“Your Move…” | Sunday, July 11, 2021

On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman. (Esther 8:1-2)

Haman is hanged and his estate awarded—but his decree still stands, and we still have work to do.

The Anxiety of an Unresolved Story

We all love when everything comes together and is settled. There is great anxiety when things are up in the air, and a total release when resolution finally comes. This is one reason we have a love-hate relationship with sports. The tension—the games that come down to the wire, the sudden-death overtimes—is exactly what puts us on the edge of our seats. It's also why sporting events are inherently live; there's almost no point watching a recorded game once someone has spoiled the ending.

Most of us love that suspense—though not everyone. My wife cannot stand even a hint of suspense in a movie. She feels compelled to pull out her phone and look up the plot online before the end, just so she knows everything will work out. So maybe we don't all love climactic suspense, but we do love a resolution—when things come together and we finally see the conclusion.

A Perfect Resolution—And Justice

Esther 7:6 through 8:2 is a great resolution. The evil Haman is exposed for who he truly is, and then he is hanged for his wicked schemes on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. Everything comes to a perfect resolution. Is there anything more glorious than true, complete, and quick justice?

We innately love justice. Now, some Bible junkies hear me say that and think it's in Scripture. I hate to break it to you—the Bible doesn't say to love justice; it says to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. But that's a message for another day. We do, however, love when things are resolved and made right again. This is why nearly all our movies end with the good guys winning. Our culture is built around endings where good triumphs. In the real world it doesn't always go that way, but in our idealized, fictionalized worlds the good guys always win—and that's exactly what we have here in Esther.

On the same day Haman was found out and hanged, Ahasuerus awarded his estate to Queen Esther. Mordecai—Esther's cousin, whose relationship to her had been hidden—comes before the king, and Esther reveals their connection. The king takes the signet ring he had taken from Haman, the ring that served as his very signature, and gives it to Mordecai, putting him in charge of Haman's estate. You couldn't write a better ending. It resolves the suspense built all the way back in Esther 3.

The Tension Built in Chapter 3

Look at the last words of Esther 3, beginning at verse 12:

Then the king's scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded... to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day... So the couriers went out, hastened by the king's command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.

That is the height of the tension. Wicked Haman, second-in-command, is enraged that one man—Mordecai—won't bow. Learning Mordecai is a Jew, he hatches a plot to annihilate not just Mordecai but his entire bloodline, the Jewish people.

The resolution in chapter 8 also answers the tension of chapter 4, where Mordecai—seemingly the only one who knows Esther is Jewish—presses her:

Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13-14)

Esther responds with faith:

Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me... I and my maids will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish! (Esther 4:16)

Not So Fast—The Decree Still Stands

Everything has built to this point. Esther is given Haman's estate, Haman is hanged on his own gallows, and Mordecai is elevated to his position. You would think the story should end right here. But not so fast—because the decree of chapter 3, to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, still stands.

The king's command in Persia 2,500 years ago was literally and figuratively written in stone—carved in cuneiform on clay tablets, and unable to be overturned. Haman is dead, but his evil plot remains. That's why my final point last week was: God is at work, but there is still more for us to do. Haman is out of the picture, yet Esther, Mordecai, and all the Jews across the 127 provinces remain under his horrible edict.

Trust God—And Take Responsibility

As we read the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, here is an essential truth to remember: it is essential that we trust God, and it is also necessary that we take responsibility, because there's more work to be done. God has been working through everything in this book—from the fall of Vashti to the rise of Esther to the ascent and fall of Haman. It's essential to trust that God is at work, yet there are still moments where we have work to do.

I am thoroughly convinced that God is sovereign and works providentially—often covertly, behind the scenes. But I am just as convinced that we have a part to play. This brings me to two of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, Philippians 2:12-13:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We have a part to play, work to do, yet we can trust that God is working in us and in the world to bring about His good plan.

Let me throw out an illustration of where we're going. Haman seems destroyed, but his decree remains. Remember the one working behind the scenes against God—the devil. Even though God is not explicitly named in Esther, we know He is working; we also know the adversary is opposing His purposes. But the devil is defeated, just as Haman was defeated at the end of chapter 7. The devil is defeated, but his work continues—and so we still have work to do.

Esther's Humble Petition

Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, and said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight... let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman... For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?" (Esther 8:3-6)

There's so much here. I want to highlight three things. First, notice the way Esther came before the king. The posture of her humble petition pictures the humble posture we ought to have in our prayers before our King in heaven.

What does it look like to trust God and take responsibility in prayer? We have bold access to our Father, but we should also reverently honor Him as King. Esther was queen, married to the king, yet she still approached him with humility and total reverence for his throne. This was partly Persian custom, but there's an important picture here. When I come before God, I have access because He is my Father—but He is also high, holy, and King of kings. So I come with access and with reverence and fear.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name" (Matthew 6; Luke 11). We have direct access—no need for an intermediary—but He is in heaven, holy and hallowed. We can come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in our time of need, yet we come with humility, just as Esther did.

Esther Came With a Plan

Second, when Esther humbly petitioned the king, she came with a plan—a solution to subvert Haman's plot. God has given us brains, and He wants us to use them wisely. We see this in another story from the same period: Nehemiah.

So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it." ... Furthermore I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River... and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber..." (Nehemiah 2:4-8)

Nehemiah saw a problem—Jerusalem in ruins—and for months he prayed and fasted about it. Then, as cupbearer, he stood before the very king who had power to address it. When the king asked, "What do you want to do? What is your request?"—Nehemiah was ready. He had a solution and a plan.

That's exactly what Esther does. She's been praying and thinking, so when the king asks what she wants, she has a solution ready. This is important for us. We're often good at complaining, and you can bring your complaints to the Lord—that's not a bad thing. But as you do, ask God for wisdom to identify a solution. It drives me nuts when people come to me with a problem only to complain, and when I ask what they want to do, they have no idea. God gave us brains to use wisely, to seek counsel, and to figure out how to address things.

So God works providentially and expects our participation. Have you ever wondered why God doesn't just fix everything Himself, since He could do it better? I'd suggest God does the things that only He can do, and He involves us in the rest. It's like building or baking a project with your kids: you do what only you can do—the skill saw, the stove—and you let them do as much as they possibly can, even if they make a mess along the way.

A Selfless Petition and a Passion for Souls

Third—and this is really two things. Esther says, "How can I endure to see the evil that will come on my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?" First, this is not a selfish request. She has already risked her life several times. Her petition is for her people.

Second, she has a huge passion for the salvation of her people. Would to God that you and I had a heart for our people like Esther did. This is the same heart Paul expresses in Romans 9-11:

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying... that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites... (Romans 9:1-4)

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

Years ago I read a biography of the great evangelist D.L. Moody titled A Passion for Souls. That was the thing you learned about him—a true, genuine passion to see people come to salvation. That's what we need: a passion for the souls of the lost. God is in the work of saving souls from evil and destruction, and He desires you to join Him. And here's the crazy thing—it won't get done without you. Many within Christianity will disagree with me theologically on that, but I'm convinced our participation in God's work is bigger than we realize.

Write a Decree in the King's Name

Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke." (Esther 8:7-8)

Notice the king did only what he could do—he put Haman to death and gave his estate to Esther. Then he says, in effect, "I did what no one else could do, and now I give you the authority and power to do the rest."

Jesus, on the cross, did what only He could do. Only Jesus—fully God and fully man—could die in our place and take the sin of all people upon Himself. When it was accomplished, He said, "It is finished." But then He says to us, in the Great Commission:

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

The king gave Esther and Mordecai his signet ring, the seal that granted all authority. Jesus has given you His power and His presence by His Holy Spirit, and He has dispatched you and me to His work. We have work to do.

The Counter-Decree and the City's Joy

So the king's scribes were called at that time... and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded... By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them... on one day in all the provinces... on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. (Esther 8:9-13)

Consistently in Scripture, God saves His people from evil and destruction. This is the God we worship and serve.

So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. (Esther 8:15)

The earlier decree had brought confusion—the city was perplexed. Now a counter-decree comes, and the city rejoices and is filled with gladness. This is what the gospel does wherever it goes: it brings order out of chaos, joy from sadness, light from darkness.

The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. 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. (Esther 8:16-17)

Your Move—Live to Bring Salvation

Such a great story—and it teaches us important lessons about God's work and ours. It challenges us to trust God and to engage in the work with Him. So how do we apply this where we live, right now? You live in this place, at this time, in your job, school, and neighborhood—for such a time as this.

Here's the point I hope you'll carry this week: Jesus died to bring salvation to the world, and God desires that you would live to do the same. Jesus did what only He could do—He died and said, "It is finished." But now He calls us to live and carry that word into the world. Matthew 28 says go and make disciples. Mark 16 says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Luke 24 says this good news is to be declared in all nations, beginning at Jerusalem—beginning where you live, carried to all people. And in the same way the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sends us, and He empowers us for the work.

So we can trust that God is at work, doing the things only He can do—and He calls us to step into the work as well. My challenge: what has God set before you that He is calling you to be a part of today? What is the purpose for which God has made you? Jesus died to bring salvation to the world, and God desires that we would live to do the same.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray for this church—Cross Connection Church—and for the larger body of Christ, including those who watch and engage with these messages from far beyond San Diego. God, help us recognize that You have saved us for a purpose. You did the work that only You could do, and You call us to step into the remainder of that work. We can trust that You will finish what You started and complete it all—yet You want us to do something. There's a neighbor You want us to reach, a coworker to share the gospel with, a family member to pray for, a person in our classroom to speak to and counsel. Lord, there are things You call us to do today. I pray that, for such a time as this, we would rise into that work to be a light to those in darkness. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.