Esther 2:1-23
Do You Have What It Takes?
Woodlawn Baptist Church
July 11, 2004
Introduction
“After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: and let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.”
The last time we looked at the book of Esther, we were introduced to a story that has fascinated men and women through the years as it tells of a king and his queens and how a young Jewish girl rose to fame from her humble beginnings as an orphan girl. The story never mentions the name of God, but as we have already begun to see, God was there all along, working behind the scenes to accomplish His divine will.
God is still at work today doing the same thing in our lives, and while we may not always see or acknowledge Him, He is there nonetheless, using our actions and decisions to accomplish His will, even when those actions and decisions are made without regard to Him. What is God’s will? Quite simply it is to bring Him glory. God’s eternal plan has always been to make Himself the center of attention, both in heaven and on earth. God is going to get the glory. He worked through the nation of Israel to do it, and today He works through His New Testament churches, using people just like you and me to please Him and to glorify His name.
I have said now many times that while God’s one chief purpose never changes, there are various ways in which that purpose may be accomplished. For instance, God has always desired to be glorified through a people who are both different and separated from the world. From earliest times, He has consistently expressed to His people their need to be different from everyone else, different both on the outside, and more importantly on the inside. But the differences that you and I have come to accept are not necessarily the kind of differences that God primarily wants and desires for us. We have come to think that God just wants us to get our acts cleaned up, but we don’t think much about why. We focus on the outward, but too often forget about the inside. Cursing, drinking, smoking, doping and all those sins are addressed as though when God’s people get them under control He will be happy and we will be satisfied, but that’s not necessarily the case.
The chief difference that God wants from us that should separate us from all the world can be summed up in one word: passion. We live with a different passion than all the rest of the world. Anyone can clean up a life, and do so for various reasons, but we are the only people on the face of the earth, and always have been, who are to live with great passion for God and heavenly, eternal things. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” When God’s kingdom and God’s character become our one great passion then all that other stuff will fall into place.
It’s a messed up world that we live in. It always has been. We saw this when we looked at chapter 1, and we see it again today. About three years has passed since Ahasuerus divorced Vashti and dethroned her as queen. Chapter 2 tells us that he started regretting his decisions and was missing her when his royal advisors came up with a plan to get him a new wife. You can image why they were so concerned that he not figure out a way to get Vashti back. After all, it was their idea to get rid of her, so you can imagine what she might have done to them if she came back. So, these advisors suggested to the king that all the young virgins in the land, throughout his 127 provinces, be brought in so he could inspect them and choose from among them a new wife. You have seen the Cinderella movie where the king tries to arrange for his son to meet the right woman to marry, so they throw a big ball where he meets them all and dances with them. Well that movie always comes to my mind here, but our story in Esther is not nearly so innocent. These women were to spend a full year getting cleaned up before they would spend an evening with the king. They may or may not be required to perform other deeds for him, then they would be placed in his royal harem, where they would never see him again.
This is how we are introduced to young Esther. She was among the virgins brought in to be dolled up for the king. We learn that she really impressed all those who worked with her, and more importantly impressed the king, who decided that he liked her so much that he married her and made her queen in Vashti’s place, declaring the day a national holiday for that one day.
How would you like it if that were your daughter or granddaughter? You say, well, if she was made queen then it wasn’t so bad, but what about all those girls who didn’t make queen? You can be sure that many of the families were torn over this deal, but just to show you how messed up things were, there would have been some who thought this was a great opportunity – something to be proud of. It was exploitation at its finest if you want to be honest about it. It was a beauty contest put together to satisfy one man: king Ahasuerus.
We live in a world of ungodliness and immorality. God’s morals are not the world’s morals. God’s values are not the world’s values. God’s desires are not the world’s desires, and if we are going to bring Him the honor and glory He desires and longs for, then we as His people should learn to live in this wicked world system with a great passion for what He wants, and when we do, we bring Him the recognition He desires and our willingness to be used by Him brings Him great pleasure.
Here’s what must happen in our lives though, both in our lives as individuals and as a church body: we must position ourselves so that God can use us to accomplish His will through us – His will of bringing glory to Himself through us. That positioning is central to our being used by God. In other words, if we as a people have resigned ourselves to just getting along in this world when we could be turning it upside down for Christ, if we have chosen the path of passive resignation, the path of getting along for the sake of getting along when we could be actively pursuing God’s kingdom and righteousness, then God will be unable to use us the way He really desires and we will miss out on the blessings He has for us. I believe that nothing disappoints God more than having children who refuse to be used by Him: people who want His blessings without accepting the responsibilities that go along with being called a child of God.
In this second chapter, it is a toss up as to whether Mordecai or Esther are the main character. So rather than trying to choose one, I want you to think for a moment about both of them. Mordecai and Esther are both central to the story we find in this book. Both have certain qualities about them that made them usable by God – both were positioned in such a way that they accomplished great things, and both were blessed more than they ever dreamed. What were these qualities? If we can answer that, then we can think about how those same qualities must be present in our lives as well so that we too might be used more effectively by God and so that we too might be blessed by God in ways we never dreamed.
Love
Mordecai was a man characterized by great love – in this instance a great love for his family. Verses 5-7 tell us how he adopted Esther, his cousin as his own daughter after her parents died. Now there are three things I want to mention about love very quickly. First, love is not optional for the child of God. We’re commanded to love others. Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God. The second commandment is to love others. In the Bible we’re commanded to love our families, and there’s something wrong with the person, husband or wife, mom or dad, son or daughter who can’t love the others. It’s not natural. You shouldn’t have to be commanded to love your family. We’re also commanded to love our neighbors, those who are outside our families. Lastly we are commanded to love our enemies. Jesus said that anyone could love his friends; we must love those who hate us.
Not natural you say? You’re exactly right – it’s not natural. That leads me to the second thing I want to say about love. According to Galatians 5, love is a fruit of the Spirit, which means that the only way you can have it is to be in right relationship with God by following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. You must be in fellowship with Jesus – abide in Him and Him abiding in you. Think of a fruit tree. Jesus is the trunk, you are a branch, and love is the fruit that is produced in your life as you stay hooked up with Jesus. The moment you separate your life from Him you quit producing fruit.
Jesus insists that you be a person characterized by love. So many saved people are full of anger and bitterness and hatred. They have sour faces and find the negative in everything. You see, the third thing about love is this: If you are going to be used by God to the fullest, you must allow Him to produce love in your life. If you are going to be blessed to the fullest extent possible, then you must love others. I’m not talking about bank accounts – I’m talking about God meeting your need for genuine, satisfying relationships. Ahasuerus had to put on a beauty pageant to find a mate. God’s way is to express love for others. There’s nothing cheap about it. Mordecai didn’t just say to Esther, “I love you.” He went all the way. If you’re going to be a person of love, then you’re going to have to pay the price it costs to express it, but if you’ll pay up, not only will God be able to use you, you’ll experience greater blessings in your relationships than you’ve ever dreamed possible.
Wisdom
As Esther is taken away to the king’s palace, Mordecai instructs her not to reveal her identity as a Jew. He worked right there at the palace, so he checked on her frequently to encourage her and make sure she was doing all right. As he instructs his young cousin to keep quiet, I’m reminded of a passage in the Bible that says, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” You see, Mordecai wasn’t ashamed of his national heritage, nor did he want Esther to be. The fact is that he understood that there would be a more appropriate time to reveal her identity than right now. As I study this book, I am convinced that neither Mordecai nor Esther were particularly excited about what the king’s advisors were making these young women do. Esther could have easily stood up and protested that because of her religious convictions, she could not participate. She could have been loud, telling them how they were terrible sinners and how God was going to get them and that she was too virtuous a woman to participate, and she would have been right in saying all those things, but sometimes wisdom dictates a more subtle way.
On very few occasions did Jesus get loud and protest, and when He did it was with the Pharisees, men with whom Jesus had been battling for months. Think about Jesus for a moment. He too lived in a world filled with injustice and immorality, but He didn’t go around trying to reform people. He chose instead to preach the gospel and work to change people from the inside out, understanding that if people ever turned their hearts over to God, their hands and feet would follow.
It takes wisdom to know when and how to do this though. Do you have it? Love was a fruit of the spirit, something we don’t naturally possess. Now wisdom, while we don’t naturally possess it, it is not a fruit of the Spirit, but God has guaranteed to give it to you if you’ll just ask in faith, nothing wavering according to James. “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and does not scold you for asking.”
Simplicity
When the young women went to meet with Ahasuerus, verses 12-14 tell us that she was allowed to take anything she wanted from among what was in the women’s house, but when it was Esther’s turn, verse 15 tells us that she took nothing except what was provided her. She kept it simple, and in the end it proved to be to her benefit.
Now whether we’re talking about fashion accessories or anything else, simplicity is more than a way of life – it is a reflection of what’s in our hearts. Simplicity is not necessarily a lack of activity, though it could be. Some of the busiest people I know maintain a remarkable ability to keep things simple. Perhaps in your life you find that all too often things are so complicated. Some of you have too much drama in your lives, and you find yourself wishing for more simple times. Listen, that desire is more than wishful thinking – it is put there by God to keep our lives in check. We need simplicity. But how do we get it? Very quickly, let me put it this way: Most of the complications we face are from being stretched too thin, or from trying to be or do more than we were made to be or do. We do this because we really haven’t settled into what our priorities are.
Let me give you an example. Jesus lived a remarkably simple life. His was extremely busy, but extremely simple. Why? Because He knew why He was here – He was headed for a cross. Now think of all the things He could have done or places He could have visited. Think of all the ministry opportunities He passed up, and the family He could have enjoyed had He only wanted it. But He chose instead to remain focused on His one purpose – to go to the cross.
Our lives are really no different, but too often we really haven’t decided what it is we’re living for – so we try to do it all. We want the family, but we want to live like single folks too. We’ve got to have all the latest, newest stuff, and have as much of it as we can afford. We’ve got to keep up with all the latest television programs, magazine articles, latest books, and all the internet information so that we are able to keep up with everyone. Listen, you don’t have to do it all or be it all – you just have to be who God wants you to be and do what He wants you to do. You ought to be able to narrow your life down to 3 or 4 top priorities and keep things simple. If you’ll do this, not only will you find yourself more satisfied (the blessing), but you’ll find yourself in a better position to be used by God because you’re not stretched too thin by an overloaded life.
Courage
Mordecai and Esther both demonstrate remarkable courage in this chapter. Esther demonstrated courage as she went through the process of becoming queen while maintaining her heritage and dignity, and in the closing verses they both demonstrate courage by exposing a plot by two men to assassinate the king. Are you a person of courage? You may be like the man I heard about who bragged that he had cut the tail off a lion with his pocket knife. When he was asked why he cut the tail off and not the head, he replied, “Someone else had already done that.”
Someone said that courage is doing what you’re afraid to do, and I think I agree with that. You see, there’s a difference between courage and bravery. Bravery is often demonstrated when we react to something – like pushing a kid from danger. Courage on the other hand is making a decision to do what is right, and many times those decisions must be made while we face our fears. It takes courage to stand up to someone who has the ability to hurt you. It takes courage to live the Christian faith and love people enough to share the gospel with them. It takes courage to express your convictions when no one else shares them. It takes courage to give your life away when you want to keep it for yourself, but listen, it takes courage for God to use you to the fullest extent possible, and if you’ll be a person of courage, you’ll experience untold blessings from the hand of God.
Conclusion
Do you have what it takes to be used by God? Do you have what it takes for Him to bless you the way He wants to? Are you a person of love, of wisdom, of simplicity and of courage? I wasn’t able to spend much time this morning dealing with how you can become that kind of person, but very quickly it all boils down to a relationship. The mistake we too often make is that we go out in search of the position that we think God must want us to have. We agonize over what it is God is calling us to. We pray and dwell on God’s will for our lives. “God, what do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go? What is your will for my life?” But I want to tell you those are the wrong questions.
You don’t have to ask them. You don’t have to seek the position God wants you in. God will lead you to it as you surrender to Him. Your job is to be what God wants you to be – God’s job is to put you where He wants you to be. Your job is to nurture a relationship with a loving Creator who died to set you free. Your job is to maintain a relationship of intimacy with your heavenly Father, and as you do He will show you the way you must go – it’s a relationship of trust that begins in salvation.
Have you ever accepted Christ as your Savior? Have you ever come to a place in your life where you admitted to God that you were a sinner, where there was something inherently wrong with you? Did you confess that to God and trust Him for salvation? Have you followed the Lord in Scriptural baptism? Be what He wants you to be first – are you living surrendered to Him? Or do you know this morning that you have been holding out – holding back? How would God have you respond to His invitation this morning?
