Have you read the book of Esther? It's a story about a beautiful Jewish girl who became the queen of Persia. it's a thrilling tale of political intrigue and suspense and deliverance. But what does it have to do with God or with us in the twenty first century? We'll find out today on Truth for Life as we listen to another popular message from Alastair Begg's Encore 2025 series.
Verse one of Esther chapter one.
Now in the days of Ahasuerus The Ahaswaris, who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces. In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel. In the third year of his reign, he gave a feast for all 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. 180 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 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 is no compulsion.
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 women in the palace. that belonged to King Ahasueras. Thanks be to God for his word.
We pray briefly. Our God and Father, we pray for your help. as we do routinely because we actually Believe ourselves to be tremendously in need of it, both to be able to speak and to listen, certainly to understand, to obey your word, to live in the light of its truth. And so, beyond the voice of a mere man, may we hear from you the living God. For it is to you alone we listen, And in the name of your Son, we pray.
Amen. One of the delightful things about becoming a grandparent, as many of you know, is that you're able to go back and read some of the old stories all over again. You thought that the day was long past when you could snuggle somebody up and begin once upon a time. And there is something quite wonderful, isn't there, about that little introductory phrase. Opening up.
before us vistas Discoveries The unfolding drama that is contained in whatever literature it is to which we turn.
Well, here as we come to Esther, we might begin by saying, once upon a time. There was a beautiful Jewish girl who became the Queen of Persia. That's actually the story. It's a kind of Cinderella story. Not quite rags to riches, but certainly a radical transformation in the life of this young Jewish girl.
Pretty as she was, The story is set against the background. Of an attempt led by one man, an evil villain by the name of Haman. to try and exterminate the Jewish population. from the Persian Empire. The Persian Empire.
In ancient days, it was the greatest empire, probably before the arrival of the Roman Empire, and Persia ruled over Palestine for some 200 years. But just so you know, if you were bumping into the book of Daniel or Ezra or Nehemiah, then you will discover that they all relate to this particular period in time and in certain aspects to the exact geography that is contained here. Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that is named after a woman. The other one, of course, as you know, is Ruth. And in Ruth, we are given a glimpse.
of the domestic life of a village. If you like, we're given a glimpse of life lived under God in the context of poverty. of eking out an existence. And here in the book of Esther, we're at the entire opposite end of the social spectrum. Here we are taken into the grandeur and extravagance of the palace, the royal palace.
of this particular king. And if You are not already nudging the person next to you and saying this, probably will come somewhere along the line. And so I might as well address it for you. That is, you're saying to yourself, what possible relevance is there? In spending our time as dwellers of the twenty first century Digging into the events that were taking place 2,500 years ago.
in Persia, what is uh modern day Iran. And that, of course, is a good question. That's the question that any sensible person should be asking. But it's really a question about the nature of the Bible. And when we study any book of the Bible, and particularly one like this.
As we come to the details that are provided for us in the canvas, It is important, as we've said so many times. that we see the details in light of the big picture. And so I want to spend some time, considerable time actually, making sure that we don't leave anybody behind in this class that is about to begin on the book of Esther. And the way to be left behind is to fail to understand the big picture. At our elders' meeting, we are always reading a book.
The book we're reading at the moment is by Christopher Ashe. And as we went through a chapter this past Wednesday on the nature of biblical interpretation, we were struck by a number of comments made by the author. one of which is as follows. When we are doing our Bible interpretation, We are not in a playground having fun. and making it mean what we want it to mean.
And caring little If others make it mean something else. When we are doing our Bible interpretation, we are not in a playground having fun. interacting with the text. Bringing our horizon to the biblical horizon, trying to fuse them, and essentially. Ending up with a product which says, this is what this means to me.
as if what it means to the individual is necessarily synonymous with what it means. The real test of biblical interpretation is not the discovery of what it means to me, but is the discovery of what it means.
So says Ash, we are engaged in the life and death business of discerning the meaning that is there. This, of course, is a very contemporary concern. If you are a political aficionado at all, you know that the very same thing is happening in relationship to questions of the Constitution. Are we dealing with meaning as it is there? Or is meaning what we make it to be?
As we deal with the issues of history, are we dealing with historical record or are we just interacting with it and making it mean something?
Well, you see, the Bible is not like any other book. Because the Bible is the living word. of the living God. That's the claim that the Bible makes for itself. It is a book that understands the readers.
as the readers seek to understand the book. And every book of the Bible is God's Word. And the events that are recorded in the books of the Bible. are in the books of the Bible. Because God wants them to be.
You say, well, that's very straightforward, isn't it?
Well, it is straightforward to say It is quite a thought to grapple with, isn't it? That all of the events that we read in our Bible The reason we have them as the Bible is because God has given it to us. And the reason that the events are there is because he wants them to be.
Now, Paul, who was once Saul of Tarsus, when he writes to the Roman Christians of his day, he makes this very point. And in verse 4, of the 15th chapter of Romans, this is what he says. For whatever was written. In former days, was written for our instruction. That through endurance And through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.
There is a hope that stands the test of time. There is a hope that faces the beckoning grave. There is a hope. Where is this hope? Where is this hope to be found?
Well, it is to be found in the one of whom the scriptures speak, namely in Jesus. For in him, says Peter, we are born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
So, when we read, for example, an ancient account like this, it is absolutely vital. That we are aware of the fact that God is working everything out according to a unified plan of His own. beginning in eternity. and moving to eternity. That in itself is an awesome thought as well.
But that again is what the Bible says. Let me take you, as it were, to two ends of the spectrum. If you turn for a moment to Ephesians chapter 1. Uh you can Look at these verses and then you can come back to them on your own, which I hope you often will do. Those of you who take notes.
Not everything is is um absorbable in the immediate, is it? You need to come back to it. And I'll just try and point out to you what I have in mind here. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he begins with this glorious statement of what it means for them to be in Christ. And although he's going to say to them, And this all became the reality for you when you heard the word of truth and when you believed.
He says, But although that was what happened to you in a moment in time, which is the same as has happened to you, if you are a believer today, you'll say there was a period in my life, there was a day in my life, there was a time in my life, where all the pieces in the jigsaw fell into place. And somebody told me what I was supposed to do, to trust and to believe and to repent and so on. And I did all that. But later on, as I began to look back down the corridor of time, I said, this whole thing started way beyond that evening, or way beyond that month, or way beyond that encounter. And that's what Paul is writing about in Ephesians 1.
And so he says in verse 5, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.
Now, notice this phrase: according to the purpose of his will. According to the purpose of his will, God has a will. God has a purpose. God is executing everything according to the purpose of his will. It then goes on, you can read it all the way through, and then verse 9: making known to us the mystery of his will.
You see it? According to his purpose. Which he set forth in Christ. How do we understand the mystery of his will? How do we understand his purpose?
Well, it is set forth in Christ. Notice verse 10, as a plan. For the fullness of time. to unite all things in him. Things in heaven And things On earth.
So we stand way back now from Esther. We're not even touching Esther for the moment. And we say, now we're going to read this book that has to do with this evil villain called Haman, a little Jewish guy called Mordecai, beautiful girl called Esther, and an egotistical rascal called Ahasuerus. And before we delve into the details of this, what do we need to know?
Well, we need to know that God, the author of the book, and the one who has retained all the details for our consideration, has a unified plan in all of history, and His plan is ultimately to unite all things in and through the work of His Son, Jesus. That is why the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, are emphasized again and again and again. Because the climax of the purpose of God, the mystery of His will, is in the person and work of His Son. That's why, when we began to study the Gospel of Mark, as some of you may recall, we paused purposefully in the 15th verse of Mark 1. Because there Jesus says, remember, the time is fulfilled.
The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news. What was he saying? He was saying, God has been unfolding his plan and purpose throughout all of the ages of time. And this now is coming to fulfillment here in this great denumong, which is in my life and in my teaching and in my death and in my resurrection, in my ascension and in my return.
When you think about some person stepping onto the stage of history and actually saying that, you say to yourself, that is an unbelievable claim for any individual to make, unless of course he really was the one mediator between God and man. The man Christ Jesus.
So All of that to make this point. That the pictures and the promises and the symbols of the Old Testament. Art All to be understood. as pointing to the fulfilment of God's plan.
So if you get yourself in a bit of a mess, let's say in the book of Leviticus, And you say, I don't understand what all this is about, about washing these utensils and cleaning all this stuff and fiddling with all this stuff. Just stand far enough back from the painting. You'll get it. God is working everything out. He is putting together a people that are going to be distinguishable from all the nations of the world.
They're going to be marked out. They're going to be marked out by certain symbolic gestures on their part. They're going to be marked out as those who are trusting in the promises that He has given to them for forgiveness of sins. But if you get too close to all the pots and pans, then you might get yourself in a real mess.
So, for example, let me give you one from here since we're going to study Esther. Look at verse 6 of chapter 3 of Esther. Here we have the evil villain coming in, as I have decided to call him. Uh Heyman. He's really annoyed, as we'll discover as the story unfolds, with little Mordecai.
Because Mordecai, the Jewish man, is not going to have any of Haman's nonsense. He's not going to bow down to him, he's not going to salute to him, he's not going to do any of that stuff. And Ahaman is is n is not pleased. And so Haman thinks, well, I could kill him. And then it says, but he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone.
I'm not just going to kill Mordecai, he says, I'm going to kill the whole lot of them. And that's what verse 6 says.
So as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. In other words, he says, I will exterminate the entire Jewish population that is existing in the Persian kingdom. That's what he was going to do. We say, well, that's a sort of extravagant thing. How are we supposed to understand that?
Let me tell you. You need to go back to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. In fact, you need to go back to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 again and again and again so as you don't lose your place throughout the Bible. I say to you that if you can't get your head around Genesis 3:15, you're never actually going to understand the Bible. You will never understand what's taking place.
It is a pivotal point of reference. Because God is speaking to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. And he says to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman. Hostility and conflict. And between your offspring And her offspring.
He shall bruise your head. And you shall bruise his heel. In other words, this isn't going to be a 50-50 fight. You will be able to do certain things, but it will only affect his heel. He ultimately will crush your head.
Now, what is he talking about here? This is called in theological terms the proto-euangelion. It is the beginning of the story of The good news. That there is going to come somebody, a seed of the woman, who will deal with this usurper This one who is in conflict with the very purposes of God.
So from the very beginning of Genesis, you realize that there is a battle that is going on here. That the work of God, the purposes of God, the plan of God for redemption are being opposed at every point. And so you find that there are characters all the way through the Old Testament who are essentially seeking to do the devil's work. And Haman is one here in the book of Esther. Herod is another one.
In Matthew. What is Herod doing when he decides to slaughter all the male children born in the area? Age two and under. What is he seeking to do? to exterminate the lion.
from which the Messiah will come. The one who will crush The serpent's head.
So that there is this phenomenal conflict which runs all the way through the story. And that's what gives significance to what this evil character is going to try and do. Because think about it. If Haman had been successful, in his plan. And he comes close, as you'll see if you read the story on.
If he had been successful, the Jewish people as a whole would have been destroyed. The saving work of God promised. In and through the descendants of Abraham. would have come to an end. There would have been no fulfillment in Christ.
There would have been no gospel. There would have been no church. There would have been no reason for me to preach or for you to listen. That's what makes this so significant.
So that even the apparently minor details of the Old Testament stories. are all part of the purpose of God in redemption, a purpose to unify all things in and through the person and work of his Son. That is why ultimately it leads to the united nations. Where black people, white people, yellow people, green people, Scottish people, all kinds of people will be gathered around the throne of God. And they will declare with untrabled tongues that salvation belongs to the one who has crushed the head of the serpent.
So what is happening in the book of Esther is that God is preserving his people, for it is out of those people that his Messiah is going to come. Therefore, he's going to make sure that in the details that appear on the canvas, he has his people in position. Because, as Jesus explained to the lady at the well, salvation is from The Jews. What was he saying? Simply that.
She had a question about the the worshiping of God on Gerizim with the Samaritans or worshiping God in Jerusalem. He says a time is coming and will has now come when those who worship the Father will worship him in spirit and in truth. And he says that salvation is from the Jews. And it is. And God's purposes for his people remain.
And that's the whole significance of Romans chapter 11. And you can read that some morning when you At three in the morning when you're having difficulty. It'll help you.
Well, I spent a long time on that, but I'm telling you, it's really important. And that is to understand the big picture. Because otherwise, you drop into Esther and you can do all kinds of things with Esther. You can do all kinds of things with the whole Bible. You can teach stories in a way that simply say, you know, Esther was a really nice person and you ought to be a nice one too.
You know, Haman was a bad guy, please don't be a bad guy. You know, the king had a bit of an ego, you shouldn't have an ego, which is all true, you know. And people do and they fill in the blanks and they walk away and after 50 years they don't know the Bible any better than the day they started because they don't understand, they never stood far enough back from it to see what is actually happening here. God is doing something far vaster than the Persian Empire, far more significant than the British Empire, the American Empire, or any empire that's still to come. Do you believe that?
That in the economy and purposes of God, you are in Jesus caught up in this great cosmic adventure? Instead of salvation being some little sort of personal thing, you know, just me and my little salvation. No, no. Oh, lift up your eyes. Look.
This is terrific. You're listening to Truth for Life, and that is Alistair Begg helping us see the big picture of the Bible. We'll hear more tomorrow. On our website at truthforlife.org, you can listen to thousands of Alistair's sermons on many topics or books of the Bible. All of it's free.
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You can do that by making a donation today online at truthforlife.org slash donate or reach us by phone at 888-588-7884. Thanks for studying with us today. Did you know that God's name is not found anywhere in the book of Esther?
So how can we know that this book really belongs in the Bible? We'll find out tomorrow. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.
