Esther Archives - Midtown Church

Mortal Combat
3/16/25
Esther 9:1-19 ESV

We are in the final act of our story

The King of Persia has recently issued a decree allowing the Jews to protect themselves from their enemies. They have been given authority to defend themselves from danger.

Today we will read how God turns around this terrible situation and God’s plan come to completion. This whole book, Esther and Mordecai have been great examples of leadership; we will see more of their courage today. And lastly, we will see the larger picture of God’s people unite and triumph over their enemies through a miracle of his protection.

Let’s dive in and see how God works an incredible miracle on behalf of his people like he has done so many times before.

9 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.

• The new decree gave them the power to defend themselves, but it didn’t guarantee their success. The decree was to give them a fighting chance of survival. Even still we aren’t sure how all of this is going to shake out.
• Realize from last week to this week, 9 months go by. This new decree happens in the 3rd month, and here we are 9 months later. Put yourself in their shoes; imagine being a Jew during this period. There is a one-day war coming and you don’t know…
• Or maybe not, maybe they were confident, that they had faith in the LORD that they knew he would follow through and protect them. We can only speculate, and think how you would feel in that situation.
o Scripture speaks nothing of these 9 months, instead the story picks up right with the action. The enemies of the Jews suffered a huge defeat.
• The enemies of God’s people hoped to conquer them, to extinguish them. But instead, “the reverse occurred”. It doesn’t go the way their enemies expected. That is a core theme of the gospel, it is all about reversals.
o Instead of Esau, Jacob. Instead of a handsome tall king, a little shepherd boy. Instead of an eternity separated from God, his son died in our place.
o God is the same today as he was in Esther’s day.
o We do not get what we deserve, in fact we get the exact opposite. Just when they were supposed to be destroyed, that very day, their fortunes reverse.
• God gave them their success.
o “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” psalm 127:1
o They conquered their enemies, even when they were unsure what would happen and how God would make a way, through it all, His will prevailed.

2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful.
• Beginning of v2 says they came together. There is Unity in God’s people. The Jews gathered in their cities; they united. It was not every man for himself. The text implies they worked together to defeat their enemy, to execute God’s vision and plan.
• Draw your attention to the second part of v2; it is so declarative! “No one could stand against them”! This is a description of the Lord’s power; this story doesn’t make sense as a tale about how lucky and clever a small people group was.
o They were unstoppable, fear had fallen on their enemies. Again, God is present here, their enemies knew that He was their God.
o 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 ESV

5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed… [Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha,] 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder.
• It tells us about 100 times in this book who Haman was and what people group he was from. The reason this is important is because the Agagites were historical enemies of Israel. Joshua had been given a command to wipe them out, all of them. But the people of Israel disobeyed. They neglected their job and these people ever since have been a thorn in their side.
o “Now it was God’s intent that a last conflict should take place between Israel and Amalek: the conflict which began with Joshua in the desert was to be finished by Mordecai in the king’s palace.” (Spurgeon)

11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.
• We still see courage in her. Even though the King is on team Esther at this point. God’s leaders are courageous. That is difficult, being brave and courageous is not the normal.
• She wants to make their death public. Meant to deter additional rebellions or uprisings against God’s people.
• We read last week that the Jews were entitled to the plunder, according to the king’s decree. And now for the second time, the text says they did not take any of the plunder. They did not enrich themselves through the material goods they were offered. They were strictly about self-defense; survival was enough of a gift.

16 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.
• We get an explanation as to why different Jews might claim a different date for the celebration.
• Do you understand how many people that is? From a world population standpoint that has to be a big percentage. That’s more people than the US causalities in Viet Nam.
• This isn’t just ordinary people dying, these are people who hated them. The enemies of God are destroyed.
• The last point we’ll look at it the word rest in v17. His people celebrate the occasion and the intentional use of the word “rest” evokes the sabbath. It is to sit back and say “it is good”. It certainly is good; God’s plan has been executed and the enemies of his people have been devoted to destruction.

What can we takeaway from this passage?

God has a way of turning the story upside down
• Don’t sell God short. Everything is in the realm of possible, there is truly nothing he cannot do. In unexpected ways, God flips the script.
• How many times do we have to see it to expect it? Whether it was when Joseph was sold as a slave, or when God’s people were caught between the red sea and a furious Pharoah, wandering marching around the city of Jerico, or using the murder of his perfect son to restore his creation and gift us salvation.
• God can turn the story around and use it for his good
• God is the same yesterday today and forever.
• Same is true for your life, do not put God in a box, do not diminish what God is able to do

God is faithful to his promise
• The Jews deserved to be punished and deserved to be destroyed but God would never let that happen. He is faithful to his promise to keep a remnant of his people He is looking out for them and protecting a remnant
• not because of what they’ve done. Because of who he is.

This story is a miracle
• The Jews did not succeed in this story because of their own strategy, or their own might and prowess.
• God is at work, all over the place. There are areas of my life where I often feel all alone, but God continues to move. Where is God working in your life, and how can you find ways to be more tuned in, the miracles he is working right in front of you?

God’s work is to be celebrated.
• Do you take time to celebrate the things that God has done?
• What does that look like? Do you take a sabbath, do you rest in the Lord?
• Take time to be with others, feasting, giving and resting in our salvation

There is unity in God’s people
• The Jews fought off their enemies as one united front. They came together for a common purpose to enact the will of God. How often do you come together with God’s people? Physically gathering, spending time with other believers. Also important that we are on the same page about spiritual matters with one another, that we are united spiritually.
• Is this just a social club to you? Do you look around and think, how fun it is to have friends outside of your workplace or your home? Or do you see people that you can point you closer to Jesus, can correct you when you stray and come along side you when you fight spiritual enemies?
• The rich community we are called to is built on accountability, trust, openness and love. It is made up of people who know each other deeply enough to ask, what did the Lord teach you this week? What scripture stood out to you in your quiet time with the Lord?

The text used the phrase “no one could stand against them”. God is unstoppable and what he wants will happen. We cannot control that; we can only acknowledge it. For every man who has ever lived, there are two reactions. We see in the text two distinct types of people. There are the people who see what God is doing, fear him and even join. Last week we read about those who saw their fortune turning and wanted to become Jews. This week we saw the leaders helping the Jews fight their enemies; they knew they had a powerful God on their side and they wanted to be a part of it.

And yet we still read about a fight. There were still people who attacked the Jews on the 13th of Adar. There are those people who double down and continue to hate him, and attack his people and receive judgement and destruction because of it.

Where do you stand? Don’t be the second man. Grab hold of the God of victory and restoration, unite with his people and celebrate the good work he has done.

Esther 2:1-18 (ESV)

The key themes we’ll read about today:
– God is in control, we are not.
– 450 BC was a long time ago, times are different, culture and the world around us changes. But some things stay the same. God does not change. Our sinful nature does not change.
– Speaking of our sinful nature, we’ll see that the world’s culture is vain and self-serving.

2 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.
• Ancient days version of “The Bachelor”

5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

• By every account we have these people are faithful to their God even in their situation. She has lost her parents. They are living far away from their historic homeland.
• Yet we know who these people were: their lineage. We know that Mordecai was responsible and a caretaker for his family member, to a certain extent he was a follower of the mosaic law. The Jewish people had a duty to take care of those who could not take care of themselves and here we see Mordecai is obedient, even in the face of exile.

8 So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.

o Esther’s attitude and posture is evident right away. She is easy going, agreeable, certainly kind and pleasant to be around.

• vs11 Mordecai has not forgotten her. His responsibility to her and his family does not end because of the circumstances they fall in to. It did not end with the exile, did not end with her forced inclusion into this pagan beauty contest and potentially pagan marriage.

12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— 13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
• The stakes are laid out. There are two groups, a group of virgins and a group of concubines. Both belong to the king, and each virgin is initiated in to the “second harem”. Each lady gets one opportunity to make an impression, otherwise she will remain in his harem forever.

15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.
• Esther is made queen!
• I hope you see what a miracle this is. We have no idea how many women there are for the king to pick from, she was a nobody and yet she finds herself queen.
• We see resilience in her. She did not choose this situation, didn’t sign up for this contest, she was taken away from her family. We don’t see her complaining or grumbling. Every detail we have implies an attitude of thankfulness, gratitude, obedience.

Takeaways:

God’s people should be faithful even when things aren’t going right for us.

• Mordecai didn’t look for excuses. He still upheld his end of what it looked like to be righteous.

God’s providence is real. It is woven throughout this book
• God uses this wretched, messed up situation to show his power, that he is in control.
o To the uninitiated this looks like God is nowhere to be found. Sometimes it feels the same way in our lives. We look around and think God where are you? But…
• As this book shows us, even at his most hidden, God is still there. The Jews are living in a foreign land, the temple has been destroyed. The prophets are few, there is no king.
• This is the exile, and if you are expecting the exodus you’ll miss it. God is not displaying wonderous signs or miracles to free his people. There is no Moses telling King Ahasuerus to “let his people go”. It is subtle. He is still working things together for the good of those who love him.

Divine control does not negate our responsibility to action.
• We Christians still have a role to play and a standard to live up to.
• We want to play our part

This is an important story for us today that details the miraculous ways in which God worked to save his people, the Jewish people, but also how he preserved the line of David to raise a messiah and save all of the earth and mankind through his promise.

Esther’s life took a drastic turn from her wildest expectations, in part because she was obedient to God’s direction.

Will you be obedient? Are you chasing the life you want, or are you open to the life God has for you?

God has big plans for you, but if you are too locked in to how you want your life to look you may miss it.

A woman who put aside what she wanted in her life, was obedient to God’s calling and ends up playing a crucial part in the salvation story for the entire human race. Praise God!

Posts

Esther Pt. 9: Mortal Combat

Esther Pt. 2: “This Week on The Bachelor”