Esther 1:1-9[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, March 13th, 2011
Esther is the only book in the Bible where God is not mentioned by name; yet the Jews and then the church have seen fit to acknowledge the inspiration of God in the writing and the preserving of this incredible story.
I could say, as some have, that this is a Cinderella story; an orphaned girl who rises to become queen of the great nation of Persia. Others have said it is simply written to give us the roots of the Feast of Purim. Through my reading the past few weeks, I see three themes that stand out over all others in this book…
Esther is a story of Providence, Courage, and Commemoration.
It is the story of the Providence of God. God's invisible hand is clearly visible to those who believe that God exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. When people of faith read this book, though God's name is not mentioned – we cannot help but praise God for the great mercy He extends to His covenant people.
Providence literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote God's preserving and governing all things by means of second causes. God's providence extends to the natural world, all of creation, the affairs of nations, families, and of individuals. It extends also over all actions of men: their sinful as well as their good actions. God is invisibly, irrevocably in charge of all.
It is the story of the courage of Esther and of Mordecai. While God is sovereign over all, and does as He pleases, that in no way negates the necessity of humans to act, to risk, to work, and to be used by God. God's providence and man's courage work together; providence stands alone, but no human strength does; we all need the help of Almighty God to carry out sacrificial deeds of bravery. In this story God uses the bravery of a kind man and a frightened young lady to preserve the Jews, for they were at risk of annihilation in this terrible situation.
It is lastly a story of commemoration. This book was written, as it plainly tells us in Esther 9:19-22, to explain the deliverance that resulted in the Feast of Purim, which is kept by Jews to this day. Don't forget the great deliverance God brought about in Susa that year when we were all given over to death! The story is told to this day, and Jews remember the hatred of Haman, the courage of Esther and Mordecai, and the good work of God to preserve His people. As many times before, God stepped in and saved His people. Providence, courage, and commemoration. It is a very entertaining, humorous, tense well-written story that comes through like a play, with main characters, acts, and scenes
The Setting: Susa, capital of Persia, Greatest Empire on Earth.
586 B.C. Jews are taken into captivity in Babylon
536 B.C. Babylonians are conquered
458 B.C. Ezra comes to Jerusalem from Babylon
445 B.C. Nehemiah completes the wall, sent by Darius
486-464 B.C. Ahasuerus (Xerxes) reigned; these things probably took place 485-478 B.C.
The main characters: King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti, Esther, Mordecai, and Haman.
We'll get through it pretty quick, because it's a page-turner! Let's read the first nine verses and look briefly at The Glory of King Ahasuerus, Esther 1:1-9.
1 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,
2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the capital,
3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,
4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.
5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace.
6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.
7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.
8 And drinking was according to this edict: "There is no compulsion." For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired.
9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Wealth and honor were on display; but was wisdom? I would have to say no, because the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; that wasn't on display at this court. Fabulous wealth, great power, and indescribable abundance were there, but – not wisdom. However, it does give us a glimpse into the setting for this story, and it is incredible.
This was a powerful king. Greatest nation on earth during this time; 127 provinces; this man ruled the land from (in our day) northern Sudan to Pakistan – a great nation, greater than all who had come before him.
This was a wealthy city. As the headquarters of Persia, Susa was an up-and-coming city, just north of the Red Sea, in what is now southwest Iran.
God's people were there. Jews had not all gone back to Jerusalem; many were still integrated into the land that took over Babylon 100 years after the captivity began. They were in many cities throughout this Empire, and they had a strong presence in Susa. They were far from Israel, and from Jerusalem, the holy city. But as we will see, God was watching, even in the great halls of the King of Persia! Our Lord was there.
What is the relevance of this story to us? God keeps His promises to His covenant people.
He promised Adam and Eve that a Savior, a Hero would come.
He promised to make Abram a great nation, and to bless all the peoples of the earth through Him.
He promised David that he would always have a son on the throne. How could God keep those promises if the Jews were snuffed out as a people before the Messiah came through them? It gets as simple as this…
No appeal from Queen Esther, no Jews.
No Jews, no Jesus, no cross.
No cross, then no atonement.
No atonement, then no hope of avoiding the wrath of God against us.
The enemy of our souls fought the coming of the Messiah very diligently (male children in Egypt, babies in Bethlehem, etc.). Let me be quick to say this is to emphasize how God did work; of course, being God, He would have worked another way to fulfill His plan – for no man thwarts God! But it is God's faithfulness to keep His promises is what we rest our hope on, church. Our hope of forgiveness, life after death, heaven, resurrection, and life on a new earth with Jesus reigning forever – with no sin or effects of sin – all those hopes are purely placed in the faithfulness of God who promised such blessings.
So for that reason, we are grateful for God's work in Persia in 480 B.C. You see…
When God was working behind the scenes to save the Jews in Persia, God was providing salvation to the people of German, Swedish, Welsh, Palestinian, African, Danish, Hispanic, and Norwegian descent in Platteville, WI in 2011. All people groups in the entire world from creation are dependent upon God's faithfulness to save through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Are you dependent, fully and only, on God to save you through the blood His Son shed on that cross?
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
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