03 Nov Recap | Esther | An Inadequate Hope

In the final verses of the second chapter of Esther, Mordecai learns of a plot to kill the king and immediately alerts Esther of the danger.  Esther in turn warns the king in Mordecai’s name, and when all is found to be true, Mordecai and Esther both rise in their standing with the king.  Mordecai’s and Esther’s plan to work together from the inside to secure their future seems to be continuing flawlessly as they gain places of honor with the king and continue to maintain the secret of their Jewish identity.

However, as chapter 3 opens, tensions begin to mount.  A man named Haman is promoted by King Xerxes above all other officials.  Haman is an Agagite, descended from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (Israel), and Amalek, whose descendants murdered the Jews as they journeyed to the Promised Land.  God had instructed His people to put an end to the Amalekites in the past, but the Jews disobeyed and let the Amalekites live.  Now, rather than the Amalekites receiving judgment for the evil they brought against the Jewish people in the past, they are still doing harm to God’s chosen people because they were never dealt with as the Lord commanded.

When Mordecai refuses to bow before Haman and reveals his Jewish identity, the Agagite is filled with anger.  Discontent to harm only Mordecai himself, Haman devises a plan to destroy all of the Jews.  After lots are cast to determine the day of his vengeance, Haman goes to King Xerxes and convinces him that the Jewish people are a threat to the kingdom and offers Xerxes a vast sum of money for the king’s treasury.  The king, in turn, offers Haman his signet ring, authorizing him to act as he wishes with royal authority.

Mordecai and Esther began their plan with deep roots in the world and culture in which they lived.  Rather than placing their trust in the one true God, they instead tried to create their own security in the world.  But because the world is a hostile and unsafe place, their best intentions eventually crumbled beneath them and wreaked havoc on their world and their people.  When Mordecai reveals his Jewish identity, he imperils the plan of God to bless all nations of the Earth by endangering the Jews.

The same reality that faced Mordecai and Esther faces us now as well.  When we think things are going the way we want, we can’t let our guard down because this world is not a safe place.  1 Peter 5:8 warns us that the world is especially unsafe for Christians; therefore we cannot be flippant in the way we live our lives.  Any plan or sense of security we try to piece together in this world can disappear in an instant.

1. Do not put your hope in your ability to make the world work for you.  The world cannot give us eternal salvation; it is bent and broken under the curse of sin just as we are.
2. Do not forget that this world is a dangerous place.  It can be especially easy for us to place our trust and find our security in the world around us when things seem to be going our way.  If we are not careful, we can easily attach our hearts and minds to our lives here.  Yet, the reality is that if we truly follow Jesus, this world will be a hostile place for us.
3. Do not fear, because we serve a true king. King Xerxes is the most pitiful figure in this excerpt from Esther. All of his power, wealth, and strength has been squandered on a fool.  Xerxes is a king that is willing to kill his people, oblivious to what God is doing, and interested only in his personal gain.

We now live with the knowledge that there is a king who is worthy of all of our trust and honor and hope.  Jesus came not to kill, but to save, not oblivious to God’s plan, but submitting Himself to it fully, and not for His own personal gain, but to give up His own life for us.  He is a king who is invested in His people, even to the point of His own death, and therefore our hope is secure in His promise, in His truth, and in His salvation.

-Katie Gural

To listen to, view, or download this sermon, visit our website here.

Worship Songs from the Weekend

• Open Up Our Eyes: Psalm 118, Psalm 136, Exodus 14:13-14
• Love Shines: 1 Corinthians 12:4-8, Matthew 27:45-46, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, 1 John 4:8-9
• This I Believe : 1 Corinthians 15, John 3:16, Romans 1:16-17, Hebrews 1
• Thank You: 1 Chronicles 29:13, Psalm 30:12, 1 Samuel 2:2, Psalm 31:16
• We the Redeemed: Psalm 74:2, Revelation 5:9
• Worthy of It All: Psalm 51:16-17, Psalm 139:23-24, Amos 5:21-24, Psalm 19:12-14