Royalty To The Rescue!
Esther 4: “When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.’ So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: ‘Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!’ So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.”
Thus far in this series entitled Great Heroes of the Faith we have only talked about male heroes. We’ve talked about David, who faced the giant Goliath, in spite of the fact that all of his fellow Israelites refused to do so, refused to take up Goliath’s challenge to fight him and cowered away in fear. And we’ve talked about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, those three Jewish men who were commanded to worship the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had built, or be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, but who refused to bow the knee, and who uttered that now famous statement: “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18). And we’ve talked about Daniel, who was told not to pray to any other god but Darius the Mede for 30 days, otherwise he would be tossed into a den of lions, but who still prayed to the one true and living God. And who did so boldly, with his windows open, in plain view for everybody to see.
Now here in Esther 4 we’re going to be taking a look at another kind of hero. Not one who was less brave or less capable, but one who was less male. One who was of a different gender. And yes females can be heroes too. They’re called heroines. In fact history is filled with them.
For example within the Bible itself there is Rahab the harlot. She was a harlot, but she was also a hero, a hero who got her name in the great hall of faith in Hebrews 11. There is also Deborah, and Ruth, etc. And outside of the Bible there is Corey ten Boom, and Joan of Arc, and Florence Nightingale, and Rosa Parks, and many, many others.
Now the particular biblical hero that we’re going to be examining was a woman by the name of Esther, who not only was a hero but a beautiful one at that. This gal was a knockout. She was absolutely gorgeous. How do we know that? We know that on the basis of what we read in Esther 2:7. That verse makes it clear that this woman would have rivaled any woman on the planet today in terms of beauty. She would have rivaled Scarlett Johansson, and Charlize Theron, and Angelina Jolie. She would have even rivaled my wife. Actually not quite, but she would have come close.
It is sometimes thought that a woman cannot be smart and attractive at the same time. And we all know how utterly ridiculous that is. Of course a woman can be smart and attractive at the same time. By the same token a woman can be courageous and attractive at the same time. And that’s exactly what Esther was. She belonged to the bold and the beautiful.
Now we’re going to be considering just how Esther became this grand and glorious heroin. See there are several factors that contributed to this, just like there are several factors that contribute to the making of any hero. And I’d like you to notice first of all that:
1. There Was A Need
“When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes” (verses 1-3).
In order to understand exactly what is going on here some background information is needed. When we get to Esther 4 King Ahasuerus, who was one of the kings who reigned during the Persian period of world history, has issued a decree that all of the Jews throughout all of the kingdom of Persia be slaughtered, annihilated, destroyed, wiped out. Now the question is why? Why in the world would King Ahasuerus issue a decree of that nature? Well there are a number of reasons why.
And reason #1 has to do with Satan. This was a satanically inspired decree. There’s absolutely no question about it. See Satan knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Messiah was to be of Jewish lineage. And he wanted to inhibit the coming of Messiah. Hence this decree, motivated by none other than the devil himself.
Just as an aside, this is why the devil hates the Jews. The devil hates the Jews because from the Jews came the Messiah. That’s why he hates the Jews and why he has always hated the Jews. And that’s why there is so much anti-Semitism in the world today. And sad to say there’s not just anti-Semitism in the world there’s also a lot of anti-Semitism in the church. How tragic and how dangerous. See Genesis 12:3 has never been revoked: “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you…”
Now reason #2 has to do with Haman, whom we first bump into in Esther 3. Horrible and hateful Haman. At this time Haman was vice president under King Ahasuerus. And since he was vice president all of the king’s servants who served within the king’s gate had to continually bow down before him, had to continually pay him homage. But there was one servant, Mordecai the Jew, who would not do that, who would not pay him homage. Well why? Why wouldn’t he show respect to the vice president? I’ll tell you why. It’s because Haman was an Agagite, meaning he was a descent of Agag, king of the Amalekites, one of Israel’s ancient enemies. And that’s why he wouldn’t show Haman respect.
Now when Haman got wind of this, got wind of Mordecai’s rebellion, he was absolutely enraged. And so he determined in his heart that he was not just going to wipe out Mordecai but he was going to wipe out all of his people. (This was a small individual to say the least.) He determined that in his heart and he got Ahasuerus to go along with his plan. You talk about a need. There was a great need here for the Jews to be delivered from temporal destruction.
Now just like there was a great need historically, there are great needs today. And one of the greatest of course is for individuals to hear the message of the gospel through which they can be delivered not from temporal destruction but from eternal destruction, from the lake of fire, which is the worst form of destruction. Which is why Jesus said in Matthew 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
In spite of the fact that we today as Americans live in a “Christian nation.” And in spite of the fact that churches pervade our landscape in significant fashion. And in spite of the fact that our country is filled with gospel stations, I would suggest to you that most Americans have never been exposed to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, to the pure unadulterated gospel of grace. Even when they go to church many Americans today are not being exposed to the gospel. They’re being exposed to entertainment, and they’re being exposed to watered down doctrine, and to aberrant doctrine, to things like prosperity theology.
“Don’t you understand the Lord wants to bless you so much? And you can have whatever your little heart desires if you just have enough faith. If you have enough faith you can have that beautiful new Cadillac that you’ve desired for so long. And you can have that boat on the water, and that mansion on the lake. God is your cosmic genie. The only issue is faith. Just have enough faith, and God will cascade down upon you the blessings of heaven!” They’re exposed to that. But they’re not exposed to the gospel.
And just what is the gospel? The gospel says that you are a sinner, and because of that you naturally are separated from God. In other words it says that the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man is a religious fairytale. But it also says that the sovereign God of the universe has made provision for lost mankind. That He has sent His Son into this world for that very reason. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). And that you can have eternal life. That you can escape hell. And that you can go to heaven forever and ever. Not by joining a church or by getting baptized. The gospel says you can’t contribute one iota to your salvation no matter what you do. But that if you trust in Christ and in Christ alone for your salvation in His death and resurrection your future is guaranteed.
That is the gospel. And again there is a great need in American today for people to hear that. And not just in America but throughout our world.
Now I want you to notice secondly that:
2. There Was A Call
A call issued by Mordecai to Esther. “So Esther’s maids…” (verse 4). Wait a minute, Esther’s maids? Yes Esther, this Jewess was the queen, which is why she had maids. And she was made queen, she was made Ahasuerus’ bride earlier on in the book of Esther through a very interesting set of circumstances.
“So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, (Told her about Mordecai’s distress, who by the way she was related to. See Mordecai was Esther’s defacto father. We see this again earlier on in the book of Esther) “and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai” (verses 4-9).
Now once more just like there was a call for Esther to deliver the Jewish people from temporal destruction, there is a call for us to be instrumental in delivering souls from everlasting destruction, from hell’s all too hot flame. You may have other calls but you certainly have this one. In fact I would suggest to you, and this is not original with me, that our call is really a fourfold call.
To begin with we have a call from above, from the sovereign God of the universe who has instructed us, better commanded us, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. There are times when Christians wrestle with the will of God for their lives. When they wonder if they should do this or that. If they should take that particular job or marry that particular person or move to that particular location. But Christians never have to wonder about the will of God when it comes to witnessing. They can know for certain that it is God’s will for them to witness.
For God has made His will known all throughout the New Testament. For example in the Great Commission, which the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples in between His resurrection and ascension. In the Great Commission in Matthew 28 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age…” (verses 19-20).
And then a little bit after that just before He ascended into heaven the Lord Jesus again said to His disciples in Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Now besides having a call from above we have a call from below, which we find in Luke 16. If you recall in that chapter we read the story, not the parable, but the story of the rich man and Lazarus. One of whom after he died went to heaven, namely Lazarus, and one of whom after he died went to hell, namely the rich man. And after he went to hell the rich man and Abraham had a very intriguing conversation.
The first thing the rich man said was “…Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (verse 24). Then later on in the chapter he said, Father Abraham I not only want Lazarus to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame, but I want him to go to my father’s house because I have five brothers, and I want Lazarus to testify to them, to tell them about this place so that they don’t come and join me here.
Now how many people in hell today are wishing the exact same thing? If only somebody would go and testify to my dear Aunt Tilly. If only someone would go and testify to my dear Uncle Bob, so that they would not come and join me in this place, in this place that’s not just a nice place to live. But that’s not even a nice place to visit, not even for a second. We have a call from above, we have a call from below.
Thirdly we have a call from within. A call from within which Paul speaks about in the opening verses of Romans 9. There he says: “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh” (verses 1-3).
Paul is talking there about an internal call, about an internal compulsion stemming from love, which caused him to long for the salvation of his fellow Jews. And which caused him to long for the opportunity to take the message of the gospel to them. And if you are truly saved you can relate to that type of call, to that type of internal pressure to communicate with others the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that call is something that you must not deny, that you must not suppress, that you must not ignore, but that you must give full expression to.
Finally we have a call from without. A call that Paul was confronted with in Acts 16. In Acts 16 we read that when Paul was in Troas he had a vision in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him saying, come over here and assist us. Come over to Europe and help us. And after seeing that vision Paul knew that the Lord had summoned him and his missionary team to a new field of service, and they obeyed.
Come over and help us. That is the call Paul heard, and that is the call that is repeated today time and time again. And we alone can answer that call for we alone have the message which can provide help for poor lost undone sinners. See contemporary man does not need medication. And he does not need therapy. No what contemporary man needs, at least in an ultimate sense, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, for only the gospel can satisfy the deepest longings of man’s heart.
There was a call for Esther here, and likewise there is a fourfold call for us. We have a call from above, a call from below, a call from within, and a call from without. And the word us we need to emphasize is all inclusive, for the call to deliver helpless, hopeless individuals from eternal condemnation has application to every believer in Jesus Christ.
One time a preacher was preaching in Minneapolis, MN when he saw in the audience a young lawyer. After he got done preaching, he came to this lawyer and he said to him, “Are you a Christian?” The lawyer said, “ I consider myself a Christian.” The preacher said, “Are you bringing other men to Christ?” The lawyer said, “That is not my business, that is your business. I am not called to do that. I am called to practice law, you are called to preach.”
The preacher said, “You are called to be a Christian, and you are called to bring other men to Christ.” The lawyer said, “I don’t believe it!” So the preacher opened his Bible to Acts 8:4 and he said, “Read this.” And the lawyer read: “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (NJKV). The lawyer replied, “Oh yes but these were the apostles.” The preacher said, “Will you be kind enough to read the first verse of the chapter.” So the lawyer read: “…they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (NKJV).
Believer in Jesus Christ it just wasn’t the responsibility of the apostles to preach the gospel, and it’s not just the responsibility of missionaries and pastors today to preach the gospel. It’s your responsibility to preach the gospel, “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).
In Esther’s day there was a need, and there was a call. Now finally:
3. There Was A Willingness
A willingness to heed the call, albeit not immediately. No Esther was initially reluctant to follow through on Mordecai’s instructions.
“So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Then Esther spoke to Hathach…” (and told him that what he was proposing here was a very risky proposition. After all,) “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one…” (verses 9-11). Except those brave risk taking individuals who go into the king and who are forgiven and who as a sign of the fact that they are forgiven have the golden scepter extended to them.
Mordecai, this could spell death for me. That’s what Esther initially communicated back to him. And this is especially true, said Esther, since I haven’t seen the king, my husband, in 30 days, which means I may no longer be the cat’s meow as far as he is concerned.
Now look at how Mordecai responds. “So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: ‘Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish…” (verses 12-14).
What a statement that Mordecai makes here, which was nothing other than an affirmation of his belief in the sovereignty of God. See that’s the only way that Mordecai could have made this statement. Esther, the Jews are God’s chosen people, and one way or another, by hook or by crook, they’re going to be spared from this destruction, from this holocaust. But you know what; God is not going to spare you. No if you refuse to go into the king, because of your disobedience, you and your family are going to die. You talk about strong words. These were strong words indeed, and I would suggest to you a little presumptuous.
But look at what else Mordecai says at the end of verse 14: “…Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther who knows if you’re the one whom God will utilize to affect this great deliverance. You may very well be the one. You may very well be God’s hero here.
Now in the same way Mordecai asked if Esther was the one, was God’s special tool, for her generation, it may be asked if you’re the one. Who knows young person, or older person, who knows if you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? One thing is for sure, if you are going to be God’s hero there needs to be a willingness on your part, a willingness that Esther eventually manifested.
“Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!’” (verse 15-16).
Notice here Esther’s willingness not just to serve, but to put her life on the line. And if we are to be God’s hero in our generation we ourselves may need to do that. We may need to follow the example of the unsung hero Epaphroditus, whom the apostle Paul talked about in the 2nd chapter of the book of Philippians, and who according to Philippians 2:30 risked his life for the cause of Christ.
Even if we don’t actually have to put our lives on the line, at the very least we need to be willing to do so. We need to be that sold out for the Lord Jesus. We need to have the mindset of James Calvert, who went to preach to the cannibals on the Fiji islands. While he was on his way to do so the captain of the ship that he was on tried to dissuade him from going. He said to Calvert, “If you go amongst those savages you will lose your life and the lives of those who are with you.” And Calvert responded, “We died before we came.”
That may remind you of Paul’s words in Acts 20:24: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Paul was willing to put his life on the line for the cause of the Lord Jesus. James Calvert was willing to put his life on the line for the cause of the Lord Jesus, and we too need to be willing to put our lives on the line for the cause of the Lord Jesus.
Conclusion
One of the heroes of the faith found in the Old Testament was Esther, and there are a number of factors that contributed to her being a hero. There was a need, and there was a call, and there was a willingness.
Now believer let me ask, is there a willingness when it comes to you? If you are not willing, you need to be willing, and fast, for who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.