Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Has God abandoned his people. the Jewish people in exile at Persia at the time of Esther. The title of this message perhaps may supply an answer to the providence of God. That is, a sovereign God is providentially caring for his chosen people, the Jews.
Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Today we're beginning an exciting new series on the book of Esther. Though God is never mentioned by name, He is at work behind the scenes, orchestrating events for the good of His people. And as we dive into this fascinating story, we'll discover how God remains faithful even when He seems hidden. Here's Pastor John Monroe with his message titled, The Providence of God.
One of our struggles in the Christian life is that it is often not obvious what God is doing. The eternal God knows the end of the story from the beginning. But we don't have that perspective. This is why trusting God is essential. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Today we're taking a break from 1 Peter to begin a new series, a very different one. about situations where it is not clear what God is doing. In fact, in this Old Testament book, the name of God is not even mentioned. I'm referring to the book of Esther, which is one of the historical books of the Bible. and also has a fascinating drama with all kinds of exciting events.
So let's begin this new study by looking at Esther chapter 1.
Well, today we begin this new series of one of the most unusual. And yet I think one of the fascinating books of the Bible Uh the book of Esther. It takes place in a foreign land, obviously, in ancient Persia. And it's one of only two books in the Bible called After a Woman. And Esther, like the other book Ruth, Is a real life drama involving real life people in real life situations.
It is Admittedly, an unusual book. Not only does it not mention God's name in the ten chapters, there's no mention of the Abrahamic covenant, there's no mention of the law of God. There's no mention of sacrifices or prayer, although on several occasions there is a reference to fasting. A pagan king is mentioned 190 times in the ten chapters. It's only 167 verses.
God. is not mentioned. Once. That's strange, isn't it? It's true.
His hand may sometimes be hidden. But these people are never forgotten. It's true that God is not mentioned in the book of Esther, but he is the main character. in the intriguing story. Isn't it true that sometimes we fail to discern God's hand at work in our lives as we look back over the years?
Sometimes to us it appears to be an invisible hand. It seems sometimes in our lives that God is hiding. that we are unloved, that God is distant from us. And yet in all circumstances of life we're going to be learning that our God Our Heavenly Father. is watching over us.
And he is at work. through the ordinary circumstances of our lives. through seemingly coincidences in her life.
So If we're wise, we trust his God, even though he sometimes seems invisible. Even though sometimes we don't understand what he's doing in our life and he seems remote and we don't hear from God, we are to trust him. whatever the circumstances, that's one of the lessons. of Esther. As we come, I ask you to open your Bibles to Esther chapter ones in the Old Testament.
We have Psalms. Most of you know about Psalms. Before that, there's the book of Job. And then there is Esther. And then the first nine verses, we're going to read about a king's power.
First of all, the writer very helpfully gives us the historical setting in the first two verses of Esther 1.
So let's read that. Esther won. Verses one and two.
Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia, Over 127 provinces in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel. This is the historical setting. If you know your Jewish history, you will remember that in 586 BC, before the events of Esther, Nebuchadnezzar Was the Babylonian king. Babylon was the superpower of the day. And at 586, Nebuchadnezzar and his forces sacked the city of Jerusalem.
and burned the temple. And at that time, many Jews were taken captive, including the young man Daniel. And they were taken to Babylon. And there they lived in exile. We call it the Babylonian captivity.
On October 12, The Babylonian Empire Came to a sudden and abrupt end during the reign, you read about it in Daniel 5, of Belshazzar, King Belshazzar. Cyrus the Great. The grandfather of the king we're going to be reading about, King Azuerus. Cyrus the Great. Leader of the Persians and the Medes.
Led his army up the Euphrates River. How did they do that? They dammed the river, they redirected the river, and they went right. Through the gates, under the city into Babylon. And in that strange way, The Babylonians were defeated.
And the great Babylonian Empire ended, and now the ruling power were the Persians. Persian Empire became the superpower. If you've studied the book of Daniel, remember the image. There is the gold head representing Babylon, and then there are the silver arms and chest representing the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. Then there's the Greeks and then there are the Romans.
And that was true historically. Babylon is going to be succeeded by Persia, as we're reading. Persia is going to fall to the Greeks, the Greek Empire is going to fall to the great Roman Empire. Empire.
Now, under the reign of Cyrus the Great. Jews living in exile. were return we're allowed quite miraculously. They were allowed to return to to Israel to rebuild the temple. You read that in Ezra chapter in Ezra and Nehemiah in your Bible.
However, many of the Jews and their descendants did not return to Israel. including Esther and Mordecai that we're going to read about in this book. They didn't return. They remained in Persia. Why was that?
Had they forgotten God? Had God forgotten them? And the events of Esther take place historically in your Bibles between Ezra chapter six and seven. Around 483 BC. It's almost 2,500 years ago.
In the first return, From the exile. back to Jerusalem. was that return was led by Z Zerne. And according to Ezra II, 49,897 Jews returned from exile to Israel to rebuild the temple. And then there was the second return led by Ezra.
So Esther is taking place between the first return and the second return. And as we read in these opening verses, our story begins in Susa. It's in modern Iran, devastated although it is, it's the winter capital. of the Persian Empire. which was a capital of great beauty and Luxury.
Hazu Aries. Notice what it says, verse 1. He reigned from India. Probably what we know is Pakistan, to Ethiopia, over 127 provinces. There we have it.
I don't have that in my Bible. Before I got up, I looked at my granddaughter's Bible. She's got pictures in hers. I don't have pictures in mine. But there it is.
And we have a narrow Susa. Modern day Iran. Think of the extent of that kingdom. Right over, it says Ethiopia, probably what we know as Northern Africa, perhaps Sudan, and it is a vast empire. Middle East.
Turkey. Greece right over to India. itself. Provinces. This king Ahasuerus is a pretty impressive character.
the grandson of Cyrus the Great, and he's the absolute Sovereign. The absolute dictator over this huge and very powerful empire. That's the historical setting.
Now let's read of his power and glory in verses 3 through 4. Through nine.
So in the third year of his reign, that's the reign of Ahasuerus, He gave a feast for all of his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, a hundred and eighty days. And when these days were completed, the king gave For all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast. lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. There were white cotton curtains, violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen, and purple to silver rods.
and marble pillars, couches of gold and silver and a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother of pearl, and precious stones. Pretty impressive, isn't it? Drinks were served in golden vessels. Vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. And drinking was according to this edict, there is no compulsion.
Normally, you only drank when the king drank, but here he's saying that you can drink any way you want. For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. Queen Vashtai. Also, gave a feast for the woman in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus. Here, The writer details the pomp and the splendor and the riches and the glory of King Ahasuerus.
And for six months, 180 days. Ahazuaris throws this elaborate party to display his power. and his riches. This is an opportunity for him to consolidate his power. to assert his leadership.
and no doubt to discuss with his princes and the military advisers his war council, as it were, the military strategy for conquering Greece, which is a rising threat. Ahazio Eris doesn't know it, but from world history we know. And 330 BC, the Persian Empire is going to fall. to the Greeks, but that has not yet happened. The father of Ahasuerus, Darius I, had been humiliatingly defeated by the Greeks.
at the great battle of Marathon in four hundred ninety BC. In the Olympics, we have an event called the Marathon. The legend is that a runner announcing the The Persian defeat in Athens. Died of exhaustion. And so this long track where he was running is probably a legend.
But the marathon is called after the Battle of Marathon. And so here is the king. Got his war council, he's got the princes, he's got everyone. And no doubt some strategies are being worked out. to avenge the defeat that they've had at the hands of Greece.
And a sumptuous banquet is brought to a very impressive climax. There's extravagant furnishings, there's beautiful gardens. Not that everyone is in awe as the people come to see this and see the king seemingly at the height of his riches and power and glory. Herodotus Uh the historian uh records that the Persians love to drink in large quantities.
something not confined to ancient Persia. We read that the wine was in abundance, it was lavished. The Royal Wine. Great party, isn't it? Meantime, we read in verse nine.
That is queen. Yeah. is giving her own banquet. to the woman and another Palace. Verses one through nine then, the power of the king.
Secondly, in verses ten through twelve, The king is going to be defied. I want you to understand who this mighty man is, Ahasuerus. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine. He commanded Mehumen, Besta, Harbona. Exactly.
Abikhtha, Zithar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashtai before the king with a royal crown in order to show the people and the princes her beauty. for she was lovely. to look at. But Queen Vashta refused to come. At the king's command delivered by the eunuchs.
At this, the king became enraged and his anger burned. within him. He's got this party. Very impressive. He's merry with wine.
And he commands His queen. Queen Vashtai. to appear. She is brought, verse 11, to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at.
Now this was a highly unusual request. The queen's beauty is normally only displayed to the king. And the king at this party, No doubt. Drunk, merry with wine. is using his power in a very self-indulgent way.
And he calls for her to come and.
so that the man could admire her beauty because she's lovely to look at. Astonishingly. Having regard to the power of this man, To the empire over which he rules. Astonishingly, Queen Vashtai refuses to obey the king's commands. The people go to bring her, we read.
The eunuchs who oversaw the harem and the queen, they. Ask her to come. to appear before the king and all of the people, and she says no. To be paraded in front of drunken men as a sex object, particularly if she was going to be fully or partially naked, would have been a humiliating experience for anyone and certainly for the Queen. And the queen's open defiance at the command of the king results.
in the king's extreme anger. He's arrogantly flouting his wealth, his power, and his glory.
Now, He is very, very angry, the most powerful man in all of Persia, if not in all of the world, is being publicly defied. By one person. And a woman at that. Yeah. Quinn.
His power He's being defied. And now, in verses 13 through 22, we're going to see the kings. Pettiness. First of all, in verses 13 through 15, the powerful king doesn't know what to do with this when his wife. refuses to appear.
Verse thirteen. Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times, For this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, the men next to him being. Karshana, Shethar. Admatha, Tarshus, Meres, Marsina, and Memuchan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face and sat first in the kingdom. According to the law, What is to be done to Queen Vashtai because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?
He doesn't know what he's to do. This is a highly unusual situation. And so he brings his seven princes. You might say his inner cabinet. These are the only men who can come and stand before the king.
It's ironic, isn't it? The most powerful man in the universe doesn't know what to do when his wife disobeys a command.
Now he's about to make a huge issue of the incident.
Now he's about to make a monumental mistake. Rather than admitting that this was a foolish command or just laughing it off as a silly drunken idea, it becomes a matter of national policy and honor. And so, a very petty law is passed, a foolish law. Verse sixteen. Then Memukin said in the presence of the king and the officials.
Not only against the king has Queen Vashtai done wrong, but against all of the officials and all the peoples who are in all of the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen's behavior will be known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt. Since they will say, King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashtai to be brought before him, and she did not come. This very day, the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the Queen's behaviour will say the same to all of the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it may not be repealed, that Vashtai is never again to come before King Ahasuaris.
Up till now she is called Queen Vashtai.
Now she's just referred to as Vashtai. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.
So, when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all of his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike. This advice pleased the king and the princes. And the king did as Memukin proposed. He sent letters to all of the royal provinces, to every province in his own script, and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his. People.
This man, Membuchan, gives this very pompous speech, saying to the king, This is not just a personal matter between the king. King and his wife. This is a matter of international importance, verse 16, for all the peoples who are in all of the provinces of King Ahasuerus. Traditional family values are being threatened throughout the whole kingdom by this queen's defiance. We can't allow this to go on.
It'll become general knowledge that Queen Vashtai has openly defied King Ahasuerus, and there will be an insidious Ripple effect. There'll be whole-scale rebellion by all of the wives throughout the 127 provinces. What was the solution it proposes? Is there a policy on this? Let's write a law.
And the law will mean, verse 20, that all women will give honour to their husbands, high and low alike. And a public example is going to be made of Queen Vashtai, who will never again see the king.
Furthermore, we know, Daniel tells us this as well, that the law of the Medes and the Persians can't be repealed. Once the law is made, it stands. You can't revoke it. Criton. Vashtai or Vashtai, as she's now called, is permanently to be banished.
And his elaborate, his drastic solution meets with universal male approval. And letters are sent throughout the province in all of the different languages, right from India to Ethiopia, that every man. be master in his own household. Pretty stupid lie, isn't it? Hardly designed to bring more respect for the king, who's just showing his own insecurity, isn't he?
I mean, how can you command a man? to be mastered in his own house. The arrogance, the chauvinism, the insensitivity, in fact, the irony and the foolishness of this law is mind-blowing. and all caused by a king's pride. By his anger.
By his acting when he is merry with wine. demonstrating his own insecurity.
However, The king has set in motion a chain of events. which is going to greatly impact the Jewish Nation. You're listening to The Verdict with Pastor John Monroe and the beginning of a two-part message titled The Providence of God. Be sure to listen tomorrow to hear how the exciting story continues. As we begin this compelling series on Esther, we've created a special resource to enhance your study.
Our Esther Listening Guide provides historical context, character insights, and reflection questions to help you get the most from each message. This printable workbook helps you follow along and reinforces key points. Understanding the historical setting of Persia, the Jewish exile, and the impending threats to God's people will deepen your appreciation of this remarkable story of. Providence and courage. Download your free copy of our Esther Listening Guide by visiting our website at theverdict.org.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with closing remarks for today's message.
Well, what's your verdict? Do you agree that although God's hand is often invisible, He is working out his plans. Take a few minutes to reflect on some of the difficult events in your life, as well as some of the most joyful. Isn't it clear? that God has been with you.
I want you to trust God even when His hand is invisible. And although we have not seen the Lord Jesus, through the eye of faith we love him. and seek to trust him. Let's pick up the continuing story next time. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict.
I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
