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“The Final Rescue" • 4.7.19 • Calvary
Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The book of Esther breaks into
four acts, the first of which revolves around an exiled Jewish woman who is
selected from thousands of women to replace a stubborn Babylonian Queen.
- The second act reveals the
promotion of a man named Haman that is hell bent upon the destruction of the
Jews on account of Mordecai's refusal to honor him.
- The third act presents a radical
reversal of fortune, as the King sets his heart to honor Mordecai and the Queen
exposes her Jewish roots, Haman is hung on the gallows he constructed!
- It seems as if the story should
have ended there, but today it continues as we look at the final act and that
is the rescue of the Jews. Let's pick it up in verse 3.
Text
• Esther 8:3-8 : "Now Esther spoke again to the king,
fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of
Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. And the king held out the golden
scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, and said, 'If it pleases the king,
and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king
and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised
by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the
Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. For how can I endure to see the
evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of
my countrymen?' Then
King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, 'Indeed, I have given
Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he
tried to lay his hand on the Jews. You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you
please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for
whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring
no one can revoke.'" : Haman's
hanging did nothing to diffuse the genocidal bomb that his decree planted in
Persia.
- The Queen is begging the King to revoke
Haman's letters inciting violence against the people of God. He must act in
order for the Jewish people, including those in Jersualem, to survive!
- Esther has become increasingly bold! After
Haman's death, she has become outspoken and clear: She cannot standby to see
the evil that would overtake her people!
- It's amazing what a person can become when
they decide to take a first step. A chapter or two ago, Esther was afraid to
say anything. Now, she's afraid of not saying enough!
- As for the King, he is immediately willing to
do what she asks. After all, he has already given Haman's house and body to
them! If they draft a second decree, he'll sign that binding act as well.
• Esther 8:9-14 : "So the king’s scribes were called
at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the
twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded,
to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from
India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every
province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the
Jews in their own script and language. And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the
king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal
horses bred from swift steeds. By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in
every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and
annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them,
both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the
thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in
every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on
that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened
and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel." : Up to this point, God has delivered
in unseen and providential ways.
- But here, instead of a miraculous means of
deliverance, God chooses a mundane means: Paperwork! It's not even email!
- Mordecai drafted a letter, had it translated
into every dialect in the Kingdom and had it sent out on the ancient world's most
efficient mail system!
- The letter gave permission to the Jews to
band together for the protection of their lives and to gather the plunder of
their enemies. God is evening the odds by government sanction!
- When seeking God's deliverance, you might
consider the ways He does this Biblically.
- Sometimes in the scripture, God pre-empts an
attack upon His people, makes it a non-issue.
- Sometimes, enemies disappear at the sound of
a potential army or at the news of an invasion upon their property. In heaven,
we will learn of all the plots that never took place because of His work!
- At other times, God does the fighting for the
people. I sort of wish I could see this one!
- God can dispatch an angel that can kill
185,000 Assyrians in a single night or He might open the earth beneath a group
that desires to upend His leadership structure.
- On this occasion, we see the third mode of
deliverance and that is when the Lord fights THROUGH His people!
- All throughout the Kingdom, a ray of hope has
shone, as God's people realize that they now have the King's permission to use
force and God's power to defend them. Verse 15.
• Esther 8:15-17 : "So Mordecai went out from the
presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of
fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness,
joy and honor. And
in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the
Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of
the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them." : Look at Mordecai now! Here was a man
that was virtually sentenced to death, running around Shushan in burlap. Now,
he is clothed in the finest royal apparel!
- When the city heard of Haman's decree, there
was perplexity. When they saw Mordecai's promotion that was a party! The city
celebrated his promotion and the Jews were especially delighted!
- Consider how their fortunes had turned with
his! These people were just told a few days earlier that a federally sponsored attack
against them was going to proceed.
- They went from being targeted by the
government to being represented in the government!
- As the winds turned and the decrees for their
protection arrived in each province, the Jews gathered to feast and holiday
together! And they weren't alone.
- Several of the former enemies of the Jews
sought to convert to Judaism now that the idea was politically expedient! The
tide was indeed turning! Chapter 9.
• Esther 9:1-5 : "Now in the twelfth month, that is,
the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command
and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had
hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered
those who hated them. The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the
provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no
one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. And all the officials of the
provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work,
helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the
king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man
Mordecai became increasingly prominent. Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the
sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who
hated them." :
Predictably to us, God's people won the day easily. It still meant that the
Jews had to fight.
- In the months between the decrees and the
day, they fortified themselves, prepared for physical conflict and gathered
weaponry for their defense.
- Nobody stood around and said, "Well, God
is going to do it for us!" God had done His part and now they were doing
theirs and they would need to!
- Despite Mordecai's rise in popularity and
power; Despite the consistent influx of converts, the Jew's enemies still hoped
that they would dominate the Jews!
- This hatred is Satanic and knows no bounds
and has never been tempered with time!
- It seems that no nation has ever truly
learned of the protection that God has extended over His people, even when His
own hand has allowed for their discipline!
- In theory, the Jews could have defended
themselves by only allowing the blind and the lame to fight and their enemies
would have been routed!
- Not only had they had sufficient number to
defend themselves, they also received aid from those in the government who had
become aware of how important it was to impress Mordecai!
- Remember the connections: Mordecai is the
Prime Minister, his younger cousin is the Queen, who is married to the King!
Yes, it seems it was a good time to suddenly be "pro-Israeli!" Verse 6.
• Esther 9:6-19 : "And in Shushan the citadel the Jews
killed and destroyed five hundred men. Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and
Vajezatha—the ten
sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but
they did not lay a hand on the plunder. On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan
the citadel was brought to the king. And the
king said to Queen Esther, 'The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men
in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the
rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to
you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done.' Then Esther said, 'If it pleases the king, let it be
granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to
today’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.' So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was
issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons. And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on
the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at
Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. The remainder of the Jews in the king’s provinces gathered
together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed
seventy-five thousand of their enemies; but they did not lay a hand on the
plunder. This was on the thirteenth day of the
month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of the month they rested and made it a day
of feasting and gladness. But the Jews who
were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the
fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of
feasting and gladness. Therefore the Jews of
the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of
the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending
presents to one another." : Among
all the provinces, all 127 of them reporting, 75,800 people fell before the
Jews. - Esther's insistence on a second day
of defense indicates that she believed, and rightly so, that the enemies of the
Jews would continue to attack despite the King's decree.
- She is not bloodthirsty. She is concerned
with a complete victory and the message that will accompany it: God's people
will defend themselves with lethality!
- Beside the second day difference, you might
also take note of the other differences between Haman's decree and Esther's
decree.
- Haman's decree was an "offensive",
pre-emptive decree. Esther's decree allowed for a "defensive" position.
Additionally, Haman's decree was extensive.
- He called for the killing of men, women and
children. It seems as only the men are reported as having died through the
Jewish defense.
- Haman had incentivized his decree by reminding
them of the Jews material possessions.
- The Jews were allowed to plunder, but didn't
seek to be enriched by their enemy's loss. They were incentivized by the chance
to survive!
- At the end of this time, the Jews naturally
celebrated with rest and a feast. Verse 20.
• Esther 9:20-26a : "And Mordecai wrote these things and
sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of
King Ahasuerus, to
establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth
days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as
the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a
holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending
presents to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews accepted the custom
which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, because Haman, the son of
Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews
to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and
destroy them; but
when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot
which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and
that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. So they called these days Purim,
after the name Pur." : Nothing
seals a victory more than commemoration.
- Purim was to be held on the days that
initially marked their destruction but that became days in which Israel had
"rest" from their enemies.
- That is an oft repeated phrase, especially
during the times of Joshua and David. It's a beautiful picture of God's work in
our life, giving us peaceful conditions to dwell in.
- Purim commemorated rest and spoke of God's
providential reversal of the enemy's plans. Haman planned sorrow, the Lord
planned for their joy.
- Haman would have had the people in mourning.
God planned a holiday! No wonder these were to be days that were marked by
celebration.
- Mordecai made a holiday out of the 14th and
15th of Adar and set it aside on the calendar as a time of celebration.
- They were supposed to be destroyed on that
day, but Haman's plot against them came back upon his own head! They even
purposed to name it after die that was cast against them!
- Only the Lord has the power to turn sorrow to
joy and mourning into a holiday! Verse 26b.
• Esther 9:26b-32 : "Therefore, because of all the words
of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had
happened to them, the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their
descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should
celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and
according to the prescribed time, that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every
generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of
Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of
them should not perish among their descendants. Then Queen Esther, the daughter of
Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second
letter about Purim. And Mordecai sent letters
to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom
of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, to
confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and
Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves
and their descendants concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting. So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim,
and it was written in the book." : Unlike the feasts that the Lord commanded in the Pentateuch, the
feast of Purim is established and imposed by human Jewish decree.
- The initial instructions call for the event
to be remembered. These stories reinforce over and over again the sovereign
support of the Jews by God throughout history.
- Today, Purim, which this year was on March
20th and 21st, is a wild time of celebration among the Jews.
- On the first day of Purim, the Jews that
enter the synagogue sit and listen to the reading of the book of Esther,
soberly and quietly, reflecting what it was like to hear the first decree.
- The second reading on the second day is far
more boisterous. The people allow their children to listen to the reading with
noisemakers called "groggers."
- At the mention of the name "Haman,"
the entire assembly voices it's displeasure, booing and hissing. The whole
thing is like New Years Day, Halloween and Mardi Gras combined!
- All this while they snack upon
"Hamantaschen," or "Haman's Ears" pastries that fill their
bellies! All of what I just described to you began right here via Mordecai and
Esther's pens. Ch. 10.
• Esther 10:1-3 : "And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute
on the land and on the islands of the sea. Now all the acts of his power and
his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced
him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media
and Persia? For
Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and
well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people
and speaking peace to all his countrymen." : The mention of this taxation might
seem to be a strange detail, but consider the alternative.
- Ahasuerus had been using war to prop up his
international economy and things had not been going great. Greece was about to
take the upper hand in history.
- Plus, capitalizing on murder had nearly lost him
a very valuable people group! Mordecai likely advised him to pursue a better
source of revenue!
- This not only helped the government subsist,
but it made peace a desireable and attainable goal. With ideas like that,
Mordecai was promoted to the second highest place in the land!
- What does that remind you of? Does this not
remind you of Joseph, a man that had been a prisoner, who then turned into
Egypt's prince and savior?
- It's no wonder that he was so popular among
his people. Anyone that seeks the good of his own people and speaks of peace to
every other nation will be equally loved!
Conclusion
- The book of
Esther is a wonderful book worthy of greater reflection than can be given to it
in a single conclusion. As we reflect upon it, we see God's providence preserving
a people.
- The people
carried the hope of the Messiah, that would one day be marked for death by His
own people! They would secretly plot against Him and seemingly succeed.
- The Enemy's
finest hour though would become his means of defeat, as Christ would die and
raise from the dead, assuring His people of the righteousness He could provide.
- His Name is
the Name above all names and today, like Mordecai, He seeks the good of His
people as He intercedes for them in heaven and He calls all men to peaceful
surrender to Himself!
- The real hero
of this story isn't Esther or Mordecai, but the God that raised their profile
to teach us more of His own rescue mission!