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Esther 10:1-3

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me, one last time, to Esther chapter 10. Esther 10 is one of the shortest chapters in all the Bible, behind Psalms 117, 134, 131, and 133. Several scholars are of the opinion that it wasn’t originally in the book (at all), but added some time later. I tend to take the other view, which is this: God is writing Esther; and although we don’t know who the human author is, God is composing this story and thus Esther 10 was intended to be in the Bible. Simplistic, I know. But that’s my view.

If you’re visiting with us today, we’ve been in the book of Esther since January and many of us have come to really appreciate this little story tucked away in the pages of the Old Testament. It’s set in the 5th century B.C. during the Medo-Persian empire, and one of its primary themes is the providence of God – that God has the right and the power to rule over His creation, and that He does so in such a way as to accomplish His purposes in all things. And we’ve come now to the final three verses in this book.

1 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. 2 And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

“Gracious Father, we bow before Your Word, asking for the help of the Holy Spirit to teach it, to understand it, to believe it, and to live in light of it. And so, we look away from ourselves to You, humbly and confidently. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Well, we’re quickly approaching one of the most significant celebrations in the life of the Christian Church. I say “one of the most significant” because it seems as though there’s always a tug of war between Christmas and Easter, as to which is the most significant. Nevertheless, Easter is fast approaching and we’re looking forward with great anticipation to retracing our Lord’s steps as He made His way to Jerusalem, down the Via Delarosa on the way to the cross of Calvary, and then to the Garden Tomb where He gloriously rises from the dead on that first Easter morning and triumphs over sin, Satan and the grave.

And one of the great themes of Christianity is that triumphant hope. Not just hope as in a distant, vague dream, but triumphant hope, the kind of hope where all things end right. In the midst of the struggles and the storms and the sufferings of life, we can look beyond today, beyond all of that stuff to the other side of the Jordan, as it were, and see relief…see triumph…see victory.

Think about it. All of our earthly woes, all of our financial pressures, all of our emotional trauma, all of our physical disabilities and handicaps, all of our domestic conflicts, all wars and rumors of war, all demonic oppressions and satanic attacks, all of that stuff ends because, in the end, God wins. We’ll be with Him, and that means we’ll experience nothing but harmony and unity and victory and joy and praise and delight.

We’ll be changed from the inside out. We’ll have new natures. We’ll have new minds. We’ll have new bodies. We’ll have the joy of living forever and ever in constant and never-ending praise and adoration of our God, because in the end God wins. God comes out on top. God’s plan prevails.

That’s one of the reasons that we’ve come to love the story of Esther. Not only does her story have a great plot that keeps us on the edge of our seats, but when it comes to the final scene, things turn out right. Truth wins out over lies. Right wins out over wrong. Good reigns supreme, and things just end well because God wins!

All of this brings me to three concluding observations from Esther, which yield three principles for our own lives in light of this little Old Testament book.

When God Wins: The People He Uses Are Often Unexpected

It reminds me of Psalm 78, which ends with this comment about King David: “[God] also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from the care of the ewes with suckling lambs [God] brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So, [David] shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands” (Psalm 78:70-72).

For almost 40 years the Israelites had experienced the reign of a king who was tall, dark, and probably handsome – after all, King Saul, though he failed in character, at least looked regal. That was part of the reason that the people chose him to begin with, and they became accustomed to such a stature. Until God slipped His hand into the ranks of the Jews and picked and unknown young shepherd. What a surprise, right?

Or consider another unexpected choice. If you wanted to lead an exodus of 2 million people out of Egypt, who would you choose to confront Pharaoh – a Jew or a fellow Egyptian? (Be honest, now. It’s not fair to choose based on your knowledge of how things work out in the Bible.) And if you say, “No, no, really, I would choose a Jew” would you choose a man with a murder on his record? And would he be 80 years old? And would you select a leather-skinned shepherd who hadn’t been in a big city for 40 years? Moses was an over-the-hill Bedouin shepherd. See, the deeper you look, the more surprising it gets.

Would you have chosen a prostitute to hide the spies? How about a defecting, rebellious prophet to lead the Greater Nineveh Evangelistic Crusade? What about a church-murdering, right-wing religious fanatic to model grace and pen most of the New Testament? How about choosing a man who denied Jesus – not once, not twice, but three times – to pastor your first church? See, God does surprising things.

That’s why He lifts up a no-name like Mordecai from the gate of the king and makes him the prime minister of Persia. God delights in lifting up nobodies and using them as somebodies. As Paul writes to the Corinthians, “not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of [God] you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:26-30a).

When God wins, the people He often uses are unexpected. This opens the door for the second principle.

When God Wins: The Qualities He Upholds Are Usually Unpretentious

Mordecai doesn’t seem to have a “kingly” look about him. He doesn’t fit well on a throne. There’s nothing said in these verses (or elsewhere, for that matter) that Mordecai looked good in royal robes. I kind of picture Mordecai like Winston Churchill. But that’s the point: God uses humble people.

Think about Esther. She was from humble means. We never read of her being highly educated or eloquent in her speech or greatly gifted. In fact, one of the only descriptions we’re given is found in Esther 2:7, where we’re told that she “had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at.” Ladies, how does that strike you? It’s like saying, “Yeah, she’s a dumb blonde, but boy she’s hot.”

Esther is fairly unassuming. She’s pretty silent through most of the book. Her husband has to ask her three times what her request is, what her wish is. Mordecai practically begs her to use her position as the queen to speak up for the Jews. She’s generally unassertive.

Listen to what’s said about Jesus, when He came from heaven to earth as a little baby in a manger:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

That was the worst kind of death. That was capital punishment for common criminals. Now, in all fairness, it does say, in the next verse, that God also has “highly exalted Him,” and that, ultimately, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:9-10). But in order to get to that triumphant point, He remained humble and became obedient.

And, by the way, remember, humility isn’t about how you dress, or how much money you make, or where you live, or what you drive, or how you look. We’re never commanded by God to “look” humble. We’re simply called to “be” humble. Humility is an attitude. It’s an attitude of the heart. An attitude of the mind. It’s knowing your proper place in any given situation. It’s never talking down to, or looking down on someone because of a lower financial status or educational pedigree or social standing. It’s knowing your role and fulfilling it for God’s glory and praise. I know that we “know” this, but it’s so easy to forget or overlook or even ignore in our day-to-day lives.

If you want to know how this works itself out, just go back two verses in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Have the attitude Christ had. He emptied Himself of the voluntary and independent use of His divine attributes.

Remember that when the next promotion comes. You say, “Pastor, I’m retired. I’m not looking for another promotion.” Maybe so, but promotions come outside of the workplace too. There are subtle promotions and not-so-subtle promotions in your peer groups and community endeavors. Remember that when God selects you as one of His unique spokespersons and places you in a position where the public looks up to you and listens to you. Nothing is more admirable, more godlike, if you will, than being willing to live out true humility.

It’s like the story of Walter. See, he went to work for one of the largest corporations in the world. The personnel manager told Walter that he had to start at the bottom and work his way to the top. So, he began working in the mailroom. Walter liked his job. But as time went by, Walter often daydreamed about what it would be like to be an Executive, maybe the President, even the Chairman of the Board.

One day as Walter was dividing the mail, he saw a cricket in the corner of the room. He walked over to step on it, and he heard a tiny voice crying out, “Don’t kill me! I’m Jiminy the cricket, and if you spare me, then I’ll grant you all your wishes.” Walter agreed that was a good arrangement, and so he spared Jiminy’s life.

Walter’s first wish was to leave the mailroom and become a Vice President, so Jiminy granted him the wish. In fact, Jiminy granted wish after wish after wish until finally Walter was the Chairman of the Board – just as he imagined. He had an office on the top floor of the tallest building in the world. Everybody looked up to Walter. He was rather happy. He often said to himself, “I’m Walter, and I’m at the top. No one is bigger or more important than me.”

Then, one day, Walter heard footsteps on the roof, and went out to find a small boy on his knees praying. “What are you doing?” asked Walter. “I’m praying to God,” said the little boy. Well, Walter was quite disturbed by this, so he returned to his office and called for Jiminy. “I have another wish,” he told Jiminy. “I want to be like God.” So, Jiminy the cricket granted Walter’s wish, and the next day Walter was back in the mailroom.

Now, I know that you’re thinking, “The pastor’s lost his mind. What’s he thinking telling us some made up story like that?” But you see, that’s the way our world tends to look at things. You start at the bottom and you work your way up, and up, and up, until one day you’re on top of the world. Sure, there’s no Jiminy cricket to your story, but that’s the way we think.

According to the Bible, the way up is down. The place of highest exaltation is a place of self-emptying humility. It’s not a phony-baloney kind of fake piety. It’s true humility of mind. It’s putting the other person first. It’s sharing and sharing alike. It’s giving up, as well as building up. It’s enjoying the pleasures of another person’s promotion. It’s applauding God’s hand in other people’s lives. It’s quickly forgetting our own accomplishments. It’s like Mordecai, who was “held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for their welfare.” Best of all, it’s being like Christ.

When God wins, the people He often uses are unexpected, the qualities He often uphold are unassuming, and finally:

When God Wins: The Message He Honors Is Universal

Mordecai’s world was large. It wasn’t limited to his family. It wasn’t limited to his neighborhood. It wasn’t limited to Susa or the king’s throne room. And it wasn’t limited to 15-20 “chosen” provinces. It spread over 127 provinces. And the message that he spoke to the entire country was shalom.

We often translate shalom as “peace,” and rightly so, because that’s what it usually means. But shalom, like other ancient words, has many nuances. It’s a word that describes health and security and prosperity. It’s a word of great delight among the Jewish people. Mordecai spread and wholesome message of hope and security to all people, and that certainly pleased the Lord. Why? Because God has the whole world on His heart – “every tongue and tribe and nation” is what Revelation tells us. And don’t forget Jesus’ closing words to His disciples in Matthew 28, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

Unfortunately, we forget this most of the time. We live in a world where we tend to take care of our own. We look out for ourselves first, then maybe our neighbors. But God’s plan encompasses everyone. Every nation. Every race. Every culture. Every place from the huge, highly developed countries to the small, struggling ones. His message of shalom through faith in Christ Jesus is universal. It’s unlimited. It’s without prejudice. It’s vast.

That’s the story of Esther. God surprising us with His providence – elevating a young Jewish orphan to be the queen of Persia, moving the heart of a powerful, moody, stubborn, unbelieving Gentile king, turning the evil plan of a murderous, anti-Semitic official upside down, and promoting a humble Jew to the position of Prime Minister to change the entire history of a kingdom and a people.

And in the end never forget, God wins. Whether we believe it or not, God wins. Whether we accept it or not, God wins. Whether we even return to Him in repentance, God wins. Whether we bow before Him as Savior and Lord, God still wins.

Mordecai and Esther join the apostle Paul in proclaiming the words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). In the end, God wins – as do all who serve Him. Not “pie in the sky by and by;” but a permanent home in heaven, where we will know and experience and eternal existence of shalom.

That’s our future home, if we know Christ. That’s where all arguments, suffering, disabilities, handicaps, brokenness, losses, tears, and tragedies will cease. That’s where God will reign triumphant, in glory and majesty. That’s where Jesus will be the light and where we shall see Him as He truly is. No longer by faith – but by sight. No longer in hope, but in absolute reality.

“O Lord, bring us back to the ancient message of Esther. It’s the same message that Jesus declared and modeled. Bring us back to the One who is indeed our victor. Show us the importance of a humble spirit and true character. Give us a sense of satisfaction in being in Your plan, regardless of what that may mean for us on this earth. Give us the faith to trust You, even when You seem removed and distant. Fill us with hope as we anticipate the end that is sure to come. In the meantime, Father, make us responsible people who, like Esther, have been placed in our particular circumstances for “such a time as this,” that we might carry Your message of reconciliation through Jesus to the entire world. Remind us again and again that in the end, You win! May our hope rest firmly in Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose strong name we pray. Amen.”