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ESTHER: Faith, Leadership & Trust in God I Handmaidens, Harems, Heroines I Lynne Wilson · Scripture Central

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  We're in the Old Testament book of Esther today, one of the two
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  books of the Old Testament that's named after women.
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  The king sent 7 eunuchs to fetch the queen and to have her put on
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  her crown and parade for his guests so that everyone could
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  admire and examine her beauty as one of his greatest treasures.
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  And she declines. Her refusal erupted into anger
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  and fear that all the women across the whole empire would no
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  longer obey their demanding husbands.
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  Now not only is she removed from her position as queen, but also
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  the king sent a proclamation out to the province that every man
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  should be ruler over his own household.
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  In the Persian world, at least in the 5th century, a wife was
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  confided in. They were used as a counselor.
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  Their advice was followed. Esther is very hesitant.
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  This could result in my death. So Esther grows in faith and
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  courage. You know, she calls for a Jewish
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  fast. It's three days and three
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  nights, and she says no food or water.
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  Even if they're marrying into the Gentile families, if they
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  remain loyal to their heritage, God will bless them.
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  Shalom. Welcome to Scripture Central.
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  We're in the Old Testament book of Esther today, one of the two
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  books in the Old Testament that's named after women.
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  And I want to approach looking at these females, these
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  handmaidens and harems and heroines, all of which we have
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  today in this book and in the great abundance and Queens.
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  I want to approach them as a means of looking for the
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  Messiah. I'm part of the Scripture
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  Central team that wants to build enduring faith in Jesus Christ,
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  and I'm convinced that scriptures help us do that.
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  I feel so much closer to my God when I am filled with an
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  understanding of his words. And this is a very interesting
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  book because scholars have not always accepted the book of
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  Esther as part of Scripture. In fact, it, as you probably
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  know, it lacks the name of God. It depicts A heroine marrying
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  outside of the faith. You know there's no evidence of
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  this heroine ever living the law of Moses.
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  In fact there's evidence to the contrary and the books
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  authorship are unknown so it's it's not always been accepted in
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  the ancient texts. In fact, the Dead Sea Scrolls
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  that record the scriptures at the time of the Lord and before
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  don't even include this and neither does the Islamic Canon.
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  Yet the Christian story includes Esther story because it provides
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  examples of God watching over the Jewish people wherever they
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  are in their exile and today. The book of Esther in is
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  included in our Christian Bibles as well as in the Hebrew Bible.
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  The book comes at a time where the Israelites or the southern
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  tribes have been in Babylon now for decades and decades.
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  And it describes Esther as a cooperative, obedient heroine.
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  You know, she's living in the Persian Empire.
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  It's the late 5th century, and her ancestry is traced back to
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  the tribe of Benjamin and then, which was the same as King Saul,
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  as if you recall. And it's also the same, by the
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  way, that the Apostle Paul, when we come to the future, she is
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  referred to as a Jewish in chapter 2, verse five to seven,
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  because everyone in the southern tribes were.
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  But I think it's significant that she is one of these that
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  are not from the tribe of Judah. The book describes about a
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  decade of her life, starting when she's orphaned and then
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  she's adopted by her cousin or uncle or some relationship.
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  The word kin is not clear in the Hebrew text, and to know exactly
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  which one we're talking about here.
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  But she's raised in the Diaspora and they're clear down South of
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  Babylon in the city known as Shua, or sometimes it's
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  pronounced Shushan. But it's it's just north of the
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  Persian Sea where the tigress and Euphrates come together in
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  the South. It's been a almost a century of
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  Babylonian captivity. Some of the Jews have already
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  returned. In fact, many of have returned
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  by the time we hear her story, and as we begin, we're told that
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  Persia is being run by a king and queen with a large harem.
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  But this Queen Vashti is a heroine for modern women, but
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  was an absolute embarrassment for ancient women.
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  So from a modern perspective, sometimes we honor her
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  assertiveness, her respectability, but she was
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  really looked down upon by her husband.
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  King Ashur's is Hebrew and King Xerxes in Greek.
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  Her story addresses this male female expectations of the
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  ancient world. I think it's very healthy for us
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  to go back and look at what it was like because she refuses to
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  be treated like a sex symbol, at least in this one setting or as
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  a slave in her position as a queen and she assertedly
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  defended herself worth. You know, her outcome is
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  actually tragic. It's the loss of her position.
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  She's removed as being queen, and it was thought of in that
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  day as a horrific breach of social propriety.
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  But now we look at her as perhaps she chose the better
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  alternative. So the book of Esther mixes up a
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  few historical facts, and sometimes they say Persia not
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  the Medes, and the Medes not the Persians.
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  I The historical facts are clear that we have some overlapping in
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  these empires, but I'm just going to suggests that that is
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  for a different story. I want to focus on these women
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  role with the savior. So I'm going to just look at the
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  third year of King Ashuris or King Xerxes as he's reigning
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  from 485. Vashti would have been very
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  involved and very aware of the King's 180 day display of the
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  vast treasures of wealth that he is now accumulated since he has
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  conquered the Babylonians and built his Kingdom even greater.
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  This is chapter 4. So it's 180 days where he's
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  inviting all the foreigners to come in and see.
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  It's a drinking and a celebratory time.
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  And, and for this 6th month exhibit at the end of it, he has
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  a week long drinking banquet for all the nobles from 127
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  provinces and it stretches all the way from India to Ethiopia
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  to the Balkans. It's an enormous I've got a map
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  here on my slides if you'd like to take a look at it.
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  And the problem arose because at the same time that the men are
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  having their week long party, Vashti invites the women and she
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  hosts a celebration of the female Gentry.
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  This is verse 9 in chapter 1 and on the 7th day when I assume the
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  men are quite tipsy if not completely smashed, that's the
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  king sent 7 eunuchs to fetch the queen and to have her put on her
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  crown and parade for his guests so that everyone could admire
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  and examine her beauty as one of his greatest treasures.
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  And she declines. Now, I don't know if it's just
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  like a woman's night out or whatever the however her party
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  is running, she wants to not go in front of that group of men.
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  But her refusal erupted into anger and fear that all the
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  women across the whole empire would no longer obey their
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  demanding husbands. Now, not only is she removed
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  from her position as queen, but also the king sent a
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  proclamation out to the province that every man should be ruler
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  over his own household. That's the NIV translation of
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  verse 22. This opens up, of course, the
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  search for the new queen that we'll talk about in a little
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  while. But I also want to talk about
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  how these verses were discussed in other ancient texts because
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  the account exposes this marital culture of the day in this
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  ancient world of Persia, and then how it works out with the
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  Israelites as well. So years and years later, the
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  Talmud embellished on this story of Queen Vashti, and it says
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  that Queen Vashti was called to appear at this male banquet
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  wearing only her crown, that she was going to be completely nude.
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  Now, I don't know if this is just hundreds and hundreds of
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  years later adding on for shock appeal or, or what, but
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  according to the Hagana Queen, Vashti's modesty prohibited her
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  from accepting the summons. Now, an opposite tradition from
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  the Babylonian rabbis claim that Vashti was an adulterous woman
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  and she mistreated her Jewish servants and she regularly
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  flaunted her nakedness to groups of admirers.
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  You know, so we have different writings centuries later arguing
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  different parts of the story, but they claim that she refused
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  the invitation. Everyone agrees on that.
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  So these advisors to the king say if you don't do something
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  immediately, all the noble ladies throughout the vast
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  Persian Empire are going to hold on to Queen Vashti's refusal and
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  follow her example and defy their husbands.
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  So the men panic. The king goes ahead and carries
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  out this and broadcast that Vashti's act was so repulsive
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  that she is now removed from the throne and that we are going to
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  look throughout the whole empire to find a replacement.
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  Now he already has an enormous harem. 1 text said we probably
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  had 365 wives, one for every night.
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  The numbers are to me very hyperbolic, but Solomon says he
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  had 1000 and the Persian supposedly had far more than
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  that. But likely it inspired a very
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  interested audience in this story.
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  Now these women became unwittingly participants in
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  God's larger plan. You know, we see as Vashti is
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  removed, the Lord is making a way for a young Jewish girl
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  named Esther to become the queen and eventually save the Jewish
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  people. It's it's wonderful to see how
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  the Lord puts things in motion. But as a young Jewish girl who's
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  now orphaned, she's obediently following the vice of her uncle
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  or relative Mordecai, and she prepares herself to possibly be
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  considered as one of the kings harem and hopes of replacing the
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  banished wife Vashti. Now Mordecai encourages Esther
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  to keep her lineage a secret. Don't tell anyone yet that you
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  are one of these refugees from Israel.
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  But her differences were obviously appealing.
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  She becomes very good friends with the eunuch who's in charge,
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  and the other girls in the harem honor her, at least according to
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  the text. She's she's really admired by
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  the others there. So as Esther and these hundreds
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  of other women arrive in the King's harem, he's already got
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  concubines and and wives, but he wanted something more.
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  So they all come in, and whether you're a legal wife or a consort
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  or a royal daughter, they're all part of this enormous harem.
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  So the number of women had to be organized in hierarchies.
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  And there's an enormous social hierarchy with the mother queen
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  as the top of the harem. And there's a number of eunuchs
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  also involved. These men, you know, Daniel
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  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were taken captive and made
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  eunuchs to serve in the court. You don't want anyone who might
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  be sleeping with the harem. So you you castrate them.
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  It was, it was terrible. But as as Esther comes in to
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  this extremely large harem, you know it's probably comprising
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  hundreds if not thousands of women.
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  The text emphasizes that Esther was obtained favor and kindness
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  in the sight of of all more than all the other virgins.
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  And it also says that they spend 6 months with just oil of Mer
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  and then six months with sweet perfumes.
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  You know, it's a whole year of of changing and smelling and and
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  and learning the manners and the clothing.
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  And we're told that Esther received 7 servants or seven
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  maidens. They're specifically chosen by
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  the keeper of the women, this one of the eunuchs.
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  Hey, guy. They become such dear friends
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  that even when Esther becomes queen, she keeps these 7 maids
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  with her as her friends. They serve as messengers.
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  They bring her the disturbing news about Mordecai sitting
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  outside in sackcloth that happens in chapter 4.
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  You know, these maidens join her in her three day fast for his,
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  for her people. Now, I don't know if they were
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  Jewish girls. They may have been, but their
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  willingness to fast really is remarkable.
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  It speaks highly of their relationship, even if they were
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  not Israelite by birth. But they knew of Esther's Jewish
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  identity, even if Esther chose not to expose this dangerous
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  time and outpouring of her birthright.
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  Now there's a parallel plot going on to the women's plot
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  here where the King's Prime Minister and that a man named
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  Haman, he's is seeking for more power, more authority, and he to
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  destroy all the Jewish people in the land.
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  But Ezra's uncle or cousin Mordecai attempts to thwart him
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  multiple times, including asking his ward, the little Princess
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  Esther, to appeal for the king for help.
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  This is Esther chapter 4. Now initially, Esther is very
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  hesitant. And she says, I feel absolutely
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  helpless. You know, I can't go unless the
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  king is son summoning me. It's very risky.
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  You know, I this could result in my death.
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  And Esther feels completely powerless, like many of the
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  women in the harem. But it made her relatable as a
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  model to the other Jewish girls, and I think that's one reason
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  why, her story continued. They felt similarly vulnerable
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  in their exiled state. We're told that Hayman's wife is
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  part of the problem as well. Her name is Suresh, and she,
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  because he has such a high position with the king, she also
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  would be very honored in that community.
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  And the Bible describes that when Haman is furious at this
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  Mordecai and he's sharing it with his wife, his wife comes up
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  with a plan and his wife says, oh, you ought to just build a
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  great big Gallo and get rid of him.
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  You know, in fact, she not only is helping devise this plan to
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  eliminate Mordecai, but then she will be, unfortunately, her life
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  will be taken by this 75 foot gallows as well because both
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  Mordecai is killed and those that were involved in this plot.
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  Once Esther is able to come out. I think it's interesting to note
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  that in the Persian world, at least in the 5th century, a wife
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  was confided in. They were used as a counselor,
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  their advice was followed and they were held responsible for
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  some of the decisions that their husband made, especially when
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  they had a voice in it. We don't don't always see that
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  400 years later at the time of the New Testament, and we didn't
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  always see it a 400 years before in the Old Testament.
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  So this is an interesting time when the women's voices are
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  being heard. I want to talk for just a minute
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  about why Esther feels powerless.
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  Look back at her history. Remember she's she's a young
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  Israelite coming from a group of Jewish refugees in a foreign
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  nation. She's an underling.
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  They're sold into servitude. They've been there long enough
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  that maybe things are a little bit better.
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  But she's still a second hand citizen.
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  And she also, as a woman in a very patriarchal society, is to
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  obey what she's told to do. And they are raised differently.
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  But Mordecai her uncle, persuades her to step up and
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  help by saying, Think not that with thyself, that thou shalt
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  escape the King's house more than all the other Jews.
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  And then he skips down a little bit to verse 14 and chapter 4.
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  Who knoweth wherefore that thou art come to the Kingdom for such
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  a time as this. You know who knows maybe the
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  Lord opened this door for this very event that you need to
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  stand up and protect your nation.
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  So Esther grows in faith and courage.
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  You know she calls for a Jewish fast.
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  It's three days and three nights and she says no food or water.
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  I don't know if that's added by later editor or if it it that is
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  a long time without water. Unbelievable.
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  But she desperately needs God's divine help, not just to help
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  her, but to help their entire, entire people.
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  And she needs to go before the king.
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  And so she says in verse 16, she's resolved If I perish, I
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  perish. So they gab the fast.
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  Her maidens join with her in the fast, her people join with her.
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  She approaches the king and God answers their collective
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  prayers. The king is softened and you're
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  she says, I don't even know I'm not allowed to ever go before
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  him. And if I do go before him, if he
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  doesn't send down his royal scepter, then I'm, I'm toast.
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  Well, he does. He sends it down and he says,
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  what would you like? And then he says in in chapter
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  5, I'll give you a half of the Kingdom.
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  You know, he he was completely, completely humbled and and
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  willing to talk to his one of his wives.
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  So she did not address the urgent issue at that point.
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  She wanted to prepare a first banquet.
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  And then she invites him and says, would you please come to a
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  second background with just the king and Haman?
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  This is chapter 5, verse 3 and to 8.
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  And her hesitation in this face of great personal risk is very
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  genuine. But it may have been part of
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  this plan to create a setting where the king was more invested
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  to hear what she really wanted. I, I don't know, I there may
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  have been method to her madness here.
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  But she at last confesses in this second banquet to the king.
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  I thought maybe she needed a banquet after fasting 3 days.
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  She was starving, you know. But she says at last quote, If I
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  found favor in thy sight, let my life be given to me at my
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  petition, and my people at my request.
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  For we are sold, I and my people to be destroyed, to be slain, to
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  be to perish. This is now Chapter 7, verse 3
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  through 4. And the king, you know, ardently
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  defends Esther and, and, and he finds out that Hammond's the
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  problem. Hammond pleads for help, and
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  that gets him in worse trouble because he falls on her on her
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  couch or her pillows or something.
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  And so the king is furious. And the same gallows that he
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  built for Mordecai, now Haman and his family are going to be
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  destroyed on, as I mentioned earlier.
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  But Esther's triumphal success gave hope to these exiled Jews.
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  And the book of Esther assures these exiled Jews that even if
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  they're living among the Gentiles, even if they're
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  marrying into the Gentile families, if they remain loyal
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  to their heritage, God will bless them.
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  You know, she is a story of a very young woman who sacrificed.
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  She offers herself. Remember, you're usually married
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  in your very early teens, if not before.
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  And her story is one that shows her inner beauty as well as her
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  outer beauty. You know her, her greatest
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  beauty is not the riches in a royal position.
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  You know, her greatest beauty is that her testimony and her faith
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  in our God allowed her to gain the courage to be in a place and
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  a time to save her people. And I believe that every one of
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  us in our lives can stand as a ambassador for Jesus Christ at a
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  great risk to our own personal stance, but to bless not just
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  those around us, but the Kingdom of God grow in this earth.
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  And may we all have the courage of Esther and the Spirit of God
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  that allows us to build the Kingdom.
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  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.