Lechem Panim #104 "The Favor of The King" (Esther 4:15-5:4) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. It is good to have you with us today as we continue our study of the book of Esther. In recent weeks we have talked about the rise (in the Persian empire) of a wicked man named Haman, an enemy of the Jews who (because of a personal grudge against Queen Esther’s cousin Mordecai and the specific line Mordecai comes from) has convinced the king to allow him to wipe out all of the Jews in the empire. Now nobody knows at this point that Esther is a Jew, for Mordecai has urged her to keep that a secret. But Mordecai informs Queen Esther of Haman’s plot and implores her to speak to the king on behalf of her people, though appearing before him unannounced would cost her her life, unless the king were to spare her life by holding out to her his golden scepter. And so the fate of God’s people is placed into the hands of this young Jewish girl, who has to decide whether to let her fear master her or to rise above that fear and act in courage in accordance with the will of God. And of course we know she will make the right choice. Now I am sure she felt an enormous weight. And so would we if we were in her shoes. And in the midst of burdens like that, you know I think we often wonder why God allows us to go through times of intense fear and pain. I know many may be struggling with that question now during this Covid-19 crisis. And so I’d like to open with a story today that I think speaks to that fear and why God allows us to carry burdens.

[THE PERIL OF NO BURDEN— {Some time ago I remember reading how} Shortly after coming to Christ, Sadhu Sundar, a Hindu convert to Christ, felt called to become a missionary to India. Late one afternoon Sadhu was traveling on foot through the Himalayas with a Buddhist monk. It was bitterly cold and the wind felt like sharp blades slicing into Sadhu's skin. Night was approaching fast when the monk warned Sadhu that they were in danger of freezing to death if they did not reach the monastery before darkness fell.

Just as they were traversing a narrow path above a steep cliff, they heard a cry for help. Down the cliff lay a man, fallen and badly hurt. The monk looked at Sadhu and said, "Do not stop. God has brought this man to his fate. He must work it out for himself." Then he quickly added while walking on, "Let us hurry on before we, too, perish."

But Sadhu replied, "God has sent me here to help my brother. I cannot abandon him."

The monk continued trudging off through the whirling snow, while the missionary clambered down the steep embankment. The man's leg was broken and he could not walk. So Sadhu took his blanket and made a sling of it and tied the man on his back. Then, bending under his burden, he began a body-torturing climb. By the time he reached the narrow path again, he was drenched in perspiration. 

Doggedly, he made his way through the deepening snow and darkness. It was all he could do to follow the path. But he persevered, though faint with fatigue and overheated from exertion. Finally he saw ahead the lights of the monastery.

Then, for the first time, Sadhu stumbled and nearly fell. But not from weakness. He had stumbled over an object lying in the snow-covered road. Slowly he bent down on one knee and brushed the snow off the object. It was the body of the monk, frozen to death.

Years later a disciple of Sadhu's asked him, "What is life's most difficult task?"

Without hesitation Sadhu replied: "To have no burden to carry."]

Esther's Burden— Now the same is true of us. The burdens we carry (the pains and the fears) are often God’s ways of actually preserving us. And if we can be obedient to Him in the midst of those fears, God can work great things through us. But we have to be willing to accept those burdens; like Esther did. Esther didn’t overlook those who would die whom she had the power to save. She recognized that they were her burden. And when she chooses to shoulder that burden, the result is that she saves herself as well.

Esther 4:15-16a (ESV)— 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do….

Prayer Always Accompanied Fasting— Now [By calling for a fast, Esther was asking the Jews to pray for God’s help on her dangerous mission. In the Old Testament, prayer always accompanied fasting (see Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9; Ezra 8:21-23).] So she determine’s a course of action and moves ahead very boldly. She says that after she and her maids do this, in verse 16 she says…

Esther 4:16b (ESV)— …Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Pouring the Jug— [I once heard a story of a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note. The note read: “pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need”. Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveler.” The man refilled the jug and added to the note: “Please prime the pump, believe me it works”! …] 

Esther has made the decision to risk the immediate urge to try to preserve her own life and chooses to take that step of faith. It says in…

Esther 5:1-3 (ESV)— 1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.”

Only Favor— Now in all the movies, after Esther pushes open those huge doors and steps into the room there is a hush amongst all the crowd. And everybody looks in amazement. And there's a look of questioning and almost even frustration from the king. He looks perplexed. Yet, hesitantly, he holds out his scepter and Esther touches the tip, and her life is spared. Yet that is not what we see in the Bible. It says when he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight. He is pleased with her! There’s no frustration; there's no anxiety; there's only favor. And that favor he demonstrates to her was really an extension of God's favor to her. God’s favor was working through him to Esther.

A Sign of Love— In 2:17, it says of the king that he loved Esther more than all the other women. Now some commentators say that this was not love as you and I think of love; a self-giving kind of love. This was the King’s attraction to or even objectifying of Esther, much the same as he had objectified Queen Vashti. But I disagree with them. When Vashti showed defiance, he was filled with rage and was merciless towards her. Yet here Esther shows what could be interpreted as defiance, yet we don't see any hint of any displeasure from the king. In fact we see that he is pleased to see her. There's no hesitation in his extending to her the scepter. And what is remarkable to me is that he never even brings up the fact that she broke the law; not a word! The first thing that comes out of his mouth is, basically, "How can I serve you?"

Esther 5:3 (ESV)— 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.”

Making Himself Vulnerable— And he means it. He is stating that publicly. Now Xerxes is putting himself in a vulnerable position; because he doesn't know what Esther is going to ask. Remember what happened when Herod made a similar promise to Herodias in Mark 6:23? It backfired. She asked for the head of John the Baptist, which he then gave her because she put him in a politically awkward position. 

Esther Protects Her Husband’s Position— But it's interesting that Esther doesn't do that. She doesn't make her request publicly. And her request would have put him in a politically awkward position because it would challenge the very law he had just put out. And though he most likely would have granted her request, it would have hurt his position. What we see instead is that Esther protects the king by calling for a private meeting in which to give her request. It says…

Esther 5:4 (ESV)— 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”

So we see that Esther acts with wisdom. She is very wise, very tactful, and very considerate of her husband. Even in accusing Haman (which we will see later), we see that she is very careful not to accuse the king, who was (honestly) just as at fault as Haman was. Haman devised the scheme but it was the king who put it into action; he was responsible as well. But Esther never mentions that; she shows tact. She is very careful to only finger Haman in the crime.

Reciprocal Love— So my point is that Ahasuerus really does love and protect Esther and Esther reciprocates that in her treatment of Him. And what this shows is that when we choose to obey the will of God, and do so with tact; with wisdom and in love, there is no need to fear because God will prepare the way; He will open the doors; because His favor went before her. And His favor goes before us as well. And you and I can do the right thing knowing that He stands with us in a very real, though often (as in the book of Esther) an “unseen” way. We can live boldly in knowing that through His power, God can help us to overcome and do His will in the world; because He has raised us up “for such a time as this.” Be encouraged by that this week. Amen.