Esther: Maximizing Ministry Potential
Beth and I enjoy watching movies but we don’t always like the same kind. She usually prefers the love stories while I go for the action-oriented ones. On rare occasions, we find a movie that has both romance and action. Actually, even though I often make a stink when Beth wants to see a mushy movie, I’m the one who ends up crying during the sad parts.
I didn’t see a lot of films when I was young (it was way before the time of VCRs), but I do remember when my parents took me to a “grown-up” movie called “The Sting” starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. It was great. The bad guys set a trap for the good guys but end up falling into it themselves. In the end, the tables are turned and the good guys come out ahead.
One of the most exciting stings in all of literature is found in a true story that has been preserved for us in the Bible. It contains some romance and a lot of action and has a plot that contains more twists than a treacherous mountain road. If you’re looking for a good story to read this summer, I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Book of Esther.
There are 5 primary characters in this literary masterpiece. Three of them are positive models that we can follow and two of them are negative examples to avoid. Let’s start with the bad guys.
King Xerxes: Ruler of the world. Focused on money, sex and power
Haman: The villain (When I spoke on Esther at the PCS graduation two years ago, I had everybody shout out “loser” whenever I said Haman’s name. You can do the same if you’d like); he was second in command to the king
Then we have a pair of queens:
Queen Vashti: Woman of character and conviction; involved in opening scene
Queen Esther: Exhibits both inner and outer beauty; goes through identity crisis
And a good guy, who is a strong believer:
Mordecai: Stepfather of Esther; a man of integrity and faith
The Miss Persia Pageant
King Xerxes was the leader of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth in the land that is now Iraq. Historically, he had just lost a military battle so he decided to throw the “mother of all parties.” This was much bigger than the Queen’s jubilee party held this last week in England. Persian banquets were known to have up to fifteen thousand guests. In college, a party that lasted all night was a real party -- and I went to a few of those. But King Xerxes was a party animal; his party lasted for 7 days.
While the King and his buddies were tying one on at this open bar bash, Queen Vashti had a more dignified get-together of her own inside the royal palace. On the last day of the party, King Xerxes asked his gorgeous wife to come out and parade around in front of all his drunken buddies.
When word came to Queen Vashti that her husband, who was probably as drunk as a skunk, wanted her to come outside, she told him to take a hike. Can you blame her? She wasn’t at all interested in being gawked at by a bunch of crude men. Well, this really ticked the King off and he ordered her banished from the kingdom he wanted everyone to know who wore the toga in his family. We don’t hear from Queen Vashti again.
A couple years later, King Xerxes decides its time to find another Queen. His buddies tell him to hold a Miss Persia Pageant in chapter 2. Mordecai, who heard about the upcoming Beauty Pageant, told his stepdaughter Esther all about it. When the king saw her, he stopped the pageant immediately and took Esther as his wife. She was now Queen of the entire Persian Empire. I should add that no one knew she was Jewish. It’s at this point that we begin to see the invisible finger of God at work behind the scenes.
Shortly after Esther became queen, she got her stepfather Mordecai a government job I guess some things never change! One day, when he was sitting outside one of the doors to the king’s palace, he overheard two disgruntled employees talk about how they were planning to assassinate the king. When Mordecai heard what they were going to do, he sent a note to Esther telling her all about it so she could warn the king. Esther then told the king what she had heard, giving the credit to Mordecai. The king had the two conspirators killed. This incident was recorded in the official royal records. Keep this detail in mind because this event will come up again later in the story.
Haman’s Arrogance
Fearing for his life, the King instituted a massive shakeup in his government and promoted an obnoxious politician named Haman to be his right hand man in chapter 3. Haman is a slimy character and is known as an Agagite. As we trace his family tree through the pages of Scripture we discover that an Agagite is an Amelikite. The Amelikites were descendents of Esau and were enemies of God’s people (see Exodus 17:16). Just as Mordecai is introduced in such a way as to evoke memories of King Saul in 2:5: “…a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin…” Haman is introduced in 3:1 as a descendant of Agag.
Historically, King Saul was ordered by God to completely destroy the Amelikites in 1 Samuel 15, but he disobeyed. Because he let the Amelikite king Agag live, Saul lost his kingdom. Now, thousands of miles away and 700 years later, Saul’s sin is still causing problems for God’s people. This is a reminder that we must deal decisively with sin in our life, or it will keep tripping us up, and even affect generations to come.
Haman was a cocky guy who demanded that everyone literally bow down before him whenever he walked by. And everyone did -- except Mordecai. Being a Jew, Mordecai was committed to bow only before God. Exodus 20:3-5: “You shall have no other gods before me...You shall not bow down to them or worship them...”
Mordecai’s refusal to revere really got under the skin of Haman. Knowing a bit about Haman’s heritage helps us understand why he hated Mordecai so much. When he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews who were scattered throughout the Persian Empire. Haman’s anti-Semitic feelings began to dominate him as he puts together a plan for an ancient holocaust.
Haman bribed the king in order to get him to issue a decree to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews -- young and old, women and children -- on a set day in the month of February. When Mordecai hears about this, he falls apart. He stops eating and begins to weep and wail loudly. The practice of putting dirt, dust, and ashes on one’s head was a typical sign of mourning back then in order to identify with the dead. Dust and torn clothes were symbolic representations of burial and decay. Sackcloth was made of goat or camel hair and was coarse and uncomfortable and would make the wearer miserable. Queen Esther hears about her stepfather’s mourning and sends someone to find out what’s going on.
Suppose you went home this afternoon and turned on the TV only to hear a special news bulletin from the oval office. A spokesman looks into the camera and says, “We have decided with America’s best interests in mind to make the following law. On December 25th of this year, all Christian men, women and children will be killed and Christianity will be utterly annihilated.” How would you feel? What would you do?
Esther’s Courage
Mordecai pleads with Esther to use her position to take a stand on behalf of the Jews in 4:8: “Please go into the king’s presence and beg for mercy and plead with him for our people.” Esther’s initial response shows her fear. No one knew she was Jewish. And she had heard about what happened to ex-queen Vashti and knew she couldn’t just walk into the king’s presence. It had been about 30 days since they had spoken and the law stated that you had to be summoned by the king. In fact, the law said that the king could put someone to death if they did not follow the exact etiquette.
When Mordecai heard Esther’s hesitancy, he turned up the heat and made a very convincing closing argument in 4:13-14: “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?”
Mordecai is saying three things to Esther.
1. Don’t think you’ll escape the holocaust when it happens. You’ll be wiped out just like everyone else when it becomes clear that you are one of God’s chosen people.
2. If you don’t do something, God will send someone else. I love Mordecai’s understanding of God’s sovereignty. God could just as easily use someone else to accomplish His purposes. God will accomplish all He intends, regardless of our involvement. Esther is important but she’s not indispensable. She will miss out on an opportunity to serve God and blow the blessings that will come with it but she will not tie God’s hands. Never forget that we cannot thwart God’s plans but we can forfeit the awesome responsibility to do something great in the kingdom.
3. God has positioned you exactly where He wants you for such a time as this. Esther, this is your purpose in life! This is what God has made you to do! Perhaps you’ve come to the place in life where you are right now so that God can accomplish His will through you in the most significant way He ever will.
Esther’s faith and courage then begin to kick in. She instructs all the Jews in Susa to spend three days praying and fasting. Notice that she doesn’t try to do this alone. She knows she needs some help. By calling people to fast, she acknowledges that she must go on a spiritual journey with God and wait on Him for His intervention. After she replenishes her spiritual tank, she tells Mordecai that she will go into the king. She decides to risk her life and says courageously in 4:16, “If I perish, I perish.” Like an ancient Oskar Schindler, she is willing to take a stand and put her life on the line in order to benefit others. She’s been transformed from a beauty queen to a bold and brave woman of God.
You can almost hear Esther’s heart beating as she walks down the long corridor to the king’s chamber. When the King sees Esther he smiles and says, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? I’ll give you up to half of my kingdom if you want it.”
Esther apparently wasn’t ready to make her request so she told the King that she would like him to bring Haman and come to a special banquet that she had prepared. After dessert is served, the King once again asks Esther what she wants. You can feel the suspense building as she tells him to bring Haman to another feast tomorrow and then she’ll tell him.
Haman must have been feeling pretty important about now. He was the only one invited to eat with the king and queen two days in a row! 5:9 says that he went out “happy and in high spirits.” But, as he was walking through the palace he spotted his nemesis Mordecai at the front gate. Maybe now Mordecai would give him the honor he deserved After all, he had just been with the royal family! But Mordecai didn’t even acknowledge him when he walked by. Haman allowed one person to steal his joy. He was filled with rage but controlled himself because he knew that Mordecai and his people would soon be eradicated by the king’s edict.
When Haman got home he called all his friends together and told them about his rise to the top. About half way through his self-promotion party, he stood up on a picnic table, cleared his throat and said, “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the King to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” (5:12-13)
His wife and his friends then come up with a great idea. They encourage Haman to erect some scaffolding that is 75 feet high and ask the King to hang Mordecai from it. Haman is thrilled and has some workers construct it right away. He could hardly sleep that night knowing that in the morning he would finally be rid of Mordecai the Jew.
But here’s where the plot thickens. There’s one other person who can’t sleep that night. The King ate too much at the Queen’s banquet and was up getting some Rolaids. This is actually a case of Almighty-induced insomnia or holy heartburn. Because he was restless and uncomfortable, he asked one of his servants to read from the official records. This would surely put him to sleep! But, as he started to doze off, he sat up when he heard about what Mordecai had done several months earlier to save his life. He asked his servant what had been done to honor and reward Mordecai for his loyalty. He was embarrassed that he had forgotten to do anything special for him.
At that precise moment, Horrible Haman had arrived at the court so that he could be first in line to talk to the King about hanging Mordecai. Haman was summoned into the King’s presence. Haman was thrilled because he was going to get rid of Mordecai sooner than he had thought!
The King asked Haman a simple question, “What should be done for the man the King delights to honor?” Haman was certain the King was talking about him so he stuck his chest out and said in 6:8-9, “Have them bring a royal robe the King has worn and a horse the king has ridden...and have him led around the streets by one of the King’s most noble princes…” Haman was pouring it on pretty thick!
The King liked that idea and then told Haman to immediately get the robe and horse and do as he suggested for Mordecai the Jew! He couldn’t believe it! He obeyed the king but probably didn’t have a very good attitude about it. His only comfort was in remembering that all the Jews would be killed in a very short period of time. He went home for lunch with his tail between his legs.
That night he showed up at the palace for Queen Esther’s banquet. Once again the King asked Esther what she wanted from him. This time she was ready. The waffling wife had become the courageous queen, “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. [She’s now identifying herself as a follower of God]. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation.”
The King didn’t understand until now that his bride was Jewish. He had unknowingly signed the Queen’s own death warrant! He then asked her, “Who is this man who has dared to do such a thing?” Esther calmly replied, “The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman!”
Haman fell out of his chair. The king flew into a rage and went out for some fresh air to clear his thoughts. Haman then begged Esther for his life but just as the King came back into the palace he saw Haman leaning on the Queen. Persian protocol forbade anyone from coming within seven paces of the queen. The King couldn’t believe it. Haman was now trying to hit on his wife! The King exclaimed in 7:8, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”
Haman was then led out of the palace and experienced some poetic justice when he was hung on the death machine he had constructed for Mordecai! The King then supplied weapons and soldiers so the Jews could defend themselves. The “Sting” was now complete! Because of Esther’s stand, her people were now saved!
Film Forum
There are some more scenes that take place in the story but I’m going to hit the pause button here so we can analyze this blockbuster hit. Let’s focus on some of the lessons, or principles, we can learn that will help us take a stand today as we look at the main characters in the book.
1. Vashti: Take a Moral Stand. Though she didn’t have a big part in the film, Queen Vashti had the courage to take a moral stand. She knew that her morals would have been compromised had she walked into that room full of drunken men. She would not cross the line because she valued her dignity.
Friend, what about you? Do you need to take a moral stand in your relationships? Is someone trying to get you to compromise your sexual morals? Don’t do it. Take a stand. Hold your ground. If you’ve already crossed the line, ask God for forgiveness and make a fresh commitment to have some moral courage. It’s never too late. Maybe you’ve been justifying what you’re doing but deep inside you know it’s wrong. It’s time to quit fooling yourself and live God’s way.
Now, let me add quickly that taking a moral stand is not easy. In fact, it’s often controversial and unpopular. Sometimes there are unpleasant consequences. Though Queen Vashti did the right thing, she lost her position of royalty and was banished from the kingdom. You may take a moral stand and say “no” to sex outside of marriage and be made fun of. Or, you may even be dumped for someone else. Is this easy? No, it requires some courage. Is it worth it? You bet it is. It’s much better to be virtuous like Vashti than to be sensual like Samson.
2. Mordecai: Take a Spiritual Stand. Because Mordecai had surrendered his life to God, he was unwilling to worship anything, or anyone else. This is not an easy stand to make either. I know that it requires a tremendous amount of courage for some of you to be here today. It took guts for you to come to church. As you begin your spiritual journey, I want to publicly applaud your willingness to investigate Christianity. Others of you have been checking out Christianity for a long time but you’ve not yet signed on the dotted line. Maybe you’re not quite ready to turn your life over to Jesus. I understand. Becoming a Christian requires some courage.
Courage to admit that you fall short morally. Courage to admit that you need God. Courage to ask Jesus to forgive you. Courage to receive Him into your life and to follow His leadership. And, it takes courage to tell others about your decision. Romans 10:9-10 hits the nail on the head: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with the mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Friend, are you man enough or woman enough to take a spiritual stand today? Do you have enough courage to believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that He rose again? Do you have enough courage to stand up and be counted as a Christ-follower? Do people around you even know that you’re a Christian? Have you been hiding your holy heritage? Let’s be like Mordecai and speak up for what we believe.
I had a neat experience this week as I had the privilege of watching and listening to a guy from PBC share his faith courageously, tactfully, and succinctly. While he was on the treadmill he identified himself as a believer and told a searching friend how he became a Christian. Both of us then tag-teamed this seeker and talked about Christ openly as we tried to help her see how much God cares about her. I dropped a Bible off for her on Friday. My friend took a stand spiritually and was used greatly by God.
3. Esther: Take a Positional Stand. With the help of a family member, Esther understood that God had put her in a position to make a difference. She demonstrated extreme courage and faith by doing something that could have caused her own death. It was Andrew Jackson who said, “One man with courage makes a majority.” I think one of the great lessons from this story is that God has placed each one of us in positions where we can influence others for good. Don’t ever think that you are insignificant. God has put you where you are to make a difference.
He has put you in your family for a specific reason. He has placed you in your neighborhood to be salt and light. He has enrolled you in the school you’re in to influence lives. You have your job so that you can communicate Christ to your co-workers. God has placed you exactly where you are for a reason. You will never be repeated! Who we are and where we are carries a heavy responsibility. Each of us has a God-given niche only we can fill. As Pastor Jeff likes to say, “He created you on purpose for a purpose.”
Sometimes we want to get out of our situation our job, our school, our neighborhood and sometimes we should. But, I wonder if we miss out on opportunities simply because we’re grumbling about our work, or our classmates, or our house, or our church. Listen. God never allows anything to come into our lives by accident. Behind every circumstance we face is a greater purpose than we can see at the moment.
When I was pastoring in Rockford, I served on the Community Viewpoint Board for the Register Star newspaper (it would be like the Pantagraph). During one of our meetings we were discussing the different institutions in town that are helping children like schools, the YMCA, social programs, etc. The chairperson then steered our conversation to the next agenda item. I then took a deep breath, raised my hand, and said, “I think we’re leaving out one of the most influential organizations in the world!” When I had their attention I explained how much local churches are doing to help children. When I was finished, churches were added to our list. I used my position to speak up and to take a stand. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.
Do you need to take a deep breath, say a quick prayer and speak up? Look at where God has positioned you and then look for ways to use that position to save lives, just like Esther did. Ray and Berniece Tuley had a neat experience this week. They were seated in a waiting room at the hospital. A lady was sitting across from them and got up to talk to someone. When she returned to her seat, she saw that a purse was on her chair so she moved over and sat right next to Berniece. Berniece began a conversation with her that led to a discussion about Christ and church. For those of you who know Berniece, that’s not too hard to imagine, is it? Ray and Berniece then brought this woman by the church on Thursday and she’s planning to be here today!
Ray and Berniece saw their seating position in a waiting room as a divine appointment! Let’s learn from them and look at every circumstance and situation as an opportunity to maximize our ministry potential.
God has put you where you are, not simply for you to enjoy the benefits of your position, or to just tolerate your job, or to just read a magazine when you’re waiting for an appointment. Look around and see the people that He has placed in your life for such a time as this. He’s put you where you are to help save lives! Take some holy risks like Esther did and watch what God will do! We need more Esther’s in order to rescue a nation and a world condemned to die. We need some reckless abandon to live the life God has called us to. We need more Hudson Taylor’s who will say, “Give me China or I die.” We need some sold-out Christ followers today who will say, “Give me Livingston County or I die.”
4. God: Recognize His Sovereignty. Though God’s name is never mentioned in this book, He is very evident behind the scenes. Someone has said that a “coincidence” is simply a time where God has chosen to act anonymously. He may be invisible, but He’s invincible. His will, will be done. He brought Esther to Persia, he gave her beauty so she could win the Miss Persian pageant and become queen. He placed Mordecai in the right spot at the right time so he could discover the plot to overthrow the king. He used Esther’s cooking to give heartburn to her hubby and He made sure Haman was in the palace at just the right time so he could honor Mordecai.
Let’s go on a “God-hunt” every day, looking for evidence of His leading. Expect to see Him at work in the ordinary and you will be overwhelmed at how many times you find Him.
Listen carefully. There are no coincidences with God! Life is filled with appointments, not accidents. God is at work in the intricate weavings of our fragile human decisions. Even though His name is absent from the Book, God is touching life in every scene. And God has chosen to work out His plan today through faithful men and women like Vashti, Mordecai and Esther who maximize their ministry potential by taking a stand morally, spiritually, and positionally.
Several years ago before the Soviet Union broke apart, Premier Khrushchev was speaking before the Supreme Soviet and was being very critical of the late Premier Josef Stalin. While he was speaking someone from the audience sent up a note: “What were you doing when Stalin committed all those atrocities?”
Khrushchev shouted, “Who sent up this note?” No one said a word. “I’ll give you one more minute to stand up!” The seconds ticked off. Still no one moved.
“All right, I’ll tell you what I was doing. I was doing exactly what the writer of this note was doing -- exactly nothing! I was afraid to be counted!”
Are you afraid to be counted? Or, are you willing to stand up morally, spiritually, and positionally as you recognize that God has sovereignly placed you exactly where He wants you, for such a time as this?
I’m going to ask you to stand this morning if you’re willing to maximize your ministry potential.
Please stand right now if you’ve been moved to make a moral stand.
Please stand if you’re ready to stand spiritually for the Savior.
Please stand if you’ll commit to use your position as a platform for kingdom impact.
