to this day.
Conclusion:
In the wake of these heroic events, Xerxes became beloved by the Jewish people, Mordecai was appointed prime minister, and the king and queen lived happily ever after. By overcoming her burdens with the help of her cousin Mordecai, winning the king’s love and affection with her beauty, and bravely risking her life to save her people, Esther proved herself as one of the greatest heroes of the Bible and set a wonderful example for all believers to follow.
We’re nearing the end of our Heroes of the Bible series, but we’re not done yet. We’ve got one last hero in our lineup. Next week, we’ll shine the spotlight on Jesus—the greatest hero of all.
Invitation:
In the meantime, if you’re weighed down by some burdens and could use help carrying them, or if you’re tired of being judged by your outward appearance, I want to invite you lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus and know that you are beautiful in eyes of your Creator. If you could use some guidance or encouragement, or if you’re ready to find a hero in Jesus and put your faith in him, please come talk to me. Let’s stand and sing together, church.
NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ
