Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Esther
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. And ⁓ welcome to our journey through Scripture. Today we're gonna ⁓ have a ⁓ pretty pretty long reading, but it's just one book, the Book of Esther. So I encourage you to read the book of Esther. What a wonderful, ⁓ inspiring story ⁓ that it is. And so Esther, again, we we're going through the Bible in chronological order. So we're we've been talking about how the people have been ⁓ returning back to ⁓ Jerusalem, the temple is being rebuilt. ⁓ but many of the Jews stayed ⁓ in in Persia, ⁓ in the area, you know, that was Babylon, and then Persia overtook Babylon, and so they were kind of spread out. It's kind of called it's called the Diaspora. ⁓ so there were Jews in different places. ⁓ this story kind of gives an insight into how they they lived. ⁓ they ⁓ they were living ⁓ among ⁓ a foreign group of people and so they kind of kept their head down. Doesn't mean that they weren't faithful ⁓ to God, ⁓ but they they didn't ⁓ just, you know, hold up ⁓ hold up signs and promote that they were Jewish, ⁓ because ⁓ this is kind of a a precursor, this story, if you will, shows kind of the the roots and the basis of of how anti Semitism ⁓ has worked. throughout history, ⁓ sadly. and and this is a a powerful story ⁓ of what happened to the Jewish people in Persia, not the Jewish people in Jerusalem, but these are the ones ⁓ who have who have settled and did not return to Jerusalem but stayed ⁓ where they were. So you you start off in in chapter one and you have the the king and ⁓ he I'm just gonna kinda quickly go through and hit hit the high points of the story. I encourage you to to read it. ⁓ but he has a queen, Queen Vashti, ⁓ and basically he ⁓ gets really drunk and he calls her to come 'cause he's gonna kind of show her off 'cause she's ⁓ very attractive. If you're the king, you ⁓ only only take attractive women ⁓ apparently. And ⁓ and he had many to choose from, ⁓ but but she was the queen. And she refused to come, says ⁓ verse twelve, but Queen Bashti refused to come at the king's command, ⁓ therefore the king was furious and his anger burned within him. and you continue on verse seventeen, for the queen's behavior will be will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, ⁓ when they report that King Ashuras commanded Queen Bashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come. ⁓ so basically they said if you don't do something about this, ⁓ everyone is gonna think ⁓ or all women are gonna think that they don't have to listen to their husbands. So, you know, v you know, real ⁓ real good solid reasoning there. and ⁓ that it it continues on. ⁓ there will be excessive contempt and wrath. So if it pleases the king, let a re royal decree go out from him that it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and Medes that it'll It will not be altered that Vashti shall no ⁓ come no more before king, ⁓ sure us, and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. When the king decrees ⁓ which he shall which he will make ⁓ it proclaimed throughout all his empire, for it is great, all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small. So kind of a jerk of a king, ⁓ jerk of ⁓ advisers ⁓ they're trying to make a point. So now Queen Bashtia is basically stripped of her being a queen and she's not going to be allowed to go back ⁓ into the king's presence. So ⁓ in chapter two, basically they ⁓ have a beauty contest and they gather ⁓ women from around the kingdom, and one of those women is named Esther. ⁓ her she is basically adopted by her uncle, Mordecai. ⁓ Mordecai is also works ⁓ within the kingdom. and ⁓ Mordecai ⁓ reminds her and tells her, Do not reveal that you are a Jew. ⁓ and so Esther actually gets ⁓ chosen but ⁓ but it's gonna be like a year before the king ⁓ actually ⁓ calls ⁓ on her. Says ⁓ she would not go to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name. So this is a very interesting ⁓ arrangement that the king has. ⁓ he can choose who he wants to come in and out, ⁓ but he does ⁓ does make ⁓ Esther his new ⁓ queen. ⁓ verse ⁓ fifteen and Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. And ⁓ verse seventeen, the king loved Esther more than all the other women. And she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the other virgins. So he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Right? So so now Esther is queen, but that doesn't mean, you know, our picture is that there's the two thrones and the king and queen, ⁓ you know, sit side by side and rule. That is not the situation here. ⁓ it's only whenever you are called to come to be with the king, ⁓ that ⁓ that that that ever that you're ever together. S sorry, kind of got tongue tied there. ⁓ and so so we have this interesting situation. That's kind of setting up what is to come. Then we have Mordecai who discovers a plot ⁓ that some of the eunuchs ⁓ are ⁓ plotting against the king to take him out. ⁓ Mordecai lets Esther know, Esther lets ⁓ the the king know ⁓ and that ⁓ the king is is saved from that plot. and ⁓ it says verse ⁓ twenty three, and when the inquiry was made into the matter it was confirmed, and both were hanged on the gallows, and it was written in the book of Chronicles in the presence of the king. Alright, so they kind of say, you know, write down what happened. That's important to know for later in the story. ⁓ then you have ⁓ a new character that enters the scene. You have a guy named Haman, ⁓ and the king put Haman ⁓ way up in charge of ⁓ of most of the kingdom. ⁓ of course he was under the king, but he had lots of responsibilities. and most people were paid homage to Haman because they knew how close he was to the king. ⁓ all except Mordecai. And we don't really know what's ⁓ going on here. We don't know why Mordecai ⁓ you know, did not pay homage ⁓ to Haman. ⁓ Mordecai respected the king. ⁓ there probably was there was something between these two and Mordecai was like, I'm I'm not going to bow and pay homage to you. You're not the king. Well, ⁓ Haman didn't like that at all, and that Mordecai would not ⁓ bow before him. So it ⁓ says, Now it happened when they spoke to him daily he would not listen to them, ⁓ that they told it to Haman to see whether Mordecai's words would stand. ⁓ so they tell Haman that Mordecai is not paying attention. It says, For Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. So that was probably you know, he he must have given that as the reason that he would not pay homage to Haman. ⁓ it says when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay homage, he was filled with wrath. ⁓ but his disdain to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom, all of the people of Mordecai. Now this is interesting. It's like, why would you do that? Why wouldn't you just be mad at Mordecai? I mean, you could at least see the rationality ⁓ of being bat mad at Mordecai because he's not giving you the ⁓ you know, you know, the praise that you deserve. To then shift that to, well, I've got to I wanna take out all of the people, all of the Jewish people. ⁓ you know, and this is kind of one of the roots of anti-Semitism. You know, you there are good and and bad people ⁓ in all walks of life, in all races, and all socioeconomic ⁓ classes, and we should look at people as on as individuals and and hold them accountable as individuals, not ascribe to the whole people group that they are a part of. ⁓ the good or the bad that they themselves do. ⁓ it's a pretty simple philosophy and understanding and it's obviously biblical, right? We view people as all or created in the image of God. He creates all individuals. ⁓ and but yet this is what we see not only in antisemitism, but within racism, no matter what direction that racism flows from, ⁓ we this is one of the definitely the fallen aspects of our nature that ⁓ that we can't judge people according to their actions and not then ascribe those actions to the people group that they are a part of. ⁓ and but Haman he wants to to do that. So he goes to the king and he says, Hey, ⁓ you know there's this group of people that you know they don't follow, they follow their own laws, they don't follow you. ⁓ why don't you let us destroy them and pay people to destroy them? And the king is like, ⁓ sure, 'cause you know, this king's not too bright either. and ⁓ so now you have ⁓ a day that ⁓ all of the the Jewish people in in Persia are you know have the chance to be annihilated and wiped out. So in chapter four, Mordecai is is mourning and he tears his clothes and ⁓ Esther hears about this and and sends her servant says Why are you doing this? Here's some new clothes and Mordecai tells her ⁓ what's going on and then Mordecai ⁓ ac says you need to go and bring this up to the king and see if he will do something a about it. ⁓ and Esther responds back, says All the king's servants and the people of the king's province know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king who has not been called, he has but one law. Put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go see the king in thirty days. So ⁓ and so Esther's telling Mordecai that. So she knows this is this is kind of a dangerous thing. She, you know, she hadn't been to see the king in a while, he hasn't called on her. ⁓ for her just to show up puts her at risk of death. And we've seen this king w what if he's drunk? What if he is, you know, in a bad mood? You you never know. So Esther is rightfully nervous about this, but Mordecai responds with this and Mordecai told them to answer Esther. This is verse thirteen of chapter four. Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews, for if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. But you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? This is a is a powerful response, such a a wise response. Mordecai recognizes, okay, Esther, I know this is hard and you may feel safe now and because she wouldn't be affected by this law. This law was not going to affect her. They did not know if she was Jewish. The people would the Haman and you know, the people that wanted to go out and wipe out the Jews would not go to the k to the queen and wipe her out. Right? She was going to be safe. But eventually it would be found out. Eventually, ⁓ it she would pay the price for not standing up when she had the chance. ⁓ and this you know, th this is important lesson for our our days today. You know, many times we don't stand up for things because they're not happening to us, but maybe they're happening to other people. And we know that it that they are they are not right. Are we willing to stand up for those ⁓ who are experiencing ⁓ evil ⁓ and injustice even if by doing that it puts us in an uncomfortable position, in an uncomfortable place. Something for all of us to think about. And so Esther then replied, asked them to fast, and said, My maids and I will fast likewise, and so I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish. She she expressed her concern, Mordecai gave his wise words, she recognized them to be true, and then she heeded them to the point that she risked her own safety and her own life. So then in chapter five, she goes, ⁓ the king does hold out the golden scepter, ⁓ and she asks him to come ⁓ to a banquet and to bring Haman. And so they they come and they have a wonderful banquet. The k king says, ⁓ let me give you a a gift, and she says, Well, I tell you what, why don't you just come back again, you and Haman? ⁓ but ⁓ we we don't know exactly what transpired here, ⁓ but ⁓ the king that night ⁓ has a ⁓ is uncomfortable and can't sleep and so he starts reading the history books and he comes across this guy named Mordecai and how he thwarted ⁓ this ⁓ a assassination attempt years before and he says, What did we do for this guy? And the answer was nothing. So Haman comes in and Haman is really excited. ⁓ in fact he had a busy night as well. He told his ⁓ wife and everybody, hey You know what? I'm gonna ⁓ have Mordecai hung. So he creates but builds gallows to have Mordecai ⁓ hang. ⁓ and then he comes into the king and the the king says, Hey, how would you show your appreciation to someone who is worthy of it? And the Haman, of course, being the arrogant ⁓ guy that he is, thinks he's talking about himself and he says, ⁓ I would just do all this stuff, give him a horse, parade him through town. ⁓ all kinds of things. And the king says, Okay, good. Why don't you do that for Mordecai? Now can you imagine ⁓ Haman how how angry this would have ⁓ have made him ⁓ so he had to do this ⁓ and then he and the king go back again to a banquet ⁓ with Esther and Esther reveals the evil plot that Haman has come up with. ⁓ says ⁓ verse four of chapter seven, for we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, to be annihilated. She's very smart. She says, Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king's loss. Right? So she's like, you know, i i it could have been less and I wouldn't have brought this before you, but we're talking about full annihilation. Right. And and so the king hears this. ⁓ he is extremely angry and he says, Who is he? Where is he? Who would dare presume to do such a thing? And Esther says it's Haman. Right. And so then everything gets put together. ⁓ this woman, she is Jewish. The Jewish people have been scheduled for annihilation. ⁓ the king ⁓ runs out ⁓ because he's so angry. ⁓ Ha Haman begs ⁓ Esther, kind of falls you kind of get the feeling, falls across her lap as she he's begging. The king comes back in and then s he says, ⁓ will he also assault the queen while I am in the house? And so he had Haman hanged on the very gallows that had been built for Mordecai. ⁓ kind of poetic justice there. ⁓ and then ⁓ you know the the ⁓ law couldn't be just ignored. 'Cause it had already been made, so the king made a new law ⁓ that the the Jews could defend themselves ⁓ and could unite ⁓ against anyone who tried to attack. And so they did, and the Jews ⁓ overpowered ⁓ anyone. I'm sure there was a lot fewer people who tried to annihilate the Jews after this, but the ones who ⁓ still did ⁓ were destroyed. ⁓ all of ⁓ Haman's children were ⁓ hung as well because they continued to participate in this. ⁓ and then that is ⁓ you see in chapter nine, ⁓ verse eighteen, talks about the feast of Purim, and that is still practiced today as a re remembrance of this time. It's from the word pur, which means lots. ⁓ it says ⁓ that how they had cast ⁓ lots to consume and destroy. ⁓ the people ⁓ but but esther changed the the the law and convinced the king to change the law and so the people were ⁓ restored. And then Mordecai continued to advance and was very prominent in the kingdom. That's a a a powerful story, ⁓ one that we can learn from both Mordecai and Esther. ⁓ Mordecai's wise words of being willing to stand and that, you know Ma maybe whenever you feel uncomfortable ⁓ but feel like you need to stand, maybe God has put you in that place for such a time as this. And then you have to be like Esther, and you have to put your trust in God and kind of have that attitude of, I'm going to do what's right no matter what, and if I perish, I perish. All right. Well, next let's read a Ezra chapter six and then Malachi chapter. ⁓ chapters one through four. Six I tell you what, Ezra yeah, Ezra six and then Malachi one through four. All right, we'll see you on