Below is a sermon manuscript from November 10, 2024. Watch the sermon here.

Esther 6

Introduction

There is a movie starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks called Sleepless in Seattle. A widower’s son calls into a radio program to help his father, who is struggling with losing his wife. This romantic comedy is like many others. There is a string of coincidences; it seems like they are being drawn closer and kept apart at the same time. For those who watch it seems like “fate” is at work to eventually bring them together. But it’s not “fate,” is it? It’s actually the scriptwriters. It’s destined to be because it was designed to be so. In the book of Esther, we get a true account, and it helps us understand the goodness of God’s providence. God is at work in history, working all things for our good. We don’t always see it; we don’t always know why. But sometimes, we are given glimpses of how he has worked, and it can provide us with confidence and assurance for the future. Like in movies, sleeplessness can sometimes serve a role in the narrative.

God Works When You’re Not Looking

It’s often something unplanned that fulfills the plan

I want us to think about this situation for a minute. Haman is busy working on a project all night. What’s the project? To build a 75-foot-tall object to impale Mordecai on. Maybe rumors are swelling about what this is for; maybe no one is really aware, but they see it being built and think, “Oh, no, what’s going to happen.” Maybe people are just irritated at the late-night construction noises, wishing they weren’t neighbors to the Gallows. Perhaps most are asleep in Susa, but there is one who is sleepless in Susa. It’s the King. Again, only a few are likely aware of this. He can’t sleep so he wants a book read to him. Maybe it is the same reason you read a boring book late at night when you can’t sleep. You’re hoping it will put you back to sleep! Or maybe it’s because he loved to hear about his accomplishments and what’s taking place in the kingdom, he NEEDS to be on top of it all. Whatever the case, he just so happens to hear about Mordecai’s deed and not being honored. All of this takes place while people are asleep in their jammies. Some of it odd, some of it routine, all of it under the hand of God. This is just like God, isn’t it? While some are plotting the demise of others, while some are just irritated by insomnia, God is at work to accomplish His purposes. 

When the king looks to turn somewhere, Haman just so happens to be there. All these things are lining up. It was completely unplanned by Esther, yet integral to how her plan unfolds and is received.

What is remarkable is that this is the turning point of the entire narrative. Until this point, we have seen Esther taking a stand; we have seen her go from passive to actively working for her people’s good. But here, we see the entire narrative shift. From the point of the dream onward, the momentum has shifted. Look at how one commentator outlined the shift in the book.

Where are God’s fingerprints in your story?

This one seemingly strange event, combined with other events, is all fingerprints of the unseen God who is at work throughout this story, even though he’s not mentioned. Think about the strange events in your life that brought you to where you are that have led to your current experiences or relationships. How many were unplanned, seemingly random, yet as you look in the review mirror, you can see God’s fingerprints.

Where are God’s fingerprints in your salvation?

Some refer to God’s work in the heart of a non-Christian as preparatory in nature before their conversion. God may use a comment that is made, a movie that is watched, a song, or many experiences in a person’s life to bring them to soften their hearts. In this way, it’s similar to when we are doing a project with a friend, working on a task together, or riding in a car, and it sparks deep and meaningful conversation. We didn’t plan it like that, but it just happened amid those circumstances. God, too, can set the stage for our conversation with him through a variety of circumstances and situations that seem rather mundane in themselves.

This doesn’t make conversion any less supernatural. There is still a movement from death to life. Salvation is always supernatural. But God often uses ordinary things in the life of someone to prepare them.

 As you think about your own story, what did God use in your life?

Reflecting on these stories reminds me of the famous quote by John Flavel; he said: “The providence of God is like Hebrew Words – it can only be read backward.”

Placing Your Hope in Idols Leaves You Vulnerable

If you are ruled by the praise of others you can be ruined by the praise of others.

Haman’s Pride and Vainglory

The text tells us Haman’s thinking. Some translations say that he thought to himself, others that he said to himself. We don’t know if others overheard this. We are supposed to know, as the readers, this detail. Perhaps God guided the writer to this understanding. 

In any case, Haman is clearly motivated by his own sense of self-importance. Not only does he have this prideful inclination it is coupled with the desire to be praised and celebrated by others. This is what many have termed the vice of vainglory – the need to be praised, and it is coupled with pride. These vices can operate independently of one another, or they can be mutually reinforcing. That’s what we see here. Haman is ruled by pride, and in his pride, he needs to be praised. This factors into the way that he thinks the honor should be received. First, his pride says that it must be him who is going to be honored. Then, his vainglory’s desire for public approval kicks in. For him, it’s not that he needs wealth or any possessions. No, he wants the one thing he doesn’t have – to be King for a day. 

Wearing clothing that belongs to a king is essentially asking for that kingship. And this extends even further to the very horse that the king has ridden, what ancient historians knew was a grasp for the throne (Plutarch, Artaxerxes5). Smitten with all things royal, Haman draws up his own fantasy of kingship—he already has the king’s ring (3:10). But the things Haman lists must come as gifts, not power maneuvers. Mired in his own words, Haman has begun to fall (cf. Ps. 59:12; Prov. 10:14; 14:3; 18:7). In fact, Haman never does get a chance to state why he came to see the king in the first place!^[1]

Haman’s Insecurities

You see, God created man good and in his image, but ever since man fell into the Garden of Eden, each of us has been sinful. This sin affects all of us. We were designed for a relationship with God, but our sin creates separation between us and God. We seek to fill this emptiness through a variety of things that we think will bring wholeness. Some find it in their success at work, others through relationships, and others through the mere attention of others. But each path we take ends up being a dead end. It cannot satisfy the deep longings of our hearts. For Haman, he clearly saw value in what others thought of him. When Mordecai refused to bow, it was more than mere disrespect. It may have been an attack on his very identity. I don’t want to overread the text, but we could see how his entire macho bravado is a cover for his deep insecurity rooted in where he grounded his hope. It wasn’t in something secure but in something shaky.

All this is taking place while the King is seemingly unaware of Haman’s personal vendetta. Balwin writes that others would likely have known, but the king, being absent in palace life, is unaware. She says this, quote,

The king seems to be ignorant of the mutual antagonism between these two; in his isolation he had no means of knowing what was evident to a child playing at the gate of his palace, but citizens who watched the parade through the city square could appreciate the irony and marvel at the incongruity. The words Haman had to proclaim must have been gravel in his mouth. In the eyes of the crowd he was already finished.^[2]

We see how this ends for Haman. He is miserable in mourning. Those who were celebrating him and encouraging his anger are now telling him where that will lead. Here, his friends speak the truth, but it’s only as they are going with the emotional current of the moment. Sometimes they are right; sometimes, they are wrong. They are missing an objective anchor that holds them firm in the truth. 

Living for God’s glory frees us

Imagine if Haman had thought that he was going to be honored and said, “You know what, any honor you choose to give a faithful servant will just be a cherry on top; the real joy is serving the King.” What if he didn’t need the glory because his main objective was to glorify God through humble service with his place and position? If he did this, then he would likely not have been in front of Mordecai singing his praises in front of others. He wouldn’t have been in mourning. If this was his true mentality, he could be free to celebrate alongside those honored for their service, thankful that the King had other competent and trustworthy people nearby. Living for our glory turns everything into a competition we must beat others at. Living for God’s glory we can stir one another on to do better and be happy with their success. 

Faithful Servants Will Be Acknowledged

God’s care is not always on our time

It was a severe oversight that Mordecai was not honored immediately. One background scholar writes,

The Persian kings were reputed to provide quick and abundant rewards to those who had distinguished themselves in their service. A certain Xenagoras, who rescued Xerxes’ brother from death, was rewarded by being made the governor of Cilicia. Xenophon observed with admiration that the Persian kings were very generous to their benefactors^[3]

This delay was divinely orchestrated, as we have seen, but it also should remind us that honor due is not always collected on time. There are times when we will be overlooked. There are times when we do good for others and are met with neither gratitude or respect. What do we do when this happens? Do we eagerly demand what is ours? There may be times when this is appropriate. But we should also have a healthy sense of self-forgetfulness. A Christian can endure not having honor because we know that one day, everything will be made right. Again, that doesn’t mean it is always wrong to fight when wronged. But it does mean that a Christian doesn’t have to for themself.

Esther had become queen in the seventh year of Ahasuerus’ reign, and it is probable that the information provided by Mordecai was close to this time, though this is not absolutely clear. Haman arranged for the order for the destruction of the Jews in Ahasuerus’ twelfth year,¹⁰ so there is presumably a gap of more than four years between when Mordecai should have been rewarded and when the issue finally came to the king’s attention. It is easy to become impatient, imagining that God’s providential care for his people should follow our timetable and be immediately evident. But although this chapter will show that God is active in the life of his people, it turns out that God’s timetable of events is not necessarily the same as ours…Hence, one of the challenges of Christian discipleship is to live with the tension of knowing that God does act for his people, but that it may very well be at a time other than we would choose^[4]

We will be acknowledged for our deeds

We see both Haman and Mordecai being acknowledged for their deeds in this passage. While not final, there are glimpses of justice. There is a reversal within this passage. Mordecai was the one who was in different clothes and mourning. Now, it is Haman who has a covered head and lies in mourning. It was Mordecai refusing to fall down before Haman that prompted this whole thing, and now his family tells him he will fall down before Mordecai. Their deeds are being found out.

What about us? God does act, and his people will receive honor. We might not always have it in this life, but we can be assured that all things will be made right in the final judgment. One day, God will judge the world. I love how the book that explains our statement of faith called Evangelical Convictions puts it,

God will judge the world, and that reality gives meaning to all that we do in this life. It provides an assurance that no good will go unrewarded (cf. Matt. 10:42) and no evil will be left unpunished (cf. Matt. 12:36), and it gives us the hope that righteousness will rule in the kingdom of God (2 Pet. 3:13). 

The Bible affirms that each person will be judged “according to what they had done” (Rev. 20:13; Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:10). In light of…the universality of sin, such a standard might lead us to despair. But the Bible makes it clear that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), for Jesus has taken our judgment upon himself (cf. Rom. 3:21-26). This judgment “according to works” will really be a judgment about faith—faith as attested through the fruit of our lives. That is, our works will not be the basis of our salvation but the evidence of our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, who alone can save.^[5]

We mentioned earlier in the series that we don’t want the justice of God in the absolute sense. Why? Because we are all sinners. This means we need the mercy of God. But for those who have experienced the mercy of God, we can also experience His justice. Our security is in Jesus’ perfection, and we know that in him, even our tainted deeds have value. 

The greatest faithful servant will be acknowledged by all

When we choose to exercise humility this way, we reflect Jesus. In Philippians 2, we are told to live like Jesus, who humbled himself. Paul says not to look out only for our own interests but also the interests of others. He says not to do anything for selfish ambition or conceit but, in humility, to consider others more significant than ourselves. This is exactly what Jesus did. He came in humility to serve others through his death on own behalf.

Philippians 2:5-11 says,

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.^[6]

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^[1] Andrew J. Schmutzer, “Esther,” in Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018), 265.

^[2] Joyce G. Baldwin, Esther: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 12, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 90.

^[3] John H Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009), 494–495.

^[4] David G. Firth, The Message of Esther: God Present but Unseen, ed. Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2010), 93.

^[5] EFCA. Evangelical Convictions, 2nd Edition (pp. 304-305). Free Church Publications. Kindle Edition.

^[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Php 2:5–11.