“A Time to Every Purpose”

Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace. When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter. Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.” Esther 5:1-3

Intro: In chapter 4, Esther struggled through an important rite-of-passage

Perhaps for first time, she found herself in conflict with her cousin Mordecai
– what he ordered her to do ran contrary to her own will
• specifically, her natural and fundamental human drive to survive
• after a brief exchange of messages, Esther came to a realization;
◦ the fate of her people came before her personal concerns
– but then an interesting thing happens
• Esther found her own voice
◦ she became a real queen, not merely Xerxes’ “trophy wife”
◦ the chapter ended with Mordecai obeying her command

Dana Crowley Jack had been a therapist for several years when it became clear to her that her education had been deficient when it came to treating women suffering with depression. So she and her colleagues began doing their own research. They discovered that a common complaint their depressed female clients made in describing their depression was a “loss of self.” Some of them had been for many years silenced by others and some had silenced themselves to keep the peace with family members, bosses and coworkers. Dana Jack explains, “Voice is an indicator of self. Speaking one’s feelings and thoughts is part of creating, maintaining, and recreating one’s authentic self.” To have one’s voice constantly ignored, contradicted, devalued, or suppressed is to find one’s self excluded from important discussions and decisions. We present our ideas and point of view–in fact, one’s very self–through the communication of words. “To be willing to risk arguments . . . one has to believe in the legitimacy of one’s own point of view.”

This is what I mean by “Esther found her voice”
– she is no longer a stock character (e.g, beauty queen), but becomes a real person
• in that light, consider the irony of the last words we heard her utter,
If I perish, I perish
– her life was not more secure than it before
• but now this was her decision to make (not one that someone else made for her)

After three days of fasting, the critical moment comes

The setting here is more descriptive than we are used to finding in the Hebrew Scriptures
– why does storyteller specify the fact that Esther put on royal robes?
• because this is her unique connection with the king
◦ he is in his royal house, sitting on his royal throne
• and Esther’s royalty sets her apart from everyone else Continue reading →

When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.
Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them. Esther 4:1-4

Intro: One time, when I was still new to ministry

I went with a friend to Lake Nacimiento for weekend of water skiing
– Guy, a talented musician and singer, was in Bible College at the time
• on a lakeside bulletin board,
◦ we saw an announcement for a Sunday morning Protestant service
• we went and there we met a friendly group of people, mostly locals
– eventually a man got up and explained their preacher was in another town
• when he paused, I spoke up, “I can preach”
◦ he looked relieved and said, “Really? Come on up”
• Guy sang while I begged God for something to say
◦ the morning turned out well and the folks there were very grateful

Here’s what I think: your destiny comes to you
– perhaps at first in small and unrecognizable ways
• but it comes every day, and then one day it comes in a big way
◦ then you realize you have stepped into your destiny
– that is one of the potential lessons in today’s scripture

For now, just notice Mordecai’s clothes

We can’t help it, because of their strangeness and the storyteller emphasizes them
– in that time and culture, people wore their grief
• they let their community know their hearts were broken
• in white American culture, we tend to hide our emotions
◦ you may suffer great inner turmoil and no one ever sees it
◦ we pay a price for this silence
– human relationships are designed to:
• relieve heartache and help us regulate our emotions
• that is what we deny ourselves with our stoic silence

“As far as king’s gate” – not because appropriate attire was required
– but so king would not be exposed to human misery
• to hear that “the queen writhed in great anguish” must have sounded absurd at time
◦ no one lived in greater luxury or isolation from anguish
• the royal family was shielded from even the sight poverty or pain
– part of Abraham Lincoln’s appeal was his humble background
• how many politicians today have come up from the working class?
◦ people passing laws with no idea how they affect the avgerage family
◦ their families do not have to live on an average income
• so the king can throw the capital city into confusion and go off to drink
◦ for all its flaws, today’s news media would not tolerate this from a leader

Before Esther knew the nature of the crisis, she writhed
– it was for her cousin and the great misery his behavior indicated
• she had an unbreakable bond with him and with her people
• even in king’s palace, she could not escape those ties

Vv. 5-8, Esther’s and Mordecai’s first communiques

Esther is behaving like a queen, summoning servants and giving orders
– when she sent nice clothes to Mordecai, he refused them
• so she sent a courier to find out the what and the why
• Mordecai returned an explaination with a copy of the edict
– he not only informed her, but he ordered her what she had to do
• this had been nature of their relationship (2:20)
◦ him giving her orders and her giving humble obedience
• meanwhile, she was also giving orders–to Hathach
◦ this bouncing back and forth of commands reveals a change taking shape Continue reading →

Enter the Villain

After these events King Xerxes promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and established his autority over all the princes who were with him. All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage. Esther 3

Intro: As stories go, the Book of Esther is put together really well

In fact, I sometimes get lost in the details of its complex structure
– that is not supposed to happen
• if the story is told well, you get lost in the telling of it
◦ that is because structural elements are doing their job
◦ in creating atmosphere, plot development, building suspense, etc.
• we do not pay attention to how a good story grabs us
◦ we just go along with it
– but sometimes we need to look closely at the literary details
• otherwise we might miss a deeper meaning

What are we tracking in Esther?
– the way God works in a story where he is not mentioned

Notice how key characters are played off of each other

Clear contrasts are drawn between them, roles are reversed, etc.
– I’ve entitled today’s episode: “Enter the Villain”
• Haman is introduced immediately becomes the antagonist
• he is set over against Mordecai, one of the protagonists

After these events is a vague time reference
– biblical stories use this phrase to let us know time has passed
• but without indicating how much time
• in the gap between one scene and the next events happened
◦ but they are not mentioned, because they are not crucial to plot
– in story-time, Haman suddenly appears
• but there must have been a build up that is not reported
◦ there must be a reason why he is given this prestige and power
◦ but we are not told what it was
• how he got there is not important – what matters:
◦ he is there now, and his being there changed things

The next turn in the story brings overwhelming crisis
– that makes these time stamps important
• crises affect how we experience time
◦ in an emergency 1,000 things can occur in nanosecond
◦ grief, however, can make every tick of the clock feel like a lifetime
• it can be helpful for us to notice how time passes in our own lives
◦ and train ourselves to make adjustments
◦ so that we travel with time rather than get run over by it

Vv. 3-4, How are we to understand Mordecai’s (un)civil disobedience?

One colorful possibility is that it reflects a conflict that ran for generations
– before Israel entered promise land, they were attacked by the Amalekites
• God told Moses to keep record of this even
◦ and that he would “blot out” the memory of Amalek (Ex. 17:8-16)
• Later, Israel’s first king was ordered to destroy Amalek (1 Sam. 15:2-3)
◦ but Saul failed by sparing the Amalekite king, “Agag”
◦ some scholars think that Haman “the Agagite” was a descendant of Agag
– we have already observed Mordecai’s sketchy genealogy (Est. 2:5-6)
• he was from the tribe of Benjamin, and a descendant of Shimei and Kish
◦ King Saul was also from Benjamin and the son of Kish (related to a Shimei, 2 Sam. 16:5)
• if we are to conclude that Haman and Mordecai descended from these two kings,
◦ then they brought that ancient feud between Israel and Amalek to Persia
◦ so for both of them, the insult and hostility would be personal (like the Hatfields and McCoys)
– personally I think this is a stretch, but it may be what the storyteller intended Continue reading →

Persia’s New Queen

After these things when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “Let beautiful young virgins be brought for the king. Let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given them. Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly. Esther 2:1-4

Intro: Last week we saw that the message of Esther’s story is:
For such a time a time as this

We were introduced to Xerxes, the king of Persia
– he was a comical character starring in a comical role
• self-indulgent, spoiled, over-protected,
◦ unable to think for himself or make up his own mind
◦ he was easily influenced by others

This word pleased the king and . . . the king did as [his counselor] proposed (Est. 1:21)

• we have just seen this same decision making repeated in verse 4
◦ whatever advice pleased him, that is what he did
– when Queen Vashti refused his command, he became furious
• we will see how, at specific points in story, the plot is turned by anger
◦ here, it was as his anger subsided that the king had a change of heart
◦ I get feeling he regreted losing Vashti
• his attendants picked up on it and were quick to resolve his sadness
◦ earlier, male fear regarding losing control was projected on all women in all the provinces
◦ now a search is made for a new queen in all provinces among all young women
• the criteria for the “contestants”: beautiful, young , virgin
◦ nothing is said about intelligence, talent or creativity

This proposal created a rare opportunity for ordinary families
– queens were usually chosen for political reasons
• to enhance the king’s status, consolidate political power, form an alliance
• so candidates came from a royal line or the aristocracy
– the only concern here is that she please the king
• any woman from any class was eligible if her foot fit the glass slipper

Vv. 5-7, Here we meet Mordecai and Esther

First, we are given their background (we’ll return to this later)
– for now our interest is in the plot’s development
• Mordecai’s ethnicity is specified, “a Jew”
◦ he had taken on the role of a parent for his cousin, Esther
◦ he had filled this role ever since her mom and dad died
• Esther fit the criteria for the royal audition

Vv. 8-9, Right away, Esther was a hit in the palace

In the development of stories, there is often a “helper” who assists the hero
– Hegai is that character in Esther’s story
• that she pleased him means she was off to a good start
• even more important, she found favor in his eyes
◦ this is a special grace that Joseph and Daniel also enjoyed
◦ it turns out to be a critical factor that made promotion possible
– Esther was provided with seven maids–another good sign
• then Hegai moved them to the best place in the harem
• immediately Esther is given unique advantages Continue reading →

The Time of Their Lives

(When introducing the Book of Esther,
I felt it was important to hear it first as a story.
For that reason, I began by reading the first chapter
from the Good News Bible, which begins . . .)

From his royal throne in Persia’s capital city of Susa, King Xerxes ruled 127 provinces, all the way from India to Sudan.
In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and administrators. The armies of Persia and Media were present, as well as the governors and noblemen of the provinces. For six whole months he made a show of the riches of the imperial court with all its splendor and majesty. Esther 1

Intro: Esther is the last of the Hebrew Scriptures’ books of history

In fact, it was possibly the last book to be written prior to the New Testament
– it also belongs to another special category:
• stories that reveal how God’s faithful people live in exile
• as such, Esther shares important features with Joseph (Ge. 37-50) and Daniel
◦ all three characters “found favor” with important people who assisted them
◦ all three experienced radical reversals with those who tried to destroy them
– these three stories also share a similar yet subtle theme
• and that is, the way events unfold is exactly the way life “ought to be”
• in other words, if Yahweh is God over all the earth,
◦ and if his people are faithful to him and do his will,
◦ then they should always win and their enemies should always lose

In spite of these common threads, each story has its own message
– that message is revealed in a defining verse

1. Joseph
   • his survival through his trials is explained by the phrase, The LORD was with Joseph (Ge. 39:2, 21)
   • but the defining verse reveals the truth of his trials is, As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good (Ge. 50 20)
2. Daniel
   • his survival as a faithful Jew is explained by the phrase, Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself (Da. 1:8)
   • but his defining verse explains how he maintained his orientation to God, . . . he had windows open toward Jerusalem . . . and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God (Da. 6:10)

– what is the message of Esther?
• a consensus today is that her story serves to explain the origin of Purim (a Jewish holiday)
◦ but that doesn’t explain how made it into Bible
◦ Esther did not make it into Dead Sea Scrolls
• someone discerned a spiritual message in Esther–a word of God revealed
◦ but that brings us to an unusual feature in this story
◦ God is never mentioned in Esther
(not even a generic reference or by a pagan-friendly term, as in Nehemiah; e.g., the God of heaven, Neh. 1:20)

God is not present in story of Esther

Not as a character on stage who speaks or acts
– not even as someone who is known, but absent or off stage
• we could read Esther as a secular story
◦ where we find fasting without prayer and feasting without praise
• God’s absence was not an oversight
◦ the storyteller had to work at keeping God out
– providence plays such an important role that there would be no story without it
• we could assume it was easy for them to see God’s providence
◦ but the fact is, they could not – the outcome of circumstances was uncertain
• their risks were real and deadly
◦ and God was hidden from the world of sense experience
◦ the same as he is hidden from our daily experience

So what is the message of Esther?

What is the defining verse of her story? Continue reading →

We Become What We Eat

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

Intro: In Acts chapter 2, the Church is a newborn baby

God poured his Spirit into a group of men and women
– followers of Jesus, waiting for this moment,
• though I doubt that they knew what to expect
• it was sudden, loud and supernatural
◦ when they spoke in “tongues,” it was first cry of the baby church
– later in the chapter we get glimpses of the community created by this event

• the apostles’s teaching: the twelve chosen by Jesus to be with him (Mk. 3:13-14)
  ◦ they were now sharing Jesus’ wisdom and insights
• fellowship: Greek, koinonia – shared experience, a shared life
• breaking of bread: – they took meals together (cf. v. 46)
  ◦ the context would also suggest the “sacred meal” (i.e., “Communion”)
• prayer (and praise, v. 47): the heartbeat of their relationship with God

Communion meets essential spiritual needs

I apologize that we don’t celebrate it more often
– I’m not certain how to relate its transcendence and sacredness
• or help you experience its full impact
– it can be so intimate that I have wondered about the best environment
• perhaps it would be our smaller, evening meetings

The Communion ritual serves a specific purpose

It represents a historical event that we were not present to experience
– the night Jesus formed a covenant relationship with his disciples
• in the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel had a way to bridge history
• to connect people to an event that occurred many years later
– the Passover event was re-presented every year, re-lived
• that way, later generations could also experience its life-giving grace
◦ “remember” in scripture is not merely to recall 
◦ it is to bring into awareness, “to be conscious of”
• Communion takes us to the upper room and Jesus’ presence
◦ we become aware of his nearness

What made God’s relationship with Israel wonderful was his covenant
– boiled down to its essence, it was their intimate belonging to God

I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people (Lev. 26:12)

• it seems that Israel consistently missed that part
– the weight of Jesus’ new cov rested entirely on him
• “This is my body,” “This is my blood”
• he was telling his disciples (and us),
“You can live in relationship with my Father because of this”

In times of spiritual awakening, Israel returned to covenant
(there are three examples of this in 2 Chronicles and one in Ezra)
– it was always a sacred and solemn event
• they observed it with absolute seriousness
– what this did for them:
• it corrected a wrong situation and changed their heading
• it returned them to a right relationship with God
• it restored them to God’s favor and God’s favor to them
◦ they could once again enjoy his presence

What is it that we are about to experience?

Looking at the three or four words used of this ritual in the New Testament, it is:

1. Communion with God and each other
   Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor. 10:16-17)
   – we are brought into a union with God, Jesus, and others
   • most everyone who stands out in Christian spirituality
   ◦ had profound experiences of Jesus in Communion
   • they came to depend on it for spiritual vision and renewal
2. The table of the Lord and the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 10:21; 11:20)
   – Jesus sets this table – gives himself to us
   • as we receive the bread and cup he enters us
   • we cannot imagine a more intimate connection
   – but receiving him this way works differently than any other meal we take
   St. Augustine, in his confessions, relates a moment when it was as if he heard God’s voice, “I am the food of the full grown: grow, and you will feed on Me. Nor shall you change Me into your substance as you do the food of your body; but you will be changed into Me.”
3. Eucharist – give thanks (1 Cor. 11:23-26)
   – this turns us in the right direction
   • I was thinking about this Friday morning
   ◦ preparing for Norm’s memorial service
   ◦ he was full of light – he was positive –and thankful
   • in Romans 1, Paul listed some of the evils in human society
   ◦ the roots of the evil that people do are surprising
   For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened (Ro. 1:21)
   ◦ not being thankful is a turn toward evil
   ◦ it darkens the human heart
   – it was customary to give thanks over each meal
   • but Jesus’ giving of thanks is exceptional
   ◦ he did this in a world that rejected him
   • he has given us every reason to give thanks

Conc: What happens now is not just words and motion

A spiritual reality passes through material substance
– the Spirit of Jesus enters us and joins with our spirits

Evelyn Underhill, “Spiritual reality is not, and never can be, cut off from the world of sense: were it so, we could never have guessed its existence. There is at every point and on every level a penetration by God of His world; a truth which underlies the Christian doctrines of the Holy Spirit and the sacraments.”

We are going to do this rather formally (in our informal way)
– so now, take a breath
– prepare yourself to receive God’s grace