The Glory of the King (Esther 1)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:06.160 If you turn with me to the book of Esther Ester Chapter One, a 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:11.710 very interesting chapter of God's word. Ester chapter one, listen, for this 3 00:00:11.830 --> 00:00:16.550 is the word of the Lord. Now in the days of a Hassaweris, 4 00:00:17.149 --> 00:00:21.500 the Hassawers who reigned from India to Ethiopia, over a hundred and twenty seven 5 00:00:21.539 --> 00:00:25.899 provinces. In those days, when King Assawara sat on his royal throne in 6 00:00:25.980 --> 00:00:29.940 Susa, the citadel, in the third year of his reign, he gave 7 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:34.380 a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and media, 8 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:37.929 and the Nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he 9 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:44.210 showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness 10 00:00:44.689 --> 00:00:50.880 for many days, a hundred and eighty days. And when these days were 11 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:54.840 completed, the king gave for all the people present in Sousa, the citadel, 12 00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:58.439 both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days. In the 13 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:03.280 court of the garden of the King's palace, there were white cotton curtains and 14 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:08.069 violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple and silver to silver rods 15 00:01:08.549 --> 00:01:15.870 and marble pillars and also couches of gold and silver, on a mosaic pavement 16 00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:21.420 of poor fear marble, mother of Pearl and precious stones. Drinks were served 17 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:26.420 in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished 18 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:30.019 a cord into the bounty of the king, and drinking was according to this 19 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:34.569 edict, there is no compulsion, for the king had given orders to all 20 00:01:34.609 --> 00:01:41.609 the staff of his palace to do is each man desired. Queen Vashti also 21 00:01:41.650 --> 00:01:45.689 gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to king a Hassaweris. 22 00:01:46.969 --> 00:01:49.879 On the seventh day when the heart of the king was married with one 23 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:53.799 Zethar Carcass, the seven Eunuchs who served in the presence of King a Hassaweres 24 00:01:55.319 --> 00:01:59.239 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to show 25 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:02.549 the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 26 00:02:04.430 --> 00:02:08.469 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the EUNUCHS. 27 00:02:09.389 --> 00:02:14.509 At this the king became enraged and his anger burned within him. Then 28 00:02:14.550 --> 00:02:17.539 the king said to the Wise Men who knew the times, for this was 29 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:23.979 the king's procedure toward all who were versed in Law and judgment, the men 30 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:30.009 next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Add Matha, tarshish, Mary's Marsenna 31 00:02:30.530 --> 00:02:34.969 and MEMICON, the seven princes of Persia and media, who saw the king's 32 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:38.530 face and sat first in the kingdom. According to the law, what is 33 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:43.650 to be done to Queen Vashti because she has not performed the command of King 34 00:02:43.770 --> 00:02:49.039 Ahassaweres delivered by the Eunuchs? Then, memicon said, in the presence of 35 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:53.080 the king and the officials, not only against the King Has Queen Vashti done 36 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:54.800 wrong, but also against all the officials and all the people who are in 37 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:59.509 all the provinces of King a Hassaweres, for the queen's behavior will be made 38 00:02:59.629 --> 00:03:01.949 known to all women, causing them to look at their husband's with contempt, 39 00:03:02.509 --> 00:03:07.310 since they will say king a Hassaweres commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him 40 00:03:07.669 --> 00:03:13.300 and she did not come. This very day, the noble women of Persia 41 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:16.419 and media, who have heard of the Queen's behavior will say the same to 42 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:21.099 all the king's officials, and they will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 43 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:24.460 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, 44 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:28.610 and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the means, 45 00:03:28.689 --> 00:03:31.210 so that it may not be repealed, that Queen Vashti is never again to 46 00:03:31.289 --> 00:03:36.689 come before king a Hassaweris, and let the king give her royal position to 47 00:03:36.849 --> 00:03:40.560 another who is better than she. So when the decree made by the king 48 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:45.599 is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will 49 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:51.280 give honor to their husband's high and low alike. This advice please the king 50 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:54.560 and the princess. And the king did as memican proposed. He sent letters 51 00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:59.150 to all royal provinces, to every province in his own script, to every 52 00:03:59.189 --> 00:04:01.669 people in his own language, that every man may be master in his own 53 00:04:01.710 --> 00:04:06.629 household and speak according to the language of his people. That's for the reading 54 00:04:06.629 --> 00:04:10.780 of God's word. May he bless it to us. He may be seated. 55 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:15.860 I got a very easy question for you this morning. What is the 56 00:04:15.899 --> 00:04:25.410 Bible about? As easy right? Well, on one hand this answer could 57 00:04:25.410 --> 00:04:30.529 fill libraries, but in another sense we we teach that the answer to this 58 00:04:30.649 --> 00:04:33.490 question. We teach it to our children as soon as they can learn. 59 00:04:35.089 --> 00:04:42.800 The Bible is a revelation of WHO. It's God's revelation. And what does 60 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:48.399 the Bible reveal? It's God's revelation of himself. The Bible tells us about 61 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:55.430 who God is. The Bible tells us about what God has done. It 62 00:04:55.550 --> 00:05:00.589 begins at the beginning of creation and ends in eternity, and at the center 63 00:05:00.670 --> 00:05:02.829 of Scripture, at the heart of the Bible, is the person and work 64 00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:10.019 of Jesus Christ, that in Christ, God himself became man, not only 65 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:15.259 to deliver his word but to deliver himself. And so the Bible's about this 66 00:05:15.379 --> 00:05:24.209 grand story of God's involvement in his creation spanning thousands of years. The events 67 00:05:24.250 --> 00:05:29.170 in these pages describe the God who is our creator, our sustainer, our 68 00:05:29.329 --> 00:05:33.889 redeemer. And therefore we return to the book of Ester. Perhaps it's a 69 00:05:33.889 --> 00:05:42.839 little bit surprising that there's a book in our Bible which never even mentions the 70 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:50.069 name of God, that never mentions the word God. Throughout the book of 71 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:59.189 Esther God is not mentioned, nor is there mention of any worship, nor 72 00:05:59.350 --> 00:06:05.740 is there mention of any prayers or sacrifices to God. On its surface, 73 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:11.980 this book appears to be a thoroughly secular story about Jews living in Persia. 74 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:20.089 And yet, on closer inspection, this book is thoroughly covenantal. That God 75 00:06:20.170 --> 00:06:25.810 is not mentioned does not mean that God is not active, that God has 76 00:06:25.850 --> 00:06:30.649 not seen, does not mean that God is not present in the events of 77 00:06:30.810 --> 00:06:35.439 this book. Now, for some, that that God is seems absent from 78 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:40.600 the narrative is is not that big of a deal, for they would say, 79 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:45.519 the stories ultimately about esther, about her cousin Mordecai, about their courage, 80 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:51.189 about their faithfulness, about their overcoming obstacles. Because God's activity is less 81 00:06:51.189 --> 00:06:56.149 obvious in this book, it becomes that more tempting for us to turn this 82 00:06:56.750 --> 00:07:00.819 book into something of a morality play, well, asking the question do you 83 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:05.899 have do you have the courage of Esther? Do you have the character of 84 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:12.899 Mordecai? But God is not absent from these pages. Rather, we see 85 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:19.449 God's handiwork on every page, though we do not see any grand miracles, 86 00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:25.930 we see God working behind the scenes, directing and orchestrating the salvation of his 87 00:07:26.050 --> 00:07:32.879 people. For in these pages the Israelites face great danger. The Israelites living 88 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:41.279 in Persia faiths danger to their lives, and yet this book demonstrates that God 89 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:51.069 uses ordinary means to protect and to preserve his people. This book starts off 90 00:07:51.110 --> 00:08:00.540 by telling us when these events take place. And let's ask the question why 91 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:03.379 are the Israelites even in Persia to begin with? Because Chapter One, Verse 92 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:07.579 One, tells us where the events here begin, in the days of a 93 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:11.819 Hassawaris, the a Hassawaris, who reigned from India to Ethiopia over a hundred 94 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:16.490 and twenty seven provinces. This story takes place when they Persian empire is at 95 00:08:16.529 --> 00:08:22.410 its heights, from India to Africa, king a Hassawaris rules over it all. 96 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:28.319 The Persian kingdom was was vast, the Persian kingdom was powerful, and 97 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:35.200 this first chapter describes much of the wealth and the splendor of Persia. But 98 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:39.320 what about the nation of Israel? Well, is about a hundred years before 99 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:45.470 the events of this book, that the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem had 100 00:08:45.509 --> 00:08:50.789 been exiled from the land. In this great exile of Judah, God allowed 101 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:56.340 the Babylonians to to enter the land and defeat his people. He allowed the 102 00:08:56.379 --> 00:09:01.019 Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem, to destroy the temple and to take the southern kingdom 103 00:09:01.059 --> 00:09:07.860 captive, carting the Israelites back to Babylon in slavery. And yet the Israelites 104 00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:11.409 were not utterly destroyed. They were removed from the land as a as a 105 00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:16.289 penalty for their continual sin. But the people were not demolished, they were 106 00:09:16.409 --> 00:09:22.649 exiled. And yet, in light of this great judgment, that the Prophets 107 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:28.960 of Israel also promised that they would return after seventy years of exile, the 108 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:33.639 decree went out by the King of Persia that any Israelite was given free passage 109 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:39.710 to return to their land. This previous king also sent the Israelites back with 110 00:09:39.750 --> 00:09:46.190 all the gold for rebuilding the temple. So the book of Ester takes place 111 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:54.340 many years after both the exile and the return from exile. But if these 112 00:09:54.379 --> 00:10:01.659 events take place after the return, why are there still Israelites living in Persia? 113 00:10:05.259 --> 00:10:09.129 It's because these are Israelites who decided to stay behind rather than return to 114 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:18.250 the promised land. They'd become comfortable, comfortable in Persia. As much courage 115 00:10:18.289 --> 00:10:20.600 and and insight as some of the Israelites may display in this story, we 116 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:26.279 need to keep in mind that they are also ignoring God's call to return to 117 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:31.919 the promised land. So much for looking to esther and Mordecai for their exemplary 118 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:37.190 lives. And though God is not mentioned, this book reveals that there will 119 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:39.830 be a plot to destroy the Jews. And though God seems hidden, he 120 00:10:39.950 --> 00:10:48.110 is still active, preserving his people and preserving his promise. Now, the 121 00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:54.059 life of Israelites living in a foreign land, living in Babylon, living in 122 00:10:54.460 --> 00:11:01.980 Persia, the life of an Israelite in exile is a tricky existence, and 123 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:09.289 the scriptures describe it almost as a as a paradoxical existence, for Jeremiah instructs 124 00:11:09.330 --> 00:11:11.970 those who go off into exile with this instruction. He tells them. Thus, 125 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:15.970 says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the 126 00:11:16.049 --> 00:11:20.639 exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses, 127 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:24.159 he says, live in them, plant gardens, eat their produce, take 128 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:28.639 wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your 129 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:31.320 daughters in marriage that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there and do 130 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:37.070 not decrease, but seek the wealth fare of the city where I have sent 131 00:11:37.190 --> 00:11:41.909 you into exile. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its 132 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:48.580 welfare you will find your welfare. De Find that as odd behavior for prisoners 133 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:58.259 of war. Serve your captors, seek their welfare, seek the peace of 134 00:11:58.379 --> 00:12:05.529 the city, serve these pagan kings, seek the prosperity of these unbelievers. 135 00:12:07.409 --> 00:12:13.649 And yet God says that in its welfare you will find your welfare. These 136 00:12:13.690 --> 00:12:16.240 Israelites that are called to be good and fruitful citizens of the nations that have 137 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:20.639 taken them captive. And yet the other side of the coin says they're not 138 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:26.279 to lose their identity, they're not to become Babylonians or become Persians. The 139 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:31.789 Israelites are still called to remain distinct. They were never allowed to worship according 140 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:37.070 to the nations. They were still under God's law, and it's their citizenship 141 00:12:37.070 --> 00:12:43.950 in God's land which which colors their hope, which colors their identity. So 142 00:12:43.029 --> 00:12:48.299 they were called to be these dual citizens, serving faithfully their labors for the 143 00:12:48.379 --> 00:12:54.620 kingdom, all while longing for their true home. The Israelites, and Ester's 144 00:12:54.659 --> 00:13:00.730 time, are staying in Persia after the exile is over, and so you 145 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:05.009 kind of have to ask the question. Well, why? It seems as 146 00:13:05.049 --> 00:13:13.080 though they favor service to this Kingdom of Persia above above their true calling, 147 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:18.240 above their true citizenship. They're preferring the comforts of Persia to the to the 148 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:24.320 blessings of the promised land, and this choice will endanger their lives. But 149 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:31.830 God is faithful even when his people are not. And yet what we just 150 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:39.590 read from chapter one of this incredible book doesn't mention any Israelite, does it? 151 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:46.139 Rather than beginning this book by telling us about these Israelites in Persia, 152 00:13:46.179 --> 00:13:50.379 the the Holy Spirit begins this story by telling us about the king. There 153 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:54.179 are no Israelites mentioned in this entire chapter. It seems as if we're given 154 00:13:54.220 --> 00:13:58.570 a page out of a out of a pagan book. There's no mention of 155 00:13:58.649 --> 00:14:03.210 God, there's no mention of God's people. The events here take place in 156 00:14:03.250 --> 00:14:09.769 a in a Pagan Palace. We're simply told of a party. And yet 157 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.960 that word party doesn't seem to fit, does it? It doesn't give weight 158 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:20.679 to what is occurring here in these pages. This is a truly decadent sort 159 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:28.029 of banquet. A hundred and eighty days, a hundred eighty days of feasting 160 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:33.230 for his chief officers from throughout the land. Think for a minute of how 161 00:14:33.470 --> 00:14:39.580 much food that is. Think of the wealth it would take to to throw 162 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:50.620 such a massive Shindig. Right. This wealth is the reason for this party 163 00:14:50.740 --> 00:14:54.049 because in verse Wor it says he showed his riches, of his royal glory 164 00:14:54.169 --> 00:15:01.970 and splendor and pomp, of his greatness for many days. And so do 165 00:15:03.049 --> 00:15:05.570 you see how fitting it is that, in contrast to the pomp and to 166 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:11.440 the splendor of this king, the book of Ester is ultimately about the work 167 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:18.000 of the true King of all creation. But our true king is hidden, 168 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:26.830 he's ordering what will happen without direct involvement. And so when light of a 169 00:15:26.870 --> 00:15:33.509 Hassu Aires is visible pomp and the light of his visible glory, the one 170 00:15:33.549 --> 00:15:39.059 who is most glorious remains in the shadows. For our God does not need 171 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:46.860 to make an appearance to show the foolishness of this king. From the one 172 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:50.330 hand, where you kind of have to marvel at the wealth this person has 173 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:56.049 to throw such a banquet, we're to marvel at his ECADENCE, but on 174 00:15:56.090 --> 00:16:00.929 the other hand we're also to kind of disdain it. Doesn't that seem excessive? 175 00:16:03.210 --> 00:16:10.600 Doesn't that just seem wasteful and useless? where the king is flaunting his 176 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:18.590 power and might, with with marvelous items, golden couches. Really, he 177 00:16:18.669 --> 00:16:23.190 actually isn't producing astonishment in US and and wonder. Rather, we hear this 178 00:16:23.429 --> 00:16:27.950 display and we left shaking our heads, saying who does this guy think he 179 00:16:29.070 --> 00:16:33.620 is? Just look at the excessiveness of this party. A hundred and eighty 180 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:38.299 days of feasting for his chiefs, for his princes, all throughout the territory. 181 00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:48.929 Six months. That's six months of celebrations. That's ridiculous, even if 182 00:16:48.929 --> 00:16:56.250 it sounds impressive, because where's the wisdom behind such a meal? WHO's left 183 00:16:56.289 --> 00:17:04.079 running this enormous and powerful kingdom if for six months everyone is here feasting and 184 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:10.559 just partying? I mean, the wastefulness is is mindboggling. Such a celebration 185 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:15.470 seems completely unnecessary. And speaking of unnecessary, look at the way the drinking 186 00:17:15.509 --> 00:17:21.509 is described in this palace and how it's to take place at this party. 187 00:17:22.789 --> 00:17:26.269 In Verse Eight. Drinking was according to this edict, there is no compulsion, 188 00:17:27.269 --> 00:17:30.619 for the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to 189 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:40.980 do as each man desired. Does that sound bizarre? Think about how ridiculous 190 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:49.529 this sounds. The king made an edict, he made a law. The 191 00:17:49.569 --> 00:17:55.410 king made a law. That sounds contradictory. The official edict, the official 192 00:17:55.609 --> 00:18:02.559 law from the king. The official rule is there are no rules. The 193 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:04.839 only rule is there are no rules. So is that a rule or is 194 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:10.599 that not a rule? And then look at where this story ends. The 195 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:14.789 king wants to show off one final time. On the last day of his 196 00:18:14.950 --> 00:18:18.349 banquet. He calls his wife, Queen Vashti, to make an appearance to 197 00:18:18.509 --> 00:18:25.990 show off her beauty, to who, to a room full of drunken partiers, 198 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:30.220 like a golden couch, like a like a marble pillar. Her beauty 199 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:36.180 is just supposed to make him look good. He wants the glory, so 200 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:41.569 he tries to parade his wife before this drunken mess and this party, which 201 00:18:41.609 --> 00:18:45.690 was intended to show the king's splendor, to show his wealth and his glory, 202 00:18:45.849 --> 00:18:55.049 instead reveals the King's utter foolishness. And this foolishness is so wonderfully displayed 203 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:07.319 when his wife simply says No. With this simple refusal, the whole parties 204 00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:14.390 comes crashing to a halt. What was to be the king's crowning achievement has 205 00:19:14.430 --> 00:19:19.109 become his most embarrassing moment. All his authority all his wealth, all his 206 00:19:19.269 --> 00:19:26.700 splendor, comes crashing to a standstill by the simple refusal, the simple refusal 207 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:32.779 to follow the king's command. All the sights and smells of wealth and power, 208 00:19:33.539 --> 00:19:41.690 and yet his commands could still be refused. And I find it humorous. 209 00:19:41.769 --> 00:19:45.769 How how baffling this is to the king. He doesn't know what to 210 00:19:45.809 --> 00:19:49.970 do, does he? He calls in his legal advisors for how to handle 211 00:19:51.569 --> 00:19:56.119 this family dispute. What do you call this? He calls a bunch of 212 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:02.680 lawyers because his wife doesn't want to degrade herself. And what did these wise 213 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:11.710 counselors decide? Did they say, apologize to her immediately, you drunken befoot? 214 00:20:11.789 --> 00:20:18.109 No, they decide to make a law right, because she refused to 215 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:27.859 appear before him, he banishes her from ever appearing before him. I think 216 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:33.380 schools still kind of do something similar. Right, if you're, say, 217 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:37.329 a student, ditches so many days in a row, the consequences youll you're 218 00:20:37.369 --> 00:20:41.809 suspended, you have to stay home now. So is that really effective? 219 00:20:44.650 --> 00:20:48.130 But we can tell what the king and his advisers were really worried about. 220 00:20:48.410 --> 00:20:52.200 That word of this refusal would get out, that word of this refusal would 221 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:56.519 spread throughout the kingdom and that women would no longer listen to their husbands at 222 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:00.359 all. And so the king makes a law, another law. He sends 223 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:04.430 it to all the provinces. Women are commanded to give honor to their husbands 224 00:21:04.950 --> 00:21:10.750 and men are to be masters in their household. But you see how awesome 225 00:21:10.829 --> 00:21:17.069 this is that, rather than covering up Vashti's refusal, rather than hide this 226 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:22.339 embarrassment and letting gossip sort of spread through the kingdom about what whispers of what 227 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:27.779 Vashti had done, now who is bringing this message to all the provinces? 228 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:37.970 Royal Messengers our being dispatched to all the king's provinces, carrying the news of 229 00:21:37.170 --> 00:21:42.609 this law. Surely they all know why this law was being written. It 230 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:48.960 was meant to inspire respect for a Hasweris, and yet it's actually having the 231 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:56.519 opposite effect. If he was afraid that the story would spread, now it's 232 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:00.079 his own edict which has done the best to ensure that everyone would hear this 233 00:22:00.470 --> 00:22:08.470 story. He's making foolish decision after foolish decision here, and with these foolishness, 234 00:22:08.630 --> 00:22:14.390 with this foolishness, we can see the work of the true king behind 235 00:22:14.430 --> 00:22:18.940 the scenes in this act. God is already at work to put a deliverer 236 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:26.619 in place before even the threat of an attack comes. God's plan is already 237 00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:30.450 an action in the courts of this pagan ruler, where no Israelite is to 238 00:22:30.529 --> 00:22:37.730 be found. God is bringing about his means of deliverance, because the foolishness 239 00:22:37.769 --> 00:22:44.130 of the counselor sets up the means of Israel deliverance in Verse Nineteen. Let 240 00:22:44.210 --> 00:22:52.000 the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. In 241 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:55.920 their rejection of Queen Vashti, they are opening the door for a queen, 242 00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:03.950 one better than Vashti. How true that is, because if Vashti could resist 243 00:23:03.509 --> 00:23:10.990 the law of the king, you feel the anticipation and what a better queen 244 00:23:11.029 --> 00:23:15.180 will be able to do. Later on, the book introduces you to Esther, 245 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:21.339 who will sway the edicts of this foolish king for the salvation of Israel. 246 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:27.250 And so already in this chapter we're being called to look, to look 247 00:23:27.289 --> 00:23:33.329 at the power of this world, look at the power and riches and splendor 248 00:23:33.450 --> 00:23:38.250 that this world has to offer, look at the authority that this world can 249 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:44.839 marshal at its command. And while it looks royal, while it looks glamorous, 250 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:49.359 while rulers can create laws, both good and bad. While rulers can 251 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:56.670 create laws and enforce them strictly or loosely, at the end of the day, 252 00:23:56.670 --> 00:24:00.910 all the heights, all the splendor that this world has to offer can 253 00:24:02.069 --> 00:24:07.950 still be shaken. The king over the most powerful nation in the world is 254 00:24:08.230 --> 00:24:17.380 thwarted in this chapter, not by enemies, not by outsiders, but by 255 00:24:17.420 --> 00:24:26.009 a simple refusal from within his own house. He's confounded by something as simple 256 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:33.289 as disobedience, and we're shown how the world responds to this kind of disappointment. 257 00:24:33.890 --> 00:24:41.240 What is this king's response to not getting what he wants? More laws, 258 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:45.920 and the king issues these laws, which are self seeking, laws which 259 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:52.109 try to save face, and I hope we can take comfort from this that 260 00:24:52.230 --> 00:25:00.789 that is the extent of this world's power. The Kingdoms of this world can 261 00:25:02.069 --> 00:25:07.900 exercise justice in need. God established as these kingdoms for this purpose. But 262 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:12.099 even when ruled by tyrants, even when ruled by unjust men who can be 263 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:19.819 capable of horrible things, their power is inherently limited. They can create laws, 264 00:25:22.049 --> 00:25:27.450 but that's what they cannot create obedience. They can punish law breakers, 265 00:25:29.609 --> 00:25:36.240 but they cannot create law keepers. Their ultimate and final power is the power 266 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:40.119 of the sword. For they can kill the body, but that's all, 267 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:45.720 and as terrifying as that is, that's all they can do. As Christ 268 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:52.390 himself says, do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the 269 00:25:52.589 --> 00:26:00.069 soul. For our lives as piligrims can be frightening, whether we're ruled by 270 00:26:00.109 --> 00:26:03.579 tyrants or by bureaucracies. Our temptation is to think of these power hours as 271 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:10.339 being ultimate. Our temptation is to place our hope and to place all significance 272 00:26:11.180 --> 00:26:15.420 in what the kings of this world are doing. But the Apostle Peter calls 273 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:22.650 the church elect exiles, and our life as exiles is to be lived in 274 00:26:22.890 --> 00:26:29.849 great expectation, not for an earthly kingdom which will bring Earth to heaven, 275 00:26:30.809 --> 00:26:33.359 but to await the rival, of the arrival of the new heavens and the 276 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:40.279 new earth, for this is where our citizenship may be found, and we 277 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:45.559 can know for certain that this is our true citizenship because of what Christ, 278 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:52.390 our true king, has already accomplished for us. The King of all the 279 00:26:52.670 --> 00:26:59.150 world came not to show off his royal power or to show off his splendor, 280 00:27:00.430 --> 00:27:07.500 but to humble himself to become a servant? And for what purpose? 281 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:17.369 To bring a new law? Would more laws stop our rebellious hearts? As 282 00:27:17.410 --> 00:27:21.809 Paul says in Sent Corinthians, verse Chapter Five. For our sake, he 283 00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:23.650 made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him 284 00:27:23.690 --> 00:27:30.119 we might become the righteousness of God. For you see, Christ as on 285 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:37.759 what all the kingdoms of this world could never do. He created law keepers, 286 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:45.950 not by bringing a new law, but by obeying the law himself and 287 00:27:45.109 --> 00:27:52.670 gifting us with his own righteousness. He kept the law perfectly on your behalf, 288 00:27:52.710 --> 00:28:00.180 to forgive your sins, to declare you righteous, and in accomplishing this 289 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:03.819 great work for you, he has made you as citizen not only of this 290 00:28:03.980 --> 00:28:07.819 world but of the world that is to come. His life, his death, 291 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:15.769 his resurrection has secured a true citizenship in a kingdom where he is king 292 00:28:17.410 --> 00:28:21.690 and he is the king who serves his people, who blesses us with all 293 00:28:21.769 --> 00:28:26.799 spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Therefore, if you read through the book 294 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:33.920 of Esther, I hope you're encouraged. I hope and I trust that you 295 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:40.599 see here and in your own lives, the invisible work of your almighty God. 296 00:28:41.789 --> 00:28:45.789 Know that he will not be thwarted by the foolishness of a king like 297 00:28:45.910 --> 00:28:52.670 a Hassoires, he will not be assaulted by the hatred of a scheming enemy 298 00:28:53.470 --> 00:28:59.019 and he will not be stopped by any of the foolish and vile kingdoms still 299 00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:06.059 ruling this world. Therefore, when this world threatens, when this world shakes, 300 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:15.970 take comfort that you are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and that 301 00:29:15.170 --> 00:29:25.160 God will use a mundane, the ordinary, the regular provinces of this life 302 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:32.759 to do an amazing work in you and through you. Look what God has 303 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:40.470 already done for you through ordinary people. He has an amazing Gospel to proclaim 304 00:29:40.549 --> 00:29:48.509 to you. He's given you an amazing body that looks ordinary, that looks 305 00:29:48.549 --> 00:29:56.180 regular, and yet God is at work using even simple things like water, 306 00:29:57.099 --> 00:30:08.410 bread, Cup to declare true life, to declare his kingdom and to bring 307 00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:15.609 it about here and now, because your life does not belong to this kingdom. 308 00:30:15.930 --> 00:30:23.400 Your Life is hidden with Christ, in God. Amen, let's pray