Below is a sermon manuscript from October 27, 2024. Watch the sermon here.

Esther 4

Introduction

In 1520, Martin Luther, the reformer, wrote a work called The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. In this work he compared the situation of the people of God within the Roman Catholic Church of his day to Israel exiled in Babylon. When Erasmus read it he said, “The breach is beyond repair.”^[1] Soon after, he published Freedom of the Christian, which addressed how Christians are brought into saving union with Christ through faith alone and are freed from being enslaved to the law of works. Luther was brought up on charges of false teaching for these documents and others in the Diet of Worms in 1521. He was summoned, and before him was a collection of his writings. He was asked if they were his. He replied that they were. He was then asked if he still believed them or if he would denounce what they called heresies. Luther asked for a day to pray and think it over. When he came the next day to give his response, he separated his writings into three categories. The first were devotional in nature, and even his opponents could agree with them, so he didn’t need to recant there. The second were writings where he attacked abuses in the church, and to recant those would be to encourage error and tyranny. The third were writings directed at individuals and he admitted that sometimes his tone and the polemic nature was overly harsh, and for this, he was sorry. But he stood by the substance of everything he wrote and could not recant. He said that if his opponents could disprove his writings by Scripture, he would be the first to throw them in the fire. His opponent pushed him to give a straightforward and simple answer as to whether he would recant, and he responded with, in the words of one church historian, the most famous words in the history of Western Christianity.

Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of Scripture or by clear reason—since I believe neither the popes nor the councils by themselves, for it is clear that they have often erred and contradicted themselves—I am conquered by the holy Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not withdraw anything, since it is neither safe nor right to do anything against one’s conscience. Here I stand. God help me. Amen.^[2]

Luther had a choice. Would he stand up or not? Would he use his position and this place he was in to recant and go against what Scripture taught or to be obedient for God’s glory and the good of others? He didn’t make the decision immediately. Instead, he took time to pray. But when the time came, he stepped up, and because of this, there is a Blue Course Community Church. 

Position Can Keep Us From Helping Others

Mourning is often a proper response of God’s people

We begin this scene with Mordecai in sackcloth and ashes, wailing out. The text says that this is Mordecai’s response to the decree that went out. The immediate response does not directly address the situation through personal action. It’s not “Well, let me solve this,” Instead, we see an emotional response to the decree itself. I think this itself is instructive. We see something similar in Nehemiah, who serves in Persia after these events. When Nehemiah heard of distressing news, he wept and mourned and prayed. Here, we see that there was weeping and fasting wherever the decree went. This was the response of the people of God when they heard bad news. It’s not just them. This response is attested throughout the Old Testament. The accompaniment of sackcloth and ashes is also common. We see the instruction to put on sackcloth and mourn given from David in 2 Samuel 3:31. We see Jacob all the way back in Genesis 37:34 tearing sackcloth and mourning after his sons told him that Joseph had died. 

Position and place can close us off to the concerns of others

Here, the same response comes wherever it goes. The ground in wet with the tears of the Hebrew people. If there was some blending in before, it appears that they identify with their people by their attire. But where is the place where the weeping and fasting have not reached? Inside the King’s gates. 

For Esther, some of this was simply part of what it meant to live within the King’s gates. But for us, we can set up our own gates. There is a lot of talk about self-care and setting boundaries. Some of this is healthy. Jesus got away and was alone with God. He was accused of not doing enough. Jesus is fully God and fully man. In his humanity, during his earthly ministry, he could not do everything everyone wanted him to do. He couldn’t be physically present everywhere. He needed to sleep. So these kinds of things are good and necessary; there are even helpful books written about this, like the husband and wife team David and Shona Murray and their books Reset and Refresh, respectively. Or Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, or Kapic’s You’re Only Human. Each of these is helpful and a necessary corrective for some. However, we also need to be aware of the other side. There can be a danger of setting our own King’s gates so that we are excluded from the concerns of others. We are, after all, called to bear the burdens of others. We are called to journey together in the Christian life. 

This may be a bigger challenge in the digital age. Because of this, we can connect with many people all at once. This can be a tremendous blessing. But it can also be an unbearable burden. We can be connected at any moment to a myriad of concerns around the globe. The moral proximity principle can be helpful here. This principle says the greatest obligation rests in the deepest connections. This doesn’t get us off the hook; we should help others. But it can be helpful to notice the needs of others. We have a greater obligation in State College than in other areas because God has placed us here. But there are many needs here. This is where it is helpful to have a few ministries that we partner with. Think about the needs met by Out of the Cold, Pregnancy Resource Clinic, and Go-Reentry. This is not every area of need that could be met, but it is tangible ways to help right in our community. But there are great needs elsewhere. That’s where involvement in the EFCA and disaster relief efforts is helpful. 

Be careful of defaulting to quick solutions that require little of you

The first solution is to send Mordecai new clothes. It’s interesting, isn’t it? Does this mean that she is embarrassed by him doing this? Is she aware of what it is and what it means? Haman described the Jews as people who kept different laws and customs, but did that mean regular fasting and wailing? Would Esther have had the knowledge to put that together? Sackcloth and ashes were not unique to the Jewish people, but the practice was common in the Ancient Near East. It was a way to externalize what they were feeling internally. Sometimes, this was merely a swatch, but often, it was an entire sackcloth, and the itchy, uncomfortable material would rub against their skin. Again, a physical, external reality of what was happening to them internally. But Esther merely saw the external and sought to deal with that, leaving the underlying issues unresolved and dealt with. This is the easiest path to take, especially if we are in a place of comfort or removed from the situation ourselves. We see the external, deal with the external, and move on. 

But that is rarely what is needed. To care deeply means to go beyond the superficial. It’s not only noticing a need and being willing to meet it but caring enough to ensure that the helping actually helps. Some of you are unaware, but recently, Terry and Mary worked hard on a new benevolence policy for our local church. They considered a lot and did their homework to ensure that we help others and be good stewards of our finances. We also propose to fund more of this with the budget itself, not just specified giving. You can always give to this fund. We will not use this perfectly, that is for sure, but I do know that the benevolence team and the elders will continue to evaluate the process and use it the best we can for the good of others and God’s glory. 

That’s what we’re trying to do at a local church level. But we also support ministries that do this at a national level. We support Ryan Kling and the EFCA’s disaster relief efforts. They not only help with immediate needs but are there for the long term. Helping people get back on their feet and have continued support so they are better off long term. It’s easy to throw money at a project or to quickly do a project or two, and sometimes those things are needed in the short term. But I am thankful for these ministries that seek to continue to love for long-term health.

We All Have Opportunity to Do Good

Your position and place are opportunities to serve God and others

We don’t know the exact mentality of Esther and Mordecai. His question is likely genuine: who knows whether this is why you are here? We know as the readers that’s exactly the case, but does he? His question could have been just as easily: “Well, hopefully, this is part of something bigger.” Notice the difference between how this is referenced and when David tells of circumstances leading to his stand against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:34-36.

 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

There, he made his case about defeating a lion and a bear and said that God had worked through that and would give him success in this event as well. There, God is mentioned, and faith in God is brought to the surface. But here, we are only left to infer. It is clear that God is working because we can read the full account. But it’s hard to tell exactly how much faith or how strong that faith was. There may be an indication of Mordecai when he says that if she keeps silent, then relief will come from another place. 

Similarly, Esther’s “If I perish, I perish.” Again, unlike another story of Daniel’s friends in Daniel 3:17-18, “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Esther could have this mentality, or it could be more of a “well, it’s my only choice, I will probably die anyway.” We don’t know. But what we do know is that God’s people are equally safe in his hands directed to his purposes regardless of how strong their faith is at a given moment.

We also know that this was God’s will. She has this opportunity to use her position and place for the good of her people and in accordance with God’s revealed plan for his people. Each day, we are also in a position according to God’s sovereign will. Perhaps you are where you are in life because of compromise; maybe we are there because of obedience. Likely, it is a mixture. But regardless of past compromise or sin we still can live for God today. Sometimes, past sin makes this more challenging, but we can still use the opportunities we have for God’s glory and the good of others. Be careful of seeing opportunities before you merely for your own advancement and accolades. Be careful of slipping into comfort over opportunity.

Opportunity and outcome belong to God

Still, this raises questions within the context of the book of Esther. What are they trusted in? Is it mere human effort? Again, where we would expect mention of prayer or God we find none. This should give us pause. It should also cause us to lean in and notice what isn’t there. The reality throughout the book of Esther is that both opportunity and outcome belong to God. God is sovereign over the opportunities that we have and he is sovereign over all that comes to pass. 

God’s sovereignty doesn’t mean that our obedience doesn’t matter because, after all, God will do what he wants anyway. No, we are still responsible. We may be used as a “what not to do” or, in our obedience, we may be living according to God’s good plan, and even poor outcomes will be a testimony of God’s goodness. 

Perhaps at the outset, if Esther had refused to become queen or Mordecai would have tried to escape with her to avoid everything, then they would have died as martyrs demonstrating courage and trust in God. This may have motivated others to leave. But that’s not the story we have. Instead, this is the situation, whether through compromise or faithfulness, we don’t know. But we do know that at this moment, she has a choice. Will she be used by God or will God raise up another? How will she use the opportunities before her. 

Embrace opportunities in prayer

One theme that we see here is that we have a combination of fasting and action. While it is not mentioned explicitly, we are called to be people of prayer. Philippians says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” A typical fast was a day, but Esther’s request three days before she acts shows how much it is needed before this act. How different than the culture around her. They were quick to make decisions and then had to deal with the unintended consequences. Here, we have a serious need, but she takes time and requests the help of others before going forward. We see something similar in the book of Nehemiah where he spends four months in prayer before making his request to the King.

If we are too concerned with being productive to pray, we might not be productive in the things that matter most. The reason we have the opportunities we do is because of the Lord, and now we are going to arrogantly leave him beyond as we make the most of it. 

We Need a Trustworthy Mediator

Without a trustworthy messenger, there is no rescue

Do you notice how Mordecai and Esther needed someone trustworthy in order to communicate? Don’t miss Hatach in the midst of this chapter. He plays a large role. Remember that Mordecai busted an attempt on the King’s life from others in the King’s palace. There are definitely some untrustworthy figures. But now we have someone who goes between Esther and Mordecai. Remember, no one knows about Esther at this point. If they do, it would ruin what is about to transpire. But this individual is trusted with the communication between them. Not only that, but the passage says that he explained it to Esther. It is unclear exactly what this means. It could mean that Esther was illiterate. The literacy rates among the Jews are a subject of much scholarly debate. 5% is a commonly stated number, but maybe Esther was trained in this as queen, or maybe it wasn’t needed for her role. Either way, Hatach could have changed the message. His role is tremendous here. It also helps us understand our role as ambassadors of Christ. We are called to bring the unaltered message of the gospel to others and to help them understand it. It’s not our role to change or alter the gospel. We don’t have that authority. 

Instead, we can say with the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20,  “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you, on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God.”

God chooses to use people to bring the good news to others. We see in Romans 10:14-15, 

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”^[3]

Each week, you are sent from here to the world around us. We are sent to live for Christ and to share the hope that we have.

Esther identifies with her people and willingly embraces the task

Esther identifies with her people. This is the first and most important step to understanding what takes place. She doesn’t distance herself like that palace life might lend itself to do, but she identifies with her people. 

Esther is willing to mediate on behalf of her people. Her identifying with them creates a unique opportunity to mediate on their behalf to the King. This is not her mediating on behalf of another people but her identifying on behalf of her people. She is one with them, and they are one with her. Their perishing means her perishing. We see a clear change in the narrative as Esther stands here. While there are still uncertainties like no mention of God and her exact attitude behind the statement “If I perish, I perish.” It does seem that she is ready to use her position now in service of her people. Instead of being the passive one and asking questions and doing what others say, now she is the one giving orders. There is a character shift; she assumes the task and shows her leadership.

It is this identification of Esther with her people that leads to a willingness to face death, from flippantly offering clothes to facing death within a chapter. There seems to be a clear turning of Esther here, though the narrative to this point still has a bleak outlook; here, she identifies with that outlook for the good of others. 

We are left with a cliffhanger. Will she perish? Is she a sufficient mediator for her people? Will the King extend the scepter, or will she be rejected?

Esther points beyond herself

This points to a better mediator. Think about Jesus, who left the comfort of heaven for us. He identified with us by becoming a human just like us. He experienced hunger, thirst, pain, rejection, and betrayal. He didn’t have the thought “if I perish.” But “I must perish.” 

He and the Father are One; there is no way the Father wouldn’t extend the Scepter to Him. But what is remarkable is that all who trust in Jesus for their salvation are united to Christ. You know what that means? It’s just as ridiculous for the Father to Reject you as it is for him to reject Jesus. We don’t have to go to sleep tonight with a cliffhanger -wondering if we are acceptable in the presence of God because if we belong to Jesus, we are just as accepted as He is. 

It’s in this acceptance that we can go this week living for God’s glory. We belong to him, and the place he has us in and the positions he has given us are to be used for the good of others.

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^[1] Nick Needham, 2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Renaissance and Reformation, Newly revised edition., vol. 3 (Scotland, U.K.: Christian Focus, 2016), 99.

^[2] Nick Needham, 2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Renaissance and Reformation, Newly revised edition., vol. 3 (Scotland, U.K.: Christian Focus, 2016), 101.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 10:14–15.