ESTHER: Divine Deliverance: Sermons by Rev. Mike Jones [Revised January 29, 2019]
Esther 04:14 PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION
Esther 08:14 PRESSED ON BY THE KING’S COMMAND
Esther 04:14 PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION
[Preached as Part of John study]
John 8:12,14 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
It is the conviction of a Divine call deep in the soul which makes any man or woman a telling witness for God. We must Know where we came from and where we are going if we are to get others to join us. Sometimes the difficulty in this is that if we don’t have a “Burning Bush” experience we tend to doubt our Way and our Worth. Let’s look today at one of the great examples in the Bible of “Providential Preservation” and see how God many times uses the Natural to accomplish the Supernatural.
Esther belongs between Ezra 6 and 7 and tells the story of what life was like for the Jews who did not return with the Remnant. It is the story of a Plot to destroy the Jews and the failure of this plot because of God’s Providential Placement of a courageous Jewish Girl into the position of Queen.
The origin of the Jewish feast of Purim is found in this book (9:26 32). It is one of two books in the Bible in which the name of God is not mentioned (Song of Solomon is the Other). It is also one of two books in the Bible named for women- Ruth is the other.
PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION- God bringing about Circumstances so that His will could be accomplished. He had Esther made Queen so that she could be used to preserve His people. Everything happens thru HUMAN effort but it is directed by DIVINE Wisdom. Contrast this with MIRACULOUS Happenings where God directly intervenes (Plagues of Egypt, Parting of Red Sea, Destruction of Jericho, etc.). We need to see that God is at work in the EVERYDAY as well as in the EXTRAORDINARY
Notice the “Natural” Things that are supernaturally used: Esther’s extraordinary beauty, Vashti righteous refusal to display herself, the “plot” that Mordecai was able to discover and expose that later brought him to remembrance before the king.
King Ahasuerus is recorded in History as being much like he is pictured in Esther- a man of swift and sudden changes of heart. When a bridge he had just ordered built was destroyed by a storm he ordered the sea lashed with 300 lashes, a pair of handcuffs thrown into it and the builder of the bridge’s head cut off!!!! When a friend offered him some money to help on a campaign he was so pleased that he returned the money and gave the man a generous gift–yet when the man asked that his oldest son be left out of the army to care for him Ahasuerus had the son cut in two and the army marched between his halves!! He could well order Vashti the queen disposed for refusing to expose herself to his guest because when he was defeated in a battle he ordered that prizes be given to anyone that could develop new sexual perversion to distract his mind!!! He is just the man to order the Jews killed for money and then change his mind and allow them to defend themselves. The wondrous thing is that God could work so as to overrule even such a wicked and sin-possessed man as him!
Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed; and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
1. Take advantage of your opportunities- or they may be given to others. You will miss the Blessing and obtain the Hurt. (Esau)
2. Are you willing to accept God’s plan for your life?? When Esther was chosen to “try out” for Queen she knew that it might mean the end of any chance for a home and family for if the king refused her then she would spend the rest of her days in isolation (2:14).
Esther was “come to the kingdom for such a time as this”- God had prepared her to be in the right place at the right time. That preparation took a long time with many hurts- lost father and mother and lived with uncle Mordecai, carried captive into Persia, etc.
The Story of Esther can be summarized in 3 words:
I. PREPARATION- Disobedient queen Vashti, Esther chosen
II. PERSECUTION- Haman (name is 666 in Hebrew!!!) chose to hate the Jews and destroy an entire race because his pride had been hurt.
III. PROTECTION- God delivers thru Esther’s intervention. (People still had to fight!)
Are YOU living your life everyday so that God can use you in His plans?? When you are faced with an opportunity that demands sacrifice are you willing to be committed- or do you allow someone else to receive the Blessings
Esther 08:14 PRESSED ON BY THE KING’S COMMAND
We find here a story of servants who were given a command by their King. We as Christians are command by our Lord to keep pressing on until we reach the other side.
WE ARE TO OBEY THE “KING’S” ORDERS:
1. Though HINDERED by the DEVIL
a. Satan seeks to devour the lost as well as the Christian 1 Peter 5:8
b. Paul was hindered by the devil 1 Thess. 2
c. Active and on fire Christians bother the devil
2. Though HATED by the WORLD
a. John 17:24 tells us that the world will hate us because we are not of this world
b. Our Lord was here before us and they disliked him enough to crucify him.
3. Though HURT by the CHURCH
a. People have caused many church troubles
b. Attitudes you have may affect others
4. BUT I AM HONORED BY GOD
a. In my preaching
b. In my possessions
c. In my praying