Sovereignty Of God Series

Esther 8-10 15th Nov 2020

Welcome back to the final teaching on the Book of Estherfrom Calvary Reformed Church…I'm Pastor Greg and we've spent about five weeks on the Book of Esther. It's been a wonderful study if you've watched them all with us. I trust you've learned a lot; I know that I've learned a lot.

If you have not, I encourage you to go back and watch and learn about this amazing Jewish woman and her cousin, Mordecai. Overall, we see the reality that God has a providence in our lives.

With that, let's have a word of prayer…Father God, as we come to you Lord, I'd ask for wisdom to have Your words, to educate and engage those who are watching right now. That we can better learn how to and understand how we are called to walk in Your providence in our lives and to walk a closer walk with Jesus Christ our Savior. And all God's children said, Amen.

Just to catch us all up with where we've been, the book of Esther is written in the time of Persia when King Xerxes is the king. The book of Esther takes place about 130 years or so after the Babylonian captivity with Nebuchadnezzar taking the Jewish people out of the land of Israel. King Xerxes is the grandson to the king who overthrows the Babylonian empire.

There are five main players in the Book of Esther. Today, a lot of people know King Xerxes by the battle that he lost against the Greeks. There was a movie that came out called ‘300’. It is about the 300 Greeks that stood up against King Xerxes army.

We have Vashti, the queen. King Xerxes got rid of her because she would not listen to what he had to say.

Last week we talked about Haman, the Jew hater, who was a descendant of the Amalekites (who were supposed to be destroyed by King Saul because of how evil they were). That’s a whole other story. You can watch the last video for that one. Amazing story.

We also have Esther, whose mom and dad died when she was a young girl.

Her cousin Mordecai takes her on and becomes her father in a way. He raises her and she ends up being placed into (by her own free will or taken by force) the Bachelor… Persia style, for the king…and she wins. She becomes queen.

We looked last week how Haman hated the Jews and he hated Mordecai because he would not bow down to him. He decided he would kill all the Jews. He convinced King Xerxes to get rid of them. It's interesting because the date that they chose had been cast and it was called the Pur. It was decided this would take place in about one year from that time. There were around 12 million Jews at least at that time in the land of Persia that could have been killed.

The queen finds out about this through her cousin, Mordecai. The phrase that so many people know from the Book of Esther is when Mordecai says to his cousin, who is now queen, ‘For such a time as this, God has placed you in this position. What are you going to do about it?’

In the last video we talked about the fact that God has placed all of us in the position that we are at within our life to do that which He calls us to do, He has a purpose and a call and a plan in our lives. Friends, it's not that God calls the gift, but he gifts the called. He gifts the call to those whom He has placed in the purpose…for such a time as this we have been placed where we are.

If you know the whole story of Esther, you know that she invites the king and Haman over to have a meal. There are two meals in a row for two nights. The second night the king says, ‘What do you really need Esther?’ Esther says if it pleases you, spare my people…the Jews’ I love this because Esther says this many times…

• Esther 7:3 ‘If it pleases the king, please spare my life in spirit of the life of my people.’

• Esther 8, ‘Oh king, if it pleases you and I

have found favor with you…’

• Esther 9:13, “If it pleases the king give the Jews permission to fight back.’

The King then says, ‘Who did this?’ Esther replies that Haman had sent the edicts out to kill all the Jews. King Xerxes is upset. Haman erected some gallows. Really it was a 75-foot spike to put Mordecai on.

When King Xerxes comes back in, Haman was begging for his life from the queen. He falls down on the couch and the King says, ‘What!? You would even attack my queen in our own house!?’ Haman was put up on the 75-foot stake.