March 13th, 2022 SUNDAY MESSAGE
JOIN US AT 10 AM TODAY!
Transcription Notes:
PURIM commemorates the biblical story captured in the book of Esther. It’s the moment when the Jews were saved from persecution during the time of the Persian Empire.
Today, the celebration of Purim is comparable to Halloween or carnival for Jewish people.
There are costumes and cookies.
The reading of the story is brought to life as people re-enact moments and cheer the heroes or boo for the villains.
The story is noted for its depiction of strong females.
Specifically, TWO queens who resist a buffoon-like but very dangerous king. Through great courage, Esther takes advantage of the moment that God has ordained to rescue the lives of many people.
We aren’t as familiar as the Jews with this book because it doesn’t have the same prominence in the Christian faith
we did do a series on the book a couple years ago and spect 5 or 6 weeks on it) but
today we are going to take on an OVERVIEW of the story and look for attributes that empower her moment of Righteous Resistance.
This is where I want us to open our Bibles to Esther 1:10-18.
Taking place after the Babylonian captivity that we call the Exile, the Persian King, Xerxes, decides to throw a party to put on display all of his wealth and splendor. It’s a 180 day party and it’s opulent!!
The palace is decorated with gold and expensive tapestries are on display.
The wine is flowing, it says, “in keeping with the king’s liberality.”
AND, in the midst of a drunken decision, THIS idea comes to the Kings…
Esther 1:10-18
10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— 11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.
Two ideas on the CROWN. Exemplify her royal status? OR wearing a crown only? Either way it’s a purely objectifying moment.
Let's continue in verse 12…
12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti REFUSED to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.
13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14 and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.
15 “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”
16 Then Memukan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ 18 This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.
There is more here than a perceived correction on behalf of the king but an assault on women as a whole because…
Vashti’s refusal is interpreted as an coup which could lead to all women joining in an the upheaval of our Kingdom THEN…
The king includes a further decree that, “that every man should be master over his own household”
It’s interesting that the great fear for these men is that the women may no longer be obedient and social discord will ensue.
It sounds exaggerative but I’ve actually heard this argument from more restrictive viewpoints like complementarianists about egalitarian churches!
The idea that, if we don’t FIRMLY establish patriarchal authority in society, families and the social landscape is in danger.
With it comes this idea that If you allow women to have too many opinions in the home or too much power in the church
HERE, the right of refusal in uncomfortable and even dangerous situations…
it may all come crashing to the ground!
This idea is, in my opinion, an attempt to utilize fearmongering and sensationalized conclusions to restrict women and hold onto power.
These men make a decision that reveals their hand…when I read this I see evidence of fear and a relentless demonic force called patriarchy that has historically bent towards the subjugation of women.
DON’T BUY IT and don’t participate in it.
In fact, FIGHT it and invite the voices of women to speak into the highest levels of authority.
Queen Vashti is something of a mixed figure in faith communities. There is even a telling of this story where she gets leprosy and grows a tail!
But, more recently, we see honor and respect put on Vashti.
“As early as the 19th century, her resistance to her husband’s wish to use her as a sex object made her an icon for early feminists. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote in 1878 that Vashti’s decision was a “first stand for woman’s rights” and that “we shall stand amazed that there was a woman found at the head of the Persian empire that dared to disobey the command even of a drunken monarch.” About 20 years later, the Woman’s Bible commentary put together by suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton called Vashti “a sublime representative of…womanhood” who rises “to the heights of self-consciousness and of self-respect.”
In contrast to the fearful decision of the men, the Queen was courageous in her resistance and she endured the consequences of those in authority and she is deposed of her throne (some interpret this is exile and others as execution).
I love the way one interpreter honored vashti as an educator! <paraphrase> She sacrificed her crown or even her life so that, through trial and error, a future queen could learn from her attempt and adjust strategies for a future generation's victory. In her refusal, she paved the way for the next queen to try a different route and become successful...which is exactly what happens.
Moving Forward…Vashti’s situation sets up for the readers that there are severe consequences for those who cross the king…so, when Esther comes onto the scene, we realize the threat is real and, if she makes the wrong move, Xerxes will likely deal with her in a similar way!
In order to replace queen Vashti, Xerxes decides to set up the biggest bachelor season the kingdom has EVER SEEN!!
It’s a beauty pageant BUT it’s more than that -
it is also entrance into a kind of HAREM with training and testing of sexual capabilities AND
A young girl who was orphaned but taken in my Mordecai is entered INTO it…her name is Hadassah or Esther!
Now, again, there are two views that tend to surface here:
One, is that Esther engages in some pretty sketchy actions in order to gain this position, after all, it is a pleasure contest wherein you have one night with the king.
Second is that Esther diverged from the more lewd expectations of the King and, instead, entertained him with her intellect, wisdom, and by telling him stories.
If it is true that Esther utilized the typical parameters of the contest to gain her position, I believe we need to consider two thoughts: Redemption and Survival.
Redemption - Esther’s story eventually positions her to accomplish the will of God and He used her! A story of redemption is told despite her history.
So, I think we need to consider that, if we are honest, many of us have done sketchy things, made bad decisions and we take comfort in knowing that God can still use us! That’s redemption, now survival…
Survival - by this I mean that, to be a woman in this kind of patriarchal society is to be a survivalist!
You must exist in a context where you are forced to make compromises and negotiate horrific situations in order to maintain your life and those you love…after all, she saw what happened to the queen!
So, the application is that we should take this into consideration and have grace as we read it
AND make changes in our day so that women are not in positions where this seems like the best way to make it in the world.
Though we don’t know which one is accurate of the two, and there is evidence to support BOTH ideas, by and large, the second narrative is the one that embraced amongst both Christians and Jews.
After entering into the contest, Esther is accepted into the king's Harem where she gains more and more favor. Esther 2:15b-18 says…
“…Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.”
Directly following this, Esther is given information by her adopted uncle Mordecai who just happens to hear about an assassination attempt on the King which they are able to stop and Esther and Mordechai gain even more favor!!
This next section is where the plot REALLY thickens! While Esther is brought into a unique role of authority she will be put into a situation that will test her resolve and courage.
Enter into the scene a guy by the name of Haman (this is where people would BOO!!), who is a prototypical villain.
He HATES Mordecai for not bowing down to him and all the Jews by extension.
In his contempt, Haman finds a way to get the King to make a law to destroy ALL of the Jewish people.
SO, Mordecai asks Esther to go before the King and beg him to let the jews live but the problem is, even the queen can’t just approach the King whenever she has a request! In chapter 4 verse 11 Esther explains…
11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
Note that Esther, INITIALLY says no to the request so Mordecai appeals to her in a different way.
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
It’s possible that Esther, who is now in a position of power and relative safety, could IGNORE the whole thing and, as much as she hates that her kinsmen are in danger, she MIGHT live…
but there is something hidden in the way that Mordecai writes that helps convince Esther to take action.
Rabbi Fohrman says in v14 that Mordechai uses a phrase VERBATIM quoting another verse in the book of Numbers which essentially infers this:
“you can do something or you can do nothing and you may live…it’s not a 100% guarantee BUT you can be sure that by remaining silent, you are complicit in their deaths, you can be SURE that you are condoning the injustice which is as bad as doing it yourself!! This is a great rule for any person in authority to consider.
This is THE key line in the book: “who knows… maybe you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
That last bit of speculation from Mordecai has become the paramount line from the entire book!!
“For such a time as this” is an affirmation of
God’s sovereign hand though He is never mentioned,
God’s desire to position and use leaders, and
an encouragement to us today that we would know God can use US, in HIS timing, to accomplish HIS will…even GREAT things!!
Perhaps to intervene on the mass death of a community.
In this moment, we are supposed to be on edge.
When you’re watching a movie and the protagonist is doubting themselves, lost hope, or thinks they can’t win and
we are all “is she gonna do it, is she not going to do it? WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN?!” THIS is what Esther does with Mord’s response - Verse 15....
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
This is like that point in a movie when the crowd gets energized. She’s going for it! The bass drop happens and music starts…here we goooo!!
Chapter 5 says THIS:
5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”
…and the CROWD GOES wild!!
It worked! The king just gave her the green light to ask for ANYTHING up to half the kingdom!!
Everyone is saved and the story ends happily ever after…right?
Wait, there are FIVE MORE Chapters. What happened?
4 “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”
INSTEAD of just asking for an immediate solution, Esther moves forward with a more complicated game of chess. This move has dumbfounded theologians, teachers, rabbis, and scholars for years.
I am not going to read it to you but I DO recommend you read it in the next week because. Esther is so wise and so shrewd and her strategic brilliance, she creates an a set of circumstances that plays out ironically to cover more ground than just the salvation of Jews:
The pride of rulers is exposed and works against them.
the villains indict themselves
The kings tendency towards jealousy, pride, and anger is leveraged for the benefit of Esther’s plan.
Gods intervention helps move the story along
What happens, over the next couple chapters, is a complicated drama that poetically unfolds in an set of evenly balanced circumstances which accomplishes MORE than just the salvation of the Jews but an ironic reversal of all the offenses and thoroughly complete sense of settled retributive justice.
You have a hero in Esther who is worthy of admiration and inspiration no matter who you are! She was given a platform of authority to help and she acted courageous with it in a pivotal moment and it turns out for her good and the good of her people.
Perhaps you identify with her story and situation and you have authority and position and power.
Esther is an encourager in your corner telling you to take the risk and cast your lot with God. Even if it costs you something, be courageous and stand up, speak out, and stick up for those who cannot speak for themselves. This is something of a theme for this WHOOOLE series, right?
Maybe you identify with Esther because you’ve done it! You recognized your “such a time as this” moment, you took heart in a given situation and it worked out for your good and the good of others. May your example be added to Esther's as an inspiration for us all!!
Although, perhaps you identify with Vashti and you stood your ground, spoke up, or refused to compromise and the right thing did not happen. It’s even possible that you did the heart work and you were righteous and you were resistant BUT, you saw defeat personally and, maybe even the defeat of others for whom you tried to engage.
Listen, God uses everything!
To you I also want to say thank you for doing the right thing even if nobody else saw you working for the kingdom of God without recognition.
Keep it up, do not weary in doing good but KEEP MOVING in righteous resistance.
We don’t know the fullness of our circumstances but we DO know the God we serve and that through one means or another, he is working all circumstances together for the redemption of the world!!
Whether we see the fruit for ourselves or we are a part of a greater story paving the way for a future victory, if we are in the will of God, we know that we contribute to the ultimate victory found in Christ Jesus.
COMMUNION:
(1 COR. 11:23B-26)
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
We are hosting prayer team meetings for both the congregation at large and individuals to sign up for individual prayer.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WORSHIP:
“Praise & Worship” Spotify playlist and “Praise & Worship” YouTube playlist (slightly different from each other), both of diverse music that are being constantly updated!
Bethel Music :
Bethel Music’s hours of live music YouTube Playlist, also being constantly updated
Bethel provides chords to most (if not all) of their songs here (just have to register email, but free!)
Live worship moments from the Upper Room YouTube Playlist
Journal writing! (I’m a writer too, so sometimes creative writing and writing my thoughts to God is my form of worship.)
Declare and worship with truth by singing and praying scriptures.
WORSHIP NIGHT! Dedicate a night to worship with friends and family, your house church or neighbors, those who need prayer, love worship, or just enjoy music through a video chat platform like Zoom. You can have one person leading at a time (switching off to whoever else wants to lead) while others sing along, pray, or prophesy, etc.
Serving your community, both online, in person, or both, is a great way to worship God, from spreading encouragement and God’s Word online to physically serving food to others. If you are able to go out and serve, click here for opportunities.
COMMISSIONING:
As Jesus said in John 20:21,
"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Go, be the Church!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.