Picture the Power [Announce Text] Please Open your to chapter 1. [Scripture Introduction] Good morning, my name is Brett Sweet and I’m one of the pastors here at Grace Christian Fellowship where we exist to glorify God through gospel-centered worship, evangelism, discipleship, and community. We are just beginning a series through the I’ve titled: Silent Providence, Certain Deliverance. [Prayer for illumination] Please pray with me… [Illustration]Picture this level of power. You wake up and are eating breakfast and your spouse asks you what you are going to do today. You say, “I don’t know. I might use my power to invade another country. I might use my power to demand they build a big monument to me. Since I have the power, maybe I’ll have some of my rivals executed because I feel like it. Since I have the power, I may just change the way millions of people calculate days and years by requiring a new calendar. We’ll see if I have enough time.” One article identified Julius Caesar as the most powerful person in history and he did some of those things and had that sort of power. But how would you feel if your enemy had this much power. Would you have any sort of chance of surviving against such power? Who could protect you from such a powerful person? If you went back in time about 400 years before Caesar the most powerful man in the world was Xerxes the Great, King of Persia. What would it be like? If there’s one thing we’re supposed to do in chapter 1 of Esther, it is this: [Proposition] Picture the Power! We’re going to look at King Xerxes, which the Hebrew text calls . We are looking at the most powerful person in the world during the early to mid-400s BC. As we picture the power, picture how scary it would be if this power was used against you. But that’s coming in later chapters. Today, we’re meant to simply picture the power. As we do, we’ll look first and see Power Displayed, then we’ll see Power Defied, and lastly, we’ll see Power Decreed. Power displayed, power defied, and power decreed. Let’s look at [Main Point 1] Power Displayed Xerxes’ great power is on display for us to see in the text and in the actions here. The first way power is on display is we see [Subpoint 1] Power over an Empire Look with me at vv. 1-3 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 , 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… Xerxes inherited a massive empire from his father Darius. This empire was the largest the world had ever seen. It went to modern-day northern Greece, to modern-day Sudan, to modern day Pakistan and India. Xerxes has power over an empire. This is relevant for us because earlier the Babylonians had conquered God’s people in Jerusalem for their sin and took them to . Then the Babylonians was conquered by the Persian King . Cyrus and the laws of Persia allowed the Jews to return home and begin rebuilding the Temple. But not all Jews returned. Our protagonists Esther and chose to stay in the east. But at this point in time, all of God’s people are in this empire. And one man holds all the power. Power is on display means first power over an empire, it also means [Subpoint 2] Power in wealth Look with me at vv. 4-7 …while he showed the riches of his 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 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 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. We don’t really like it, but we know it’s true. There is a connection between how much wealth we have and how powerful we have. What we have described here is like an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or MTV’s Cribs. This guy is loaded. He’s showing off in his fancy palace. He’s showing off in his fancy garden. When Alexander the Great conquered Persia even he was impressed by the wealth of the Persian kings. At these banquets, the Beyonce of Persia is impressed by this power. The Bill Gates of Persia is impressed by this power. The Oprah of Persia is impressed by this power. This guy has power on display and it includes power in wealth. Picture the power! It’s on display here. Power over an empire and power in wealth but there’s a third way that power is on display [Subpoint 3] Power to make laws Look with me at v. 8 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 also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus. We will see that the law is a big deal to the Persians. Laws will be made multiple times in the chapters to follow. The law is so important that at this massive banquet the King had to make a law that basically tells everyone to drink as much or as little as they would like. It’s pretty ridiculous to think you need to make a law about something like that, but Xerxes had the power to make laws. And he did. It’s on display right here. [Application] Are you picturing the power? A massive empire. Wealth beyond your wildest dreams. Walking about in the nicest clothes, in the nicest place, eating and drinking the best food and drink. All held by one man. And this man can make a law about anything he wants. Seems like it would be good to be this man. So much power. It seems like it would be good to be this man’s friend. So much power. It seems like it would be bad to be this man’s enemy. It seems like it would be terrifying to have this level of power pointed against you. So much power. All on display. Picture the power. It’s impressive on display. But what might happen if it was used against you? We’ve seen power displayed now let’s see [Main Point 2] Power defied Look with me at vv. 10-12 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti 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 Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him. The King continues to want to display his power through wealth. He now wants to show off his beautiful wife. So he sends seven of the eunuchs in his court to fetch his queen to show her off as a trophy or object. Seven men seems like overkill, but he’s displaying his power. But Queen Vashti refuses! She defies Xerxes’ power! Women aren’t meant to be leered and lusted at, but to be treated like sisters and image bearers. So we understand a bit where Queen Vashti is coming from. In the context, usually it was less honorable women- concubines, dancers, prostitutes and the like that would be around when the men were drinking like this. Honorable women would leave and do more honorable things. Vashti was a noble woman, from a kingly line. She refused to be dishonored but that meant defying the power of the king. But nonetheless, something has happened. The queen has defied the power of the king. Power has been defied. And now all that power is held by a person enraged toward Vashti. His anger is now a fire burning within him. And that fire is going to find its way out. If you choose to defy power, be prepared for the consequences. [Application] Some of us talk a pretty big game about fighting the man. About resisting and defying the power that is used against us in the political sphere. First off, remember God’s commands to submit to Civil Authorities. Second, when the time comes to defy those powers because they violate God’s law, just know that you should expect there to be consequences. You might be fined. You might be arrested. You might be taken somewhere unsafe. You will be uncomfortable. So you see the need to do some level of self-denial now to prepare yourself. We’ve seen power displayed and we’ve seen power defied, not let’s look at [Main Point 3] Power Decreed We’ve already seen that the king has power to make laws and that the law is a big deal to the Persians. This will come up again in later chapters. But now we’re going to look at one specific decree and notice three things about this decree. [Subpoint 1] Decree to remove a Defiant Queen Let me summarize vv. 13-19 The King’s advisors are concerned that Queen Vashti’s defiance will set a precedent that will result in women defying their husbands and the result will be chaos in every home across the empire. Starting with the advisors’ own homes, so one of them gets an idea. Make a law punishing the queen and forbidding wives from disrespecting their husbands- that brings us to v. 20 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus...” This, actually, is one of the more comical moments in the . Here we have the most powerful man in the world who rules from Africa to India, and he can’t even manage his own household! He needs help from a bunch of royal advisors to help him decide how to treat his wife. So he calls for a meeting. And the whole thing is overkill. The thought is that the actions of one person require legislation across the whole empire. [Illustration] A funny poster I saw that is mocking inspirational posters said this: “Meetings: Because none of us is as dumb as all of us.” Some of us have seen bad meetings in action. A funny scene from a TV show showed a group of men trying to design a new microwave oven. They work day and night for 50 hours straight and in their exhaustion and sugar and caffein they eliminate one big microwave door and replace it with four small doors. Good idea! Put the microwave on wheels! Good idea! Add a cupholder- Good idea! Remove the oven portion and replace it with an AM/FM radio. It is then that one of them looks at the microwave they’re engineering and realize they’ve created a car. They created the Pontiac Aztek. [Exposition] That’s the sort of decision making going on here. We have people who think that one act of defiance is going to lead to widespread militant feminism. As if women can’t think for themselves or relate to their own husbands. As if a wife wouldn’t respect a husband who provides loving a leadership. So we have a king who, really, is bumbling his way through life. Yet, he has the power to decree the removal of the queen whenever he wants. This is something that you will need to hold onto in the coming chapters. We see a king who may use the law to get rid of someone he doesn’t like. Even if it’s the queen. Picture the power to decree whatever you want. Even decreeing the removal of a defiant queen. But there is still more power available to the King to decree. Not just a decree to remove a defiant queen but also a [Subpoint 2] Decree to find a better Queen Let’s read v. 19 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 Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. This is power decreed. It’s the power to find someone to take the Queen’s spot. The power to raise someone to a position of power and influence. Pushing Vashti aside is one thing, but now a golden opportunity is arising for some woman in the Empire. But she must be a better woman. She must be a better queen. What this decree for a better queen is, is a decree for someone to have a position of influence in the court of the king. Yes, this better queen may be in a shaky position like Vashti, but she will be in the king’s presence enough to influence him. So the King has great power. Picture it! Power to decree removal of a defiant queen- to take away power and influence. And the power to decree the elevation of a better queen- to give power and influence. Let’s look also at the reach of the king’s power of decree. Power is decreed and notice to who it reaches. It’s a [Subpoint 3] Decree to all people Look with me at vv. 20-22 “…So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all 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 Memucan proposed. He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its 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. The decree went to all people. To all the provinces. To every people group. It’s kind of funny to think about because, news of Vashti’s defiance could have probably been dealt with fairly secretly. But now it has been broadcast from India to Africa to Turkey. All of this so that men can tell their wives to keep in line? You can just imagine the average citizen thinking, “Wait, what? We need a law for this?” But the decree reaches to all people. That is power. A queen could come from anywhere. She could be anyone. Millions of women in the empire. Wouldn’t it be great if it was a good Jewish woman? What if she could influence the most powerful man in the world? But the odds of that would be like winning the lottery. It’s just not going to happen. Or will it? [Illustration] But now let’s picture the power this man has with decrees! Picture it! It’s hard for us to imagine! He has the most powerful military in the history of the world, and he’s Commander-in-Chief! He has advisors around him that give all sorts of advice that seem uninformed by common sense! It would be like having advisors around you that completely ignored settled science. Imagine it! Laws that say that even though baby in the womb is clearly a human, you can murder it with no consequence. Laws that say that even though science clearly categorizes 99+% of people can be accurately identified as male or female by their chromosomes, we need to ignore all of that and change the way our whole society functions. Picture the power! The power that allows the rich to seemingly do as they please so long as they have the best lawyers! The power to allow the color of skin to be a factor in the application and enforcement of laws! The power to decree that even though God has ordained for marriage to be between a man and a woman for life, that a marriage can be dissolved with no problem. Picture the power, the power to come into your home and compel you to behave in certain ways. To comply with certain orders. It’s hard to picture this sort of power isn’t it? [Application] For those of you who are getting fired up, let’s cool down for a second. We don’t yet have it as bad as in Persia. We have courts of appeal. We have local authorities who are sometimes resisting government overreach. Furthermore, there is a place for the government to tell us how we relate to our spouses. It’s a good thing that abusive husbands and fathers can face legal consequences. But I do want you to recognize how vulnerable we really are. There is immense levels of power in the hands of government. And we don’t have promises that the government will be wielded wisely. It might be Kings or Dictators. But it may be the popular vote of people or it may be Presidents, Senators, Governors, Mayors, or whomever who don’t seem to use common sense. Who will abuse their power. We have that in common with God’s people who lived during the Persian Empire. If you are a Christian who has power through elected office, or church leadership, or parenting, or business you need to think about this. Are you a leader of your group of friends or in sports or drama? How do you use your power? Do you wield it for your own purposes? Or do you use the power God has entrusted to you to look out for other image bearers of God? Are you willing to give up power if it’s the right thing to do? The same sin that existed in the hearts of ancient Persian rulers exists in our hearts. So if God chooses to elevate you to positions of power you need to lead and rule well. The book of Esther is famous because it never even mentions God throughout the whole book. That’s why I’ve given the first half of our series the title, “Silent Providence.” God’s work isn’t shouted. God’s work isn’t even whispered. That makes it very challenging to teach. But God was there in ancient Persia and He’s here now. Even if He is behind the scenes at times. And here in chapter one, since God is behind the scenes, it seems like political power is unstoppable. We’re meant to picture the power that could be used against the Jews, against us, and tremble. Jesus faced this sort of power with courage and humility when he was dragged before Pilate that was held by the Roman Emperor above him. Listen to John 19:10-11 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above…” Jesus knew were the real source of power was held. But Jesus also knows what it’s like to have to face the immense power of the state. And Jesus Himself was and is the eternal and all-powerful God. So He is capable of ruling with absolute power perfectly for the good of others. And that’s what we see in the book of Revelation. But when Jesus faced Pilate He didn’t use His power the way Xerxes did. He used it to save people. Rather than banishing the defiant people from His presence, He came and, on the Cross, was mysteriously abandoned by God the Father so that He could satisfy the banishment we deserve for our sins. If you don’t put your trust in Christ, then Jesus Himself says that you are under condemnation. Your continued defiance will result in punishment and eternal banishment from God’s presence to bless you. This is one way the Bible describes Hell. How do you defy Him? You defy Him every time you refuse to obey Him. Every time you refuse to love others. Every time you think you are better than the people around you. Every time you complain about your parents or your boss or your government. But Jesus was banished for you on the cross. Then, Jesus, who had mostly hidden His power for decades put His power on display. He defeated death. He rose from the grave. And now He rules in power to protect people. To build His church. Picture His power! He upholds the universe. He can uphold you. Don’t rely on your good works or your efforts to be better. That won’t cut it. Instead ask Him to forgive you. Thank Him for the cross. Believe that Jesus did all the work for you. Commit yourself to trust Him today. He will welcome you and use His power for your good- even when you may have power against you. [Conclusion] So Esther is in the context of God’s bigger story. Esther is going to show us how God preserves and protect His people from even the most powerful man on earth. Esther is going to show us the complexities of life as religious minorities opposed by those in power. Esther is going to challenge us to obey God when there is power being used against us. And Esther is going to encourage us to live by faith even when we can’t quite see God’s hand in everything. So the book of Esther is going to be something God uses to point us to Jesus and transform us.