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Book of Esther Series
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One of my closest friends is a pastor named Kyle. When he was in high school, he got kicked out of a soccer game at a Christian school tournament because he punched an opponent. This was completely out of character for Kyle—he's a committed Christian. What happened was that his opponent kept taking the Lord's name in vain, dragging Christ into his cursing in filthy ways. Kyle asked him to stop repeatedly, but the guy kept doing it. Finally, Kyle told him, "You say that again and we're going to have a problem." The opponent did, and Kyle punched him.
The irony? At the end of the tournament, Kyle received the Christian sportsmanship award.
There's a literary term for this kind of moment: peripety—an unexpected plot twist, a total reversal. It's that moment in a story that makes you stay up late because you never saw it coming. Today, we're wrapping up our three-week study of the book of Esther, and you're going to experience peripety again and again. This Old Testament book never mentions God by name, yet even though God seems invisible, his outcome will be undeniable. His purposes will prevail.
Esther is a young Jewish orphan being raised by her godly cousin Mordecai in Persia. King Xerxes rules with arrogance and excess—he once threw a party that lasted over six months. At one point, he demands that Queen Vashti, his wife, appear before him wearing only her crown. She refuses this humiliating request, so he banishes her from the kingdom.
What follows is essentially an ancient version of "The Bachelor." Esther is chosen as queen, though the king has no idea she is Jewish. Around this time, Mordecai uncovers an assassination plot against the king and saves his life. But another man rises to power—a ruthless narcissist named Haman. He demands that everyone bow down to him, but Mordecai refuses because he worships only the one true God.
Consumed with hatred, Haman convinces King Xerxes to sign a decree ordering the destruction of every Jew in Persia. It's an ancient genocide thousands of years before Hitler.
Suddenly, Esther is in an impossible position. She alone has access to the king, but approaching him without an invitation could cost her her life. Through a messenger, Mordecai sends her a challenge:
"Do not think that because you're in the king's house, you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. But you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to this royal position for such a time as this." (Esther 4:13-14)
Esther's response awakens a warrior within her:
"Go gather together all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:15-16)
Mordecai's challenge doesn't just inspire courage in Esther—it causes her to look upward rather than inward. She realizes she doesn't have the strength for this alone. She needs others praying and fasting. She needs God.
This is why at CCV, we have prayer warriors at every campus and online in the chat so you don't have to leave without someone praying with you. We believe there is power in prayer.
You might not like the word "shrewd," but it's the very word Jesus uses in Matthew 10:16: "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Esther displays remarkable wisdom. After the three-day fast, on the fourth day, she walks into the palace where King Xerxes sits. Physically, she's exhausted—she hasn't eaten in three days. But spiritually, she is strong. Every hunger pang reminds her of her dependence on the Lord.
When the king sees her, he's pleased and extends the golden scepter:
"When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand... Then the king asked, 'What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.'" (Esther 5:2-3)
But here's where Esther's shrewdness shines: she doesn't ask immediately. Instead, she says:
"If it pleases the king, let the king together with Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for him." (Esther 5:4)
She's being strategic. She doesn't want to put him on the spot in front of others. She knows he's a different person in private than he is in front of his cronies. She's shrewd about her timing and her approach.
Even at the banquet, she delays her request and invites them back for another meal the next day. She's waiting for the right moment—following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
God is always unfolding his plan. We just need to be aware and on the lookout for him. Trust his timing.
Meanwhile, something incredible happens. Haman is feeling great—the queen keeps inviting him to special meals. But then he sees Mordecai at the king's gate, still refusing to bow. This enrages him all over again. His family and friends suggest he build a 75-foot gallows and ask the king to execute Mordecai. Haman loves the idea, and they build it that very day.
But that night, King Xerxes can't sleep. (Does the God of the universe cause insomnia so his purposes can prevail? Yes. Everything is at his disposal.) The king has a servant read from the chronicles. The servant happens to turn to the story of when Mordecai discovered an assassination plot and saved the king's life.
Xerxes immediately asks, "Was anything done to reward this man?" The answer is no.
The next morning, when Haman comes in to ask for Mordecai's execution, Xerxes asks him, "What should be done for the man who pleases the king?" Haman, thinking the king is talking about him, suggests elaborate honors. Xerxes responds: "Perfect idea. Go do all of that for Mordecai the Jew."
Peripety. A total reversal.
Haman has to lead Mordecai on the king's horse through the streets, announcing his honor. And Mordecai—who was about to die—becomes second in command.
Later that day, at the private meal with just Esther and Xerxes, the moment arrives. The king says, "What is your request? I'll give you up to half my kingdom."
"Then Queen Esther answered, 'If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation.'" (Esther 7:3-4)
The palace has no idea she's Jewish. She's had a new name, a new look. No one would be looking for a Jewish orphan beside a king. But the king was a pawn in the hand of the King of Kings.
Xerxes asks, "Who is he? Where is the man who dared to do such a thing?"
Esther answers: "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman."
The king gets up in a rage and leaves his wine—something the Bible emphasizes because this is a man who partied for 187 days. He goes out to the garden to process his anger. When he returns, he walks in on Haman falling onto the couch where Esther is reclining, begging for his life. But from the king's vantage point, it looks like an inappropriate advance.
Xerxes explodes: "Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?!"
One of the servants speaks up: "Your majesty, I noticed a 75-foot gallows at Haman's house. A neighbor told me Haman intended to kill Mordecai there today—the man who saved your life."
Xerxes reaches his boiling point: "Take Haman and kill him on the gallows instead."
They remove Haman's signet ring and put it on Mordecai's hand. In an instant, Mordecai becomes second in command.
Peripety. What a reversal.
This is a story only God could orchestrate. Although God's name is never mentioned in the book of Esther, you cannot miss his presence. God worked through:
But God didn't stop working in 480 BC. He is just as involved and interested in your life as he was in Esther's.
Let me tell you about Eric. He's a faithful CCV member. A Christian friend named Carl sent him an encouraging text one morning, challenging him to be a bold witness for Christ. Later that same day, after a round of golf, Eric was in the locker room when he noticed the attendant seemed upset. Eric asked what was wrong. The man shared that his 19-year-old sister had died in a car accident the day before.
Eric asked, "Do you mind if I pray for you?" He prayed, and they both cried. God used this big football player to give hope and comfort to a grieving man.
Later, Eric texted Carl and said, "I want to thank you for that text this morning. If you hadn't sent it, I don't know if I would have had the courage to offer to pray with him."
You might say, "Well, that's small compared to Esther's story." Not if it was your sister who died. God used Carl and Eric for such a time as this. Carl played Mordecai, challenging someone. Eric played Esther, responding in obedience. Ordinary people doing ordinary things, but with extraordinary impact.
Which role will God ask you to play this week?
Think about the odds:
That's a lot of coincidences. But here's what I've discovered: When I pray, coincidences happen. When I don't pray, they don't. Heidi Quaid said, "Coincidences are small miracles where God chooses to remain anonymous."
Esther wasn't in Persia by accident. Neither are you. God has positioned you where you are for a reason.
Do not give into despair. Do not give up. Mordecai went from sackcloth to the king's robes. The Bible invites you to believe in the coming peripety in your own life.
Peripety isn't limited to Esther. We see it when David takes a pebble and drops a giant. We see it when Daniel is thrown into the lion's den and the ferocious animals become harmless. But the greatest reversal ever occurred in a cemetery outside Jerusalem.
Jesus the Christ became Jesus the corpse. No pulse, no breath, no hope. Wrapped in burial cloths for three days, dead in a borrowed tomb. His enemies celebrated a dead Messiah. And just when all hope was lost and joy was gone—peripety. His heart began to beat. His eyelids opened. His pierced hands lifted. Jesus stood, his heel squarely on the head of Satan.
Who's to say he doesn't have a reversal for you?
Max Lucado says, "In God's hand, no script is predictable, no storyline is inevitable, no outcome is certain. He is the God of grand reversals."
Your marriage that seems on life support can be salvaged if you both give God a chance. Your job search that's gone from months to over a year—while you do your part, trust that God is doing his. Your faith that's barely hanging by a thread can be totally transformed if you take a step toward Jesus.
God may seem invisible in the moment, but he will be undeniable in the outcome.
The book of Esther is shouting, "Let God do his work." When you're in the middle of your story, never allow Satan to place a period where God has chosen to place a comma. Your story is not over. If you're still breathing, he is still writing.
Maybe he has you in your neighborhood. Maybe he has you in your workplace. Maybe he has you with your family for such a time as this today.
I want to awaken a warrior inside of you—someone who depends on prayer, who is desperate for God, who answers the call just like Esther did when Mordecai challenged her. Rise to the occasion. You were made for this moment.
Maybe you need prayer today. Maybe you need to make a commitment—draw a line in the sand and say, "This is my moment. I'm ready to be baptized." We're ready for that at any campus, every campus.
Don't put off whatever God puts on your heart. Keep allowing him to write your story.
