Esther and Mordecai - 230412

SPEAKER A Hello. I'm Blair Lemke. Welcome to let God speak. One of the most inspiring accounts of cross cultural ministry in the Bible can be found in the book of Esther. Esther, as a queen in a foreign country, was able to play a major part in biblical history. In its own unique way, this story shows how God's people, even in foreign environments, can witness for truth. Our Bible study today will reveal this. On our panel today we have Kate Simpson and Uriah St Juste. Welcome. SPEAKER B Thank you. SPEAKER A Good to be here, as always. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for the opportunity that we have to study your word today. We ask that you would send your Holy spirit to lead us into truth. And this is our prayer. In Jesus name. Amen. SPEAKER B Amen. SPEAKER A Well, to set the scene for our study today, we're looking at the book of Esther. But of course, we find in the book of Esther God's people in captivity under the nation of Persia after the babylonian captivity. And I want to ask you, Uriah, how exactly did God's people end up in captivity in the first place? SPEAKER C Well, the book of Daniel gives us a bit of insight into the history of how this came to be. And I'm reading from Daniel, chapter one, verse one to four, where it says, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the hand and the land, sorry, of Shinah, to the house of his God. And he brought the articles into the treasure house of his God. Then the king instructed Aspinaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants, and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but looking good looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. So interesting here it says that God gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. So this was God's will that they enter captivity. And the reason was, because of their disobedience, they had descended into idolatry and Sabbath breaking. And God had prophesied through the prophet Jeremiah that they would be in captivity for 70 years as a result of their disobedience. SPEAKER A Wow. I can't imagine it would have been easy for God's people to be faithful during a time when they're in a nation that was so opposed to the ways of God and trying to assimilate them into the culture, the godless culture that they were in. How exactly did God's people respond to this situation, Kate? SPEAKER B Like, no doubt some would have compromised their beliefs because it would be kind of easy in that situation where you have the whole culture against you. But some were determined to remain faithful and some did. And the whole book of Daniel, which we were just in. There's some examples here of Daniel and his three friends. As you go through the book, we see the king's feast, how they were tempted to eat the wrong thing, but they stood for what was true. They remained faithful. There was a situation where they were called to bow down to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, but they remained faithful and they stood for God. And then there was Daniel in the lion's den, where he also didn't compromise on his beliefs, even though it looked like he was about to lose his whole life for that. And so just a point that really stood out at the beginning of this is that you might think that favourable environments would be easier to remain faithful to God. But this whole story is like an example of it comes down to a heart decision, and when you decide to stand for God, it's a heart decision and it doesn't really matter what happens in your life. SPEAKER A Yeah, there's absolutely some inspiring accounts there in the book of Daniel, one of my favourite books of the Bible to study. But what do these accounts tell us about what it's like for the challenges that God's people face in environments like this? Uriah. SPEAKER C So God's people, especially in the last days, could face tremendous pressure, cultural pressures where society shifts and changes and things that are against God's laws become the norm in society. And even the laws of the land can actually put pressure on God's people in terms of their freedom to worship God. But the story of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego teach us that when God's people stand up and they resist the cultural pressures that are against his will and even the laws of the land, there is a powerful opportunity to witness. Because in the story of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, through their witness and their standing up, they were able to convert even the king himself, Nebuchadnezzar, and he, in turn, influenced the whole nation to follow God. So these are powerful stories for us in these last days that we live in. SPEAKER A Yeah. Wow. Some powerful lessons. Absolutely. Of course, eventually, Babylon falls and Medo, Persia comes into power and many of the Jews return back to Jerusalem, back to their homeland. But not all returned, and some remained where they were, where they'd been living for. For a generation or more. And this is where we find them, living under the rule of the Persians and leads us to our story in Esther today. And so, Uriah, again, I want to ask you, what situation do we see unfolding in the opening chapter of Esther as we now turn our attention there? SPEAKER C So I'm just jumping in a little bit. God has a young lady by the name of Esther who eventually becomes queen. But at this time, in the opening chapter of Esther, she's not queen. And I'll read chapter one, verse one to four. And it says, now, it came to pass in the days of Ahass. This was the Ahas who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. In those days when King Ahazaris sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan, the citadel, that in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his officials and servants, powers of persian media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces being before him, when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendour of his excellent majesty for many days, 180 days in all. That's a long time. So he throws this feast, invites all of the rulers of his empire to feast before him when he can display the vastness and the glory and the riches of his kingdom. And just moving on, in the same chapter, verse ten to twelve, it says, on the 7th day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mihumam, Bista, Horbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zetha and carcass, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Azeris, to bring queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful. But queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command, brought by his eunuchs. Therefore, the king was furious and his anger burned within him. So Vashti, the queen, she falls out in favour with the king, refusing to appear before him, which eventually leads the way for the king to find a new. SPEAKER A Yes, yes, and that's exactly the point. It's in this context that we find Esther and Mordecai first introduced in the account and so, Kate, I want to ask you, what do we learn about Mordecai immediately after this situation? SPEAKER B Yeah. So we'll turn over to chapter two in Esther, and I'll read verse five and six, and then 21 as well. Five and six, say. Now, in Shusha, in the palace, there was a certain jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jaya, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a benjamite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity, which had been carried away with Jekaniah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away. And we'll just read verse 21 as well for a little more history on what Mordecai did. It says, in those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, big than and tiresh of those which kept the door, were wrothed and sought to lay hand on King Hazu Eris. So what we get from this is we learn that Mordecai was a jew. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, and his great grandfather Kish had been taken away, captive of Nebuchadnezzar. And that's what we were talking about before in Daniel. And so Mordecai here, he's living in Shushan, the palace. He worked at the palace as a royal gate. So he obviously was very familiar with persian culture and things. He's very involved in this scenario. SPEAKER A Absolutely. He's working in the king's palace. He's involved in the culture. He's in a foreign culture, but he's serving a foreign government. It's in this context that we find him in the book of Esther. How do we see Esther introduced in the account here? You're right. SPEAKER C So in chapter two of the Book of Esther, verse seven to nine, it says, and Mordecai had brought up Hadassa, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. So it was when the king's command and decree were heard and when many young women were gathered at Shushan, the citadel, under the custody of Hagai, that Esther also was taken to the king's palace into the care of Hagai, the custodian of the women. Now, the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favour, so he readily gave beauty preparations to her. Besides her allowance, the seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women. So, obviously, here is Esther growing up as an orphan, adopted by her cousin Mordecai. And God positions her. God turns her bad situation into a very favourable position because he has a plan and she is very beautiful and she catches the eye of the king. SPEAKER A Yeah, very interesting. And there's quite an interesting detail that the book of Esther records here that I want to highlight for us at this time. In verse ten of chapter two, it says, Esther had not revealed her people or her family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. She was told not to share her cultural heritage, that she was a jew. Right. And in verse 20, we read as well. Now, Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her. For Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai, as when she had been brought up by him. So we see something very interesting taking place. There's Esther in a foreign culture, but she hasn't revealed her identity as a jew. And I want to ask this question, Kate, what's going on here? Why would Mordecai give her a command like this? SPEAKER B Yeah, so, as you said, mordecai has instructed her not to say she's a jew. And the text like these, verse ten and 20, they don't exactly say why. He might not have wanted her to do that, but we can have a good guess. And that the jews were aliens in a foreign culture and know they were captors here in Babylon, basically. And, yeah, it seems like a wise choice to remain silent about their family and their people because they might have been persecuted, it might not have been the right time to reveal it at this point. SPEAKER A This really raises an interesting tension as we approach this idea or this concept, and I want to throw this to you, Uriah, as a question. What circumstances might you think would be acceptable, where it might be prudent to be discreet about our identity, not be overt about our faith? Or should we never do that? Should we always be open about our faith? What do you think? SPEAKER C Well, the Bible tells us that we are to be as wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. And in the book of ecclesiastes, it says, there's a time to speak and there's a time to refrain from speaking. But if we look at two passages of scripture, we notice that there is that tension between speaking up, standing up, standing out and remaining silent. In Amos, chapter five, and verse 13, it says, therefore, the prudent keeps silent at that time, for it is an evil time. So when you are in an environment that's evil, in a time that is evil, where the prudent thing to do is to not speak, it's the time to not speak. And Jesus did that as an example. But if we look at Matthew, chapter five and verse 16. Matthew, chapter five, yes, and verse 16, it says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. This is the words of Jesus. And what I suspect Jesus is saying here is perhaps when it is too evil to speak out, sometimes you need to let your actions be your witness and be your testimony. What you do and what you refrain from doing can be an even more powerful testimony than speaking. SPEAKER A Yeah, absolutely. And we do see that tension, don't we, that call in scripture to speak out, to stand out. Like Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Certainly their culture was evil as well, but also to use discernment and approach each situation, we need to really lean into the holy spirit and rely on his guidance as we try to navigate through some of those challenges. Now, I want to highlight something else. Of course. Living in this foreign land that was different in culture and values, sooner or later, Mordecai and Esther were sure to come into some sort of trouble, and that's if they were going to remain faithful to God. And that's certainly what happened and was the case for Mordecai. And I want to highlight something here in Esther, chapter three, verses one to three, where Mordecai faces, falls into some challenge, says, after these things, king Ashuarus promoted Haman, the son of Hamedetha the agite, and advanced him and set his seat above the princes who were with him. And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. And it says, the king's servants who were with him in the king's gate said to Mordecai, why do you transgress the king's commandment? Wow, this is a bit of a difficult situation to be in. He's not going to bow down. And then he starts getting these questions, asking him, why aren't you going to follow the king's commandment? What was Mordecai's response to this charge? Kate? SPEAKER B Yeah, well, he's been challenged here, as you've said, and it says in verse four, we'll just keep reading in chapter three, verse four. Now, it came to pass when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand, for he had told them that he was a jew. So he's being daily questioned, daily being worn down about why he's not bowing to the king and to Haman. And it says, mordecai had told them that he was a jew. So we don't exactly know what he'd said, but we would very much assume that he'd had this witness to. He'd had an opportunity to witness. Sorry. And explain that because he worshipped God, he couldn't bow down and worship anyone else. SPEAKER A Yeah. SPEAKER B And he would have been able to witness to his faith to some degree. So all this time, he's been kind of keeping it under wraps. They haven't revealed their identity. But now it's come to a point where he's had to reveal his identity and he's stood, he's told them that he's a jew, and unfortunately, it endangered his own life and others, unfortunately as well. But he'd made this decision stood. SPEAKER A Wow. Interesting. How does the rest of the story play out, Uriah? SPEAKER C Well, Haman as a character, I find very interesting in chapter three. Again, reading verse six and seven. Sorry, verse five and six. And then we'll skip to verse eight. When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Haseharis, the people of Mordecai. And verse eight says, then Haman said to king Hasiris, there is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore, it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. And this sounds very similar, like Daniel in Daniel chapter six, when the rulers plotted certain Jews. Certain Jews, and they don't keep your laws, they don't follow your customs. And here we see that a powerful message again for God's people in the last days who do not follow the culture, who do not follow the laws because they are inconsistent with the laws of God, where they are targeted, targeted to be wiped out, targeted, to be exterminated. And they are powerful lessons. They are both in the book of Daniel and Esther for God's people in the last days. SPEAKER A Yeah, there's so much richness here that we could pull out and maybe we can just dig into it a little bit deeper. What are Haman's comments here about God's people, especially in verse eight, as your eyes pulled out there, say about how God's people can often be viewed by other cultures and other people that don't share our values? Kate? SPEAKER B Yeah. In verse eight, which, pastor I just read, it says, a people whose customs and laws are different and who don't obey the king's law. So people that are kind of going against the flow, and this sounds like the perfect recipe for persecution, basically. They're not viewed very nicely in this culture. And it's a lesson for us, too, I guess, as we near the end of time, the difference between God's people and the culture around us will become more and more distinct, that we won't be viewed in very favourable eyes, but yet it's a call for us to stand for what we believe. And, yeah, if we choose to follow God, we'll be sure to experience persecution, but the encouragement is to remain faithful despite what other people around us may think. SPEAKER A Well, interestingly, when, after this kind of command that went out, we find Mordecai, he finds out about a decree that goes out to God's people. I'm going to pick the story up here. In Esther, chapter four, verse eight and nine, we read, he gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, a decree for the destruction of the Jews, which he was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, that he might command her to go into the king to make supplication to him and plead for him, for her people. And in verse nine, so Hakath returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai. We find an interesting situation taking place here. How did Esther reply to this request? SPEAKER C Uriah, in verse ten to twelve of Esther, chapter four. This is what the Bible says. Then Esther spoke to hattage and gave him a command for Mordecai. All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king who has not been called, he has but one law put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden sceptre that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go into the king these 30 days. So they told Mordecai Esther's words, so she seems a bit reluctant. She's reminding him of the rule. The law says that you cannot go into the king uninvited, or else you'll be put to death. SPEAKER A And how exactly did Mordecai respond to this? Kate? SPEAKER B Well, keep reading. In verse 13 and 14, it says, then Mordecai commanded to answer, Esther, think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise, that the Jews from another place, but thou and thou father's house shall be destroyed. And these famous words here. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? So Mordecai is basically saying that just because Esther is part of the king's house doesn't mean she's going to be saved. She had to act. She had to make an attempt for herself and for the people around her, even if it cost her her life. And those famous words there, who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? This is kind of the heart of the book of Esther. Mordecai's faith here was inspiring Esther. And we know, as the story goes on, how it continued. SPEAKER A Yeah, of course. That quotable verse. There is really so many people share that verse as a way of inspiring us to consider where God might be calling us to such a time. Right. It's an inspiring story. And I want to ask the question, Uriah. Why do you think it was previously, there'd been the instruction to not reveal who we know. Don't say your faith. Don't share your identity. But here we see a different approach. And why do you think it was considered that at this moment that it was appropriate for Esther to identify herself as a jew? SPEAKER C Because I think it all comes down to this point. The reason why God placed Esther in that position, it wasn't just so that she can be queen and laud it over other people. God had placed her in that position because he knew the sequence of events that would come to her head, and this was what God was preparing her for. So she had to reveal herself, not only to save her own life, but to save the life of God's people. God had placed her in a special position of influence over the king, and this is why God placed her there, so that he could save his people. SPEAKER A Yeah, and we see Esther's faith was really put to the test here. By identifying herself, she put her life in danger and she showed her love for her people, her willingness to intercede on their behalf. And her answer, I think, here, really reveals her faith. I want to read to you from Esther, chapter four, verses 15 to 16. Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, go gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast for me. Neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. Wow, what an inspiring response. And we can see that response of faith here. What can we learn from this response of God's people to Esther's message to the command that they gave her? SPEAKER B The key point here is prayer. So they went, they fasted and they prayed. And yeah, they were acting by fasting, but this was sort of to clear their mind and prepare them for the prayer aspect, because prayer is so important, and prayer is asking God to save us. We're here. We're asking you. Only God can do this. And it's a powerful reminder for us to always seek God in prayer. Even when we're facing challenges and trials that look like they're about to wipe our entire life out, we can always ask, and it's up to God how he answers. SPEAKER A Yeah, absolutely. And of course, ultimately, we know that the king accepted Esther and she didn't perish, and she was able to petition on behalf of her people to the king, which ultimately resulted in their deliverance in quite a miraculous and remarkable way. Commentators, interestingly, for millennia, have noticed that in the book of Esther, God's name is never mentioned. It's the only book in the Bible that is like this. And I want to ask the question. You're right. Even though we can't see God's name directly in the book of Esther, can we still recognise God's actions in and through this book? SPEAKER C Absolutely. Because the way things turned out was a direct result of prayer. Esther called for the people to fast and pray and petition God, and God operated. So we can see God in the events of life. God is a God who steps into history and he changes things. He alters things through acts of nature and even sometimes through tragedy. God sometimes works because he can take bad things and turn them to his glory. And the outcome can be found in Exeter, chapter eight, verse 17. And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews because fear of the Jews fell upon them. Again, very similar to what happened in Daniel, where Nebuchadnezzar made this decree that all should worship God. Here we have Persians becoming Jews because of this great unfolding of God's working in their lives. This led many people to God. SPEAKER A Wow, that's an amazing outcome. And I guess as we wrap our study up, Kate, what's the take home message from the Bible study today? SPEAKER B Yeah, something that really stood out to me that I mentioned in the beginning. I'll just reemphasize. Faithfulness to God doesn't depend on our circumstances. It's a heart choice, as it was for Daniel, as it was for Esther. No matter what's about to happen to them, whether they were about to be killed or live, it's a choice. And persecution can even strengthen this commitment. So when you're persecuted, pray hard and hold on to God. SPEAKER A Amen. Thank you so much for studying with us. The story of Esther and Mordecai, much like the stories of Daniel and Joseph, is a reminder that the followers of God, to the followers of God, that they do not need to be pastors or religious leaders to serve the mission of God. These stories are in scripture to demonstrate that through public service, government officials and other government agencies, the people of God can serve and impact society in a way that they draw people towards the love of God. He can use you wherever you are to be a missionary for him. We're glad that you joined us today on let God speak. If you'd like to watch this programme again or any past programmes, go to our website, threeabnastralia.org au. You can also download teachers notes there. You can email us on [email protected]. Au. Please join us again next time. God bless. SPEAKER D You have been listening to Let God Speak, a production of Three ABN, Australia. Television. To catch up on past programs, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au Call us in Australia on 024-973-3456 or email [email protected] We'd love to hear from you.