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Is God Absent? · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

• 0:00
  Well, can we look at Esther chapter 1 again?
• 0:06
  ! We're going to look at the whole chapter, but probably the key verse is 19.
• 0:15
  ! If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and Medes,
• 0:22
  so that it may not be repealed that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus.
• 0:30
  And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than he.
• 0:43
  The TV program I really enjoy is Who Do You Think You Are?
• 0:48
  It takes a famous person and it looks at their history, where they come from, who their people are, who their people were.
• 0:57
  It's absolutely fascinating, as I'm sure many of you are fascinated by your genealogy.
• 1:03
  Who are your people? Where did they live? And what did they do?
• 1:07
  And many of these stories, of course, elicit times of tears.
• 1:11
  You see the celebrities, they weep because of perhaps hardship of their ancestors.
• 1:18
  Some of the ancestors were sold into slavery.
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  Others of them went through terrible deprivations in the war.
• 1:25
  And folk are traumatized by the history of their own family, their own people.
• 1:32
  This is such a book.
• 1:34
  The book of Esther is our story, you know.
• 1:37
  It's the story of the Church of God.
• 1:40
  It's at least partly the story of the Church of God.
• 1:43
  The Jewish people in the Old Testament are our people.
• 1:47
  And when we read of the Jewish people, we read of the Church of God,
• 1:52
  which, of course, is the great...
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  The Church of God is the fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham and to the Jewish people.
• 2:02
  Now, again, who am I speaking to tonight?
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  There's, I'm sure, a great variety of folk here.
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  There are those of you who know Esther off by heart.
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  You know Esther better than I do.
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  That it's the story of a Jewish girl who saved the Jewish people from annihilation.
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  It's the story of a beautiful young girl who became a queen, a queen of Persia,
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  and who was raised, of course, the most famous passage or verse in Esther is,
• 2:34
  who was raised for such a time as this story, which is indeed intriguing and compelling.
• 2:42
  There's others of you, and you've never even heard of the book of Esther.
• 2:46
  And maybe this evening is the very first time that you've opened this particular book of the Bible.
• 2:53
  Well, I hope that one of the side products of this evening will be that this evening
• 2:58
  you will go back home and you will read the book of Esther for yourself
• 3:03
  because it really is a page-turner.
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  It's certainly not Mills and Boone material.
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  It's much deeper than that as it tells the story of God's dealing with the church of God.
• 3:18
  So why have I picked the book of Esther this evening?
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  Well, I was speaking somewhere else the last few weeks on it,
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  and so it was kind of in my mind, and I've been living with this book for the last four or five weeks.
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  I picked it probably for three main reasons.
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  Number one, of course, it's in the Bible.
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  All Scripture is profitable for us and to us.
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  Every single book of the Bible is there for us,
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  and the Bible is the most intriguing, most interesting book in the whole of the world.
• 3:56
  The book of Esther is one of those books you really have to work at
• 4:00
  because the meaning of it doesn't instantly come.
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  But as I said this morning, Esther, the Bible is written for all of us.
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  The Bible is not written for expert theologians.
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  It's written for ordinary people like us.
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  So it's in the Bible that's the first reason.
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  The second reason is that I'm rather intrigued because, of course, you all know
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  it's one of only two books in the Bible named after women.
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  Someone said that the Bible is written from a man's perspective,
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  and they say it's a very masculine book.
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  It is written certainly from a man's point of view.
• 4:41
  Well, whether there is a man's point of view or a lady's point of view is a subject
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  which I certainly will not even begin to tackle this evening.
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  But it's interesting, isn't it, that they're contrasting books.
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  You've got the book of Ruth, which is the other book,
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  and it's written about a peasant girl.
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  It's written about a poor girl.
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  It's written about one who is from the oppressed underclass,
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  one who was known for poverty and ordinary village life.
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  So that's the book of Ruth.
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  A contrast is Esther.
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  And there is no doubt that Esther is a glamorous book.
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  Esther, the word means star.
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  She was a beautiful woman.
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  Chapter 2 makes that point two or three times.
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  And especially when she went through her six-month, year-long beautification process,
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  she was absolutely stunning.
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  She wasn't a peasant.
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  She ended up, of course, in the palace.
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  She is referred to in Chapter 3 onwards as Queen Esther, King Ahasuerus, gets her.
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  It's not a romantic story by any means.
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  Chapter 2 tells us.
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  It's a story of abuse.
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  It's a story of trafficking.
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  There's a modern ring about it, isn't there, as you read Esther Chapter 2?
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  Very much part of the kind of Me Too story, as you see the exploitation there of a woman.
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  So there's an underbelly also to the book of Esther, isn't there?
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  It's not just, as I said earlier, Mills and Boone.
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  It's not just some romantic story.
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  So it's in the Bible.
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  I find it rather intriguing.
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  It is a book named after a woman.
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  But the third reason, and this is the one that almost every preacher will talk about,
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  God's name is not mentioned once in the whole book of Esther.
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  In fact, it's somewhat secular.
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  I don't know if any of you read history.
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  There's a great series for young people called Horrible Histories.
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  And the book of Esther reads, well, that's very secular.
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  As I said, God is not mentioned in it at all.
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  And for that reason, it is incredibly intriguing.
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  But as we will also see that although God's name is not mentioned, God is everywhere.
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  His name is not there, but his fingerprints are all over the book of Esther.
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  It's also a story.
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  People love a story.
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  That's why soap operas are so popular with certain people.
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  That's how boxed sets are compelling, as people constantly want to know the next story.
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  And Esther is like that.
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  Actually, if you read it chapter after chapter, the next chapter is as unbelievable as the chapter before.
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  And it's intriguing to see all these things.
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  And there's all these literary devices.
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  And there's the sudden reversal of fortune.
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  How things are going one way, and all of a sudden they are dramatically going another way.
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  There's double meanings.
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  There's all sorts of interesting literary devices all through the book.
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  But before we go on, there's a fundamental method of interpreting the Bible that we really must get right.
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  The big picture in Esther is not that Esther is a good woman and that we should be like Esther.
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  The story of the Bible is not that Vashti here in chapter 1 is someone who was bold and who spoke against King Ahasuerus.
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  Yes, that's there.
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  But the main story of the Old Testament is the story of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  And the main story of the Bible is the line running from Genesis to Revelation about how God has provided a saviour.
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  And so in the book of Esther, we see that God provides a saviour with a small s, Esther.
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  And God provides a saviour with a large s, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  And we will certainly see him in chapter 1.
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  And we will see him in every single page of the book of Esther.
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  Remember Jesus said in Luke chapter 24 when he was explaining the Bible to the folk on the road to Emmaus.
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  Of course, he says,
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  Beginning with Moses and the prophets, he explained to them what was said in the scripture concerning himself.
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  And so we will see Jesus here in Esther chapter 1.
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  We will see him by way of contrast.
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  And we will see him also by way of comparison.
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  And also, we will notice that nothing here is chaotic.
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  You will see there is a conflict here.
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  There is a conflict in chapter 1.
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  And there is a conflict all through the Bible.
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  There is a conflict between the power of evil and the power of good.
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  And another point before we move on to our three principal points is that the main concept in the book of Esther is the concept of providence.
• 10:27
  It is that God uses small incidental events to change the world.
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  We live in a world where God is not mentioned.
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  Does that mean God doesn't exist?
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  We are in a church culture that doesn't really do signs and wonders much.
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  It is not something we talk about.
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  We don't talk about miracles.
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  We don't talk about all these things.
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  And so we can assume that God is no longer operating in churches like ours, which can appear to be rather dry.
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  By no means.
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  That's the point of Esther.
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  Although God is not mentioned, God is still moving.
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  Although God is being pushed to the periphery of our national and civic life, God is still at work.
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  And it's the little things in your life that reveal that God is working in a very powerful and amazing way.
• 11:41
  Let me ask you, you put your mind back 30 years ago, 40 years ago, 50 years ago.
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  If someone were to say to you, you would be sitting in a pew or in a pulpit in the Free Church in Kenneth Street in Stornoway,
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  you would have said that's absolutely ridiculous.
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  Wherever you are in life at the moment, you're not here by accident.
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  You're here because you have been placed here in such a time as this.
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  But the wonderful thing is that this is part of a bigger plan leading to the Lord Jesus Christ and his redemption.
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  So tonight, very briefly, what they say, sometimes the perfect sermon is three Ps and a poem.
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  I can't promise a poem tonight, but there are certainly three Ps.
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  As we look at the passage, we're going to look at power, we're going to look at pride, and we're going to look at providence.
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  So, okay, three Ps without a poem.
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  First of all, then, power.
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  Well, the chapter's all over power.
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  You just need to read verses one and two.
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  It really lays it on, doesn't it, in the days of Ahasuerus, who reigned from India to Ethiopia.
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  There is power language there, verse two, verse four, verse eight.
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  The power there just drips off the page.
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  The language is huge.
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  The army of Persia and Media, the governors, the nobles.
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  This is really incredible.
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  It's a picture of power.
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  However, this King Ahasuerus, if you read the NIV, he's known as King Exus.
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  He reigned, I googled him, apparently he reigned over 44% of the world's population at that time.
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  Not 43 or 45, but 44%.
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  He ruled from Pakistan right up through northern Europe, right up to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
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  He ruled over Asia.
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  He ruled right down into Africa.
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  He really was a very powerful person.
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  Indeed, that's spelled out in the text.
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  From India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces.
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  So, it's located in Iran.
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  If you want a geographical reference, the citadel of Susa is located in Iran, which is very much topical at the moment.
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  A little back story, a little sidebar.
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  A whole crowd of Jewish people, most of them went back to Jerusalem.
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  But a remnant remained in Babylon.
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  And Esther is one of the main characters.
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  The main character in the story remained behind here in Babylon with her uncle, a man called Mordecai.
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  But the Persians held all the power.
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  Indeed, someone said that the Jews didn't want to stick their head above the parapet.
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  One writer says, the nail that doesn't stick out is less likely to be hammered.
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  That's why we see in chapter 2, Esther's uncle says, be quiet.
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  Don't tell anyone that you're a Jew.
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  Keep your identity secret.
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  And so, the Jewish people lived there largely, quietly, unknown, just getting on with their life.
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  And so, you have this power here.
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  You've got this dominant, godless, pagan, powerful, brutal empire.
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  An empire that has no word of God.
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  And yet, God moves in it and even through it for his own sovereign purpose.
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  All things work together for good.
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  Wicked empires work together for good.
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  Godless rulers work together for good.
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  Does it say that some things work together for good?
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  In our lives, we come across rulers.
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  We come across regimes that we don't like and are not good.
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  We live in a godless society.
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  Has God ignored us?
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  By no means.
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  He is working things out.
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  And so, there's power here.
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  In one of the contemporary accounts of King Hazelaris, he describes himself in these terms.
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  I quote, I am the great king, the king of kings, the king of the lands occupied by many races.
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  I am the king of this great earth.
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  He didn't have self-esteem issues, clearly.
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  He was someone who was really full of his own importance.
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  It's quite interesting, isn't it?
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  Maybe this is a male-female perspective.
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  Notice the description, verses 1 to 9, of King Ahasuerus' banquet.
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  And the woman's banquet is described in one verse.
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  Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the woman in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
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  Modest compared to the power politics.
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  And so, he was no Puritan, if you look at verses 5 to verse 8.
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  It was ridiculous.
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  The 180 days of feasting.
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  Glasses that were used.
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  No two glasses were the same.
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  It was a picture of excess and opulence.
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  And the mother of all three bars there in verse 8.
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  You've almost got a joke there.
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  The edict is, there is no edict.
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  The edict is, there is no compulsion.
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  And so, you've got this picture of opulence, power, magnificence, and excess.
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  And again, that's what many people in this island and in this country and in the Western world admire and are intimidated by.
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  Where is all the power?
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  Let me just apply this in a couple of ways.
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  In two ways.
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  The first application is that we all worship something.
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  We all worship something.
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  What does verse 1 to 9 remind you of?
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  Does it remind you of anything?
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  There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver cords and marble pillars.
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  What does that remind you of?
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  It's almost an exact description of the furnishings of the tabernacle and the temple.
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  It's a context of worship.
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  And so, isn't it interesting that the language of the temple and the temple furnishings is used for this particular king.
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  This is his worship.
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  He is worshiping the creature rather than the creator.
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  He is worshiping things rather than gods.
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  If you look around the skyline of Edinburgh.
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  You see two skylines.
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  One skyline and one perspective is it's dominated by church steeples.
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  You can see the distinctive steeple of St. Giles.
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  It's a crown.
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  You can see through the towers of New College the steeple of what used to be called the Highland Tallbooth.
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  You can see church steeples all around because they were built in an age when people worshipped God.
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  But there's another skyline.
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  And it's the skyline of the St. James Centre Mall.
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  It's the skyline of the office block.
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  It's the skyline of the temples of commerce.
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  You see, we all worship something.
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  We all have an idol.
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  And so we see here the power.
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  And the power is invested in this idolatry.
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  But remember what God said at the dedication of the temple.
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  He said in 1 Kings chapter 9.
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  He said,
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  So that's what we see here.
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  God's man, in one sense, is cut off the throne of the temple.
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  And there's an interloper on the throne where God ought to be.
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  But there's going to be another throne.
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  We saw it this morning in Revelation chapter 5.
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  Which is a great connection here with Esther chapter 1.
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  That the throne of Ahasuerus is collapsed.
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  And the throne of King Jesus is there.
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  It's elevated.
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  How vacuous is the temple of this world.
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  It's a hologram with no substance.
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  The tales of contemporary man is a tale told by idiots.
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  Full of sound and fury.
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  Signifying ultimately nothing.
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  You see here the power.
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  The power.
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  The power of King Ahasuerus is a power based on a shaky foundation.
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  Who do we admire?
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  In this age of celebrity.
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  In this age of dazzle.
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  In this age where people are so vacuous.
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  King Ahasuerus.
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  And yet at the end of the day the power is empty.
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  And here you have a kingdom.
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  How different.
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  The kingdom of God.
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  King Ahasuerus banishes a woman.
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  King Jesus takes people in.
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  The king Jesus is one who invites the poor and maimed into his palace.
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  King Ahasuerus only admitted those who lived in a citadel of Susa.
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  The high and mighty.
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  They were brought in to wine and dine.
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  And yet God is ultimately egalitarian.
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  Again God brings all types of people to himself.
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  Power.
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  We see here worship.
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  We also see empire.
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  Also the language is the language of temple.
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  But it's also the language of city, isn't it?
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  And again the parallels with Revelation chapter 4 are there.
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  We have streets of gold here.
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  And we see a contrast to the kingdom of God.
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  It's not loud.
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  It's not brash.
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  It's like a mustard seed.
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  King Ahasuerus.
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  Who came after King Ahasuerus?
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  Alexander the Great.
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  I only know two things about Alexander the Great.
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  Number one.
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  His name was Alexander.
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  And number two.
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  He was great.
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  He's largely forgotten about.
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  I'm sure some of you know more about Alexander the Great.
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  The empires of this world come.
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  And the empires go.
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  And then you have the Romans.
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  And then you have the Nazis.
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  And then you have the Soviets.
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  And nowadays we've got of course great empires and emperors.
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  You're worried about the world just now.
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  You're worried about the men and women of power.
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  Remember Psalm 2.
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  He who sits in heaven shall laugh.
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  Isn't that in the great image?
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  Kings of the earth raise himself up against the Lord and his anointed.
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  And he who sits in heaven shall laugh.
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  The Lord shall scorn them all.
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  At the end.
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  And the empire of this world will end in tears.
• 24:57
  I don't know if you Johnny Cash fans.
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  But remember the last song that Johnny Cash ever sang in public.
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  You can YouTube it.
• 25:10
  Johnny Cash the old country singer.
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  He's singing there.
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  He's old.
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  He's lost his power.
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  His voice is croaking.
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  Remember the song he sings.
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  You could have it all.
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  He said.
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  My empire of dust.
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  I will let you down.
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  I will make you hurt.
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  The contrast to the kingdom of God.
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  Is completely different.
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  This is an empire of dust.
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  It will let you down.
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  Whereas the empire of King Jesus.
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  Is completely different.
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  It is an empire that says.
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  Because he lives.
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  I can see tomorrow.
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  We see here.
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  Power.
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  But then closely connected to that.
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  We see pride.
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  Don't we?
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  We see it all through the chapter.
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  Verse 4.
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  He showed the riches of his royal glory.
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  You see it there in verse 10.
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  In verse 11.
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  He orders people about.
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  Verse 12.
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  He's disobeyed.
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  He becomes enraged.
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  Vashti is an intriguing character.
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  Here.
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  Here is.
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  The ruler of the known universe.
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  He's the ruler of the greatest.
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  The world.
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  He says.
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  44% of the population.
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  The major empire in the world.
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  At this time.
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  And one.
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  Woman.
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  Says.
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  No.
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  And his pride is hurt.
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  Isn't it?
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  You see that in verse 12.
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  He's furious when disobeyed.
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  He's a classic narcissist.
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  He becomes enraged.
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  In verse 22.
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  He orders the woman to be submissive.
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  And imagine that.
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  He puts a decree out.
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  And he orders.
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  All the women.
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  To respect.
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  Their husband.
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  Respect.
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  Does not come.
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  By decree.
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  Love.
• 27:10
  Does not come by decree.
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  And yet in his pride.
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  With power.
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  There comes pride.
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  You shall be as God.
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  C.H.
• 27:19
  Spurgeon said.
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  Pride.
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  Is the sin.
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  Of human nature.
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  Because pride says.
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  I will be like God.
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  Pride says.
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  I know better than God.
• 27:32
  Pride said.
• 27:32
  I want to be like God.
• 27:34
  And pride.
• 27:35
  Has got an ego.
• 27:37
  The size of Texas.
• 27:39
  It's huge.
• 27:42
  But pride here.
• 27:45
  Is an awful thing.
• 27:47
  Just a little sidebar.
• 27:49
  There's a lot of drinking.
• 27:50
  Isn't there?
• 27:50
  In chapter one.
• 27:52
  They're drinking there.
• 27:53
  Six days of drinking.
• 27:55
  And the inevitable happens.
• 27:58
  So.
• 27:59
  The king.
• 28:00
  And all his buddies.
• 28:01
  Are drinking.
• 28:03
  For six days.
• 28:06
  And then he's got this.
• 28:07
  Bright idea.
• 28:09
  He says.
• 28:10
  Ah.
• 28:11
  Queen Vastow.
• 28:12
  She's very pretty.
• 28:14
  What I want her to do.
• 28:15
  Is put on her crown.
• 28:18
  And in front of all my friends.
• 28:21
  I want her to.
• 28:22
  He sends me to a catwalk.
• 28:23
  And walk down the room.
• 28:25
  So all these men.
• 28:27
  Can look at my.
• 28:28
  Trophy wife.
• 28:30
  And he puts this.
• 28:32
  To Queen Vastow.
• 28:33
  And not.
• 28:35
  Surprisingly.
• 28:36
  She says.
• 28:37
  Absolutely.
• 28:38
  No way.
• 28:40
  Am I doing that.
• 28:42
  The classic outcome.
• 28:44
  You've seen.
• 28:44
  You've been on a train.
• 28:45
  Haven't you?
• 28:46
  And you've seen.
• 28:47
  People drinking.
• 28:49
  And.
• 28:49
  It starts off at Inverness.
• 28:51
  And they're drinking.
• 28:52
  And you know.
• 28:53
  That by the time they go to Perth.
• 28:54
  It's going to be inappropriate.
• 28:56
  You know that all sense is going to go.
• 28:59
  Some of you live with folk who drink.
• 29:02
  Some of you.
• 29:03
  Yourself.
• 29:04
  Maybe have a secret drink problem.
• 29:06
  You know what it can do to you.
• 29:08
  It can take your inhibitions away.
• 29:10
  It can remove.
• 29:11
  All these things from you.
• 29:14
  Strange things happen.
• 29:15
  When you drink too much.
• 29:16
  But.
• 29:18
  The point of Vesta chapter one.
• 29:20
  Is not ultimately a.
• 29:21
  Anti-drink polemic.
• 29:25
  But you see.
• 29:26
  Pride here.
• 29:28
  Is exposed.
• 29:30
  Pride is unmasked by the drink.
• 29:32
  Pride uses people for selfish ends.
• 29:36
  Pride sees people as objects.
• 29:39
  And we find here.
• 29:41
  That King Ohazel Harris.
• 29:44
  Objectifies.
• 29:44
  His dear wife.
• 29:46
  He uses people.
• 29:48
  Verse 11.
• 29:48
  Come show yourself.
• 29:50
  Wearing your crown.
• 29:52
  Now this was a culture of.
• 29:54
  Of modesty.
• 29:56
  You know.
• 29:57
  You've seen.
• 29:58
  We see shades.
• 29:58
  Which is now with.
• 29:59
  Islamic ladies will wear.
• 30:01
  Barkas.
• 30:02
  It's a modest culture.
• 30:04
  They don't.
• 30:04
  Reveal themselves.
• 30:06
  Eastern people.
• 30:06
  Don't flaunt themselves.
• 30:08
  It was absolutely awful.
• 30:11
  In verse 12.
• 30:12
  The Queen said.
• 30:14
  No.
• 30:17
  For Vashti.
• 30:18
  It cost the crown.
• 30:19
  But as I read that chapter.
• 30:21
  I think of.
• 30:23
  Another woman.
• 30:25
  Another vulnerable woman.
• 30:26
  In John chapter 4.
• 30:29
  I think of Jesus.
• 30:31
  And the woman.
• 30:32
  At the well.
• 30:33
  And I think also.
• 30:34
  Of Jesus.
• 30:35
  And the woman.
• 30:36
  Taken in adultery.
• 30:38
  Erxes.
• 30:40
  Or Ahasuerus.
• 30:41
  Maximized their shame.
• 30:43
  Jesus.
• 30:44
  Wanted to diminish.
• 30:45
  The woman's shame.
• 30:48
  Ahasuerus.
• 30:48
  Wanted his law.
• 30:50
  To dominate.
• 30:51
  And subjugate.
• 30:52
  Women.
• 30:53
  And Jesus.
• 30:54
  Had the law.
• 30:55
  Of love.
• 30:57
  And it.
• 30:57
  Elevated women.
• 30:59
  It gave women.
• 31:00
  Dignity.
• 31:01
  It gave women.
• 31:02
  Honor.
• 31:03
  Honor.
• 31:04
  It's a great book.
• 31:05
  By a man called.
• 31:06
  Tom Holland.
• 31:07
  It's called.
• 31:08
  Dominion.
• 31:09
  And it makes the point.
• 31:11
  That the liberation.
• 31:12
  And the dignity.
• 31:13
  That women enjoy today.
• 31:16
  Is.
• 31:16
  The source of that.
• 31:18
  Is.
• 31:18
  In the Lord.
• 31:19
  Jesus.
• 31:20
  Christ.
• 31:20
  Who gave them.
• 31:22
  Dignity.
• 31:22
  Because.
• 31:24
  He is God.
• 31:25
  Of course.
• 31:27
  Jesus.
• 31:27
  Fulfilled the law.
• 31:29
  To free.
• 31:29
  Men.
• 31:30
  And women.
• 31:31
  King Ahasuerus.
• 31:32
  Used the law.
• 31:33
  For his self-centered.
• 31:35
  This end.
• 31:36
  Whereas.
• 31:36
  Jesus.
• 31:38
  Fulfilled the law.
• 31:40
  And met.
• 31:41
  The law's demands.
• 31:45
  Power.
• 31:48
  Pride.
• 31:48
  But lastly.
• 31:51
  And perhaps.
• 31:52
  Most significantly.
• 31:53
  Providence.
• 31:55
  A key verse here.
• 31:57
  Is in verse 19.
• 31:58
  Which I read.
• 32:00
  Let her royal position.
• 32:02
  Be given to someone else.
• 32:05
  What you see in chapter 1.
• 32:07
  Indeed.
• 32:07
  The whole book of Esther.
• 32:09
  Are multiple.
• 32:11
  Small.
• 32:13
  Actions.
• 32:15
  Most of them.
• 32:16
  Bad.
• 32:17
  The feast.
• 32:19
  Was a bad decision.
• 32:21
  The decision.
• 32:22
  To banish.
• 32:23
  The queen.
• 32:23
  Was a bad decision.
• 32:25
  He picked.
• 32:26
  The wrong queen.
• 32:27
  To have an argument.
• 32:28
  With Vashti.
• 32:29
  The bad advice.
• 32:31
  He was given.
• 32:31
  To banish.
• 32:32
  The queen.
• 32:34
  Tiny little things.
• 32:36
  All of them.
• 32:37
  Seem to be.
• 32:38
  Bad decisions.
• 32:40
  And yet.
• 32:41
  God.
• 32:41
  Takes them.
• 32:43
  To provide.
• 32:44
  A savior.
• 32:45
  If.
• 32:46
  Queen.
• 32:46
  Vashti.
• 32:47
  Had not.
• 32:47
  Been.
• 32:48
  Deposed.
• 32:50
  Queen.
• 32:50
  Esther.
• 32:51
  Would never.
• 32:52
  Become.
• 32:53
  The queen.
• 32:54
  If queen.
• 32:55
  Esther.
• 32:55
  Had not.
• 32:57
  Become.
• 32:57
  Queen.
• 32:58
  Haman.
• 32:59
  The wicked man.
• 33:01
  Had a plan.
• 33:01
  To annihilate.
• 33:02
  All the Jews.
• 33:04
  If.
• 33:04
  Esther.
• 33:05
  Had not.
• 33:05
  Been put.
• 33:06
  In.
• 33:06
  To the palace.
• 33:08
  At a particular.
• 33:09
  Time.
• 33:09
  If.
• 33:10
  Mordecai.
• 33:10
  Her uncle.
• 33:11
  Had not been given.
• 33:12
  A particular.
• 33:13
  Position.
• 33:14
  At the king's gate.
• 33:15
  All these.
• 33:16
  Little.
• 33:17
  Things.
• 33:19
  Work.
• 33:20
  To the salvation.
• 33:21
  Of the jewish people.
• 33:24
  And beyond that.
• 33:25
  Point.
• 33:25
  To the salvation.
• 33:27
  Of the human.
• 33:28
  Race.
• 33:29
  At least.
• 33:29
  Those.
• 33:30
  For whom.
• 33:31
  Christ.
• 33:32
  Has died.
• 33:34
  Is.
• 33:35
  God.
• 33:36
  Really.
• 33:37
  Present.
• 33:37
  I was reading.
• 33:41
  Two weeks ago.
• 33:44
  An essay.
• 33:45
  By a man.
• 33:45
  Called.
• 33:46
  Bart.
• 33:46
  Ehrman.
• 33:48
  Bart.
• 33:49
  Ehrman.
• 33:49
  Was.
• 33:51
  A.
• 33:52
  Wheaton.
• 33:53
  Educating.
• 33:54
  An evangelical.
• 33:55
  Divinity.
• 33:56
  School.
• 33:56
  In the U.S.
• 33:56
  He was an evangelical.
• 33:58
  New Testament.
• 33:59
  Professor.
• 34:00
  But he renounced.
• 34:01
  His evangelical.
• 34:02
  Faith.
• 34:04
  And this is what he wrote.
• 34:06
  Faith.
• 34:07
  Faith.
• 34:07
  In the Christian tradition.
• 34:10
  Has a God who intervenes.
• 34:13
  He says.
• 34:13
  That's what the Exodus event is.
• 34:15
  And that's what crucifixion is.
• 34:17
  It's a God who intervenes.
• 34:19
  And when I look around this world.
• 34:22
  I don't see a God who intervenes.
• 34:29
  Is that what your life is like just now?
• 34:31
  You don't see a God who intervenes.
• 34:34
  You don't see a God who intervenes.
• 34:36
  In your cancer diagnosis.
• 34:38
  You don't see a God who intervenes.
• 34:41
  In the world stage.
• 34:42
  You don't see a God who intervenes.
• 34:44
  In your domestic situation.
• 34:46
  You come to church here.
• 34:48
  Week after week after week.
• 34:50
  And you don't see a God who intervenes.
• 34:55
  And maybe even tonight.
• 34:57
  You said.
• 34:57
  This is the last night.
• 34:58
  I'm coming to church.
• 35:00
  Because God is not there.
• 35:07
  Isn't Esther 1 a breath of fresh air?
• 35:11
  Because it describes your life just now.
• 35:14
  A chapter of the Bible where God is not mentioned.
• 35:21
  A whole book of the Bible where God is not mentioned.
• 35:25
  But here's the thing.
• 35:27
  One of the big themes of Esther 1 is that of a hidden God.
• 35:32
  God sometimes hides.
• 35:38
  Isaiah 8 verse 17 says.
• 35:40
  I will wait for the Lord.
• 35:42
  Who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
• 35:47
  I will hope in him.
• 35:50
  Isaiah again 45.
• 35:51
  Truly you're a God who hides yourself.
• 35:54
  O God of Israel.
• 35:55
  The Savior.
• 35:56
  If you hear nothing else tonight.
• 36:01
  Hear this.
• 36:03
  The hidden God.
• 36:06
  Is not the same as the absent God.
• 36:10
  The silent God.
• 36:12
  Is not the same as the absent God.
• 36:18
  Here we are tonight.
• 36:21
  It's all very quiet.
• 36:23
  All very serene.
• 36:26
  All very calm.
• 36:29
  No drama.
• 36:32
  No signs and wonders.
• 36:34
  No noise.
• 36:36
  It's quiet.
• 36:39
  There's somewhere else where maybe it is noisy.
• 36:42
  There's drama.
• 36:43
  There's excitement.
• 36:46
  God works.
• 36:49
  Often.
• 36:50
  God works.
• 36:53
  Mostly.
• 36:56
  In silence.
• 36:58
  Our world.
• 37:00
  Looks like Esther's world.
• 37:03
  But God was moving events.
• 37:06
  Towards a great end.
• 37:09
  Towards the salvation of the Jewish people.
• 37:12
  God is moving the events of the world.
• 37:15
  He.
• 37:16
  The plan.
• 37:17
  In the Bible.
• 37:18
  Is the great plan.
• 37:19
  Of redemption.
• 37:25
  The key idea here.
• 37:27
  Of providence.
• 37:28
  Is.
• 37:29
  That God is at work.
• 37:31
  Under the surface.
• 37:34
  Does that make God any less?
• 37:37
  You've.
• 37:38
  We're.
• 37:39
  Drawn to a conclusion here.
• 37:40
  But there's two.
• 37:42
  Views.
• 37:43
  In Esther.
• 37:44
  There's.
• 37:44
  People draw lots.
• 37:46
  Don't they?
• 37:46
  Luck.
• 37:49
  And there's providence.
• 37:51
  Fate.
• 37:52
  And the drawing of lots.
• 37:53
  Random.
• 37:54
  Providence.
• 37:55
  And the hidden hand of God.
• 38:00
  Everything.
• 38:00
  Is pointing.
• 38:02
  Towards this night.
• 38:05
  That you are here.
• 38:07
  For such a time as this.
• 38:10
  And that there is.
• 38:12
  Nothing.
• 38:13
  Happens.
• 38:13
  In your life.
• 38:16
  That God has not planned.
• 38:20
  I remember walking once.
• 38:23
  When it was.
• 38:25
  1981.
• 38:26
  In George Square.
• 38:27
  In Glasgow.
• 38:28
  Walking under a scaffolding.
• 38:29
  And a huge.
• 38:32
  Clamp.
• 38:34
  Fell.
• 38:35
  From the top of a building.
• 38:38
  Just missed me.
• 38:42
  I've got a pretty hard head.
• 38:44
  But I think.
• 38:45
  One millisecond later.
• 38:47
  That would have gone right through me.
• 38:49
  You've got the same story.
• 38:50
  In your life.
• 38:52
  You're here tonight.
• 38:55
  Spared.
• 38:58
  So that God.
• 38:59
  Is doing something.
• 39:02
  Drawing you.
• 39:03
  To himself.
• 39:05
  Here we see.
• 39:06
  A woman.
• 39:07
  Whose bold action.
• 39:08
  Leads to the salvation.
• 39:09
  Of the people.
• 39:11
  This points.
• 39:12
  To Jesus.
• 39:14
  Esther.
• 39:15
  Is the last.
• 39:16
  Of the narrative books.
• 39:18
  Of the Bible.
• 39:18
  It's the last.
• 39:19
  Of the story books.
• 39:20
  In the Bible.
• 39:21
  The first story book.
• 39:22
  Of course.
• 39:22
  Is Genesis.
• 39:24
  And all the stories.
• 39:25
  Are told.
• 39:26
  Right through to Esther.
• 39:27
  And you actually find.
• 39:28
  That the miraculous.
• 39:31
  Diminishes.
• 39:31
  As the.
• 39:32
  Old Testament.
• 39:33
  Storyline.
• 39:34
  Goes on.
• 39:35
  There are.
• 39:35
  A lot of miracles.
• 39:37
  And Genesis.
• 39:38
  And Exodus.
• 39:38
  You know.
• 39:39
  The parting of the Red Sea.
• 39:40
  And water.
• 39:41
  Gushing out of a rock.
• 39:42
  And you know.
• 39:43
  Folk being fed.
• 39:44
  With manna.
• 39:45
  There's miracles.
• 39:45
  There's miracles everywhere.
• 39:47
  But by the time you get.
• 39:48
  To the last.
• 39:49
  Narrative story.
• 39:50
  Esther.
• 39:52
  It all stops.
• 39:54
  Miracles diminish.
• 39:56
  And there is silence.
• 39:58
  After.
• 40:01
  Esther.
• 40:03
  Silence to the book of Malachi.
• 40:05
  And then 400 years later.
• 40:08
  Jesus appears.
• 40:10
  He is.
• 40:14
  The ultimate savior.
• 40:17
  These are all.
• 40:18
  Chains that led.
• 40:20
  To Jesus.
• 40:23
  Coming.
• 40:25
  And being our savior.
• 40:28
  Is.
• 40:30
  God.
• 40:31
  Absent.
• 40:34
  Look around.
• 40:35
  And you say.
• 40:36
  Yes.
• 40:38
  Look at the Bible.
• 40:40
  No.
• 40:41
  And he says.
• 40:42
  No.
• 40:45
  You're here tonight.
• 40:46
  For a purpose.
• 40:48
  And God.
• 40:49
  Is speaking to you.
• 40:52
  Through the Bible.
• 40:55
  No drama.
• 40:58
  Just God.
• 41:00
  Father.
• 41:01
  We bow in your presence.
• 41:02
  We thank you.
• 41:03
  For who you are.
• 41:06
  We ask a question.
• 41:07
  Is God absent?
• 41:08
  Listen.
• 41:09
  And we bless you.
• 41:10
  That he is not.
• 41:13
  And we thank you.
• 41:14
  That he is even not silent.
• 41:16
  If we have ears.
• 41:19
  Let us listen.
• 41:21
  Bless us.
• 41:22
  And be with us now.
• 41:25
  Amen.
• 41:28
  We refer to Psalm 2.
• 41:30
  Let's now sing it.
• 41:31
  In the Sing Psalms version.
• 41:33
  Psalm 2.
• 41:35
  Page 2.
• 41:43
  Why do the heathen nations rage?
• 41:46
  Why do the peoples plot in vain?
• 41:49
  Earth's kings combine in enmity.
• 41:52
  Her rulers join against God's reign.
• 41:55
  Psalm 2.
• 41:56
  We'll sing to verse 6.
• 41:58
  Why do the heathen nations rage?
• 42:01
  Why do the people plot in vain?
• 42:14
  As kings combine in enmity.
• 42:18
  Why do the people plot in vain?
• 42:24
  As kings combine in enmity.
• 42:26
  As kings combine in enmity.
• 42:31
  Our rulers join against those things.
• 42:45
  They take their stand against the Lord.
• 42:54
  And judges shall avoid him on.
• 43:03
  Let us break off their chains from us.
• 43:13
  Where there is safe.
• 43:17
  Let us be done.
• 43:22
  The one that ruled in heaven was.
• 43:32
  The Lord on high behinds them all.
• 43:41
  The Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:42
  The Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:43
  The Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:44
  My chosen King, God and the Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:46
  The Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:47
  My chosen King, God and the Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:50
  The Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:52
  My chosen King, God and the Lord has made it known to them.
• 43:53
  And terror of them all.
• 44:01
  The Lord has made it known to them.
• 44:09
  My chosen King I have installed.
• 44:19
  On Zion, Zion, Holy Day.
• 44:28
  He is the one where my God is.
• 44:38
  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
• 44:43
  the love of God the Father,
• 44:45
  and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
• 44:47
  be with us all now and always.
• 44:52
  Amen.
• 44:52
  Amen.
• 45:22
  Thank you.