Esther 8:1-17
Righteousness Rewarded
Woodlawn Baptist Church
September 26, 2004
Introduction
As we get closer to the end of our walk through the book of Esther, I want to tell you that I have really enjoyed the things the Lord has been teaching me through the study. A well-known preacher one time said that before a preacher preaches through any book of the Bible, he ought to read it through at least 50 times. The first time I heard that I thought it was nonsense, but let me tell you I am beginning to see his point. Each time I begin a new book, I take off in some direction, just knowing that it was where the Lord wanted me to go, but as I neared the end of the book, I realized that there was so much more to what I thought was there. Esther is no different. If I thought you could stand it, I think I would preach through some of these books twice, one time the way I thought it ought to be, and the second time the way I learned God intended it to be.
If you never learn anything else from me, I want to leave with you a lasting impression of the wonder of the Word of God. It may be an old book, but if you will only read them, the stories are as fresh and interesting as today’s news, and the truths are timeless and relevant for each of our lives, regardless of who we are or what we do. The Lord wants you to be a life-long student of the Word of God. He wants you to learn it, to grow in it, to love it, because in it is contained the greatest story ever told – the story of God’s great love for you and how He has redeemed you and set you free to a life of great purpose and passion for Him. Don’t ever come to the place where you are unteachable. All of us can learn from God’s Word. If you’re not willing to learn from it and have your mind changed about something in it, then don’t bother opening it up. I wonder sometimes if that’s why some of you don’t bring one or open one when I preach. Listen, if you’ll be an honest student of the Word, you’ll fall in love with the God of the Word.
Do you ever wonder why it is that you struggle with things like Bible study? There is a part of you that wants to read it and study it, but another part that keeps putting it off or making excuses. It may not be Bible study; perhaps it is some other thing like taking your needs to the Lord in prayer, or loving others. You hear preachers say to do the right thing, or to obey the Lord. We tell you to hang in there or put up a good fight and all that religious kind of talk, but no matter how pumped up you may feel when you leave here you realize all too quickly that Sunday morning pep talks don’t help much when your wife is mad at you or when you’re faced with temptation.
Is it worth the trouble? Don’t you ever ask yourself that question? You love and you love someone, but they stomp on you. You give and you give, but you don’t seem to be getting. You read and you pray and you go to church, but things aren’t getting much better. Some of you have been going through some long lasting trying times, and you wonder when you’re going to get some relief. Why bother? Is it worth the trouble? As we look at this 8th chapter of Esther this morning, I want to impress upon you that it is worth it – that living for the Lord is worth it, not just in heavenly, eternal rewards, but in terms of today, the “right where you are” kinds of rewards that only the Lord can offer in this lifetime. Let’s read our text and then we’ll consider some of God’s rewards for righteous living before Him.
“On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her. And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, and said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces: for how can I endure to see the evil hat shall come unto my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse. Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries: wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace. And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, and a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.”
In verse 1, all four of our main characters are mentioned, and there is a wonderful analogy for our lives that involves all four of them. The king is you. Haman represents your flesh, and Esther is the spirit of God that indwells you. Mordecai then pictures the Holy Spirit at work influencing your regenerated spirit. Now, the two I want to draw your attention to are Mordecai and Haman. From the beginning of our story, these two have been at odds with one another. One quietly and humbly works behind the scenes for the good of the king; the other is out front and in the open, seeking his own advancement. One is willing to sacrifice his life for what is right, the other wants to take lives because he feels wronged. On the one hand is Mordecai, the image of maturity and integrity. On the other hand is Haman, the image of immaturity and wickedness.
Now, the two men are present in every one of your lives. You see, Haman is the picture of your flesh – your sinful, carnal flesh with all the lusts thereof that influence you and your decisions. Consider what Paul said in Galatians 5:19,
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like…”
You see, Haman represents that Adamic principle of evil that is at work in our lives deluding us, deceiving us into pitiful lives of self-interest, self-effort, self-praise, self-admiration, self-pity and self-centeredness. That’s what Haman was all about – self, self, self! And that’s what your fleshly, sinful nature is all about – promoting self and living for self.
Haman wanted that job. He wanted the recognition. He wanted the worship, the honor, and the praise. He was the one who went home and gathered all his friends so he could tell them about how great he was. He was the one who couldn’t be happy so long as Mordecai wasn’t impressed with him. He was the one who bragged about being the only one invited to the queen’s banquet. It was all “me, me, me!”
That’s your fleshly, sinful nature at work in your life! That’s Haman in you, and until you recognize what a powerful foe he is in your life you’re destined to a life of misery and failure, and like Haman, you can be so deceived and blinded by your so-called greatness that you’ll be the last person to know you’ve wasted your life.
Now, if Haman is a picture of your flesh, then Mordecai is a picture of the Spirit of God at work in your life. The Bible teaches us that the Spirit has been sent to teach us, to convict us, to lead us, and to comfort us. It was Mordecai that had the king’s best interests in mind. Mordecai quietly, but firmly stood his ground. Mordecai didn’t seek the honors, he didn’t seek the position, he didn’t ask for authority. He was there to serve the king.
Listen, the greatest thing you can do with your life is to recognize that it has been given you for the good of our King! King Ahasuerus was so slow in coming around to this reality. He may have been king – but he had been so blind to what was going on in his kingdom, right in his own palace. He is just like us! How often do we carry on through life only to wake up one day realizing that things are not what we thought them to be? Haman had been leading him along, using him for his own self-promotion, and it wasn’t until his eyes were opened that he recognized the destructive influence he had been following.
I read to you what the works of the flesh were. Now listen to what Paul went on to say in Galatians about the fruit of the Spirit.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we living in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Do you see that? The only thing to do with your flesh is to crucify it! What did the king do with Haman, the picture of your fleshly nature? He hanged him! He killed him! The very thing that must be done with our flesh – it must be crucified so we can walk in the Spirit, or under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God! Haman was not in control – the king was, but he was allowing Haman to influence him and lead him down a road he didn’t want to be on. Esther, working by the direction of Mordecai, helped the king to see the truth of the situation, helped him to recognize what Haman was doing to him so that he could put a stop to it. Once the king put Haman to death, Esther and Mordecai were free to influence the king in the right way – and it led to freedom for the people, great authority and honor for Mordecai, great joy throughout the land, and the conversion of many of the Gentile people.
Conclusion
Now, I began with the question, “Is it worth it?” In Romans, we read about our flesh waging war against our spirits and how we must not allow sin to reign in our bodies. In Hebrews, we are told to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Is it worth the fight? Is it worth all the running? Haman enjoyed great authority – he got the ring and the robes and the chariots and all that came with it. The people bowed in his presence, they honored his name, they celebrated his greatness – but it was a fleeting thing for a man who had chased the greatness for greatness sake. Mordecai on the other hand pursued righteousness, not only for the good of the king, but also because of his relation to the King of kings, and he too enjoyed great authority. He got the ring, Haman’s estate, royal clothes, a crown of gold, and all the honor he could stand, not because he pursued greatness, but because he was great – and there is a vast difference!
What is it that you are in pursuit of today, and who is it that you are following along the way? You can spend your life chasing some position, some accomplishment, or some reputation. You can seek authority and honor and power, but I tell you it will never be enough. The Haman that lives within you will always want more. He will never rest so long as there is still one more thing holding out, and until you crucify that man you’ll never enjoy the freedom and blessings that only a relationship with Jesus Christ offers.
As we close today, I want you to turn with me to Romans 6, and begin reading with me in verse 12.
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Is it worth it? It’s a matter of life and death – the passage wasn’t written to the lost, but to believers, to those of you who have already been saved. Make final comments and close.
