Esther 4 Speaking the Truth - Regardless
Saying What’s Right – Regardless
Esther 4
YOU are important.
You are important in God’s economy.
God uses individuals.
God wants to use you.
We often say that if there was only one person I the world, Jesus would still have been willing to die for that person.
Often, when explaining God’s plan of salvation, I will quote John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…”
Then I will substitute the person’s name for the word “whosoever”.
God loves individuals. God loves you.
But not only God loves you, God has a unique place in His kingdom work that only you can fill.
God wants to use you.
Last week we read of Mordecai’s decision to live the truth – regardless.
He refused to pay honor by bowing down to Haman the Agagite.
But what was the regardless?
He put all of his people at risk.
His whole family, all their relatives, all the Jews were at risk with Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to Haman.
This has been the hardest area of service for me.
When the cost of Christian service,
When the cost of standing up for God,
When the cost of doing what’s right – regardless and the regardless ask includes sacrifice from my family, I have a much harder time accepting the task.
I cringe when I hear of fellow pastor’s in countries where Christians are persecuted.
The pastor seems to be a lightning rod attracting the persecution. Often it is the pastor who pays with a jail sentence or even his life.
I could not bear the thought of having to leave my family or having them to struggle without me.
That cost would be difficult in the greatest extreme for me to have to consider.
We need to pray for these families.
For Mordecai, doing what’s right brought the attention of the hatred of one powerful man against the entire Jewish population with the permission of the self-centered king.
Our portion of the story this morning brings us to the queen, Queen Esther.
She is in a unique situation. Our storyteller has told us that Esther has not revealed her Jewish identity to anyone in the palace.
She is in such an insular position that she does not even know about the edict – the law to kill all the Jews on the 13th day of the 12th month.
Mordecai places himself at the gate of the palace where word will certainly travel to Esther.
Mordecai is wearing the clothing of mourning – sackcloth and ashes. No one with this attire is allowed into the king’s palace yard.
Word does come to Esther and the storyteller relates their dialogue through her attendant.
Mordecai asks Esther to speak to the king of behalf of her people.
But the flame that was originally kindled with King Exerses by Esther’s charm, leading him to proclaim her as queen has begun to flicker.
It has been a month since he has called her into his presence. We know that is someone enters the king’s presence without the king’s request, the face the possibility of the death penalty.
We also know that this king dismissed his first queen when she refused to comply with his degrading demand.
The stakes were high for Esther.
Perhaps she will be able to maintain the secrecy of her nationality – even while the edict of the slaughter of all the Jews was being carried out.
Does it not sound reminiscent of the holocaust of such recent history? Stories abound of people who wrestled with similar decisions. People were asked by Jews for a hiding place. Would they risk all to provide that protection?
Back to our story. Mordecai’s next speech has translators struggling to understand.
In vs. 14 the NIV relates Mordecai’s faith in God that even if Esther does not use her unique God-given position to speak to the king, that God will provide another way to protect the Jews.
However, the phrase could also be translated “relief and deliverance for the Jews will not arise from another place.”
Without lingering on that translation question we know that Mordecai is pointing out to Esther both the unique position she has attained through some extraordinary circumstances beyond her control and that her life is in danger whether or not she goes in to the king without a request from him.
Esther decides, but is completely aware of the dangers – she asks for prayer – fervent prayer – fasting and prayer – severe fasting.
This is quite possibly the Passover time when the Jews would be celebrating an earlier deliverance, and the celebration would be with great feasts. Esther is asking her people to set aside temporary comforts and come to God in prayer for her safety and for a positive outcome of her daring request.
She concludes, “If I perish, I perish.”
Saying what’s right – regardless.
Not an easy decision. Aware of the consequences but willing to accept – for God.
Many times I am brought back to the story of the apostles in Acts chapter 5. They have been arrested for preaching about Jesus. Upon miraculous release they began preaching again. Once again they were brought to the Sanhedrin – the court of the day.
The high priest questioned them: “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Listen again to Peter’s reply on behalf of the apostles. They knew the consequences and submitted themselves to pay the penalty if required but Pete answered: “We must obey God rather than men!”
Even when it seems that no one will notice if we allow a moment to pass by when the truth needed to be said, that lost moment will be a lost opportunity for God to build character into us.
A recent little Christian devotional book has taken the secular North American bookstores by storm. The book, “the Prayer of Jabez” by Bruce Wilkerson has startled many with its instant popularity.
The author, founder and director of Walk Through the Bible Ministries simply discuss this ancient prayer phrase by phrase. One phrase by Jabez is the petition to “increase my territory.” The author suggests this prayer will open our eyes to opportunities to serve God. As God answer our request to enlarge our territory, God will put in place circumstances for us to serve him.
The author then goes on to tell the story of meeting a young lady at the airport. God seemed to tell him to talk to her. Soon he discovered a needy young lady – but their conversation was cut short by the call to board the plane. Even though they were assigned seats in different sections of the plane, he told her that somehow God would arrange for them to sit together. Just before takeoff the hostess asked the lady is she would be willing to change seats with the person beside Wilkerson! During the entire flight, Wilkerson was able t o minister to her with the gospel.
I recall a similar incident when I was traveling on a train. I was in my early 20’s at the time.
I was seated next to a gentleman and we struck up conversation. God opened the door of opportunity for me to share my faith with him. At the train station I prayed with him and left him my address.
I was so disappointed that I never herd from him again. But that is not what is important. I will never know how God used that conversation.
I was faithful. The results are up to God.
It is not always easy to speak up for God.
I often feel that as a pastor, when people learn of my career, I lose some of the edge of witnessing to others. They seem to assume the attitude that of course I will speak to them about religion. It’s my job.
But the layperson does not have that barrier. To speak the words of the gospel for you is obviously a choice.
There is no obvious financial incentive or expectation for you. The authenticity of your gospel opens doors of unique opportunity that a pastor cannot replace.
(The pastor is paid to be good and the people have to be good for nothing!)
Saying what’s right - regardless
We must be careful of the word “regardless”
It does not mean telling someone else the truth about themselves with no regard to their own right to personhood.
The Bible tells us to speak the truth in love.
Again that does not mean to always speak. But when the truth must be spoken, then do so in love.
Often the “truth teller” does so in an attitude of arrogance. “I know the truth about you, and it’s not so pleasant” and the unspoken words communicated through the attitude is this “and I am better than you.”
Instead the attitude needs to be “and I often need to be corrected too. Perhaps we can help each other.”
If each person – every individual – is important, then the one I correct very easily could be the one that God wants to use to correct me!
Sometime the right thing to do is to not speak.
- the way to stop a rumor is not to speak.
- the way to promote healing is to overlook an offence.
The lesson from Esther, is “Speaking the Truth – Regardless” – regardless of what might happen back to me.
- counting the cost to myself but setting it aside.
- always considering the cost to another.
The second lesson from Esther is that I matter to God.
You are important to God.
Not only does he want you to be His child and therefore sent his Son Jesus to remove the barrier of our sin and to proved us with the righteous robes of sonship, but God wants you to be an active servant of his kingdom.
YOU have a unique role, a unique task to perform in the kingdom of God.
God uses individuals. The Bible is full of individuals used by God.
He called Abraham and taught him to have faith.
He called Moses to speak his words to the people, even though Moses was not a gifted speaker.
He chose David, the overlooked youngest in a large family – relegated to the ignoble task of looking after the family sheep.
He chose Rehab, a harlot.
He chose Ruth, a foreigner.
He chose impetuous Peter.
He chose Saul, an enemy of the Christians.
He chose to become a man, an individual, born to a nondescript family, born in a stable in the little town of Bethlehem, a refugee fleeing from the sword of Herod, growing up in the backwoods of Nazareth as a common carpenter, teaching for only three years and to face the cruel death of crucifixion reserved for the worst of criminals.
Yet this man, the Son of God, said to the Father, I will go. Not my will but yours be done.
And he made a difference. Salvation was provided. The kingdom of heaven has come to earth.
Down through the years of church history, God has chosen individuals to turn the tide of history, to speak out for him, to be an instrument for His kingdom.
Today, the message from God’s word is that you are important to God and your actions are important to His kingdom.
Charles Swindoll in his character study on Esther reminds us:
“There will be no celestial shout urging you to take a stand. Nor will a flash of lightning awaken you in the midst of your slumber. It doesn’t work like that, so don’t sit around passively. Numerous needs and issues surround us. They summon us to strand up and be counted. While we will not be bale to respond to all of them, not responding to any of them is not the solution.”
Will you once again resolve to say and do what is right in God’s eyes - aware of the consequences – but setting that aside saying regardless of the consequences, I will serve God?