Historical Background

In 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah was defeated by the Babylonians (modern day Iraq) and the inhabitants were forced to leave their homeland. The Jews were exiled to Babylon. You may recall Daniel and his friends living lives that honored God in Babylon during that time period.

Almost fifty years later, in 539 BC, the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians, and that proved to be beneficial for the Jewish people living in exile. The Persians allowed the Jews to return to Israel, and to rebuild the Temple and fortify the walls surrounding Jerusalem. But not everyone returned. Many people stayed in the lands in which they were exiled. They were called the diaspora. Esther was part of the diaspora. She was a Jew, living in Persia.

Throughout the Book of Esther, we see that even though Esther didn’t live in Jerusalem; even though she was not near the Temple, God was still near her.

Persia became her home away from home. If one had to be exiled to a foreign land, Persia was the place to be, at least in the year 479 BC when Esther became queen. It was the world’s superpower, a kingdom that dominated to the far reaches of the world. King Xerxes ruled over 127 provinces.

The Story

The Book of Esther is a narrative that includes all of the elements of a sit-at-the-edge-of-your-seat story. The tension is evident right off the bat when Queen Vashti refuses the request of her husband. King Xerxes is humiliated in front of his guests and on the advice of counsel, he deposes Vashti and holds a beauty contest to find a new queen. Esther, a Jew, wins the crown and finds herself between a rock and a hard place when one of the king’s advisors, Haman, encourages the king to issue an edict that will eradicate the Jews living in the land. King Xerxes is not aware of his new bride’s heritage and religion.

It seems simple, doesn’t it? Why doesn’t Esther barge into the throne room and talk to her husband and tell him what’s going on? But that wasn’t the royal way. Esther had to be invited to see the king, but the king hadn’t asked for her in several weeks. Approaching him without an invitation was putting her life at risk, unless of course, he extended the royal scepter, which signified mercy.

Along the way, Esther is encouraged by her cousin, Mordecai, to approach the king and save the Jewish people. Little does Mordecai know that his life is in imminent danger. The wicked Haman is tired of the lack of respect that Mordecai shows for him at the city gate. Mordecai does not rise or show fear in his presence and Haman is furious! Filled with rage, he complains to his wife who offers a solution: build a gallows, kill Mordecai, and hang his body in humiliation. Feeling high and mighty and sensing that he had the king’s ear, Haman builds the gallows and will ask for the king’s permission to kill Mordecai the next day.

In a surprising twist, Haman’s wicked plan is turned upside down and instead of Mordecai, Haman ends up hanging from the gallows he had constructed for Mordecai. In this reversal of fates, Haman is humiliated and Mordecai is honored.

A new edict issued by the King allows the Jews to protect themselves and to kill, destroy, or annihilate any armed force that might wage battle against them. On the appointed days, the Jews slaughter thousands of their enemies, thereby tending to the unfinished business of blotting out the memory of the Amalekites (NIV note 9:5-10).

This story has everything: power, deceit, fighting, wicked plots, underdogs, but where is God? Is there a spiritual element to this story? After all, God is not mentioned. Yet he is everywhere. The Jewish people are saved through God’s providential care for his people, through his people.

Sermon Series

Since the Book of Esther is one story with several twists and turns, I decided to preach the entire book in one sermon—as a first-person narrative. You guessed it, I played Queen Esther. I have to admit, I enjoyed being the queen, if only for a day!

Title: Esther, Queen of Heart

• Subject: How are the Jewish people saved?
• Complement: Through God’s providential care for his people, through his people.
• Exegetical Idea: The Jewish people are saved through God’s providential care for his people, through his people.
• Homiletical Idea: Wherever you are, is exactly where God can use you.
• Purpose: To help people understand that God is active in all of life. To help people see that God positions you to accomplish his will.

Sermon Outline

• Some circumstances in life make it hard to believe that God is in it.
  • Esther was an orphan in exile.
  • Esther married a cruel despot.

Transition: (Sometimes, it’s hard to see how God is in it. But I think he was in it—even in the difficult things. Because God used me in my marriage to save his people. And it’s true that wherever you are, is where God can use you.)

• Wherever you are, is where God can use you.
  • God used Esther’s marriage to save his people.

Although my preference is to preach the entire book in one sermon, Esther might also be divided into a sermon series by crafting one sermon on a single chapter or two or maybe three. In this case, the preacher must be careful to keep the larger context in mind. Otherwise, we could end up with a central idea like: When we can’t sleep at night, it’s a sign that God is trying to tell us something very important (chapter six).

Because my preference is to preach the book as a whole, I struggled a bit with finding a central idea per chapter because they started to sound similar—many revolving around the theme of God’s providence. There’s also a tendency to miss the larger picture when we chop a narrative into bite size pieces. We’re in danger of serving up a spoonful in place of the entire spread. People will walk away hungry.

Series Title: For Such a Time as This

Text: Esther 1

• Subject: What is the result of Queen Vashti’s loss of position?
• Complement: The way is paved for Esther to have a position of influence with the king.
• Exegetical Idea: The result of Queen Vashti’s loss of position is that the way is paved for Esther to gain a position of influence with the king.
• Homiletical Idea: Power and position come from God. Or, God can use the good, the bad, and the ugly to get us where we need to be.
• Questions/Issues: I thought listeners might ask something along these lines: Should God’s people benefit from someone else’s loss? Esther benefits from Vashti’s loss. Issues: Treatment of women; male/female relationships; power

Text: Esther 2

• Subject: How does Esther win the king over?
• Complement: Through the providence of God at work in a beauty pageant.
• Exegetical Idea: Esther wins the king over through the providence of God at work in a beauty pageant.
• Homiletical Idea: God is at work in the most unsuspecting ways.

Text: Esther 3-5

• Subject: How do Haman and Esther use their earthly honor and position?
• Complement: Haman uses it for evil to destroy God’s people, while Esther uses it for good to bring life to her people.
• Exegetical Idea: Haman uses his earthly honor and position for evil, to destroy God’s people while Esther uses it for good to bring life.
• Homiletical Idea: How we use our honor and position matter to God and may be a matter of life and death. Or, wherever you are is exactly where God can use you.

Text: Esther 6

• Subject: How does the king come to honor Mordecai?
• Complement: God works through the king’s restless night to remind him of Mordecai’s good service.
• Exegetical Idea: The king honored Mordecai because God worked through the king’s restless night to remind him of Mordecai’s good service.
• Homiletical Idea: God is at work, accomplishing his purposes, often in unexpected ways.

Text: Esther 7

• Subject: How does Haman’s honor turn to shame?
• Complement: Esther approaches the king with a request to save her people and Haman is found to be the perpetrator of evil.
• Exegetical Idea: Haman’s honor turns to shame when Esther approaches the king with a request to save her people and Haman is found to be the perpetrator of evil.
• Homiletical Idea: God uses his people in his plan to thwart evil.

Text: Esther 8-10

• Subject: Why such death and destruction by the Jews?
• Complement: It demonstrates God’s faithfulness to Israel in preserving them and saving them from annihilation.
• Exegetical idea: The destruction of Israel’s enemies demonstrates God’s faithfulness to Israel in preserving them and saving them from annihilation.
• Homiletical idea: You can trust God to preserve his people.

Application

This book has many avenues for application, particularly in encouraging listeners to trust that God is at work in their lives. The big idea is: Wherever you are, is exactly where God can use you. God used Esther in her role as wife and queen. History tells us that Xerxes was a leader with a temper. He was rash, which is evident by the way he treated Vashti. Let’s face it, Esther didn’t marry Joe Cool as a Cucumber. Even in a difficult relationship, God can use a man or a woman for his good purposes. In the daily routine, in a mediocre job, in a pit-stop along the way, that’s exactly where God can use people for his purposes.

My listeners aren’t kings and queens, but many have experienced challenging relationships; they’ve been placed in positions where they didn’t feel qualified or they’ve taken on roles outside their comfort zone out of necessity. Some might describe their current situation as a “dead-end.” How is God at work in those circumstances? Can we still be used by God for his good purposes? The Book of Esther shows us that wherever we are, is exactly where God can use us. I think that’s helpful to any believer in any situation. It’s applicable to the mom of small children who cares for her aging parents. It applies to the man who is underemployed and has been forced to take jobs that are below his skill level. It matters to the single mom or dad who never dreamed this is what their story would look like.

Chapters eight and nine proved more difficult to apply. If the story ended in chapter seven, application might tend to focus on the more personal nature of God’s providence: God’s providence in my life as an individual. Things wrap up nicely there with the death of Haman. But chapters eight and nine force the homiletician to deal with the slaughter of thousands of non-Jews at the hand of the Jews. The book ends in bloody battle and Queen Esther asking her husband to allow another day of fighting in Susa and “… let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on gallows.” She’s not content with the death of Haman. She wants his family destroyed as well. Ah, sweet, sweet Esther.

I found it helpful to think of application from a worms-eye perspective as well as a birds-eye perspective. The worms-eye perspective deals with application concerning the individual. It’s a narrower application—How is God at work in my life? The birds-eye perspective takes a broader view of God at work in the lives of his people. Yes, God is at work in the lives of individuals, but he’s also at work in his covenant people—protecting them.

It’s helpful for listeners to think beyond themselves and see themselves as a member of the body of Christ—and to be concerned with God’s purposes for God’s people, not only for God’s plan for them individually. We are part of God’s kingdom. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s kingdom conquers sin and death and ultimately, all evil. That’s pretty amazing!

Theological Themes

The Providence of God—God’s name is not mentioned, but he is at work in the lives of individuals and in the life of the Jewish people. God is the central player in this narrative. He works through beauty pageants, restless nights, humility, pride, and insecurity.

Personal Responsibility—Human freedom. Esther must choose to play a role in God’s greater purpose. She has much to fear; much to lose. Mordecai’s role as mentor is crucial in helping Esther to see her responsibility and to take hold of it in spite of personal ramifications.

Evil—Wicked people plotting to destroy the Jews; the destruction of God’s people. The book hearkens back to the days of Moses, when the Amalekites fought with the Israelites upon their escape from Egypt. Esther is the last example in the Old Testament of an evil plot intended on eradicating the Jewish people. God preserves his people.

My Encounter with the Book of Esther

After I preached my first person sermon, a father brought his little girl to meet me. I asked her if she wanted to see my crown. She flashed a shy smile and nodded. I placed it on her head. She was drawn into the story. It captured her imagination. I hope I helped that little girl see how God might use her, even in her youth, for his good purposes.

About a year later, I walked into the office of the church where I had preached Esther. It was a Friday afternoon. A group of retired men and women were sitting around a card table, folding bulletins. One of the men, in his late eighties, introduced himself. His name was Bob. He said his wife passed away six months before and his heart ached for her every single day. Then he said, “You know, my wife loved the sermon where you dressed up as Esther. That was her favorite.” I hope I had helped Bob’s wife see how God might use her, even in her old age, for his good purposes.

As I turned to leave, I realized that Bob, folding bulletins with care, was living the truth of Esther: wherever you are, even in your heartache, is exactly where God can use you.

Commentaries

M. Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993).

W. W. Wiersbe, Be Committed (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993).

Patricia Batten is a Ranked Adjunct Assistant Professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and serves as an interim pastor at Community Congregational Church in Billerica, MA.