"Get in the Game" | Sunday, July 18, 2021

The king's command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On that day, when the Jews' enemies had hoped to overthrow them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. In each of King Ahasuerus' provinces, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them, for fear of them fell on every nationality. (Esther 9:1–2)

When the day meant for our destruction becomes the day of deliverance, how do we know what it really means to win in God's eyes?

The Great Reversal

Esther 9 is the culmination of the book. Everything that has gone before—the drama, the intrigue, the heartache—wraps up here. The "king's command and law" mentioned in verse 1 is the law from chapter 8 that allowed the Jews to defend themselves. Remember, back in chapter 3 Haman convinced Ahasuerus to authorize the destruction of the Jews. Now, on the very day Haman chose for the Jews to be attacked, "just the opposite happened." God orchestrated a complete reversal from what was originally intended.

Verse 3 tells us all the officials of the provinces aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai, for he exercised great power in the palace and his fame spread as he became more and more powerful. Mordecai goes from being marked for death and standing on deadly ground to proving that when you follow God, you are very hard to kill.

Mordecai's Prior Actions Become His Defense

Mordecai's earlier faithfulness has become his greatest defense and the key to building trust and favor. Early in the book, Mordecai overheard the plot to kill the king and reported it through Esther. Later, when Haman wanted to honor himself, God prompted the king to remember who had saved his life. All the honor Haman expected went to Mordecai instead—because Mordecai simply did what he was supposed to do.

Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up. (Galatians 6:9)

So don't get tired of doing right. When it feels unnoticed—or even when doing what God called you to do seems to invite attack—don't stop. Trust the process, and trust that God will be true to His word. It seemed hopeless throughout Esther, but God came through for Mordecai and the Jews, and He'll do the same for us. We will reap at the proper time if we don't give up.

They Took No Plunder

The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. (Esther 9:5)

In Susa they killed five hundred men, including the ten sons of Haman—"however, they did not seize any plunder." That phrase shows up three times in this chapter for a reason. In chapter 3, Haman's edict instructed the enemies to kill the Jews and plunder their possessions. In chapter 8, the Jews were given permission to take possession of those they killed. Yet three times we read: they did not seize any plunder. They "did what they pleased," and it pleased them not to plunder their enemy.

Why not? After all, that's what Haman planned and what the king assumed would happen—kill them and take their stuff. But God's definition of a win looks very different from ours. The win here was not to indulge greed, not to give anyone reason to say, "They only did this to get rich." Often we struggle even to discern what a win is as we follow Christ.

The Totem Pole Perspective

This is where I bring up what I call a totem pole perspective. Depending on how high you are on the totem pole, your perspective changes. When you're low, your view is limited and your concerns are close to you. The higher you go, the wider your view and the more factors you must balance.

I have a painful example. About fifteen years ago, in an elders' meeting, the topic of camp buses came up. In youth ministry, camp is vital—you get nearly as much time with the kids in five days as you do the whole rest of the year. The buses are expensive, and when they said we didn't have the money for them, I—being young and short on wisdom—fired off a snarky email: "Well, since none of you want the church to pay for the buses, I'm sure I can count on you all to be drivers." My pastor replied, "That probably could have been handled differently." Yes, it could have.

What seemed supremely important from my place on the totem pole was not as important once you had a wider view. Youth camp is vital when you're in youth ministry, but the further out your responsibility reaches, the more important things there are to weigh. What we consider the most important thing may not be the most important thing.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways… For as heaven is higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9, as cited)

The top of the totem pole is God, and His view encompasses everything. Ours is so limited that we must be careful about deciding what's important to God from our narrow vantage point.

Know What Game You're Playing

So how do we figure out what a win looks like from God's perspective? First, we have to know what game we're playing. Chess and checkers are played on the same board, but everything else is different. In our world it can seem we're all playing the same game, but God's game is different from the world's. If we don't know the game, we don't know the rules or the scoring.

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "I have now come as commander of the Lord's army." (Joshua 5:13–14)

That's the answer. God doesn't join our team with our goals; He calls us to join His team with His goals. My team has my goals, but when I join God's team, I take up His rules and His goals.

Know the Rules

Once we know it's God's game, we have to know the rules. When my boys played football with friends, every broken-up pass brought a cry of "Pass interference!" from the receiver and "No way, that was clean!" from the defender. There will always be arguments, but it's vital that we know the rules and follow them.

Here's another embarrassing true story. In sixth grade I ran the third leg of a 4x100 relay—which, I later learned, is usually reserved for the slowest runner. I took the baton, my head went back, I was flying, and we crossed the tape first. Then word came down: disqualified. While I was all excited with my head up, I had stepped out of my lane for a step or two—and that disqualified not just me but the whole team. That was the end of my short track career.

If we don't know the rules and follow them, bad things happen. Look at Samson, Saul, and David—men who knew the rules and at various points disregarded them, affecting everyone around them. God gives us a playbook: His Word. It tells us exactly what we need to honor Him and do what He's called us to do. It's our responsibility to learn it and use it.

Read the Playbook

Some of you know the name JaMarcus Russell—the number one pick in the NFL draft, taken as a quarterback by the Oakland Raiders. Massive arm strength, great workout, everything looked good. Yet most people don't know who he is, because he's considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history. His coaches suspected he wasn't watching game tape, so they gave him a tape to study. The next day he claimed, "Yeah, I watched their blitz packages, I'm ready." But the tape was blank—and his lie was exposed.

If we take time to study what God has given us, we won't be embarrassed by our ignorance. We may still fall short in how we play, but it should never be because we didn't bother to read the playbook. God lays out in His Word all we need for life and godliness. We'll still fail sometimes—I'm okay with failing; I'm not okay with not trying my best. Following Jesus is tough, but it's far better when we have the information God laid out for us.

The Plays Will Change

Next, we have to understand that the plays and strategy will change as God works out His victory. Just because God put you in one position doesn't mean you'll always be there. Not long ago I was out doing parking lot security—some of the greatest ministry in the world, especially if you prefer to stay on the down low without much human interaction. I fondly remember those years, but I'm not there now, because God has moved me elsewhere.

We need constant contact with our heavenly Coach to get accurate direction. If you're following a recipe and you only ever do the step that says "add salt," you're making terrible cookies. We have to be willing to move as God directs—sometimes those moves feel terrible or scary, sometimes fantastic. But God moves us because He has the perspective and the plan, and He chooses to use us to accomplish His ends. A receiver who only runs one route never gets past you and probably never plays. Football players have huddles and signals; Christians have the Word of God and the example of Jesus. That's our coaching, so we must stay in His Word.

Players, Spectators, or Opponents

We are either players, spectators, or opponents, and we have to choose to inhabit our role. We should want to be players, but many spectators think they're players. You see it watching football with friends: "I could have made that pass." Not likely. I definitely don't want to be an opponent. What I should strive for is to be a player and make that role mine.

What do players have in common? Practice, teamwork, and effort. Now, everybody hates the Patriots, and so do I—Seahawks are much better—but here's the truth: as you walk into Patriots headquarters, you pass six Super Bowl rings, and at eye level by the player's entrance are four words inscribed in metal: do your job, work hard, be attentive, and put the team first. That's fantastic advice for Christians.

Do your job—know what God has called you to do and do it; the Bible is full of those things. Work hard—following Jesus is not a stroll, it's a march; we have to put in the effort and dig in when things get hard. Be attentive—look for God-given opportunities everywhere: in traffic, will I let someone merge in front of me as God showed grace to me? In line at Costco, at the gas station—look for ways God can use you. Put the team first—it's about God's goals, not ours. That means discipleship: bringing in new Christians and showing them the ropes, knowing your Word so you can instill it in the next generation, and being available. We live in a world of busy, but make the time—for your children, your spouse, co-workers, neighbors, even the people who drive you crazy. God calls us to minister to those around us.

God's Greatest Win

Remember, God's greatest example of a win was not a massive paycheck, a championship trophy, business success, or winning an election. His greatest win looks like Jesus Christ on the cross—flayed and bloody, choosing to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of His people. We see the same spirit in Esther, who approached the king knowing it could cost her life, but did it for her people.

All of us who claim the name Christian are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. That's how we're scored—how well did we sacrifice our own time, treasure, and blood for those God placed around us? You become a Christian by the sacrifice of Jesus; you become a pro by living like Him and giving up your life for the people around you. Our actions show whether we're pros, amateurs, or hobbyists. I pray we're all professionals.

Esther's Request and the Defeat of the Enemies

On that day the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king… "Whatever you ask will be given to you, whatever you seek will also be done." (Esther 9:11–12)

The king's trust here—"whatever you ask, it will be done"—was built up because Esther had found favor and proven trustworthy. She asked, in paraphrase, for one more day in Susa to root out remaining enemies, and that the bodies of Haman's ten sons be hung on the gallows—a visual reminder of what happens when you oppose God's people. The king agreed. And twice in this section, in verses 15 and 16, we read again that they killed thousands "but they did not seize any plunder."

Purim: Remembering What God Has Done

Mordecai recorded these events… He ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month of Adar every year… the month their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday. (Esther 9:20–22)

This is the origin of Purim, named from pur, the lot Haman cast. Pay attention to verses 27–28: the Jews bound themselves and their descendants and all who joined with them to never fail to celebrate these days, so that they would not lose their significance and the memory would not fade from their descendants.

Recording big events is important—more for those who come after us than for ourselves. Think of Christmas. People who have no time for Jesus the rest of the year sing Christmas carols, because Christmas is the time we remember. Purim gives us a pattern: when we see what God has done, we should make note of it and find a way to communicate it to our children, grandchildren, and beyond.

I saw on Instagram today a picture my brother-in-law posted of five generations of his family. But what do we actually know about the lessons the generations before us learned, the pivotal things God did in their lives? So often those things are forgotten. Find a way to communicate them—write them down, make a video—don't leave them to be discovered off a cluttered Facebook feed years from now. What a blessing for my kids and grandkids to learn what God has shown me.

Remember, Reflect, Respond

How do we celebrate moments like this? Three words, all starting with R. First, remember—bring to mind what God has done; think about it. Then reflect—what does this mean for me, my family, the world around me? Then respond—how do I live in light of what God has done? What actions do I take to glorify Him?

The more touch points we have—not just Christmas and Easter, but "this is when I was saved, this is what was happening, this is what I learned"—the better. In the Bible they built altars and raised stones of remembrance, an Ebenezer, to mark these moments. Take a night, a week, a month, and tell your story to your family. You think your children and grandchildren know your testimony, but I guarantee there's much they don't know that would profit their walk with Jesus.

Known by Their Actions

Queen Esther… along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim… in order to confirm these days of Purim at their proper time. (Esther 9:29–31)

Notice one last thing. When we first met Mordecai and Esther, they were on the down low—not known as Jews. But by the end of the chapter they are "Mordecai the Jew" and "Esther the Queen," out front. People know who they are—not because they ran around proclaiming it, but because of how they lived and the God they served. That was so evident that they took on that name.

We bear the name of Christ. We are called Christians, and people should know it by how we live. So read your Bible. Find out what God wants from us, and live that way. If we can do that together, we will change this world and have a win in God's eyes.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray that we would spend time with You, grow close to You, and become more like You, Jesus. Forgive us where we fall short—where, instead of following what You've called us to do, we stray into our own goals and priorities. Bring us back close to You. Give us opportunities to serve You. Thank You, Jesus, for Your grace, Your love, and Your example, and thank You for the Word that shows us what we need to know about You. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.