Esther part 2 – “God’s Invisible Hand”
How many of you have experienced someone making a promise to you that they did not or were not able to keep? I wonder, if maybe even more than we recognize, the broken promises we have experience affect our trust in God? The book of Esther is meant to help us trust God, trust His promises, and understand His providence. The objective of the book is to encourage us that even when it appears that God is absent, He is in control and at work. That even when evil is happening all around us God’s promises will never be thwarted. We never need to panic that God will not accomplish His purpose. This should increase our faith and cause us to obey and follow Him all the more confidently no matter what is happening around us, no matter how chaotic this world is getting.
God had promised the Jews in Jeremiah 29:10-14 that, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.” The book of Esther is teaching us that God will fulfill all of His promises. John MacArthur writes that “providence is a term that has to do with God not interfering with the normal processes of life but orchestrating all of those contingencies and all of those thoughts and actions to effect exactly what He wants, when He wants, with whom He wants, where He wants.” Providence is often mysterious. We may not see God’s hand at work, but He is indeed working and controlling the action by either causing or allowing things to happen
Read Esther 1 – 2:7
So, let’s stop for a second and think about what has happened so far: A family conflict between a pagan king and queen. What does that have to do with God? We got a cultural battle between the sexes. It’s got nothing to do with God. We got a law that can’t be changed in a secular government. Thats got nothing to do with God. We got a call for beauty contests involving the virgins in the land. That has nothing to do with God. Or does it, because now beginning in verse five, “there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai”? Mordecai is a Jew. He’s of the people of God from the tribe of Benjamin and he’s quite pedigreed. Not only is he descended from the line of Benjamin, he’s from the line of Kish. Kish is the same line that King Saul comes from. And the only reason Mordecai enters the picture is he got a pretty cousin. And his pretty cousin is now brought to the king’s palace because of something she has absolutely no control over, her beauty, that came from a mother and a father.
Read Esther 2:8-17
Why would Mordecai tell Esther not to reveal she is a Jew? Why does Esther receive special treatment? Why Esther? Every one of these women is a beautiful virgin. What was it about her that she received favor in the eyes of all who saw her? What was it about her that the king would fall in love with her in one night? What was it about? I believe we’re seeing the providence of God in action. There is so much happening that is outside of God’s ideal, outside of God’s will, but He still has a sovereign promise to keep because He promised the Jews I will cover you. And so God is working, weaving things together.
Read Esther 2:18-23
God promised I am going to protect the Jews. Even when I judge the Jews for their disobedience, I’m still going to perform my covenant with the Jews. We’re going to see Satan show up because he wants to destroy the Jews. Because God has promised not to have the Jews destroyed, He has to have a plan in place to keep His promise. So what the Puppet Master does is He sits back behind the strings and He allows King Ahasuerus to call a party. He allows him to drink until he gets drunk. He allows the king to call his wife in to show herself off. God allows Queen Vashti to get rebellious. He allows the leaders to say you can’t have this happening in your country because it’s gonna mess up the social standing of men and women in the kingdom. The king then has to pass a law for the respect of all the husbands by the women. So the king becomes lonely for a while. All of a sudden it dawns in the minds of the servants of the king, “Why don’t we have a beauty contest so that we can show you the pretty girls in the kingdom, so that you can find a pretty wife for yourself.” And just by “chance” there happens to be a Jewish girl who was pretty as you want to be. This girl is named Esther. And so when all of this happens at just the time when the two guys were plotting against the king, it just so happened by “chance” that Mordecai just happened to be in the nearby room. That Mordecai just happened to overhear the conversation. It just so happened when Mordecai overheard the conversation his cousin Esther was already situated to get a hearing with the king. So she goes in and says Mordecai told me to tell you that there are two guys that work for you that want to kill you. They investigated, found is true and wrote down in the book. Because you can find out later, it’s during the night when the king can’t sleep he opens up the book and finds the name Mordecai. His name is only in the book, because he was situated at the gate and had a cousin in the palace to inform the king. And even though you don’t see God’s name, even though things are happening that are not God’s ideal, know He’s doing something bigger than you can see.
- The point of the book of Esther is marvel at the grace of God. The God who can and does use sinful broken disobedient compromised people to accomplish amazing things.
- That He will fulfill His promises.
- No matter how broken and dark this world is, no matter how corrupt the government is, no matter how evil the laws are that get passed, no matter how badly you screw up, no matter how messed up your family is, no matter how your life has played out, no matter how invisible God seems, He is at work weaving everything together to accomplish His purposes.
- God will fulfill His promises. He cannot be stopped.
- “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
- “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”” Acts 1:10-11 ESV
- “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:27 ESV
- “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”” Revelation 21:1-5 ESV
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