Sunday 08/30/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “Esther – For Such a Time as This” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 5 of 5) – Esther 2:15-23
(Cover
Picture – Queen Esther - Picture)
I have a question
for us all to consider this morning. How many of us know or knew women that
were “ordinary” people like us, but were people whom God used to do amazing and
extraordinary things? Women that inspire you or have inspired you, and these
women showed you what you were capable of. These women may have also shown you
what all women are capable of. I ask all of this, because this morning I want
to talk about the biblical character or person of Esther. Who has heard of
Esther?
Before diving in though, this morning we are completing our
five-week sermon series, called “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God”.
Specifically, we have been talking about characters or people in the Old
Testament or Jewish Hebrew Bible that God used to do great or “Extraordinary” things.
You might also be asking, “So Pastor Paul, we get four men or Patriarchs in
this sermon series, and just one woman or Matriarch? This seems imbalanced and
unfair!” Here’s the thing though, there are many important women in the Bible,
such as Eve, Esther, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Mary the mother of Jesus,
Mary Magdalene, Priscilla, the Ann the Prophetess, and etc., but these women often
did not have the “lead role” in the story. In fact, while there are many
significant women in the Bible, they are so often secondary or “supporting
characters”. In movie terms, they are often “supporting actresses,” but not the
main character.
Many of the great Patriarchs or men in the bible, however,
are much more often the “main character,” and often have many chapters and
verses written about them. As a result, we have discussed Noah and the story of
the Ark and the flood. We have discussed the great Father Abraham, the father
of many nations. Of course, I mentioned Abraham’s wife Sarah, but once again,
Abraham was the “lead actor” of that story. We then discussed Joseph and his “Technicolor
Dreamcoat”, and how he saved his whole family and people from famine and death.
Last week, we talked about the great King David, how he defeated the great
giant Goliath, and how he became the king of the Kingdom of Israel. Was there
more than one woman in David’s story? Sure, but, once again, he was the “main character”.
This morning though, in this final instalment of this “Ordinary
People, Extraordinary God” sermon series, we have a significant “Matriarch” of
the Bible. So significant in fact, that this Matriarch, Esther, has an entire
book of scripture. Who here has ever read the Book of Esther in the Old
Testament? Esther saved the Jewish people from destruction and death, and she
my friends is the “main actress” and will become the “main character” of this
story. Is the king in this story important? Yes, but he is more of a “supporting
character”. Is Esther’s uncle Mordecai in this story important? Yes, but he is
not the “lead actor”. Last I checked, the scripture reading for this morning
was not from the “Book of Mordecai,” but from the Book of Esther. All of this
to say, there are many more “Patriarchs” in the Bible than “Matriarchs,” but
these women and all women matter. Lest we forget though that the empty tomb of
Christ on that first Easter morning was not discovered by the men, but by the
women. When Jesus hung on the cross on that first Good Friday, all the disciples,
except the “Beloved Disciple” or John fled in fear. Where were all the women
though? Right at the cross. The women of bible and all women are significant.
In the time that the scriptures were written though, men oversaw
just about everything. Enter, Queen Esther! In a time when women we not seen as
being able to do anything a man can do, and further were often prohibited from
trying, enter Esther! I am proud to pastor in a Christian denomination that
ordains women as pastors and has women in the highest levels of leadership in local,
district, regional, and national level, as women are significant. Esther reminds
us of the strength of women of faith, and that women can do anything that
anyone else can do. Yet, when Esther was alive this was often not the case.
Even so, as I said, we have a Book of Esther.
This morning, brothers and sisters, I want to talk about this
great Matriarch Esther of the Jewish faith and by extension our Christian
faith.
(The Making
of Queen Esther – Picture)
Queen Esther, or
Esther was a Jew, and was an orphan. Her original name was Hadassah, and she
was raised by her uncle Mordecai. Now when we discussed King David last week,
King David’s son Solomon, built the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Some call
this King Solomon’s Temple, which housed the original Ten Commandments that
Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. These were of course in the Ark of the Covenant,
which once again housed the Ten Commandments. This temple was destroyed about
587-586 BC, when the Babylonian forces burned and looted the temple and the
city of Jerusalem. King David’s son, King Solomon, reigned from 970 to 931 BC. The
Babylonian kingdom will eventually become part of the Persian Empire.
I tell you all of
this, to connect to our story of King David from last week, as the first temple
that King David’s son Solomon had built in Jerusalem, existed for 350-400
years. In fact, the “wailing wall” in Jerusalem today where many people have and
do go to pray and to put prayer notes in between the massive white stones, are the
remains of the second destroyed temple, that Romans destroyed about 30-40 years
after Jesus was crucified. The temple that King Solomon built was the first
temple.
All of this is important, because many of the Jews went
back to what is today Israel, but some stayed in the Babylonian Empire or
Persian Empire, after the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem, where
many were taken as slaves. Hadassah who will become known as Esther lives with and
was raised by her uncle Mordecai in the capital of the Persian Empire called
Susa. There is no Jewish Temple there, as the primary temple is only in
Jerusalem, Israel. Jews worshiped weekly, read scripture, encouraged one
another, sang, prayed, and break bread together. This way of worshiping and
being together has had some influence on how we as Christians worshipped historically
and even today.
Further Hadassah or Esther, and her uncle Mordecai lived in
a very pluralistic city and empire, and their faith is one among many. Esther ends
up married to King Ahasuerus (often called Xerxes I) of the whole Achaemenid
Empire or Persian Empire. If anyone here has ever seen the movie “300” about
the Spartans fighting the Persian Empire, that was King Ahasuerus or King Xerxes
I. Which means Esther was married to King Xerxes I.
So once again, King David’s son. King Solomon builds the
first Jewish Temple in the Jerusalem, which was in the Kingdom of Israel. After
about 300-400 years later the Babylonian army conquers, sacks, burns, and destroys
the first Jewish Temple in the Jerusalem. The Jews or the Israelites then go
into Babylonian/Persian captivity. Within 50-100 years some Jews or Israelites
return to Israel, and some stay in the Persian Empire. Esther stays in the
Persian Empire capital of Susa with her uncle Mordecai, where she was raised.
(Book of
Esther 2:15 – Picture)
How then, does
this orphan girl, who’s a Jew, become the queen of the entire Persian Empire?
Further, how does Queen Esther save her own people from being destroyed?
(Queen
Esther – Picture)
Well number one, Esther was incredibly beautiful, and I am
thinking today she might be in a Miss America pageant or something like this. The
King of the Persian Empire King Ahasuerus or Xerxes I became displeased with
his wife Queen Vashti, as she disobeyed him by not coming the last day of one
of his banquets to show off her beauty. Since she refused, in a drunken rage,
the king decides that he wants a new queen. Further, in this same drunken rage,
the king degrees that all Persian men were now the masters of there own homes.
I guess the king wanted all the Persian men to be the bosses of their wives and
families.
(Book of
Esther 2:17– Picture)
The King then
holds a beauty pageant to find the next queen of Persia. Women come from all
over the Persian Empire. Esther was one of these women, but Esther and her uncle
Mordecai kept her Jewish identity secret. The King of the Persian Empire King
Ahasuerus or Xerxes I choses Esther to become his new queen to replace Queen Vashti.
The king is absolutely smitten and taken with his new Queen Esther.
So now Esther, who was a Jewish orphan girl is the queen of
the entire Persian Empire. She keeps her Jewish identity secret, as her uncle
Mordecai tries to do to. Mordecai then informs the king of a plot to assassinate
him, and this plot is stopped and Mordecai is praised. Also, God is mentioned
no where in the Book of Esther, and the author of the Book of Esther is anonymous.
In some Jewish texts there is a claim that Mordecai is the author, but we don’t
know for sure. Some might ask, why is the book even in the Bible then? I will
get to that.
(Esther –
Chosen for His Glory - Picture)
Where the plot
thickens in the Book of Esther is that Esther’s uncle Mordecai refused to bow
to a man named Haman who rose to power to be second to only the King. As a
result, Haman asked the king of the Persian Empire that he wanted all Jews in the
empire to be killed, or a genocide. The king agreed and made a royal decree.
The King then has a big banquet and of course invites Haman. Mordecai and
Esther come as they want to try to stop what is about to be the genocide of all
the Jews in the Persian Empire. Haman rolled dice to decide the day that all
Jews in the empire would be killed, and this would be the thirteenth day of the
month of Adar or “Pur” where the Jewish holiday of “Purim” will come from. Purim
celebrated the Jews survival in the Persian Empire. All the Jews in the Persian
Empire were to be killed in 11-months though. Queen Esther’s uncle Mordecai is
desperate to save his people from annihilation. Mordecai then tells Queen Esther,
that this might be the very reason she became the queen of Persian Empire. Or
as the sermon title is called, “Esther
– For Such a Time as This.” Queen Esther tells the king at banquet that she hosted
for him and for Haman, that she wants to host a special banquet the next day,
as well, to make a special announcement. As Mordecai leave this first banquet Haman
is furious and tells Mordecai that he plans to have him killed on a tall spike
the next day. That night the king remembered that Mordecai saved his life from
the plot to assassinate him. The next morning Haman enters to speak to the king
and asks the king to let him execute Mordecai. Remembering that Mordecai saved
the king’s life, the king orders Haman to parade Mordecai around the city of
Susa on a horse, as a person that saved the king’s life. Haman had to tell
everyone to praise Mordecai for saving the king. Further, Esther famously said to Mordecai of this reveal to the king
about saving the Jews, in Esther 4:16, “If I perish, I perish”. Meaning Esther
is ready to die for her people.
At this second banquet, the next day, Queen Esther tells
the king of her Jewish heritage, and Haman’s plan to have Mordecai to put to death
on the stake. The king is furious and has Haman put to death on the stake meant
for Mordecai. When a counter decree is issue by Mordecai, the Jews are ordered
to defend themselves. The Jews are successful, there is great praise and celebration,
and all who were against them were defeated. So, Queen Esther saved her people,
as she was called, “For Such a Time as This.”
(When
Esther Saved Her People - Picture)
Or as this book is
called, “When Ethers Saved Her People”. Are you a Queen Esther? Do you know, or
have you known any Esthers? Someone who was called for an immense purpose, and
was willing to risk everything, even her own life?
To make this a message that walks out of the church with us
this morning, how does the Book of Esther apply to our lives today? What is the
significance of learning about the great Jewish Matriarch Esther, and how can we
take this message with us into our weeks?
Here is how:
In Christian
typology, Queen Esther is often seen as a type of Christ because she acts as a selfless intercessor and
deliverer who risks her own life to save her condemned people. While the Book
of Esther is famous for never explicitly mentioning the name of God or the
Messiah, Christian interpretation frequently finds profound gospel parallels
beneath the surface.
Key
Parallels Between Esther and Christ
·
Standing in the Gap (Intercession): Esther approaches
King Xerxes uninvited, risking immediate execution to plead for the lives of
the Jews. This mirrors Jesus, who approaches the throne of God on behalf of
humanity, standing in the place of sinners to avert eternal judgment.
·
"If I Perish, I Perish": Esther's famous
declaration of sacrifice (Esther 4:16) foreshadows the ultimate self-sacrifice
of Jesus, who willingly laid down his life to rescue others from destruction.
·
A Royal Position for a Purpose: Esther is
elevated to the highest place in the kingdom—becoming queen—specifically to
effect salvation for her people "for such a time as this". This
parallels the incarnation and exaltation of Christ, who attained supreme
authority to redeem humanity.
·
Reversal of Fate: Through Esther's intercession, a
sentence of death and the wicked plots of Haman are completely overturned,
bringing joy, light, and deliverance (celebrated in Purim). This mirrors the
Christian belief in the cross reversing the penalty of sin and defeating Satan.
So, this is Esther, the Book of Esther,
a great queen, and Matriarch of our faith. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment