WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.740 This morning we are wrapping up our four -month 00:00:01.740 --> 00:00:05.780 series in the book of Esther. Yeah, we started 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:09.720 back in July of last year, and then we took a 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:11.800 sizable break over the fall for a whole bunch 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:14.000 of reasons, and now today we're going to look 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:16.940 at the end of chapter 9 in Esther, and we're 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:19.320 going to go through the very short final chapter 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.320 of this book, chapter 10, and then if you haven't 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.839 heard yet, our plan two weeks from today is to 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:30.359 launch into our next big New Testament and that 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:33.520 is going to be in the very practical and very 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:36.619 convicting book of 1 Corinthians, which will 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:38.820 take us a while. Trust me, there is a lot there, 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:41.020 but I am looking forward to that. So that will 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:43.719 begin on February 15th, the next two Sundays. 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:46.439 We have some exciting things to share with you, 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:49.020 both myself and Adam, so stay tuned for that. 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:51.740 Now, as we come to Esther, that first glance, 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:55.320 closing out this book, is going to look a little 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.920 bit anticlimactic. because over the last two 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:00.979 Sundays, we covered what most scholars believe 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:04.540 is the pinnacle of the whole story in chapter 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:07.099 8 and the beginning of chapter 9, right? And 00:01:07.099 --> 00:01:09.819 all that really remains for us to study today 00:01:09.819 --> 00:01:12.980 is watching the Jews celebrate their victory. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:16.519 But trust me, there's a lot here. Pay close attention, 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:18.780 because this last section we're going to study 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:22.859 through is a very important part of foreshadowing 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:25.420 the coming of Messiah. and the coming of the 00:01:25.420 --> 00:01:27.560 gospel of grace. So we have a lot to learn together. 00:01:27.859 --> 00:01:32.519 So let's get to it. Grab your Bibles, and let's 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:37.319 open up to Esther chapter 9. And when you arrive 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:39.579 there, I want you to drop your eyes down to verse 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:43.680 16. That's where we're going to start. Esther 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:45.879 9, beginning in verse 16. When we left off last 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.859 week, the Jews had just completed a full day 00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:51.560 of very fierce fighting against their enemies 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:55.989 all across. the 127 provinces of the vast Persian 00:01:55.989 --> 00:01:58.909 kingdom. And then at the request of Queen Esther, 00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:01.549 there was a second day of fighting that was done 00:02:01.549 --> 00:02:04.329 right there in the capital city of Susa. And 00:02:04.329 --> 00:02:06.909 in verse 16, we basically get the results. Here's 00:02:06.909 --> 00:02:09.310 the scorecard of how this all played out. Verse 00:02:09.310 --> 00:02:11.710 16. Now the rest of the Jews who were in the 00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:15.210 king's provinces assembled to defend their lives 00:02:15.210 --> 00:02:18.189 and to rid themselves of their enemies and kill, 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:22.930 look at that number, 75 ,000. of those who hated 00:02:22.930 --> 00:02:24.909 them. Now, that seems like a big number, but 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:27.169 remember, we're talking about the Persian kingdom 00:02:27.169 --> 00:02:30.349 that stretched from India to Africa. This is 00:02:30.349 --> 00:02:33.629 a big, big kingdom. But still, that is a sizable 00:02:33.629 --> 00:02:37.629 number of enemies killed. And then we saw this 00:02:37.629 --> 00:02:39.969 next statement in verse 16. By the way, repeated 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:43.069 three times in this chapter for emphasis. When 00:02:43.069 --> 00:02:45.250 you see things repeated in scripture, no God 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:47.629 is trying to emphasize it. It says, but they, 00:02:47.710 --> 00:02:50.689 the Jews, did not lay their hands on the plunder. 00:02:51.550 --> 00:02:53.090 And there's a good reason for that, actually 00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:54.870 multiple reasons for this. First of all, remember, 00:02:55.050 --> 00:02:58.270 this is a war of self -defense. This was not 00:02:58.270 --> 00:03:01.669 an expedition to try to grab land or to take 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:04.569 control of material gain. Even though by law 00:03:04.569 --> 00:03:07.090 they had every right to do that, the Jews from 00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:09.129 their own history knew better than to take the 00:03:09.129 --> 00:03:12.129 spoils of battle from their pagan enemies. And 00:03:12.129 --> 00:03:14.629 they didn't. They did not lay their hands on 00:03:14.629 --> 00:03:18.080 the spoils. Verse 17, this was done on the 13th 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.759 day of the month of Adar, and on the 14th day 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:23.939 they rested and made it a day of feasting and 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:27.199 rejoicing. But the Jews who were in Susa assembled 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:30.280 on the 13th and the 14th of the same month, and 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:33.800 they rested on the 15th day and made it a day 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:36.780 of feasting and rejoicing. Whole bunch of interesting 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.120 little administrative notes here, right? The 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.219 13th is a reference to that single day of fighting 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:44.199 that took place across every province in the 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:46.960 kingdom. That was the day that was originally 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:49.340 set forth by Haman's wicked decree, remember? 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:53.340 His first edict set that day as the day for the 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:56.719 enemies of the Jews to annihilate them. And then 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.759 the 14th refers to the second day of fighting 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:01.979 that took place just in the city of Susa. But 00:04:01.979 --> 00:04:04.180 now the fighting is done, and the Jews now make 00:04:04.180 --> 00:04:07.099 it their goal to rest and to rejoice in their 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:09.979 hard -fought victory. And there at the end of 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:12.319 18, you see that one of the features of their 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.919 celebration was feasting. And we'll come back 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:16.540 to that later. We're going to feast together 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:21.120 after the service today. Now, verse 19 is designed 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.620 to sort of explain some of these details. It 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:26.699 says, therefore, and some translations say, this 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:31.120 explains why. The Jews of the rural areas who 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:34.500 live in the rural towns make the 14th day of 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:37.639 the month of Adar a holiday for rejoicing and 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:40.779 feasting and sending portions of food to one 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:42.839 another. So here's the thing. Some of the Jews 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.800 are celebrating on the 14th, others on the 15th, 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.040 and the difference is city versus rural. And 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:52.000 actually, in practicality, it's walled cities 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:55.579 versus unwalled cities. Understand in the ancient 00:04:55.579 --> 00:04:58.379 world, only big cities like Susa would have had 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:01.500 fortified walls. They were expensive. They were 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:03.720 a lot of work. And it makes sense. In a place 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:06.399 like Susa, that's where the majority of the population 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:08.180 lived. That's where the government officials 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:11.639 lived. So it needed to be protected. But if you 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:13.860 were a Jew living out in the country, out in 00:05:13.860 --> 00:05:16.810 the rural areas where walls didn't exist, Those 00:05:16.810 --> 00:05:19.050 folks only went to war on that first day, on 00:05:19.050 --> 00:05:21.990 the 13th. And so they rested and they celebrated 00:05:21.990 --> 00:05:24.990 the next day, the 14th. The Jews in Susa kept 00:05:24.990 --> 00:05:27.649 fighting on the 14th and they are now going to 00:05:27.649 --> 00:05:31.069 rest and celebrate on the 15th. And it's interesting, 00:05:31.149 --> 00:05:33.230 to some extent, this is still going on today 00:05:33.230 --> 00:05:37.019 with the Feast of Purim. Most of the Jewish world 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:40.279 celebrates this historical victory on the 14th 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:42.779 of Adar, but in walled cities like Jerusalem, 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:46.220 even today, or Hebron, for example, they celebrate 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:49.259 the next day, the 15th of Adar. By the way, Adar, 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:51.879 that basically roughly translates to early March 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:55.180 on the Gregorian calendar. So this year, this 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:59.100 festival. is observed at sundown on March 2nd 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:02.339 and ends at nightfall on March the 3rd. And then 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:04.500 a day later, it's actually celebrated in places 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:07.199 like Jerusalem because it's still a walled city. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:10.660 Okay, verse 20. Then Mordecai recorded these 00:06:10.660 --> 00:06:13.680 events and he sent letters to all the Jews who 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.699 were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:20.769 both near and far, obliging them. Look at that, 00:06:20.829 --> 00:06:24.269 obliging them to celebrate the 14th day of the 00:06:24.269 --> 00:06:27.009 month of Adar and the 15th day of the same month 00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:30.550 annually. So Mordecai writes of the celebration, 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:32.850 he writes it in the form of a law, just another 00:06:32.850 --> 00:06:36.769 law coming out of the royal palace. And he obliges 00:06:36.769 --> 00:06:39.870 them to obey this. Some of your translations 00:06:39.870 --> 00:06:43.610 say, ordering the Jewish people to rejoice on 00:06:43.610 --> 00:06:47.290 these two days. Every single year. And why? Verse 00:06:47.290 --> 00:06:50.629 22. Because on those days, the Jews rid themselves 00:06:50.629 --> 00:06:54.310 of their enemies. Now, some translations put 00:06:54.310 --> 00:06:57.110 it a bit more mildly. The Jews gained relief 00:06:57.110 --> 00:07:00.329 from their enemies. And it goes on. And it was 00:07:00.329 --> 00:07:02.850 a month which was turned for them from sorrow 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:06.389 into gladness. and from mourning into a holiday. 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:09.410 That's a description of the eucatastrophe we 00:07:09.410 --> 00:07:11.569 talked about two Sundays ago, right? This very 00:07:11.569 --> 00:07:14.069 sudden turn of events in a positive direction 00:07:14.069 --> 00:07:17.829 from sorrow and mourning to holiday gladness. 00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:20.750 It goes on, that they should make them days of 00:07:20.750 --> 00:07:23.870 feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of 00:07:23.870 --> 00:07:28.069 food to one another and gifts to the poor. Verse 00:07:28.069 --> 00:07:31.430 23, thus the Jews undertook, or some of your 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:34.170 translations say they agreed to continue what 00:07:34.170 --> 00:07:36.709 they had started to do and what Mordecai had 00:07:36.709 --> 00:07:39.350 written to them. In other words, this very early 00:07:39.350 --> 00:07:42.389 on becomes a highly valued tradition among the 00:07:42.389 --> 00:07:44.689 Jewish people, and they commit themselves to 00:07:44.689 --> 00:07:47.709 keep celebrating this law that Mordecai has put 00:07:47.709 --> 00:07:51.050 into effect each and every year. And then in 00:07:51.050 --> 00:07:53.290 the next two verses, we get sort of a historical 00:07:53.290 --> 00:07:57.060 recap that says, here's why we celebrate. Verse 00:07:57.060 --> 00:08:01.240 24, for Haman, the son of Hamadathah, the Agagite, 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:04.519 the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against 00:08:04.519 --> 00:08:09.160 the Jews to destroy them and had cast purr, okay, 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:12.560 purr, that is the lot, we would say cast the 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:17.060 dice, to disturb or some say to crush the Jews 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:35.100 and destroy them. Then beginning in verse 26, 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:39.220 we're given the official title of this special 00:08:39.220 --> 00:08:44.539 day, this holiday, and the reason for it. And 00:08:44.539 --> 00:08:47.100 in Hebrew, it would be pronounced Purim. We say 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:49.820 Purim here in English, right? Purim after the 00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:53.320 name of Pur. So to me, this is one of those places 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:55.519 in the Bible where I feel like God shows us a 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:58.899 little sense of his humor, a sense of his irony, 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.460 because the story begins, remember, with God's 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:04.879 enemies casting these dice to determine the precise 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.159 day that they were going to wipe out God's people. 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:10.139 And then here's the story ending with a feast 00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:13.759 commemorating the absolute reversal. of that 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:16.500 plan, and then God says, let's call this thing 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:21.500 dice. I mean, I just, I cannot get more ironic 00:09:21.500 --> 00:09:24.759 and beautiful than that. The verse goes on. And 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:27.419 because of the instructions in this letter, both 00:09:27.419 --> 00:09:29.539 what they had seen in this regard and what had 00:09:29.539 --> 00:09:32.299 happened to them, the Jews established and made 00:09:32.299 --> 00:09:34.840 a custom for themselves and for their descendants, 00:09:34.940 --> 00:09:36.980 look, and for all those who allied themselves 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:40.850 with them. so that they would not fail to celebrate 00:09:40.850 --> 00:09:43.110 these two days according to their regulation 00:09:43.110 --> 00:09:47.100 and according to their appointed time. So you 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:49.779 see here, interestingly, Jewish allies are also 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:52.639 invited to participate in the tradition. And 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:54.279 back in the days of Esther, that would have meant, 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:56.139 remember, we saw how the government officials 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:58.779 came on the side of the household of the king. 00:09:58.980 --> 00:10:01.100 That would include them. They helped the Jews 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:03.480 in this fighting. Any other people who came to 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.000 the aid of the Jews in defending themselves are 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.340 welcome. And by the way, this is still true today. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:11.159 There is no law or tradition in Judaism that 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:14.080 prohibits Gentiles from joining in the Purim 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.580 celebration. Verse 28, so these days were to 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:20.659 be remembered and celebrated throughout every 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:23.580 generation, every family, every province, and 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.259 every city. And these days of Purim were not 00:10:26.259 --> 00:10:29.399 to fail from among the Jews or their memory fade 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.240 from their descendants. Guys, that is a pretty 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.279 strong endorsement for the importance of this 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:37.519 tradition. Every generation, every family, every 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:41.080 province, every city, do not let this moment 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:45.700 fade from your memory. Verse 29, then Queen Esther, 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.600 daughter of Abahel, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:51.399 with full authority to confirm this second letter 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:54.419 about Purim. He sent letters to all the Jews 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:58.820 to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:02.919 words of peace and truth. I love that, words 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:06.259 of peace and truth. To establish these days of 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:09.100 Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:11.440 the Jew and Queen Esther had established for 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:13.720 them, and just as they had established for themselves 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:16.539 and for their descendants with instructions for 00:11:16.539 --> 00:11:19.240 their times of fasting and their lamentations, 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.000 the command of Esther established these customs 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:26.039 for Purim, and it was written in the book. Now, 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:27.879 let's turn over to chapter 10, just three verses 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:30.220 in chapter 10. But this is interesting. This 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:32.220 is where we get an interesting historical summary. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.799 It says, now King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:39.840 the land and on the coastlands of the sea. And 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:41.779 that word tribute in the ancient world referred 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:45.039 to attacks that a great and powerful king could 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.019 lay on his subjects throughout his kingdom and 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:51.019 also lay attacks on all the vassal nations that 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:53.740 would bow down to him. Verse two, and all the 00:11:53.740 --> 00:11:57.039 accomplishments of his, Xerxes, authority and 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:59.679 strength and the full account of the greatness 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:02.860 of Mordecai to which the king advanced him. Are 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:04.559 they not written in the book of the chronicles 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:07.379 of the kings of Media and Persia? I think the 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:10.460 point being made here by the author for us as 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:13.100 readers to see after the events of this book, 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:17.340 we see here how strong Xerxes has become, right? 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:19.659 And not just Xerxes, but his vizier Mordecai 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:21.179 as well. And we'll come back to that a little 00:12:21.179 --> 00:12:23.580 bit later. Look at verse three. For Mordecai 00:12:23.580 --> 00:12:26.720 the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus and 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:29.659 great among the Jews and in favor with his many 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:32.299 kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people 00:12:32.299 --> 00:12:35.580 and one who sought for the welfare of his whole 00:12:35.580 --> 00:12:39.360 nation. Kind of a funny ending, right? A little 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:40.980 bit odd, but we'll come back because I think 00:12:40.980 --> 00:12:43.419 the author, I know the author has something to 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:46.419 tell us in this. So here's what I want to do 00:12:46.419 --> 00:12:48.620 as we wrap up Esther this morning. I do want 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:52.039 to talk briefly about Purim. Again, we did this 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:54.539 back in chapter three. Back when the lots were 00:12:54.539 --> 00:12:56.820 first cast before Haman, in chapter three, we 00:12:56.820 --> 00:12:58.960 took some time to look at Purim. We'll go back 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:01.019 and review some of that stuff. But then I wanna 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:04.080 look again at all of the gospel elements that 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:07.100 are sort of embedded in this book. And they're 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:09.240 not the most obvious things right out of the 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.580 gate, but you begin to see them as the story 00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:14.000 unfolds. And I think you see the author beginning 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:17.019 to show us even more of them in these last two 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:19.259 chapters. And then we're gonna finish by talking 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:24.110 about feasting. Feasting in victory. Amen? Are 00:13:24.110 --> 00:13:26.889 you ready to feast in victory? We're going to 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:29.649 do it today. Okay, so when we talk about Purim, 00:13:29.750 --> 00:13:33.629 here's my assessment of Purim. I think there's 00:13:33.629 --> 00:13:35.870 some features in this holiday that we should 00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:38.370 admire, and I think there's some features which 00:13:38.370 --> 00:13:41.210 raise some questions. So it's worth talking about. 00:13:41.269 --> 00:13:43.350 Several times in this series, we have talked 00:13:43.350 --> 00:13:46.450 about how God's name is noticeably absent from 00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:49.450 this entire book. You don't hear the name Yahweh. 00:13:49.529 --> 00:13:52.429 You don't hear Elohim. You don't hear Adonai. 00:13:52.450 --> 00:13:54.350 You don't hear any of those names throughout 00:13:54.350 --> 00:13:56.330 the book. And of course, over the centuries, 00:13:56.389 --> 00:13:58.490 that has caused some people to wonder whether 00:13:58.490 --> 00:14:01.230 this book belongs in the canon or not. I believe 00:14:01.230 --> 00:14:03.190 it does. I believe God's sovereign over that. 00:14:03.629 --> 00:14:05.870 But as we've also talked about multiple times, 00:14:05.990 --> 00:14:09.190 just because God's name isn't explicitly mentioned 00:14:09.190 --> 00:14:12.309 doesn't mean he isn't present and active, right? 00:14:13.110 --> 00:14:16.110 Right? After all, is there anything that goes 00:14:16.110 --> 00:14:18.190 on on this earth where God is not active and 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:21.870 present? No. So of course he's involved, and 00:14:21.870 --> 00:14:24.669 especially so considering the content of this 00:14:24.669 --> 00:14:28.149 story, the rescue of his chosen people from the 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:30.830 very people from which the Messiah has to come. 00:14:31.269 --> 00:14:35.350 So clearly God was not taking a coffee break 00:14:35.350 --> 00:14:37.710 and saying, well, this part of the story on earth 00:14:37.710 --> 00:14:40.350 I don't have to worry about. He is sovereignly 00:14:40.350 --> 00:14:42.250 involved. Even though he's not explicitly named, 00:14:42.389 --> 00:14:45.399 obviously he is involved. But having said that, 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:47.259 although we know he's providentially guiding 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:49.740 these events, I do think it's worth pointing 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:52.899 out that neither Esther nor Mordecai seem interested 00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:57.879 to point out his involvement. Right? Because 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:00.100 what you'd like to hear, at least in this part 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:03.360 of the text, somewhere here is that the victory 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.220 that was won by the Jews was actually God's victory. 00:15:08.299 --> 00:15:11.539 That he came to their rescue. That he defeated 00:15:11.539 --> 00:15:14.700 the enemy. But instead, you read in verse 22, 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:17.379 what does it say? It says, the Jews rid themselves 00:15:17.379 --> 00:15:21.620 of their enemies. Isn't that interesting? No 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:24.539 talk of, really, of God's mercy coming in and 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:26.899 winning this victory on behalf of the Jewish 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:29.100 people. What you'd like to hear is that the Jews 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:32.759 not only feasted with gladness, gladness to who? 00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:36.279 Right? that they would be thankful to the Lord 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:38.759 for his protection. It would be helpful to read 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:41.039 that there's some measure of worship going on 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:43.960 here in this gladness rather than just a really 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:47.639 fun party. What you'd like to hear is that it 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:49.639 was God who orchestrated this great reversal 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:52.220 of fortune that we read in the story, that he's 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:54.820 the one that exposed the wickedness of Haman, 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:57.580 that he moved in the king's heart in order to 00:15:57.580 --> 00:16:00.399 show favor to Mordecai. But we don't see that 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.330 explicitly in the text, do we? What you'd like 00:16:03.330 --> 00:16:05.730 to see is God himself establishing the celebration 00:16:05.730 --> 00:16:09.269 of Purim, that God would instruct them how he 00:16:09.269 --> 00:16:12.210 desires them to observe it. But in verse 21, 00:16:12.330 --> 00:16:16.129 you read that it's Mordecai who orders the Jews 00:16:16.129 --> 00:16:19.009 to celebrate. In verse 27, it says, the Jews 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:21.190 established and made a custom for themselves. 00:16:21.490 --> 00:16:25.269 Who? The Jews did it. God isn't really given 00:16:25.269 --> 00:16:28.330 the credit here. What you'd like to see in the 00:16:28.330 --> 00:16:30.490 text of Scripture is that Purim is about looking 00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:33.309 back to those days when God moved so miraculously 00:16:33.309 --> 00:16:36.549 in favor of his people, but it's really not there. 00:16:37.889 --> 00:16:40.549 This is why I say that I have some concerns here. 00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:43.090 But fair play to the Jews today if you talk to 00:16:43.090 --> 00:16:45.669 a Jewish friend. By all accounts, they do, when 00:16:45.669 --> 00:16:48.370 they celebrate Purim, they acknowledge God's 00:16:48.370 --> 00:16:51.269 involvement in the celebration. But again, strangely, 00:16:51.470 --> 00:16:55.230 it's not found here in the text. Now, here's 00:16:55.230 --> 00:16:57.659 the thing. And I know I mentioned this earlier 00:16:57.659 --> 00:16:59.539 in the series, but it bears repeating at this 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:02.100 point. The question is asked, if Esther and Mordecai 00:17:02.100 --> 00:17:06.119 were not exactly the most observant Jews, why 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:10.500 would God come to their rescue? If they weren't 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:12.440 really, their minds and hearts weren't focused 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:14.799 on God, if they're not giving him the glory that 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.940 probably you or I would at the end of this story, 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.519 why did God rescue the Jews? And the answer to 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:21.740 that question is part of the good news that comes 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.339 out of this story, that God doesn't save people 00:17:24.339 --> 00:17:28.220 because they deserve to be saved. Aren't you 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:32.740 glad? God doesn't save people because they've 00:17:32.740 --> 00:17:34.819 earned salvation through their piety or through 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:39.160 their good works. God saves people because he's 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:41.940 a gracious God who demonstrates extraordinary 00:17:41.940 --> 00:17:44.799 love for people who very often ignore him and 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:47.880 try to do things their own way. And I'm glad 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:50.859 for this because you and I, we often fall into 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:53.460 that same category. So let that be a really important 00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:55.220 lesson that comes out of this story. They don't 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:58.380 deserve to be saved, but God had a plan. He had 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.940 decreed it in eternity past. It was gonna come 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:03.740 to pass. This is the grace of God that he saves 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:06.079 people that sometimes just ignore him and do 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:09.430 things their own way. The fact is God is faithful 00:18:09.430 --> 00:18:11.549 to fulfill all of his promises. Remember, he 00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:13.690 had promised Abraham that all the nations of 00:18:13.690 --> 00:18:15.829 the earth would be blessed through him and through 00:18:15.829 --> 00:18:18.390 his descendants, through the patriarchs Isaac 00:18:18.390 --> 00:18:20.990 and Jacob. And that great blessing would later 00:18:20.990 --> 00:18:24.269 be revealed in the person of Christ. Jesus comes 00:18:24.269 --> 00:18:27.190 from the Jews to the Jews and through the Jews 00:18:27.190 --> 00:18:29.710 to all people in all nations, including us, right? 00:18:30.490 --> 00:18:33.859 So the Jews had to be rescued. It's part of God's 00:18:33.859 --> 00:18:36.380 plan. He was determined to carry out that promise 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:39.380 of rescuing them in spite of the disobedience 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:41.759 of the Jews, which caused them to go into exile 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:44.299 in the first place, and in spite of the shortcomings 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:47.579 of people like Esther and Mordecai. We just sang 00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:49.859 about it because God's faithful. He's faithful 00:18:49.859 --> 00:18:52.579 to his plan and to his purposes. God's not going 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:55.299 to let his word fail. And he's willing to work 00:18:55.299 --> 00:18:58.140 behind the scenes, even in silence, as we see 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:00.819 here in Esther, in order to protect and redeem 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:03.519 his people. So for us as Christians, it reminds 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:06.059 us of God's providence in all things. And the 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:08.559 really good news that even when we don't invite 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:12.099 God into our plans, he is still working to fulfill 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:15.940 them. Isn't that great news? So let that be one 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:18.059 of the things that we take out of Esther. So 00:19:18.059 --> 00:19:20.779 that's my partial assessment of Purim. I think 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:23.559 it's less than perfect, for sure. But then again, 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:25.539 I think the same thing of some of the holidays 00:19:25.539 --> 00:19:29.079 that we celebrate in the church. Could we not 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:32.819 put Christmas in the same category? Are we commanded 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:37.920 in Scripture to observe Christmas? No? Okay, 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:40.940 good. It's not a holiday commanded by God. It's 00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:44.500 not explicitly found in Scripture. And like Purim, 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:47.119 anyone who observes Christmas has the choice 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:50.299 either to acknowledge God in it as the prime 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:54.019 mover and the sovereign in it, or not, to see 00:19:54.019 --> 00:19:57.869 it as a secular holiday. We don't want to be 00:19:57.869 --> 00:19:59.769 too hard on Purim, but I think it's lacking in 00:19:59.769 --> 00:20:01.430 some ways. It's certainly not like the Old Testament 00:20:01.430 --> 00:20:04.630 feasts like Passover and Tabernacles and Pentecost, 00:20:04.670 --> 00:20:08.650 where God sets out not just the festival and 00:20:08.650 --> 00:20:12.009 the feast itself. He establishes it, and he instructs 00:20:12.009 --> 00:20:14.549 the people on how to observe it. So it's not 00:20:14.549 --> 00:20:16.509 in that same category. But still, there are features 00:20:16.509 --> 00:20:19.009 built into the celebration, and you see it in 00:20:19.009 --> 00:20:22.519 the text here, that can be God -honoring. If 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:24.900 the focus is in the right place, if what's being 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:27.900 taught in the story goes past the flesh and points 00:20:27.900 --> 00:20:31.180 to this unseen yet sovereign hand that produced 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:33.799 in Esther and Mordecai everything that they needed, 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:36.920 right? All the courage, all the strength, all 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:39.680 the trust, all of it is produced by God's spirit 00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:42.160 in these two people, even if they don't acknowledge 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:46.019 it because God is fulfilling his plan. So we 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:47.640 know today that one of the core, I'm gonna put 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:50.099 this picture on the screen because we did this 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:53.069 back in chapter three. We know that today one 00:20:53.069 --> 00:20:55.269 of the core elements of Purim celebrations is 00:20:55.269 --> 00:20:57.329 the reading of the Megillah, which you see there. 00:20:57.410 --> 00:21:00.369 It's the scroll of Esther. And that's a good 00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:02.670 thing, right? Anytime people open up God's word 00:21:02.670 --> 00:21:05.789 and read it, that's a really good thing. We know 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:08.210 that Purim brings about joyful family gatherings, 00:21:08.529 --> 00:21:11.690 sometimes costumes and masks even, to make it 00:21:11.690 --> 00:21:13.829 really, really fun for the kids. And this is 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:15.490 one of the most important parts of Purim for 00:21:15.490 --> 00:21:17.950 Jewish families. This is when children are taught 00:21:17.950 --> 00:21:20.869 the story of God's faithfulness to Esther and 00:21:20.869 --> 00:21:24.009 Mordecai. which is a great thing. As we talked 00:21:24.009 --> 00:21:25.869 about back in chapter three, the kids all bring 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:28.809 noisemakers to the reading of the scroll, right? 00:21:28.990 --> 00:21:30.730 It's that little wood thing in the front. It's 00:21:30.730 --> 00:21:33.210 called a grogger, which is a Yiddish word for 00:21:33.210 --> 00:21:36.089 noisemaker. It's a grogger. And whenever name, 00:21:36.190 --> 00:21:39.410 Haman's name comes up, what do they do? They 00:21:39.410 --> 00:21:41.509 boo and they hiss and they spin their grogger. 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:45.269 How meaningful and memorable is that for kids? 00:21:46.789 --> 00:21:49.089 Very much so, right? It's something that Jewish 00:21:49.089 --> 00:21:53.299 kids will always. Remember that after the Megillah 00:21:53.299 --> 00:21:55.940 is read, it's customary to celebrate over a festive 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.740 prayer meal, to quite literally do what Mordecai 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:02.339 ordered, to feast and to rejoice. And in most 00:22:02.339 --> 00:22:04.200 households, that comes with the reciting of a 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:06.920 very special prayer that does give thanks to 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:08.980 God for the miracles that he did in the days 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:12.119 of Esther and Mordecai. As you can see on the 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:14.299 screen, one of the traditional treats that gets 00:22:14.299 --> 00:22:17.559 eaten is that triangular pastry. I guess you 00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:19.400 can ask Yael afterwards. I guess it's filled 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.559 with different kinds of, Fruit, is that right? 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:26.079 Oh, chocolate. I'd be down for that. Okay, good. 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:33.079 Those are called the ears of Haman. Again, talk 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:35.799 to Yael. She'll explain it to you. But those 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:38.220 are referred to as the ears. What's the Yiddish 00:22:38.220 --> 00:22:43.740 word? There you go. Very good. Very good. And 00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:46.180 then... So there's some good stuff here, right? 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:48.079 And then it's customary on the second day of 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:51.240 Purim to shift the focus away from self to others. 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:53.720 And so Jewish families will often spend the day 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:56.579 driving around town and leaving baskets of food 00:22:56.579 --> 00:22:59.099 and treats on the doorsteps of one another, and 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:01.920 if possible, to go out and to feed the poor, 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:05.240 just as Mordecai ordered. So all that to say 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:08.299 there's a lot of good built into Purim. But of 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:10.980 course, we have to come to this place without 00:23:10.980 --> 00:23:14.019 recognizing Christ in it. It's incomplete, isn't 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:17.680 it? It's incomplete. So I would encourage you, 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:20.259 when March rolls around, the first week of March, 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:24.480 pray for the Jewish people, especially at a time 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:26.079 like prayer. When they're opening the scroll, 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:28.339 when they're opening the Bible and they're reading 00:23:28.339 --> 00:23:30.059 it to their children, pray for Jewish people. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:32.000 Pray that God might move in their hearts and 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.720 add to the remnant of Jewish believers on the 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:39.119 earth today. Amen? What I want to talk about 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:41.599 as we move forward here is to talk about some 00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:44.180 of the gospel foreshadowings that point us to 00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:46.579 Christ in this story, point us to the new covenant 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:49.119 where God is going to do a new work. And we looked 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:51.359 at a bunch of them two Sundays ago. I'm going 00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:54.779 to re -go over some of those because I think 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:56.960 they're so important to see, plus give you a 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:59.359 couple more that I see in the text from today. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:02.869 These are gospel foreshadowings. foreshadowings 00:24:02.869 --> 00:24:04.849 that I think are embedded in the text itself 00:24:04.849 --> 00:24:08.349 that we can hang our hat on. Because I was telling 00:24:08.349 --> 00:24:11.710 Jeff Steele outside before the service, I said, 00:24:11.769 --> 00:24:15.289 the book of Esther frustrates me. Is that okay, 00:24:15.410 --> 00:24:19.130 by the way? It frustrates me because I really 00:24:19.130 --> 00:24:21.630 would love to see these characters be much more 00:24:21.630 --> 00:24:24.809 bold in their faith. I'd love to see God be explicitly 00:24:24.809 --> 00:24:27.589 glorified in this text. Now, I know he is because 00:24:27.589 --> 00:24:29.890 he's sovereign. But boy, this can be a difficult 00:24:29.890 --> 00:24:32.500 book. So let's look at some of these gospel things. 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:35.099 The first thing that we saw was this idea of 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:37.880 intercession that takes place in this story. 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:41.380 When Esther goes before the king to plead, literally 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:44.240 plead for the lives of her people. And the reason 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:46.319 she had to do that is so important to recognize. 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:49.880 Because the Jews living in Persia had no standing 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:52.700 before the king of Persia. They're minorities 00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:55.640 in a foreign land. They have no opportunity to 00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:59.140 get a hearing in front of the only man in the 00:24:59.140 --> 00:25:01.039 whole kingdom who can save them. They have no 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:04.180 chance to get into the palace. So all they can 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:09.259 do is hope to get an intercession. Listen now, 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:12.980 they cannot save themselves. That sound familiar? 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:16.740 They cannot save themselves. They have to hope 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:19.599 for an intercessor, someone who does have the 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.279 standing. to enter the throne room of the king 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:26.619 where mercy can be found. Sound familiar? So 00:25:26.619 --> 00:25:28.660 we recognize that as sinners who fall short of 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:31.140 the glory of God, we are all just as helpless 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:34.599 as the Jews living in Persia in that day. We 00:25:34.599 --> 00:25:37.400 need an intercessor. We need a great high priest 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:41.200 who has the standing and the ability and the 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:43.759 opportunity to go into the throne room of grace 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:47.660 and plead for us. Otherwise, we perish, just 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:50.359 like the Jews would have without Esther. That's 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:54.200 number one. Second thing that comes out of this 00:25:54.200 --> 00:25:57.619 text is a look at this first edict that was written 00:25:57.619 --> 00:26:00.420 up by Haman. This wicked law that called for 00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:03.160 the death of the Jewish people. And we likened 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:05.599 it to the edict of guilt that exists for every 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:09.559 sinner born into this world. Every one of us. 00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:12.660 We are all born under the law of sin and death. 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:16.339 What Colossians 2 calls the certificate of debt 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:20.250 that stands against us. A debt that will someday 00:26:20.250 --> 00:26:22.970 come due. Whether we like it or not, there's 00:26:22.970 --> 00:26:25.170 a due date on that debt for every single sinner 00:26:25.170 --> 00:26:27.910 born into this world. And by the way, that is 00:26:27.910 --> 00:26:31.069 an edict established by God himself. It's a law 00:26:31.069 --> 00:26:34.089 that is rooted in his holiness and in his perfectly 00:26:34.089 --> 00:26:37.930 righteous standard. And therefore, it cannot 00:26:37.930 --> 00:26:42.269 be repealed. It cannot be revoked, just as Haman's 00:26:42.269 --> 00:26:44.910 law could not be revoked by Xerxes. It cannot 00:26:44.910 --> 00:26:48.799 be. But then God, then God, provided the remedy 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:52.140 for the problem here. Okay, again, not by compromising 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:55.220 his eternal justice, but by meeting his own righteous 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:58.380 standard, by laying the debt that we owed upon 00:26:58.380 --> 00:27:01.960 his own son. How amazing. In other words, just 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:05.039 like the situation in Esther, God could not cancel 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:09.400 out that first law. He couldn't, but he could 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:12.119 issue a new law which would turn our condemnation 00:27:12.119 --> 00:27:15.799 into mercy. could turn death into life and defeat 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:18.359 into victory. A second law is what we needed. 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:20.799 The second law is found in Christ alone, right? 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:23.799 That's the second law. Paul writes in Romans 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:27.359 8, the cross is God's counter decree that, quote, 00:27:27.380 --> 00:27:31.000 frees us from the law of sin and death. We needed 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:33.299 the second edict, didn't we? And we have it in 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:38.140 Christ. Beautiful. Third thing, we looked at 00:27:38.140 --> 00:27:40.660 this great reversal. that you see in the story 00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:43.220 of Esther, the eucatastrophe, we called it, right? 00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:46.119 And we saw how it points forward to the resurrection, 00:27:46.339 --> 00:27:48.900 because the resurrection is the greatest reversal 00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:52.980 in the history of mankind, from the cross to 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:56.180 the resurrection, right? Just when Haman thought 00:27:56.180 --> 00:27:59.279 he had found a way to annihilate the Jews, he 00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:01.880 stumbled into a trap of his own making. He stumbled 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:04.740 into his own wickedness. And just when Satan 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:07.259 thought he had found a way to destroy the Son 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:10.250 of God on the cross, He failed to see how that 00:28:10.250 --> 00:28:13.789 cross was actually his own undoing. Amazing. 00:28:14.410 --> 00:28:16.289 On the morning that Jesus stepped out of that 00:28:16.289 --> 00:28:19.750 tomb alive, death was put to death, and the grave's 00:28:19.750 --> 00:28:22.309 power over us was broken, and Satan was defeated, 00:28:22.470 --> 00:28:26.589 just like Haman was. Amazing, right? It's right 00:28:26.589 --> 00:28:30.430 there in the story. Four, we also saw how the 00:28:30.430 --> 00:28:32.750 Jews were able to go from despair to gladness 00:28:32.750 --> 00:28:35.730 when the king's second law was issued, even though 00:28:35.730 --> 00:28:38.630 the day of its actual application was still nine 00:28:38.630 --> 00:28:41.730 months away. So they're under the threat of death. 00:28:42.450 --> 00:28:45.349 The king issues a new law and says, nine months 00:28:45.349 --> 00:28:46.930 from now, you'll be able to defend yourself. 00:28:47.250 --> 00:28:52.190 But the Jews celebrate right then. Right then, 00:28:52.289 --> 00:28:56.190 why? Because now they had the king's favor. Now 00:28:56.190 --> 00:28:59.059 they had the king behind him. With the king's 00:28:59.059 --> 00:29:02.240 favor, they are assured of victory. And in a 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:04.460 similar way, Christ followers who've been saved 00:29:04.460 --> 00:29:07.880 by God's decree of salvation in Christ, we can 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:10.960 celebrate right now. Even though salvation is 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:13.779 not completely fulfilled, that will come, right? 00:29:14.140 --> 00:29:16.160 Eschatologically, that will come, but we can 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:18.259 celebrate right now because we have the favor 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:23.490 of the king in the universe. Amen, right? The 00:29:23.490 --> 00:29:25.269 fullness is coming, but we can celebrate now. 00:29:25.430 --> 00:29:27.410 So those are four things we talked about two 00:29:27.410 --> 00:29:29.529 Sundays ago. Let me give you two other things 00:29:29.529 --> 00:29:32.490 that I see in the text from this morning. One 00:29:32.490 --> 00:29:36.930 is a little bit more subtle. One is very obvious. 00:29:37.069 --> 00:29:38.589 I'm going to give you the subtle one first, and 00:29:38.589 --> 00:29:42.630 here it is. Behind the scenes, there's something 00:29:42.630 --> 00:29:46.130 going on in chapter 10, those three verses in 00:29:46.130 --> 00:29:51.490 chapter 10, that causes Xerxes. to come out of 00:29:51.490 --> 00:29:54.349 the story sort of shining as the great king of 00:29:54.349 --> 00:29:56.750 the ancient Near East. Did you see the language 00:29:56.750 --> 00:30:01.109 there? Remember, as we studied through this book, 00:30:01.809 --> 00:30:04.470 Xerxes was more of a bumbling fool than he was 00:30:04.470 --> 00:30:07.450 a great king. He's making mistakes all over the 00:30:07.450 --> 00:30:10.890 place, right? Remember, I know it's been a while, 00:30:10.930 --> 00:30:13.990 it's like July, but right before the events of 00:30:13.990 --> 00:30:17.309 the book of Esther, Xerxes had led a disastrous 00:30:17.309 --> 00:30:20.759 campaign against the Greeks. and was soundly 00:30:20.759 --> 00:30:24.640 defeated. And he limped home as a defeated king. 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:29.160 And then his queen publicly humiliates him. Then 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:32.319 his officials begin to publicly manipulate him. 00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:35.759 Then he foolishly hands his signet ring to this 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:39.279 wicked man, Haman, then has to correct what Haman 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:42.940 did, making himself look bad. He just doesn't 00:30:42.940 --> 00:30:45.720 look like a competent king early on in the book. 00:30:45.779 --> 00:30:47.640 But now at the end of the story in chapter 10, 00:30:47.859 --> 00:30:50.440 the author seems to put him in a whole new light. 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:54.299 He writes of Xerxes' authority and strength over 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:56.980 the entire ancient world. He's able to lay this 00:30:56.980 --> 00:31:00.420 tax on vassal nations, which raises the question, 00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:04.640 how did this renewal come about? Well, for years, 00:31:04.640 --> 00:31:06.920 there was a hidden cancer at work within his 00:31:06.920 --> 00:31:09.869 kingdom. In fact, it was right under the king's 00:31:09.869 --> 00:31:12.750 nose. It was the presence of Haman, this vizier, 00:31:12.789 --> 00:31:15.970 this wicked man. But now what it looks like in 00:31:15.970 --> 00:31:18.069 chapter 10 is that there's a new spirit operating 00:31:18.069 --> 00:31:21.869 in the royal palace. Mordecai, who took Haman's 00:31:21.869 --> 00:31:24.430 place, is said to be both great among the Jews, 00:31:24.490 --> 00:31:27.069 but also, look, one who spoke for the welfare 00:31:27.069 --> 00:31:30.150 of the entire Persian nation. It's a whole new 00:31:30.150 --> 00:31:33.779 spirit in the royal palace. So here's what scholars, 00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:35.900 Hebrew Christian scholars have looked at this 00:31:35.900 --> 00:31:38.279 and they've seen this turnaround. And what they 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:42.400 see is a foreshadowing of the coming in an indwelling 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:45.839 way, the spirit of God in a man's life. And I 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:47.759 know this is a bit of a stretch, but walk with 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:50.259 me on this. Once again, consider Haman as the 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:53.240 embodiment of our spiritual enemy. He represents 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:57.259 the rule of the flesh. He represents arrogance 00:31:57.259 --> 00:31:59.700 and self -promotion and anger and vengeance, 00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:02.740 all these different things. And as long as he's 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:05.240 in control of the kingdom, what happens? There's 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:08.420 chaos, there's confusion, there's violence, there's 00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:12.160 despair. And if you're able, consider Mordecai 00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:15.039 then as sort of representing the spirit, providing 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:18.259 a sense of renewal throughout the empire once 00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:21.339 he comes into that position. Now, like I said 00:32:21.339 --> 00:32:22.960 with Esther earlier, we don't want to push that 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:25.920 analogy too far, right? But the principle is 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.559 interesting to consider. Why else would God provide 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:31.079 those three verses at the very end of this book? 00:32:32.289 --> 00:32:35.509 It just seems strange, as we said before. If 00:32:35.509 --> 00:32:37.529 you want to carry the principle forward, consider 00:32:37.529 --> 00:32:41.170 how necessary it is for us as Christians to get 00:32:41.170 --> 00:32:46.470 rid of Haman, to put the flesh to death, to crucify 00:32:46.470 --> 00:32:49.509 the flesh, to hang the flesh on the gallows. 00:32:51.829 --> 00:32:55.009 Think about it. And to do it in a public fashion. 00:32:55.690 --> 00:32:59.269 as a testimony to new life in Christ? Is it possibly 00:32:59.269 --> 00:33:02.190 that that's the reason why Haman is so publicly 00:33:02.190 --> 00:33:05.430 shamed on the gallows? Why his 10 sons are hanged 00:33:05.430 --> 00:33:08.650 on the gallows as well? Here's some more good 00:33:08.650 --> 00:33:11.730 news. Our battle against the flesh today is different 00:33:11.730 --> 00:33:13.650 than in the days of Esther because our battle 00:33:13.650 --> 00:33:16.450 isn't waged against the backdrop of a failed 00:33:16.450 --> 00:33:19.900 human king like Xerxes. Our conflict today is 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:22.380 waged against the flesh in light of the much 00:33:22.380 --> 00:33:25.180 greater king that we have based on his finished 00:33:25.180 --> 00:33:28.019 work on the cross. That means there's no doubt 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:30.299 about the outcome. We know exactly how it's going 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:32.640 to end. In fact, we're told in Colossians 2, 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:35.619 not only has Jesus canceled out the certificate 00:33:35.619 --> 00:33:38.940 of debt that we owed, it goes a step further. 00:33:38.980 --> 00:33:41.759 It says, he has disarmed the rulers and authorities 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:45.559 of darkness, making a public display of them. 00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:51.140 A public display of them and triumphing over 00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:55.680 them. I know it's subtle, right? But I want you 00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:58.140 to think about that. Is that what's going on 00:33:58.140 --> 00:34:00.880 with the death of Haman and the renewal of Xerxes 00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:07.079 in his palace? Okay, questions, adam at okillbible 00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:12.559 .com. Adam will explain it to him, right? Okay, 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:15.079 last one, last one. And this one is very clear 00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:18.550 and very obvious. How you and I not only have 00:34:18.550 --> 00:34:22.289 a glorious victory in Christ, we get to celebrate 00:34:22.289 --> 00:34:25.750 it every day, not just once a year. I mean, does 00:34:25.750 --> 00:34:29.789 this not embed the idea of celebrating victory? 00:34:30.829 --> 00:34:34.010 Do we celebrate victory in our life as Christians? 00:34:34.309 --> 00:34:38.369 I hope so. The fruits of this victory that the 00:34:38.369 --> 00:34:41.840 Jews won are all over this text. feasting, rejoicing, 00:34:41.980 --> 00:34:45.340 resting, remembering, celebrating, showing generosity 00:34:45.340 --> 00:34:48.719 to others. It's all there in the text. These 00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:50.820 are things that we get to do every single day 00:34:50.820 --> 00:34:54.619 as those who are found in Christ. In Christ, 00:34:54.619 --> 00:34:57.260 we rejoice and we celebrate no matter what life 00:34:57.260 --> 00:35:01.559 throws at us, right? Right? No matter our circumstances. 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:04.900 Life is hard. Trials come. Trouble comes. But 00:35:04.900 --> 00:35:08.000 we rejoice and we celebrate because the victory 00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:12.340 is ours. In Christ, we have rest, right? Rest 00:35:12.340 --> 00:35:14.880 from the world, rest from having to strive to 00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:16.519 earn something that we never could earn in the 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:20.760 first place because it's by grace alone. In Christ, 00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:24.139 we have peace with God and salvation secure. 00:35:24.420 --> 00:35:27.539 In Christ, we're now set free to focus on others, 00:35:27.619 --> 00:35:30.960 to love unconditionally, to be generous and sacrificial, 00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:33.840 to put the needs of others before ourselves because 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:36.300 we're found in Christ. And in Christ, we continually 00:35:36.300 --> 00:35:40.099 remember. We remember his sacrifice on our behalf, 00:35:40.179 --> 00:35:44.880 how he became sin for us in exchange for what? 00:35:44.980 --> 00:35:51.320 His righteousness. We can never, never forget 00:35:51.320 --> 00:35:55.539 that. The great exchange. He became sin for us. 00:35:55.619 --> 00:35:58.579 He took your sin and said, here, take my righteousness. 00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:03.420 Are you kidding me? So we remember. We do all 00:36:03.420 --> 00:36:06.159 those things. Remember, feast, rejoice, rest. 00:36:06.869 --> 00:36:10.449 celebrate and show generosity. It's no wonder 00:36:10.449 --> 00:36:13.110 that we get a chance to do that because of what 00:36:13.110 --> 00:36:15.690 Christ has done for us. It's in the text. I know 00:36:15.690 --> 00:36:18.670 it's hard, right? I mean, I wish Esther was more 00:36:18.670 --> 00:36:21.349 explicit. I wish there was more glory given to 00:36:21.349 --> 00:36:23.789 God. You gotta dig in sometimes and find some 00:36:23.789 --> 00:36:26.190 of these things. So this is where I wanna end, 00:36:26.250 --> 00:36:27.789 not just the sermon, but the whole preaching 00:36:27.789 --> 00:36:32.230 series. Earlier in the week, I was asking myself 00:36:32.230 --> 00:36:34.449 and I was praying. I said, Lord, what's the, 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:37.559 what's the last statement we want to make coming 00:36:37.559 --> 00:36:40.420 out of this series? What should we take away 00:36:40.420 --> 00:36:43.719 from this? And I kept coming back to, first of 00:36:43.719 --> 00:36:45.800 all, the subtitle of the series, which is God's 00:36:45.800 --> 00:36:48.960 providence, right? How he's working all things 00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:52.039 together for our good. But where that providence 00:36:52.039 --> 00:36:54.659 leads people like Esther and Mordecai, where 00:36:54.659 --> 00:36:57.219 it leads people like you and I, and ultimately 00:36:57.219 --> 00:37:01.880 it leads to feasting and victory. We may not 00:37:01.880 --> 00:37:04.250 even realize that, but that's true. Have you 00:37:04.250 --> 00:37:05.989 ever thought about the concept of feasting in 00:37:05.989 --> 00:37:09.710 your walk with Christ? Did you know that word 00:37:09.710 --> 00:37:13.750 is used 133 times in scripture? So it's not a 00:37:13.750 --> 00:37:17.630 small theme at all. Did you know that food itself 00:37:17.630 --> 00:37:19.769 is one of the greatest gifts that God gives us? 00:37:20.789 --> 00:37:23.510 And not just to sustain us, but things that we 00:37:23.510 --> 00:37:26.250 can enjoy, right? Paul says that in 1 Timothy 00:37:26.250 --> 00:37:29.510 6, 17, that God richly provides us with everything 00:37:29.510 --> 00:37:33.429 to enjoy. To enjoy. We're going to enjoy tacos 00:37:33.429 --> 00:37:38.150 later. Right? We get to enjoy these things. And 00:37:38.150 --> 00:37:40.210 so when we sit down at the table, anytime we 00:37:40.210 --> 00:37:43.969 do, we enjoy his good gifts, we should give thanks 00:37:43.969 --> 00:37:47.090 in our hearts. If not verbally, at least in our 00:37:47.090 --> 00:37:49.489 hearts, right? At least something that at the 00:37:49.489 --> 00:37:53.250 table we acknowledge that this sustenance didn't 00:37:53.250 --> 00:37:56.050 just fall out of the sky. It's been provided 00:37:56.050 --> 00:37:59.469 by our good God. And when we get to sit down 00:37:59.469 --> 00:38:01.289 and eat together as a body, as we're gonna do 00:38:01.289 --> 00:38:03.989 after this service, every time we do this, friends, 00:38:04.150 --> 00:38:06.510 it should be a special time. We should see, I 00:38:06.510 --> 00:38:08.489 know tacos are fun, I know the fellowship would 00:38:08.489 --> 00:38:10.849 be great, but see it as something bigger and 00:38:10.849 --> 00:38:14.190 more sacred than just that. It should be special. 00:38:15.130 --> 00:38:17.809 Not just any lunch, but a time to remember the 00:38:17.809 --> 00:38:22.429 past 19 years. 19 years that we've enjoyed together 00:38:22.429 --> 00:38:25.630 as a church family. When you eat today, honor 00:38:25.630 --> 00:38:29.130 God for his faithfulness. With rejoicing and 00:38:29.130 --> 00:38:31.809 with gladness and celebration. You know, I was 00:38:31.809 --> 00:38:33.670 thinking about the miracle of Oak Hill is not 00:38:33.670 --> 00:38:36.110 anywhere in the same category as the miracle 00:38:36.110 --> 00:38:39.289 that took place in the book of Esther, but it's 00:38:39.289 --> 00:38:43.869 still a miracle. Trust me, it is a miracle, right? 00:38:44.090 --> 00:38:45.909 All you guys, some of you guys are OGs. You've 00:38:45.909 --> 00:38:48.610 been around here since day one. You know, it's 00:38:48.610 --> 00:38:51.949 a miracle that God has sustained us for 19 years. 00:38:52.070 --> 00:38:54.469 Again, setting up and breaking down the hard 00:38:54.469 --> 00:38:58.039 work of local church, it's a miracle. So let's 00:38:58.039 --> 00:39:01.099 celebrate it. Finally, you should know that at 00:39:01.099 --> 00:39:03.360 least part of what we're going to do today is 00:39:03.360 --> 00:39:06.099 rehearsing for the next stage of life in the 00:39:06.099 --> 00:39:09.300 millennial kingdom and beyond. Our lunch today 00:39:09.300 --> 00:39:12.019 anticipates this much greater time of feasting 00:39:12.019 --> 00:39:14.380 and worship that we find in Revelation chapter 00:39:14.380 --> 00:39:17.099 19. Remember, the angel says to John, write this 00:39:17.099 --> 00:39:20.179 down. Write this down. This is important. He 00:39:20.179 --> 00:39:22.559 says, blessed are those who are invited to the 00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:26.099 marriage supper of the Lamb. That's our future. 00:39:26.670 --> 00:39:29.210 That's where the bride of Christ will come together. 00:39:29.289 --> 00:39:32.170 We will sit down and feast. We will celebrate 00:39:32.170 --> 00:39:35.309 this sacred union with our Savior, and we will 00:39:35.309 --> 00:39:38.150 join with a multitude of saints from every nation, 00:39:38.230 --> 00:39:41.150 every tribe, every tongue, and we will all worship 00:39:41.150 --> 00:39:45.289 the Lamb with great joy and with gladness. So 00:39:45.289 --> 00:39:48.070 we see that happening in Esther. We get to do 00:39:48.070 --> 00:39:49.789 it today, but man, there's something so much 00:39:49.789 --> 00:39:52.679 greater coming. There's also a future messianic 00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:55.099 banquet in the final dispensation of history, 00:39:55.300 --> 00:39:58.340 the millennial kingdom. We read from Isaiah 25 00:39:58.340 --> 00:40:00.699 in our call to worship this morning where God 00:40:00.699 --> 00:40:02.820 promises that there will be a great feast in 00:40:02.820 --> 00:40:06.119 a very specific place. He says in Jerusalem on 00:40:06.119 --> 00:40:09.880 Mount Zion where God promised on this mountain, 00:40:09.980 --> 00:40:13.199 it says, the Lord of hosts will make for all 00:40:13.199 --> 00:40:17.219 people a feast of rich food, a feast of well 00:40:17.219 --> 00:40:27.900 -aged wine. I'm just going to leave that there. 00:40:28.820 --> 00:40:31.900 And what's amazing about this, as God's people 00:40:31.900 --> 00:40:34.920 are swallowing this rich food, Isaiah tells us 00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:39.039 God will swallow up death forever for those at 00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:42.380 this feast. Swallow up death, wipe away every 00:40:42.380 --> 00:40:45.719 tear, and remove the reproach of his people. 00:40:46.679 --> 00:40:51.000 Thank you. And this is what... How often when 00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:52.940 we celebrate communion, we read what was said 00:40:52.940 --> 00:40:55.219 in the upper room where Jesus says, take this 00:40:55.219 --> 00:40:57.860 cup and share it among yourselves. For I say 00:40:57.860 --> 00:40:59.760 to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the 00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:03.039 vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes. 00:41:04.460 --> 00:41:08.019 We're going to sit down with the king and share 00:41:08.019 --> 00:41:12.210 this cup with him. What a day of celebration. 00:41:12.409 --> 00:41:14.550 In Matthew 8, Jesus talked about many will come 00:41:14.550 --> 00:41:16.889 from the east and from the west and will recline 00:41:16.889 --> 00:41:19.630 at the table alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:41:20.949 --> 00:41:27.670 Jews. Yeah. Yeah. So our current festival celebrations 00:41:27.670 --> 00:41:32.309 in the present, you know what they are? They're 00:41:32.309 --> 00:41:36.250 appetizers. They're just appetizers that are 00:41:36.250 --> 00:41:39.599 pointing us towards this incredibly fully Fully 00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:42.659 satisfying entree this to come when our king 00:41:42.659 --> 00:41:46.500 returns and sits with us at his table. But until 00:41:46.500 --> 00:41:48.880 then, in the here and now, we feast and we rejoice 00:41:48.880 --> 00:41:52.059 and we're glad. And let's do that well together 00:41:52.059 --> 00:41:54.380 today. But most of all, let's fix our eyes on 00:41:54.380 --> 00:41:57.340 Christ, our great high priest and our king. Amen? 00:41:58.280 --> 00:42:04.199 Amen. Let's bow our heads. Father, what a joy 00:42:04.199 --> 00:42:12.010 to finish the book of Esther. And Lord, I confess 00:42:12.010 --> 00:42:13.730 to you as I have in the past that there have 00:42:13.730 --> 00:42:16.530 been times I was frustrated with it and I wanted 00:42:16.530 --> 00:42:19.610 it to say more than it says and then I rebuked 00:42:19.610 --> 00:42:23.269 myself for that. And I praise you for exactly 00:42:23.269 --> 00:42:27.150 the way it's laid out and praise you for that, 00:42:27.230 --> 00:42:29.050 God, and for the truths that are embedded in 00:42:29.050 --> 00:42:31.429 there and the things, God, that your spirit has 00:42:31.429 --> 00:42:34.110 shown us in this study. Lord, we praise you for 00:42:34.110 --> 00:42:37.860 all of it. Even if it's been hard on us, we praise 00:42:37.860 --> 00:42:40.460 you for it. And we praise you for your sovereignty 00:42:40.460 --> 00:42:43.219 and for your faithfulness to these characters 00:42:43.219 --> 00:42:47.699 who are imperfect, just like we are. It reminds 00:42:47.699 --> 00:42:50.360 us that you're at work in our lives, even during 00:42:50.360 --> 00:42:53.739 those times when we are just going through the 00:42:53.739 --> 00:42:57.159 motions of life and not abiding with you as we 00:42:57.159 --> 00:42:59.840 should, that you are still working together for 00:42:59.840 --> 00:43:03.880 our good. So thank you, Jesus. And thank you 00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:06.690 for a chance to celebrate. and rejoice with gladness 00:43:06.690 --> 00:43:09.909 today. And over the tacos we'll eat later, Lord, 00:43:09.989 --> 00:43:12.329 make it a sacred moment for us as we celebrate 00:43:12.329 --> 00:43:14.789 your goodness to us. Thank you for this gathering 00:43:14.789 --> 00:43:17.909 today. We, with one heart and with one voice, 00:43:17.929 --> 00:43:20.630 praise you. In Jesus' name, amen.