Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. in all of the circumstances of life. For the people of God, our Heavenly Father, is watching over us. And so although God's hand may seem to you today to be invisible, He's working out his perfect plan. Yeah.
Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The story of Esther is a fascinating real-life drama of power and intrigue. Today, we'll continue in our brand new study and see how God works out His sovereign plan for His people through the life of this young queen. Even though his name is never mentioned, God is still in control.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe. Last time, we began to study one of the most unusual books in all of the Bible. The Book of Esther. It is certainly a unique and fascinating story. And while it is inspired by God, the name of God is not even mentioned.
The events of Esther take place around 483 BC. The people of God had been taken into captivity by the Babylonians and then were under the Persian Empire. The Persian king allowed some of the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. But many of them, for different reasons, stayed in exile, including Esther. Let's continue to learn of this drama.
Esther is central. But as always, God is in control. God's hand may be invisible. but he is still working out his plan.
So when we come into our story We're not in Israel. We're in Persia. It has your heiress. is the Persian emperor. And he's in power.
And he's in his glory. Verse three. In the third year of his reign, he gave a feast for all of his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media. And the nobles and the 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 eight days. And when the 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 and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother of pearl and precious stones. 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's no compulsion. You don't want to drink? Your teeth are low. That's okay. That's the edict.
Verse 8: For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man did. Desired. Bashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded. Memo man?
Bistha, Harbona, Mikha. Abhakta? Zethar and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashtai before the king with her royal crown. In order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. But Vashtai refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs.
At this time the king became enraged and his anger burned within them. At the height of the party, the cake probably having a bit too much to drink. With his ego larger than ever. commands his seven eunuchs to bring in his queen queen. Was tie.
And to everyone's surprise, beautiful Queen Vashtai refuses to obey the king's command.
Now, remember. He's the most powerful man on the earth. He's the emperor over the huge Persian Empire. The queen's open defiance at the command of the king results. in the king's extreme Anger.
He is intemperate, he's proud, he's arrogant, he's extremely. rich, he he flaunts his power and his wealth. and his glory. And now he's extremely angry. The most powerful man in the empire, King Ahasuerus, has been publicly defied and humiliated by one person.
And a woman at that. And his own Quinn. His pride His intemperance. and know his vengeance. Verses thirteen through Twenty.
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 man next to him being Karshenah Shethar Admatha, Tatius, Merez. Marsena and Memuchan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face and sat first in the kingdom. These are the men closest to him, these are his closest advisors. 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?
Then Memukin said in the presence of the king and the officials, Not only against the king has Queen Vashtai done wrong, but also against all of the officials and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen's behaviour will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt. Since they will say King Ahasuaris commanded Queen Vashtai to be brought before him, and she didn't 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 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 never be repealed.
The law, you've heard the expression, the law of the Medes and the Persian, something that can't be repealed once it's passed. That Vashtai is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. 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 honour to their husbands, high and low alike. This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memukan proposed. He sent letters to all of the royal provinces, to every province in his own script, and to every people in his own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people. When Queen Vashtai refuses to appear before the king, this powerful king. According to verses 13 through 15, he doesn't know what to do.
And so he calls the wise men. His inner circle. And he inquires what is to be done. Just think of it, the most powerful man in the uni universe has been devising strategies to deal with the Greeks and to rule his empire, and he doesn't know what to do when his wife disobeys a command. Does he regard this, does he really regard this as a threat to his kingdom?
And he's got to ask what the law says. And now he's about to make a huge issue of this incident. Rather than admitting That he should never have commanded her in the first place to do this. He could have laughed it off, as it were, as a silly, drunken idea. It becomes a matter of national policy and honor.
Important lesson here, isn't there, by the way? When we refuse to quickly admit our mistakes and humble ourselves, the consequences can be far reaching. For ourselves and others. Isn't that right? When we're proud, We often act emotionally and irrationally.
how important it is That we who follow Jesus are humble, readily admitting our mistakes, quickly seeking forgiveness when we have sinned.
So We saw in verses 16 through 22 this law of vengeance is passed. One of his advisors, Memo Kenny, gets a long, pompous, verbose. Narration stating this is not just a personal matter between the 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.
His point is. Ridiculous point. His point is that traditional family values throughout the empire are being threatened by the Queen's defiance. He believes That once it becomes general knowledge that Queen Vashtai has openly defied her husband, the great King Ahasuerus, all of the men in the kingdom will be humiliated and held in contempt by their wives. There'll be this in Invidious and insidious ripple effect of a whole-scale rebellion of the wives throughout the empire.
Can you picture it? 127 provinces, they've got to send the law and translate it into all the different languages from India right to Ethiopia. And the solution is for Memocan: we need a law on this, we need a policy on this, we're going to stop this. And remember, the laws of the Medes and the Persians can't be repealed. According to verse 20, the law will mean that all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.
In other words, he's saying to the king, and he's saying this openly in the court, in front of others: the king doesn't take action. There'll be a rebellion by all of the Persian wives. who will hold their husbands in contempt. and really cool.
Now if you pass the law Is Memmikin's argument? If you ask the law, King, the rebellion of these terrible women will be stamped out. We need to make a public example of Queen Vashtai, who will never again see the king. And she's to be permanently banished. Incidentally Making way, of course.
as we'll see for Esther. Memokin's drastic an elaborate solution meets In verse 21, with universal approval, universal male approval. No one challenges the king. No one disagrees with this dubious advice by Mimucan. And letters then are sent throughout the province, translated into all of the different languages according to verse twenty two, so that every man You listening to this man?
Every man may be master in his own household. Wouldn't that be nice if it was just that easy? You could just pass a law saying, every man has got to be a master in his own household. I mean what are ridiculous? Farcical law, isn't it?
Partly designed to bring more respect for this king. How can you command a man to be master in his own household? The arrogance, the chauvinism, the insensitivity, in fact, the irony and the foolishness of this law is mind-blowing. All caused. By a king's pride.
all caused by a king's anger. All caused by a king who refuses. to admit That what you asked was inappropriate. And doesn't it reveal That within this seeming power and might of Persia. There is in fact an inherent weakness in it, which is really laughable.
We have then In chapter one of Esther, we understand that this king and this kingdom It's not as secure. as it would appear. Isn't that true? We look out in the world. Think of North Korea.
As a a ruler there makes these threats. and different rulers, pontificate, And on the face of it, they seem to be very powerful, and yet there's often and then they're cancer. That's going to result in the kingdom to fall, as is going to be the case in the kingdom of. Persia.
Now let me just make a few remarks as we Draw this together. I believe that God's name is deliberately omitted from the book of Esther to demonstrate, as I said. That although God's hand is often invisible, Although God's hand often seems absent in our personal affairs and in the affairs of the world, God is very. present. God is very much.
at work. His name isn't mentioned, but His hand is everywhere. Matthew Henry writes, But though the name of God be not in it, the finger of God is directing many minute events for the bringing about of His people's deliverance. In Esther 1, God is moving Queen Vashtai off the scene so that there's a vacancy. For a queen.
A chain of events is going to be set in motion. God is behind the scenes. John Calvin puts it well: he says, God's hand is at the helm. I like that. In our lives.
God's hand. Is that the helm? It's an encouraging truth, isn't it? that God is always faithful to his promises. That God is always faithful.
to his people. And sometimes it doesn't seem apparent. And sometimes it seems that evil is flourishing. And on the face of it, it is. And sometimes it seems that the powers of darkness are stronger than God.
But Esther is reminding us, no, God. Is that the film. And God has been working In your life, talking to those of you who are followers of Jesus Christ. You may be going through a difficult time. God may be silent.
You'd like God to act. But God Sometimes acts very, very, very slowly from our reckoning. His hand is invisible. But he is at work. He's still in control when he's working silently and invisibly.
That God cares for us even when we don't care for him. Even when we forget God, even when we turn our back on God, God doesn't give up on us. His purposes are always being worked out for our good. Joseph. who has some parallels with Esther.
Reminds that with his brothers, doesn't he? His brothers meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, even when evil things happen to you. And even when people betray you and And people hurt you. And things are very, very unfair. They may mean it for evil, but God always, isn't this good to know?
God always works for our good. even in its most difficult of times. It is true. We can't always see God at work. Think of Israel, they saw God at work, the parting of the Red Sea.
That must have been amazing. Can you imagine what it would have been to be one of the tribes marching round the walls of Jericho? And the trumpets being blown, and the walls falling down, and to see the hand of God in such an obvious and Powerful and dramatic way, and to say to your children, and to say to those around of you, this is the God who's for us. This is our God. He's a mighty God.
He can part the sea. He can. Demolish the strong walls. He's going ahead of us. He can do all things.
But God is also working. Silently. And the silence of God is very eloquent, isn't it? We have the silence of God in Esther. We have the silence of God most of the time in the book of Job.
Remember when Job and his friends are asking, what happened to you, Job? That all of these disasters have happened, and there's no answers. And his friends and his comforters are debating, and Job is debating with them, and God seems to be silent. But God Is still powerfully present, even when he seems conspicuously. absent and silent.
Look back over your life. Think back over your life. The silent times. The difficult times, the times when you asked, where is God in this? Or God may sometimes be invisible, but He's always invincible.
And here in Aster, Satan. Also behind the scenes. is inspiring. Like the building of the gallows. He's inspiring a Holocaust.
to wipe out the Jewish nation. That is also going on silently, it seems, but God. is in control. You're dreading some event coming up. There's some event tomorrow.
next week, next month, and and and you're you're dreading it.
Some future event? Remember this. that God is in charge. ruling and guiding all things, to their divinely appointed end. We call that the providence of God.
The providence of God. That God is in charge, that God rules, that God guides. And God guides all things. to their divinely appointed end. Isaiah reminds us that God knows the end of the story from the beginning.
We're in the middle of the story, and sometimes it's a difficult story, and we don't know how it will end. God always knows how it will end. And God is supernaturally arranging all of the circumstances and the events of our life and the events of this world to bring them to the divinely appointed end at his time. What are we to do? Trust God.
Why wouldn't you trust a God like that? We thought a couple of weeks ago, but not to be anxious, didn't we? And to know this peace of God. How is it that we can be at peace? Because.
We can hand over everything. to this God who's in control. And your life and mine is not at the whim of fate. We don't believe in luck, we don't believe in chance. Our life is not some Unseen mechanistic or capricious forces in play.
No. We are in the hands of a loving God. We're not fatalists. We don't believe in luck. And if you look back in your life, you can see.
What seemed at the time very trivial circumstances. perhaps insignificant circumstances. Perhaps apparent coincidences. To bring you to Christ. And to help you grow in his Grace.
They say, Our majestic God, the sovereign God. The God of love, who in His grace sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to die and redeem us, is sovereignly at work behind the scenes. Do you believe that? Do you? If you believe that.
Trust. God, He is the perfect choreographer.
Sovereignly over all of history.
Sovereign over the nations.
Sovereign over all of time, sovereign over all of eternity, yes, sovereign over the hurricanes. He foresees the fall of nations. like Babylon, like Persia, like Greece, like Rome. Every kingdom that has come.
Sovereign over the fall of the nations, sovereign over the fall of a sparrow.
So that Jesus said, There's not even a sparrow that falls. Apart from your Father. Therefore Let's find our joy. And their peace and their security And there's satisfaction in this great God. Did you leave this building?
And you go home, as you go to work tomorrow, as you go to school, as you do your business. Isn't this wonderful to remember? The god Is it work? And I'm not to worry, and I'm not to fret. And everything that we see is not Reality.
That God is at work. in ways which often we have no idea of. In your life, in your family. The life of your boss. And the life of your children.
That the Lord is at work often invisibly, silently. and we have to trust them. And just as God protected his ancient people at the time of Esther, so God protects and guides us. And we have the absolute assurance that nothing in this whole universe can separate us. From the everlasting love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and our loving Father.
Our Heavenly Father works everything for our good. Therefore, We trust them. and therefore We praise him. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us.
From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org.
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The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe. Well, what's your verdict? Isn't this an interesting story? Even if God's people are in exile, God has not forsaken them. God has not forgotten them.
And God has not forgotten you. God is at work. And although it may not be obvious to you at the moment, God is at work in your life working out His plan and purposes. Will you surrender your life to Almighty God? Will you put your trust in him?
Don't believe in luck or chance or coincidence. Believe in our great God who's always in control. Therefore, Trust them. 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.
