ESTHER 5-7 SERMON WHEN THINGS BACKFIRE (into tbc) In 2009 a 23 year old guy had a plan. His plan was to charge into the local Telstra shop, gun in hand, demand everyone's wallets and watches, before charging back out and running away. A simple plan. But as he came charging in full of nervous energy and charging out and ran up the street he discovered one fatal floor in his plan. You see, all that nervous energy and physical effort made him breath deeper than normal. And for most people there's nothing wrong with that. But our friends plan also involved him disguising his face with industrial grade gold paint. Which is known to have very toxic fumes. So as our friend charged in breathing deeply. As he charged out and up the street breathing deeply. His plan backfired. About 100m up the street he finally collapsed and... Is no longer with us. His plan fatally backfired. And as we turn now to Esther 5 what we're going to see is another plan fatally backfire. Today Hamans plan to curse Gods people finally and fatally backfires. Thanks to the skilful, wise and Respectful actions of Esther. So last week we saw Haman win the King permission to Kill all of Gods people. Today in chapter 5 we see Esthers right of reply. It's Esther turn to go into the King and ask for mercy. So if you've got a bible open up to Esther 5. Where Esther approaches the King. SCENE 1 ESTHER AND THE KING But the problem is Esther knows the rules. Anyone who enters the Kings inner court uninvited, including his wife, will be put to death. Unless he holds out the Golden Sceptre to them.
So she can t just barge in with tears and beg for mercy. She has to be wise and strategic and so she comes up with a plan. Keep her secret hidden until she s guaranteed victory. Keep her secret hidden until she s won the King favour. That's her plan But she won t twist the truth or deceive like Haman. No she ll deal with the king in an honest and patient way waiting till she s won the Kings favour, before revealing her secret. That s her game plan and with that we turn to Esther 5:1, as she sets out to win the King s favour. 1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her In v1, as she puts her royal robes on it literally means she puts on royalty. She's deliberately making herself look like Beautiful Queen Esther. And as she strategically positions herself directly in the Kings line of sight, dressed to impress, it works. He s pleased with her and invites her in. But he s not a complete fool either. When your wife turns up at the doorway, dressed to the nines and best pearls on, your radar goes up. Doesn t it? He knows she wants something. But he's still please to see and she s made him feel generous. 3 Then the king asked, What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you. So the Kings clearly pleased to see her. Dressed like a Queen. Standing in his doorway. Wanting his attention. Offering up to half his kingdom.
But even though he offers up to half his kingdom, there no guarantee it s a genuine offer. You see, offering up to half his kingdom is an ancient way of saying to someone you like them. And your feeling generous towards them. But there s no guarantee he ll grant the request. So she knows she s off to a good start. He's glad to see her. But she still needs to keep her secret hidden for now. And instead, honours him with a feast. Where he repeats the offer. 6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted. He knows she still wants something. She knows he's still feeling generous. But there s still no guarantee. So in v7 she puts a gentle warm humble ultimatum to him. 7 Esther replied, My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favour and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfil my request, then let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king s question. You see Esther s words re incredibly clever. IF you genuinely want to fulfil my request then come to a 2ND feast tomorrow. So In a really humble and respectful and clever way she got the Kings guarantee. Because he's agreed to come. ESTHERS A GREAT EXAMPLE Now, if your job is all about dealing with business people Esthers a great case study to learn from. She's not hiding the fact she wants something. She's just keeping her cards close to her chest. Waiting until the right time.
And the pressure she was under was HUGE if she failed. It would've been tempting to try and speed things along through tricking or deceiving or seducing or whispering empty flattery to the King. To get people to do what you want can tempt you to use dodgy methods. But Esther reminds us the motto - The ends justify the means - Whatever it takes to close the deal - is wrong. Right from the start Esther's nothing but open and honest. Showing nothing but prudent respect for the King. Yes she keeps her secret hidden. She keeps her cards close to her chest. But she's always open about it. She consistently deals with the king in a respectful, open and honest way. Trusting in the hand of God to quietly move and to act according to his plan. SCENE 2- HAMAN TRIES TO CURSE MORDECAI And as we turn now to v9 it clear the hand of God IS at work behind the scene. Esther is right to trust God. Because in in v9, as Haman now leaves the feast and attempts to now curse Mordecai, it backfires. This is the hand of God quietly at work behind the scenes moving things according to his plan. 9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king s gate... and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 13 [Everything I have] gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew... Mordecai... sitting at the king s gate. 14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits,... and ask the king in the morning... to have Mordecai... impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself. This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.
Two weeks ago around 6pm it was pouring rain. A little cold. Getting dark. And Eva my 5yo came up to me with a big smile and said "DAD, can we jump on the tramp in the rain and the dark?" That idea delighted me and we jumped in the rain and dark for ages. Impaling someone on a pole - that idea doesn't delights me. But it delights Haman. Because it's powerful way to publicly humiliate and curse your enemy. Some translations call it a gallows. But they literally mean a pole and the way it works is back then you'd impale them on the pole. Either skewer or nail them. And raise them up into the air for a few days for all to see and for the birds to eat. And to hang in the air like this, on a wooden pole, is a powerful sign you'd been cursed by your God. Even God says this in Deuteronomy 21 22 If someone guilty of a capital offence is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because... anyone who is hung on a pole... is under God s curse. To hang in the air on some wooden structure is a publicly humiliating sign that your cursed by God. That why the message of CHRIST crucified on a wooden cross is so offensive to the Jews. The cross is Satans way of publicly displaying CHRIST as humiliated and cursed. And so Haman doesn't want to just kill Mordecai. He want wants to publicly display Mordecai as humiliated and cursed. SCENE 3 - HAMANS CURSE BACKFIRES And with that, just as Satans plan to curse CHRIST backfires, so does Hamans plan to curse Mordecai. Thanks to a string of incredible coincidences. Or more accurately thanks to the hand of God quietly working behind the scenes. You see, in 6:1 the king can't sleep. He does a bit of late night reading. And coincidently discovers Mordecai was never honoured for saving his
life yet. And as he wonders how to publicly honour Mordecai Haman coincidently turns up. Wanting permission to publicly curse Mordecai. But before he can ask. The king tells Him to go and publicly honour him. To lead him through the streets on a tic a tap parade. (ESV) Then the king said to Haman, Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned. So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour. You see he set out to curse Mordecai. But is forced to honour him thanks to a series of coincidences. Haman can't see the hand of God working against him. But in v13, His wife can (ESV) Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. (How his plan backfired) Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him. And with those words still ringing in his ears he's whisked off to his last supper in ch7. FINAL SCENE - HIDDEN SECRETS REVEALED The final scene. In 7:2 the King repeats his offer. I've turned up to your feast. I guarantee your request. What would you like? And in v3. As Her hidden secret is revealed, Haman's plan to curse Mordecai backfires completely. 3 Then Queen Esther answered, If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life this is my petition. And spare my people this is my request. 4 For I and
my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king. 5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, Who is he? Where is he the man who has dared to do such a thing? 6 Esther said, An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman! Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, As her hidden secret is revealed the one who tried to curse Gods people is cursed himself. Because the king now orders him to be impaled on the pole he built for Mordecai. When Esther's hidden secret is revealed in the fullness of time, the great symbol of his victory becomes the source of his defeat. And in the fullness of time. Esther's victory points us forward to Christ's victory over Satan. You see like Haman, Satan had a plan to destroy our Saviour. To hang him on a tree. High in the air for all to see. But in the end, like Haman, his plan backfired! And as God reveals HIS hidden secret. What was meant to be Satan's great symbol of victory. Becomes the source of his defeat. At the moment when Satan thinks he's about to triumph over Jesus, the wooden cross where Jesus was meant to hang like a curse, ends up being the source of his victory over Satan. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 2 1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it's not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who're doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
None of the rulers of this age understood this,for if they had, they wouldn't've crucified the Lord of glory. God kept his plan of salvation hidden from Satan and his cohorts. Waiting for the right time to reveal his plan. And as Satan crucified Christ on the cross God reveals his plan. And in Colossians 2:15 we see: Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him, dying on a cross. Like Esther, Christ has defeated the great enemy of God's people. He has already been defeated for us. And so Satan will not and can not win against God's people. There's no cosmic battle for us to fight against Satan. The cross has defeated Satan. And the fancy word for this's Christus Victor. Christ has won the victory over Satan. So for us our role in life is not to defeat Satan, even though he can still go around and tempt us and pressure us like a toothless lion. No Our role as the people of God is to be LIKE ESTHER AS SHE SET OUT TO WIN THE KING. Our role is to believe in and trust that the quiet hand of God is at work in this world around us. Moving things according to his plan. Our place is to remain fiercely Godly and Christ like and honest and patient and gentle in the way we relate to people and in the way we do business with people. You see, you can't underestimate the pressure Esther was under. The consequences if she failed to win the King were huge. The temptation to try and manipulate the King, to try and flaunt her sexuality to tempt the King and win his favour, the temptation to tell half truths to get what she wants would have been huge. But in the end she trusts in the power and sovereignty of God. And plays an honest, godly straight bat. Yes she uses all of her wisdom, yes she keeps her secret hidden till the right moment yes she devises a cunning clever plan. But she never lies. She is always open and honest about the fact she has something she wants to raise with the king.
There's nothing ungodly about using all of your cunning wisdom, there's nothing wrong with being smart and planning and keeping your cards close to your chest. But you do it without deceiving or lying or tricking people. You do it like Esther. But as we're going to see next week we discover the battle's not over yet. Satan's been defeated. But there's one more thing to be done. So come back next week and see the closing chapters of Esther and the gospel of Christ.