Perhaps? | Sunday, June 13, 2021

Hey, Cross Connection. We're going to be going through Esther chapter 4 today, so I hope you'll join me for the remainder of this. I think it's going to be enlightening.

First of all, though, let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we dig into Your Word today, we pray that You would fill us with wisdom and discernment. Heavenly God, guide us as we go through Your Word, and Lord, help it to not just be words that we read or words that we hear, but something that truly changes our hearts. Holy Spirit, we give You free reign to dig around in our spiritual junk drawer and highlight things that maybe we've been hiding or missing. Father God, we pray that You would do a work in that. These things we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

All right, Esther chapter 4. When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went to the middle of the city, crying loudly and bitterly. He only went as far as the king's gate since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the king's gate. There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king's command and edict reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

This kind of drops us right into it. The thing we need to do is look back a little bit at chapter 3. In chapter 3, Haman approached the king and got the king to agree to this edict that we're talking about here, where they were allowed to go and slaughter all the Jewish people on a particular day. It says at the end of chapter 3 that Haman and the king sat down to drink, and the city was in confusion.

Here we see a little picture of some of that confusion. This man hears this news, tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth and ashes, and goes to the middle of the city, crying loudly and bitterly. He only went as far as the king's gate because there was a law that no one wearing sackcloth could enter the king's presence. Quite honestly, the king doesn't want to see any unhappy people. Only shiny, happy people get to approach the king. This probably also keeps the king's schedule nice and open, full of pleasant meetings without any of the rough ones.

So anyway, there's great mourning here among all the Jewish people. All over the kingdom, the Jews are reacting to this edict, being under a death sentence. I mean, there's an extinction-level event that's been planned, and now it's been announced.

Mordecai parks himself outside the king's gate, visibly mourning for everyone to see. He cannot go inside the king's gate, where his job was, and is stuck outside. Not only is he outside the king's gate and unable to enter the king's presence, but he also cannot perform his job properly because of how he is mourning. This is the same Mordecai who refused to bow down to Haman, and now he is openly debasing himself outside the gate in mourning, dressed in sackcloth and ashes. Jews all around the kingdom are doing likewise. It is interesting that Mordecai will debase himself before God but will not bow before Haman. This says a little bit about who Mordecai is.

However, there is one Jew in particular who has been insulated from this news, and we see that in verse 4. Esther's female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them. Her response to hearing what was going on was to send Mordecai clothes because she was afraid.

So why send clothes, and what is she afraid of? There are a couple of possibilities. First, she might be embarrassed by Mordecai's public display and fear that it would reflect badly on her, or perhaps expose her as a Jew. The implication is that his actions could reflect on her. The second possibility is that she wants him to come and explain to her what the problem is, but he cannot come in wearing sackcloth, so she sent him clothes. We do not know which one it is; it is probably one of those two.

In verse 5, Esther summons Hathatch, one of the king's eunuchs who attended her, and dispatches him to Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why. Hathatch went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king's gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened, as well as the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews. This indicates that there is a little bit of bribery going on as well. Esther uses Hathatch, one of the king's officials, to serve as her go-between, which suggests that this eunuch most likely knows that both Mordecai and Esther are Jews. However, Esther has continually found favor with the people around her.

Here we see that one of the king's officials, who is serving under Esther, is going and acting as a go-between for them. He is likely willing to cover for her, as indicated here. In verse 8, Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa, ordering their destruction. This was so that Hathatch might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king to implore his favor and plead with him personally for her people. Hathatch came and repeated Mordecai's response to Esther. At this point, Esther has the information, and Hathatch is effectively part of the crew.

Mordecai asks Esther to use her position to plead with the king on behalf of her people. It is interesting that Mordecai sees Esther as the obvious solution to the problem. She has access to the king and is favored by him among all women; after all, she is the queen. From the observer's chair, it seems so simple. However, we need to remember that to the outside observer, most problems appear pretty cut-and-dried, with obvious and simple solutions. We tend not to see the difficulties or intricacies involved until we are the ones actually in the hot seat.

So, point number one, if you're taking notes in your outline today: opportunity often shows up dressed as danger. Esther responds to Mordecai's instructions to approach the king and plead with him about her people. In verse 10, Esther spoke to Hathatch and commanded him to tell Mordecai that all the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned: the death penalty, unless the king extends the royal scepter, allowing that person to live. She adds that she has not been summoned to appear before the king for the last 30 days. Esther's response was reported to Mordecai.

Here we see the problem that Esther recognizes, which Haman may not see from the outside. It is dangerous for Esther to approach the king; it could cost her her life. The default for approaching the king is death, and the exception is if he lifts the scepter, allowing her to live. This is a potential situation that could cost her her life.

And on top of that, the queen has not been summoned to the king in 30 days. Now think about this: the queen has not been summoned to the king in 30 days. This indicates to us that Ahasuerus has been finding his companionship elsewhere. She is the queen, but the king has been otherwise occupied.

Put yourself in Esther's position. Yes, you are the queen, and yes, you are arguably the most highly placed female in the court. Yet, at the same time, you haven't seen the king in 30 days or 30 nights. This has got to leave her feeling a little bit self-conscious and a little bit worried about her position. Remember, the whole reason that she has this position is because the last queen angered the king and was sent on her merry way. There is a very real danger for her in this. The realization for her may be that her position is not as secure as it might appear to those on the outside.

Thirty days ago, it may have been easy to approach the king, but now she hasn't seen him in 30 days. Thirty days is a long time, and there are a lot of doubts that can crop up in that time. On the other hand, she is the obvious person to bring the plight of her people to the king. She is the queen, and she is a Jew. She is under the same death sentence.

Point number two, if you're taking notes in your outline: God-given opportunity will require that we be willing to sacrifice. When God presents us with an opportunity, it is going to require some sacrifice on our behalf. We see that here with Esther.

We can often find ourselves in situations that seem similar to Esther's. Maybe we are not responsible for the entire race of people being slaughtered, but we can be in a situation where we feel like we should do something, yet we are afraid to lose our position, our popularity, or a relationship. We might not feel like our situation is secure enough to take the chance to do what God is calling us to do.

In some ways, it is easy for us to identify with Esther here. Remember, the big step that Esther is being asked to take comes after a lot of small steps where God has already shown His faithfulness. The same thing happens in our lives.

Very often, when we are approached with a very big step, there are many small steps or previous steps that have led up to this. God has shown Himself faithful, and this should give us courage.

Now, Mordecai here receives Esther's response, and he sends one back to her. He says, "Don't think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king's palace." This is part of verse 13. Mordecai is clearly telling her not to think she will get away with this because people know their connection. Remember, Mordecai is the focal point for Haman's hatred.

In verse 14, he continues, "If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place. But you and your father's family will be destroyed. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this."

If you're taking notes, point three is that a God-given opportunity will have far-reaching effects, far beyond what we are able to see. Mordecai tells her not to think she will escape what is coming. Haman's hatred will reach her even in the palace. However, he assures her that relief for God's people will come, but she and her father's house, which includes Mordecai, will be destroyed.

Mordecai has probably heard the stories from childhood about when God rescued His people. They have even lived during the time period of one of those rescues. They are living in a time when the Babylonian captivity has ended, and the Jews have returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Yet, he has no illusion that they will survive in Shushan.

He says to her, "Perhaps everything in your life, everything before, is leading up to this moment." Maybe the situation that Esther is facing has been orchestrated by God for His glory and the benefit of His kingdom.

Look at the steps that lead up to this. First of all, there is the Vashti incident, where Vashti is removed because she had the audacity to say no to the king. Then, there is the failed military campaign against the Greeks. There is a well-placed uncle who serves the king. There is a beauty pageant of sorts that she is a part of. And all of a sudden, she receives assistance because she has found favor with them.

You receive assistance from members of the king's staff in the process. Then, you are chosen from a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands, of other women to be queen. Mordecai happens to overhear the plot to kill the king, and Esther is in a position to tell the king about the plot that Mordecai overheard. All these little steps, or other steps that led to this moment, make it pretty clear from our vantage point that God has been working here. We can clearly see the hand of an omnipotent and omniscient God at work.

In Esther's case, we see what happens when it's our situation. After all, it's easy to look at other situations, like Mordecai looking at Esther's from the outside, and give advice from a position of relative safety. But what happens when it's our bacon that's in the pan? If we believe that God is, in fact, omnipotent—able to do anything—and omniscient—knowing everything—then we need to look at our situation the same way we look at Esther's. Perhaps we are right where God wants us to be to bring Him glory and grow His kingdom.

Did God place you where you are? Could He have changed your situation to something different? Yes, easily. Was He shocked or surprised at your circumstances? No. If we believe what we say we believe, or what we sing during worship, we need to look at the situations we face and ask the same question that Mordecai posed to Esther: Perhaps I have been placed in this situation for such a time as this.

This idea applies all over the place. Perhaps I'm in line at Costco by this person for such a time as this. Perhaps I'm in this neighborhood with these neighbors around me for such a time as this. Perhaps I'm working this job or unable to find a job right now for such a situation as this. The circumstances that currently have me in sackcloth and ashes, wailing to the heavens, may have been carefully orchestrated to put me in a place that God wants me to be so that I can do something amazing, whether or not it gets noticed by anybody else.

Let's talk a minute here about Mordecai. Not Mordecai in the book of Esther, but Mordecai in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1934. A guy named Mordecai Ham responded to a group of Christian businessmen in North Carolina.

In Charlotte, in May 1934, they held an all-day prayer meeting. The response to that prayer meeting was a decision to bring in a traveling evangelist and hold a series of revival meetings. The Christian Men's Club and the local pastors invited Dr. Mordecai Ham to lead these revival meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina. Thousands of people flocked to hear Dr. Ham preach inside a tabernacle, which was a sprawling building constructed with a sawdust floor specifically for this occasion. He preached six days a week, morning and night, for 11 weeks, and he did not mince any words about sin, laying it all out for the crowds of thousands.

One of the people in that crowd was a 15-year-old boy who heard the message of the gospel and became a Christian that evening. That boy's name was Billy Graham. We all remember Billy Graham, but how many people remember Mordecai Ham? He was faithful to take advantage of the opportunity that God put before him.

During that initial prayer meeting, when they decided to bring in Mordecai Ham, one of the men was praying with Billy Graham's father. The prayer request he made was, "Lord, raise somebody up out of Charlotte to preach the gospel to the world." Perhaps he was there that day to make that prayer. Perhaps Mordecai Ham was in a position to respond to that and to come out. All of these "perhapses" led to Billy Graham becoming a Christian.

We know what happened after that. Billy Graham traveled all over the world, preaching to billions of people. There is a famous picture of him preaching in South Korea to a crowd of over a million people. Google it; look it up. It's a great picture and truly amazing.

The thing that pushed Billy Graham over the edge to become a Christian was not the omniscience of God, the fact that He knows everything, nor was it the omnipotence of God, the fact that He can do everything. What pushed him over the edge, he said, was the love of God. We need to remember that while we serve a God who knows everything and is all-powerful, the most amazing characteristic of our God is that His love for us is unchanging.

When we put all of these things together, we can appreciate the power of God and His all-knowing nature.

Of God and His amazing love for us, when we put those things together, it gives us a bit of perspective on the situations that we face. Holding onto the facts that God is all-powerful, that God is all-knowing, and that He loves me enough to sacrifice His Son for me gives me a new way of looking at my situations, no matter what they are. This is especially true when we can't seem to make sense of what lies in our path. This eternal perspective helps to remind us to choose to obey God, and any other response to a God-given opportunity is, in fact, betrayal.

Jumping back to Esther, chapter 4, verse 15, Esther sends this reply to Mordecai: "Go and assemble all the Jews who could be found in Susa, and fast for me. Don't eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king, even if it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai went and did everything that Esther had commanded him.

A quick note here: in verse 17, Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him. If you look earlier in the book of Esther, you will see how many times Esther had done everything that Mordecai commanded her. We see here that there is a bit of a role reversal. She sends the reply back to Mordecai, asking him to get the people to fast for her. The fair implication is that she is also asking them to pray for her. She says, "I will fast as well, and in three days, I will take the actions that will either help my people or end my life." It's a bold move that she is making. She is stepping out in faith.

Luke chapter 9, verse 24 says, "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." This verse shows up in all four Gospels. It's important enough that God put it in there four times for us. If you seek to preserve your life, you will lose it. But if you lose your life for the sake of Jesus, giving your life up to Him to guide and direct you, no matter which way it goes and no matter what the end is, you will keep it.

God's perspective is not like ours. Our perspective is very short; it is very temporal. We are focused on what we are dealing with at the moment. The things that were so earth-shattering to us in grade school or high school are not as important to us anymore because our perspective shifts so quickly.

It's only a matter of years. God's perspective spans eternity, and His plans span eternity. The best thing we can do is to have confidence in that. If I lose my life to following Jesus, if I give that to Jesus, I will keep it for eternity as I follow Him. God is calling Esther to put all her chips on the table, and He is calling us to do the same thing. He is calling you; He is calling me. He wants us to be completely and utterly focused on following Him, regardless of whether the situation seems big or small, whether it's the beauty contest side of things or approaching the king under the sentence of death. He calls us to trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we see in the book of Esther Your fingerprints all over it, Lord God. We see You setting her up in a position where she has influence, even before the need is apparent to everyone else. Father God, help us to be able to see those things in our own lives. Even if we can't see it, help us to be confident, Jesus, that You are with us. God, You are guiding and directing us and presenting us with opportunities. Father God, help us to take advantage of those. Forgive us, Father God, where we fall short and where we turn our backs on those things. Thank You that You are a God of grace and a God of love, and that we can start each day anew. Father God, help us to see the opportunities and help us to lean into them. Lord Jesus, we pray these things in Your name. Amen. God bless you guys.