We’ve gone over a summary of the Book of Esther in the last two posts, finding conspiracy… intrigue… murder plots… one villain and two heroes. 
So – what does this have to do with us today? Especially since the Book of Esther never specifically mentions God? Lets look at three major points.
First — God is at work even when you don’t think He is.
The Book of Esther is a reminder that God works miracles through events in our lives. Even when it appears God is looking the other way – He is in fact ALWAYS – ALWAYS protecting… and guiding those he loves. God is still at work, shaping us, and molding us to His image. He is protecting us and loving us as His children.
God is at work even during the worst trials you and I go through even if we don’t think He is. He is always refining us for His ultimate purpose which to bring glory to Himself. God’s presence may be hidden from our view.
Some people may call them coincidences, but in the Book of Esther we see events come together in a miraculous fashion that are clearly the working of God.
- In Esther we see a Jewish woman, an exile in the land, who became Queen.
- We see that Mordecai was in the right place at the right time to overhear the assassination plot against the King.
- We see the evil of Haman, but the tables are turned when the Jewish people fast and Haman winds up dying on the gallows he built for Mordecai.
- Through it all we see the annihilation of the Jewish people in Babylon averted.
When there are people like Haman – and there are a lot of them – it proves the point that much of the world rebels against God. There is evil in the world because human beings have a natural inclination toward sin. Psalm 14:2 : “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good, not even one.”
We also know from Ephesians 6 that we are in a spiritual battle: “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
King Saul did not stay focused on the endgame.
The conflict between Haman, Mordecai and the Jews comes from the hatred filling the heart of one man, Haman. However, we see that the conflict came as the consequence of disobedience long ago.
Here is a brief summary;
Genesis 36:10 “These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
In Exodus 7:8 we see Amalek again “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill”…. (verse 14) “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Emphasis mine.)
In Samuel 15: 2 we read that Samuel tells King Saul, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
Then in verse 9, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
Now look at Esther 3:1 – “Haman the Agagite.” Haman existed because of the disobedience of King Saul.
What about our heroes? Look at 1 Samuel Chapter 9, verse 1 “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.” King Saul’s father was a Benjaminite named Kish.
So when we read Esther chapter 2, “Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite.” The book of Esther pits a descendant of King Saul (Mordecai) against a descendant of Agag (Haman) all because King Saul was disobedient.
What we do today has consequences for this generation and the possibly generations to come.
Finally, in Esther we learn that the people had become comfortable with their ungodly surroundings.
The people living in Babylonia were likely born there, descendants of those who stayed after the Exile. They got caught up in the here and now. They were in comfortable surroundings. They were able to practice their faith in an unholy land. At least some of the Laws were being kept. Yet, they were not aware of the danger lurking around the corner.
We know from Esther 3:8 “Then Haman said to King Ahaswearrus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.”
Question: Are we okay with not following God’s word? Are we okay with a watering down of Scripture because some of it does not fit today’s social standards or because it isn’t politically correct?
The Book of Esther opens with a feast in Susa where food and wine flowed. The Jewish people clearly partook in the ungodly feast. Everyone took part. They could have said, “fine we’ll show up for a day to be nice.” However, they were comfortable enough with society to partake for the full 7 days. That’s how assimilated they were.
How many of us would rather be like everyone else because it is the most expedient easiest way to live? If we take a stand for what we know is the right thing to do before God, we risk being singled out. People will think we’re freaks. We won’t get a promotion, we’ll lose a friend or a customer. But if God is for us, does that matter?
As Mordecai and Esther discovered, playing it safe by assimilating is not an option that is pleasing to God. Your purpose in life is to serve the Lord your God. An ungodly world needs you to make a difference.
In Esther Chapter 4 verse 4, Esther responds to Mordecai that if she goes to the King without an invitation she will most certainly be killed. The law of the land is that you need and invitation to speak to the King. Mordecai responds in verse 13, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.”
If we think that we’ll be better off by keeping silent about God and our Messiah Yeshua — we won’t.
Mordecai tells Esther in verse 14… “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
God’s purpose will be fulfilled with or without you, but if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do something for God today, to make a positive difference, it is far better that you do it rather than to be a King Saul.
May God bless you today as you are a blessing to Him.
–Chris
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