Divine Intervention
Esther • Sermon • Submitted
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Title: Divine Intervention
Intro:
How do we make difficult decisions about right and wrong.
What about when we don't see God at work? And things look bleak? What about when we are condemned to die? Is God at work?
Read 2:19-23
· 20 - Concealed Identity - Esther and Mordecai had hidden their identity as Jews.
· 21 - Mordecai, an official - sitting at the king's gate. Some position in the King's court.
· 22 - Eavesdropping on Plot to Assassinate
· 23 - Investigated, True, Punishment, Recorded - really important that things are recorded in the book of chronicles.
Read 3:1-6
3:1 - Big turn of events - Mordecai just saved the king and is expected to be rewarded, but nothing! Instead, Haman is promoted.
Why not bow to Haman?
· God's people bow to no man? No. He bowed to King Ahashuereus, Esther bowed too.
· There is a clear ethnic rivalry and hatred.
· Haman, the Agagite (3:1) - not introduced by position, or father, but by people group.
· Mordecai, the Jew - (2:5; 3:4)
· Exodus 17:8-16 - Amalek and Amalekites attack in wilderness - Aaron & Hur hold up hands
· 1 Sam. 15 - Saul to destroy Amalekites, their King is Agag. Saul disobeys. Samuel finishes job.
· Mordecai the Jew refuses to bow to a descendant of Agag.
· Haman is enraged. Again, he knows how his ancestor Agag was brutally hacked to death by Samuel, the Jew.
· Annihilation - (3:6) - Haman seeks to end Mordecia's people, as the Jews once sought to destroy Haman's people, the Amalekites.
o V6 - "throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus" - even the Jews in Jerusalem were under attack. Every Jew. This would have stopped the promise of the Messiah.
Read 3:7-15
· 7 - Twelfth year - 5 years after Esther became queen (year 7).
· 7 - Pur - dice. Not gambling, but divination. To determine future. Common in OT.
· 8 - Manipulation - "certain people" "against king"
· 9 - bribery - 10,000 talents
· 12 - thirteenth day of first month (13) thirteenth day of the twelfth month
o They had 12 months!!
· To live in fear and anticipation of imminent death.
· For God to providentially save them!
Application Points:
1. Seek First God's Righteousness
a. Your obedience to righteousness might be God's divine intervention to block Satan's move.
· What would have happened if the eunuchs had been successful? Who would have ruled the kingdom?
· What about Esther? Haman might not have been stopped!
· Mordecai did not stand up when the pagan king took his adopted daughter to be his wife, but he chose to make his stand when the king's life was in danger.
b. Do the right thing because it's the right thing.
· There's temptation to believe that by doing right thing you might be put on a pedestal, and you so you do the right thing in hopes of getting something out of it. Don't.
· Mordecai didn't see any immediate rewards. He just did the right thing. He didn't save the king for selfish motivations.
2. Expect the Age Old Enemy
a. Introduce Haman. Mordecai should have been promoted. Official at gate.
· Mordecai - The Jew
· Haman - Agagite
· Trust that Satan will attempt to hijack God's people and destroy them.
· Expect God's people to be hated amongst those whom the world glorifies!
3. Trust God's Provision
a. Don't fear the circumstances. God provides for his own.
b. Divine Intervention - One
i. Mordecai was sitting at the gate that day for a reason!
ii. Mordecai happened to hear for a reason.
iii. God had Mordecai in the right place at the right time. This divine intervention will play a key role in the salvation of God's people in coming chapters.
c. Divine Intervention - Two
i. Pur- the rolling of the dice.
ii. They had 12 months! They could have had 12 days, but the dice gave them 12 months! This is plenty of time for God's plan of salvation to be carried out.
iii. 12 months seems like a long, excruciating death sentence, but God's timing is absolutely perfect.
iv. Mary and Martha once thought that Jesus was 4 days late, but he was right on time.
v. The disciples thought Jesus chose a poor time to sleep when the storm was raging, but he was in control.
vi. When he taught a mass of thousands of people at dinner time, and he kept them too long…. Jesus had it all under control.
vii. When the Romans came and arrested him and he refused to fight. Then they killed him! God had the circumstances totally under control.
Conclusion:
· Trust in the Lord! You do the right thing, and trust his providence and his intervention at just the right time in your life.