Bread of His Presence

Lechem Panim #100 "The Faithfulness of Mordecai" (Esther 2:19-3:2) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of the book of Esther, we have come to Esther’s coronation. Out of a group of 400 girls, she has been chosen to be the next queen of Persia. And King Ahasuerus throws a huge party to celebrate. So it is a time of joy and feasting. But in the midst of all this there is also plot and intrigue, as two men secretly lay plans to try to assassinate the king; Esther’s new husband. It says in…

Esther 2:19 (ESV)— 19 Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time {(most likely so King Ahasuerus could choose more concubines for himself in addition to Esther, it says}, Mordecai {(Esther’s elder cousin)} was sitting at the king's gate.

The King’s Gate— Now [the courthouse of the ancient world was the gate of the city.] If you had a legal matter to settle, you went to the city gate to do it. Court would convene at the city gate. And so Mordecai, we see, holds a position of prominence at the gate; very likely a judgeship. But he was more than just your run of the mill judge because he is not just at the city gate; no, he is at (the text says) the king’s gate. And the king’s gate was where officials appointed by the king sat to administer justice (2 Sam. 15:2–6; cf. Ruth 4:1–11).  And so Mordecai (though Jewish) was an important official appointed by the king. And it seems very plausible that Esther was the one who had him appointed to that position, as he is not mentioned as being in that position until after her coronation. But even if that were the case, we see that she kept her connection to him as her cousin a secret. It says in verse 20…

Esther 2:20-21 (ESV)— 20 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. {Now it says in…} 21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 

The Threshold— Now these two men were guardians of the threshold, the door to the king’s private quarters. So these are guys who have direct access to the king. They have opportunity. And apparently they have motive, though we don’t know exactly what that was. Esther’s crowning may have had something to do with it. Perhaps those in the palace who were supporters of Queen Vashti resented Ahasuerus for de-throning and replacing her. Or it is possible these two men didn’t like that Esther was an outsider, because (although it wasn’t consistently obeyed) tradition dictated that wives for the Kings of Persia should be selected from within the seven noble families of the land. And so these men might have been traditionalists who saw Esther’s becoming queen an offensive thing. We don’t know. But whatever the motive, they are plotting together to kill the king. Now it says in…

Ecclesiastes 10:20 (ESV) — 20 Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.

Well that little bird was Mordecai. The text says…

Esther 2:22a (ESV)— 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, 

Not Overhearing, But Being Informed— Now in the movies, Mordecai somehow overhears this conversation and reports it to Esther. But that is not what the scripture says. It says that this plot came to the knowledge of Mordecai. He did not overhear it; but acquired the information, probably because of his prominent position. It seems that because of his integrity (being one of the few righteous politicians in history), somebody gave him this information knowing that he would do the right thing.

Can We Be Counted On?— And that just makes me think how wonderful it would be if all the people we came into contact with on a day to day basis could know that no matter what happened, you and I could always be counted on to do the right thing. Now some people won’t like you for that, but they will know where you stand. And you will often win their favor in the end. And that’s because the greatest testimony that you and I will ever bear to the world is the testimony of our living our lives in integrity. You want people to accept the Gospel. Then live it before them; and they will be drawn to it.

Now why did Mordecai feel compelled to try to stop the assassination of Ahasuerus? We aren’t sure. Perhaps it was for Esther’s sake. Yet in the book of Jeremiah we see that God says through Jeremiah about the coming captivity…

Jeremiah 29:7 (ESV)— 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Mordecai Seeks Persia’s Welfare— And here we see Mordecai acts in accord with the spirit of this verse. He seeks the welfare of Persia by actively preserving the life of the king. Now Mordecai thinks he is doing the right thing by saving the life of the Persian king. Yet what he doesn’t realize is that it will be that very act that will cause his own life, the life of Esther, and the lives of God’s people to be preserved years down the line. And an important principle is revealed here. When you preserve the life of another person, you also find (perhaps unexpectedly) that you have brought life to yourself as well. This can be in a physical sense (as in our passage this today) or it can be in a spiritual sense. Any of you who have ever had the privilege of bringing somebody to Christ know exactly what I am talking about. When you lead somebody to Jesus, your own faith is strengthened. Why? Because we are called to be agents; to be bringers of life. And you are never closer to Jesus than when you bring His life to another person. And Mordecai demonstrates this spirit in his choosing to be faithful to the king. It says…

Esther 2:22-23 (ESV)— 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Book of the Chronicles— Now that last fact is what makes this account relevant to God’s plan of redemption here in this story, as it will play a key role in the following chapters; this whole incident is recorded in the minutes of the king.

Mordecai’s Reward Overlooked— Now kings during that time, just like rulers nowadays, know that it is just as important to reward good behavior as to punish bad behavior. You fail or betray the king; your life was probably forfeit. You serve the king in a responsible or extra-ordinary way; you are honored. And [Acts of loyalty were usually rewarded immediately and generously by Persian kings.] But what is interesting here is that Mordecai gets overlooked by Ahasuerus. And this is understandable. Ahasuerus is so enamored by his new wife that all he remembers is her telling him about the plot. Yes the text says she warned him in the name of Mordecai and that is what was recorded. But you can really see how his human mind would have associated that memory with Esther. So Mordecai (for the time being) goes unrecognized. He is neither honored or promoted. And what is interesting is that Mordecai never draws attention to it, even though he could have expected a reward; that is what we would expect to see. Yet instead of Mordecai being honored, the next section opens with the honoring of someone else; a man named Haman.

Esther 3:1-2a (ESV)— 1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. …

Juxtaposed Rewarded with Unrewarded— Now here [The author places the promotion of Haman just where the original readers would have expected a report of Mordecai’s reward as a benefactor of the king.] And so [Haman’s introduction forms an unexpected twist when juxtaposed with Mordecai’s unrewarded loyalty.] And what is more frustrating is that we know that Haman will be shown to be an unrighteous, devious person, while Mordecai is upright and honest.

The Unrighteous Rewarded— But you know, we experience this kind of thing in our day and age as well; don’t we? Those who are often the most unrighteous are often the ones who are promoted; who are honored; and the good people are overlooked. Yet God eventually does bring judgment where judgement is due and glory where glory is due. Now it may take time. Here it probably took years. But God is a faithful judge. And if Mordecai could be trusted to do what is right, how much more can we trust God (the Divine Judge) to do right. But we have to learn to operate independently from praise; not for reward or our own glory, but for the glory of God. 

Bach’s Glory to God— For those of you who love music, it is interesting that Johann Sebastian Bach once said ["All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub."
He headed his compositions: "J.J." "Jesus Juva" which means "Jesus help me." He ended them "S.D.G." "Soli Dei gratia" which means "To God alone the praise."]

Our Reward— When we live our life for the glory of God, it doesn’t matter who sees or what reward we receive. Now will we receive a reward for doing right? Yes. Jesus himself said in Matthew 6:4, “your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” But scripture also reveals to us the understanding that righteousness before God is it’s own reward. It says in…

Proverbs 11:18 (ESV)— 18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

Isaiah 3:10-11 (ESV)— 10 Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. {Now on the flip side, it says in…} 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

God Will Reward— Now that last verse we see will be very clearly fulfilled in Mordecai’s relationship with Haman. The evil that Haman will intend for Mordecai will fall on his own head. And the same will come of those who oppose Christ and His people. We may have to suffer persecution for a time; we may go a long time without being rewarded for the everyday acts of righteousness that we perform. But God will be faithful to reward us if we, like Mordecai; like Esther, choose to do what is right no matter what the cost. Let us commit to that integrity as we abide in Christ. Amen.

Lechem Panim #99 "The Rise of Esther" (Esther 2:15-18) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of Esther, we have come to the part of the story where Esther (along with 400 women) is taken into the palace of Xerxes, King of Persia. Many of these women were to become concubines for the king and one them was to be chosen as Xerxes’ next queen. Now Hegai (you will remember) was one of the men in charge of the women. And he is taken aback by this young woman he encounters named Esther. It says in…

Esther 2:9 (ESV)— 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem.

Not just another pretty face— And we know why. Because there was more to Esther than physical beauty; she was not just another pretty face. Nor was it just that she had a likable personality. There are a lot of people with likable personalities. No, there was something different about the way Esther lived her life that made her stand out from everyone else around her. And we see at least three important characteristics in particular that set her apart as being one on whom the Lord’s favor rested. And these are three basic things that we as Christians can and should implement in our lives as well.

POINT 1: ESTHER’S OBEDIENCE— First of all, Esther was obedient. Remember verse…

​Esther 2:10 (ESV)—10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.

She respects and obeys her elders; particularly Mordecai. And we will see this much more as we progress through the book. She honors and obeys those who have been placed in authority over her.

Unhappy Under Authority— Now often people don’t deal with authority very well; and that can be anywhere, but especially the workplace. For some people, it doesn’t matter what job they have, they are never happy simply because of the fact that they cannot work under another person’s authority. They want to be the one in control of themselves and (ironically) often over the lives of others. Submission is a dirty word for them; and that is true for many in our day and age. 
    But scripture teaches us that happiness in our lives can never be found until we learn how to submit to the authorities God has placed over our lives; until we learn how to follow. Even Jesus modeled this kind of submission in His relationship to the Father. But the problem in our culture is that we always want to be the ones to lead; never the ones to follow. 

Are You a Leader?— There's [a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, “Are you a leader?” Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, “No,” and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: “Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower.”]

We have too many people nowadays who are unable to follow; people who want to lead their own lives. But the Christlike life is the life that is characterized by the ability to submit to authority and to honor those placed in positions above us. Not that we can’t challenge authority when they are wrong, but even then we can do so with a Christ-like attitude and spirit. But how can we be sure we have that right attitude? First, we must be submitted to God. If we are fully submitted to God, then we can be submitted to those He has placed in authority over us. Because (remember this) our submission to others is an extension of our submission to God.

POINT 2: ESTHER’S HUMILITY & TEACHABILITY— Now the second characteristic we see in Esther's life is that she acts not on impulse, but with wisdom; being both humble and teachable. How do we know this? Look at verse 15…

Esther 2:15a (ESV)— 15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. 

So she takes the time to listen to advice. She doesn’t just grab the richest; most elaborate things. No, she chooses to take less (only what Hegai advises and nothing more). So she exercises restraint; she demonstrates a listening ear, which shows teachability and humility. Now how are we when it comes to being teachable? Are we humble enough to allow somebody else to show us a better way?

Proverbs 1:5 (ESV)— 5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Proverbs 12:15 (ESV)— 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 19:20 (ESV)— 20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

So Esther showed herself to be teachable. She trusts not in her wisdom, but in the wisdom of Hegai. 

POINT 3: ESTHER’S REFUSAL TO GRASP— But her actions here also reveal something else about her character; her unwillingness to grasp.

David vs. Saul— Earlier in Israel’s history you had two famous kings: Saul (Israel’s first king) and then immediately following his reign you have the reign of David. And you will remember that the way in which they ruled was night and day. Saul incurred God’s curse and a withdrawal of His presence (His Spirit). David on the other hand was called a man after God’s own heart; he was pleasing in the eyes of God. Yet what made the difference? The difference is this. David never forgot whose kingdom it was. Saul did. Saul thought it was his kingdom; he thought that he was the king. David, on the other hand, recognized that he was not the king; God was the true king of Israel. That is why he never tried to take the throne by force; why he didn’t kill Saul, whom (even after his own anointing) he still calls "the Lord's anointed"); even though he had the chance (multiple chances) to take his life and seize the throne. David is hiding from Saul in a cave. And Saul comes into the cave to relieve himself. And David’s men are whispering to him, saying, “Look, the Lord has delivered him into your hand. Let’s kill him!” But David resists. He resists the temptation to seize; to grasp and instead He trusted that God would bring it about in His own time and patiently waited for the Lord. And that attitude; that demeanor really characterized the majority of his reign.

Esther doesn't grasp— And here we see the same attitude with Esther. She could seize anything she wanted. She could use the various adornments available to her to try to tip the scales in her favor. But no; she resists. She chooses the wiser path, saying “If God wills for me to be queen, He will do it by His outstretched hand, not my grasping hand.”

Our grasping— And I just think, “How often do you and I reach for things; take hold of things; grasp for things that either God doesn’t want us to have or that are not in accordance with His perfect timing? Saul chose the kingdom over God's presence; David chose the presence of God over the kingdom. And God's anointing could therefore remain on David. And here we find an anointing of Esther that went deeper than the perfumes that covered her body. What caused her to stand out was the aromatic fragrance of the presence of God made manifest in her life. She didn't grasp, but instead listened to the voice of wisdom, which IS the very voice of God. God wants to bless us. But first we must be willing to cease grasping for ourselves. Now it is because of these three things that the next part of the verse follows…

Esther 2:15b (ESV)— Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 

When you and I are obedient to those God has placed in positions of authority over us; when we honor them; we win the favor of others. When you and I remain humble and teachable, we win the favor of others. When you and I keep from grasping and trust that God is in control and will give us good things in His perfect timing, we win the favor of others. And sure enough, it says in…

Esther 2:16-18 (ESV)— 16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, [by the way this is four years after the King has banished Vashti ] 17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther's feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.

Esther’s Coronation— And so ends the coronation of Esther; and yet another feast. Yet this is a feast that stands in contrast to that feast in the opening chapter, because it is one which is permeated with the favor of God. 
    This week, live in the favor and joy of walking in obedience and humility with God. Remain teachable before Him and others. And trust in Him to meet your needs (even in difficult circumstances, such as the ones we’re facing during these Covid-19 days). Refrain from grasping and instead let your hands be outstretched to receive those the gifts God has for you when and how He wants to give them to you. And may His peace and favor rest on you. Amen.

Lechem Panim #98 "Esther Is Taken" (Esther 2:12-14) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim.

Winning Things— I don’t know how many of you have every won anything before. Winning things can be exciting. Once I remember entering a contest for a Canon digital camera. And I actually won, which absolutely made my week! It is fun to win things. And sometimes that desire to win things can be intoxicating; even addictive. 
    I've never played the lottery before. And I don't think it is a right way to use the money God has given me. But sometimes it appears on the news, especially when there is a record-breaking jackpot. And a lot of people are interested in that event. And many many people buy lottery tickets just so that they can have a chance of winning that money. Now the chances of winning are astronomical! They say you have better chances of getting struck by lightning. Now I think my odds would be better. Chances are, I’d get struck by lightning twice; probably. But you know, it doesn't matter how impossible those odds are, when the winner is announced those people who have entered are glued to that announcement. Because no matter how small their chances are, there is a chance. A chance of their lives being changed in one single moment. When your number is called.

The Ultimate Win— What if the prize was more than money? What if it was also a relationship; the chance of being married to a wealthy or good-looking person? You know, it’s fascinating how many people are captivated by the royal family. Well, have you ever imagined what it would be like to be somebody like Kate Middleton, instantly ushered into an enormous amount of wealth and into a relationship with another person; and more than that, into Royalty!? What would it be like to have your name called, for you to be chosen?

Women’s Lives Forever Changed— Well that is the situation that Esther has found herself in, whether she wanted it or not. She has been chosen from 50 million people to be a part of a harem of 400 girls. And the way the King (Ahasuerus) is going to choose his next queen is by having each individual woman spend a night with him in his bed. And the one who pleases him the most will be made queen. Now just think about what this would mean for Esther; being made to enter into the bed of a gentile king. And Esther is often criticized for this. Yet what we must realize is that this is completely out of her control. There's no such thing as women's rights. Ahasuerus made that pretty clear in his dealings with Vashti in chapter 1. Women were to remain subject to their husbands as the rulers of the household. And if women were to be subject to their husbands, how much more so to the will of the king. Esther is made to enter into a relationship that she knows is unholy. Yet she cannot resist. And so she also must prepare herself for her one night with the king. And King Ahasuerus clearly spares no expense in preparing these girls for their special one night with him. It says in…

Esther 2:12 (ESV)— 12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women—

Princess Diaries— Now there's a movie that I remember watching with my wife a long time ago called Princess Diaries. Some of you may remember it. The story centers around a young girl who finds out that she is a princess and her journey towards becoming a queen; and the whole beautification process and learning that she has to go through in order to prepare herself to be queen. Everything from her hair being cut and straightened, eyebrows being waxed, makeup being done. Learning how to wave like a queen; walk like a queen; have the mannerisms of a queen; how to eat right at the royal table. And it takes time; time for her to go from being an ordinary, messy teenager to being an extra-ordinary, royal woman. And that is part of the humor of the movie, watching her as she tries to become this whole new person.

Preparing for Royal Life— And in many respects, this is the exact same thing that Esther had to go through. She is being prepared for royal life. She is learning how to operate within a royal court. And more than that, she is beautifying herself. The text says that the women were given twelve months to beautify themselves. That’s a lot of Maybelline, Loreal Paris, and everything else. Well, what is going on during those twelve months? The text says that they spent six of those months with oil of myrrh and another six months with spices and ointments for women—. 

Cosmetic Burners— One of the unique things that archaeologists have found in Lachish in Israel are some cube-shaped spice burners. And these were originally thought to be used for burning incense during religious rituals. However, now it is believed that what these actually are are cosmetic burners used by women therapeutically and for hygienic purposes. A woman would take oil of roses, oil of cloves, or essence of musk (scents that are still being used today by the way) and place them in the cosmetic burners and heat them in the fire. Just wearing a robe that she would drape over her body like a tent, she would crouch over one of those burners and let that aroma cover and perfume her and scent her clothes. And one very famous archaeologist cites this passage as a biblical example of this very common ancient practice, which would make sense because aromatic oils and spices were actually Persia’s major export. Persia was known for it. Remember the Magi who came to see Jesus, whom many scholars believe came from Medo-Persia? Two out of the three gifts they brought were aromatic oils (Frankincense and Myrrh). 

One Night— Now this entire year of preparation is for one night; that first encounter with the king that each girl will have (as indicated in verse 12). And now that year is over; and each girl is preparing for her special night with the king. And it says of each woman in…

Esther 2:13 (ESV)—13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 

They have prepared themselves physically and now each girl has the privilege of picking out those things she is going to adorn herself with to make herself stand out.

Dress for the Job You Want— Now you know that piece of wisdom, “Don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want to have.” Well that applies here. These girls want to make themselves look the part. And more than this, it is believed that these women were also allowed to keep whatever they chose. So you can imagine that each woman is trying to pick out the most expensive; the most elaborate; the most queenly things she can find. And you can imagine the spirit of competition; the bickering; the squabbling over who has the best whatever. This is all about who is the most beautiful; who has mastered the art of seduction better. I mean, talk about an uncomfortable environment. And yet what is amazing is that Esther keeps clear of all of that, as we will see. Now the text says of each woman…

Esther 2:14a (ESV)— 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. 

Concubines— Ok, now what is going on here? We have mention of another second harem, another eunuch (Shaashgaz), and suddenly this word concubine. What is a concubine? Well a concubine is like a wife, but of lower status. They were women who were [officially recognized as the king’s mistresses]. And this is what most (if not all) the women became after their one night with the king. Remember, Ahasuerus is not choosing one woman. He is choosing one Queen. After these women lost their virginity to the king during their one night, they became his concubines. And in fact [Each woman’s first night with the king was her initiation as a concubine.] And this is who that second harem is for; for those women who had become concubines. And what this meant was that she could never return to her family; she could never marry. She went to the king's harem of concubines [where she would spend the rest of her life in luxurious but desolate seclusion...The woman would not even see the king again, unless he asked for her by name.] The text says…

Esther 2:14b (ESV)—She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

Old Dreams Died— Now I think it is important for us to understand the position that Esther has found herself in. Was it really a good thing for her to be chosen to be a part of this glorified beauty contest? Would she have seen it this way? I think sometimes we forget exactly what this would mean for her in that context. No hope of having a normal marriage between her and a man who would keep himself only for her; small chance of ever even seeing him again; small chance of raising a family of her own; and little chance of ever getting to see her friends and loved ones ever again. A new place; a beautiful and rich place, yes; but a place of isolation and loneliness among other women who most likely operated with a very different value system. Before we think she hit the jackpot too quickly, we must realize that every dream Esther ever had up until this point as to what her future would look like and her future relationships would look like have all died, as she is thrust into an environment and a situation she probably never would have chosen for herself. And yet she trusts God. And we will see just how much He is involved in all of this and how much He will take care of her as she moves in step with Him.

A Present Trust in Christ— And you know, maybe things have taken a sudden turn in your life recently. Maybe your future that you at least had a general idea of what it would look like has suddenly either changed or become very uncertain. What we learn from Esther (and really the entire Bible) is this; and I want you to remember this; write it down; engrave it in your memory. It doesn’t matter where life takes you. What matters is that wherever that might be, you are hand in hand with the Savior. God is less concerned about destinations than we think. He is more concerned about how we walk with Him. And for Esther that was in a relationship of faith and trust. And so I want to encourage you today (to encourage myself) to learn to walk in that relationship of faith and trust. If we can do that, we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding no matter what circumstances or trials life throws at us. Let us trust in Christ today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #97 "Hadassah and God’s Favor" (Esther 2:8-10) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to the show today. We have been studying the book of Esther during our time together, last week seeing what was going on in the Persian empire during this time, which included Xerxes’ war against Greece. After throwing a party for his military personnel just before he left to show how capable he was of winning the war, Xerxes (or Ahasuerus, as he’s also known) goes on to fight Greece and suffers a massive defeat. And so he comes back in shame and disgrace and is seeking comfort in the arms of someone who can lift him up during this difficult time. Normally that would have been his wife Vashti; but due to her unwillingness to disgrace herself before his guests, he had had her banished just before he left. And so now he is wife-less and miserable. But his men (whose idea it was to banish Vashti to begin with) no doubt feel a little fear and quickly seek to rectify the problem. And so they suggest that Ahasuerus throw an empire-wide beauty pageant in order to help him choose a new queen. And he apparently likes that idea very very much. And so women are gathered and brought to him from all over the kingdom. And it is at this point that the author introduces to us an orphan girl named Hadassah living in the care of her cousin Mordecai. Esther was her Persian name, but those closest to her would have known her as Hadassah.

A Fragrant Myrtle— Now Hadassah’s name means “myrtle” in Hebrew; as in the myrtle tree; which gives off a very fragrant smell. [And in scripture we find that the behaviors of people often align with their name. Well, this was especially true of Hadassah. Hadassah is more than just her name. It (like many Biblical names) was a description of who she is.] 
    There was a prophet just before this time by the name of Zechariah who began his prophetic ministry in 520 B.C. under Darius (Xerxes’ father). And during that time Zechariah has this vision in which a man on a red horse stands amidst a bunch of myrtle trees in a ravine. And in his vision [the myrtle trees in the ravine represented Israel under Gentile subjection.] And here we see that Esther is very much a myrtle tree brought under Gentile subjection. It says in…

Esther 2:8 (ESV)— 8 So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.

In The Care of Hegai— So she is taken into an environment that (for a Jewish girl) would be absolutely unclean, unholy, and even frightening, as she is placed under the authority of a Persian officer named Hegai. Now it’s often times when we are put in stressful situations that our true selves are seen most visibly. And Hegai likes what he sees in Hadassah. It says…

Esther 2:9 (ESV)— 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem.

Righteous Myrtle— What did this man Hegai see in Esther? You know, it’s interesting; in Israelite culture myrtle trees were often associated with righteousness. [The Talmud (a book of Jewish teaching) explains why Queen Esther was also called Hadassah: Why was she called Hadassah? Because the righteous are called myrtles.
    The sages in the Midrash (an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures) take this one step further: Just as a myrtle has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (“sweet”) to the righteous Mordechai, and was adverse (“bitter”) to the wicked Haman.] So once again she lives according to her name. And because she does live according to her name; in righteousness, God’s favor rests upon her.

The Favor of God— Now what does it mean that God’s favor rests upon a person? We often think of it as meaning that your life is unusually blessed by the Lord; where everything seems to go right and your life is whole and complete. And when things don’t go right, it must mean God’s favor is no longer with you. But here we find that Esther, on whom God’s favor so clearly rests, is a person whose life is not perfect. She doesn’t have the ideal family situation; she doesn’t have a good social status. And things go from bad to worse. She (a good Jewish girl) is taken and placed in the harem of a pagan king. But we see so clearly that even in the midst of a whole world of bad, God’s favor never leaves her. He is with her every step of the way. And this is what King Solomon had prayed for back in…

1 Kings 8:50 (ESV)— 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them

Trend of Favor— And we see that favor resting on Esther. Now Esther never had a special verbal call from God. God never gave her specifics as to how He was going to use her (at least not audibly). She simply found herself being placed in situations that she did not expect and probably didn't want to be in. But her story encourage us because of the simple fact that God didn’t appear to her in a cloud or in a burning bush, or in a voice from heaven. And yet God was still able to use her in amazing ways. Why? What was it that gave her this special favor from the Lord? Well, we see that it has much to do with her character; her righteousness and willingness to walk with God in the midst of very difficult circumstances; because she chose to deny herself and obey God in what He was leading her to do. And it is because of that; the obedience of an insignificant Jewish girl that the fate of an entire race of people was saved out of the hands of those who were seeking to wipe out the Jewish people.

Obedience the Key to God’s Favor— And what we learn from this is that God doesn’t need you to have a huge religious experience for Him to use you. He just needs your obedience. Obedience to God is the key to having His favor rest on you.

Do you have the sense in your own life that God’s favor rests with you? Do you feel like you're moving with God, or do you feel like you're moving against or away from God? What is the key to living in the favor of God? The key is to allow him to transform and reshape your character. And you cannot wait until he places some dynamic call upon your life. He may not appear to you as he did to Moses in the burning bush; there may not be any clear audible call from heaven. But, like with Esther, God’s call for you and I to be holy unto Him is every bit as real; and He can do incredible things through our lives if we choose to live in accordance with His will and character. Then God’s favor can rest upon us in a special way.

The People God Can Use— God is not limited by your past; who you are; or even your circumstances. He only wants your obedience. And at every point, Esther models that obedience in her relationship to God, and also in her relationship to her cousin Mordecai. Verse 10 says…

Esther 2:10 (ESV)— 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known.

What are the Chances?— Now what are the chances that Esther would be chosen queen? This pageant stretched throughout the whole kingdom of Persia, consisting of about 50 million people at that time. That’s a pretty big pageant. What are the chances that out of all those people, Esther would be selected (by chance)?

Lou Gehrig’s Disease— Once a father was telling his son about baseball legend Lou Gehrig. And he mentioned that he died in 1941. And the son asked, “What did he die of.” “Well {(the father replied)}, he died of Lou Gehrig’s disease.” And the boy’s eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. And he said in awe, “What are the chances?” Well, it wasn’t chance. The disease was named after him.

Well, what are the chances that out of 50 million people, Esther would be selected? I mean even just to be among the 400 women who were brought to the harem; the odds are astronomical! How is this possible? Well, the moment we ask that question, we have already missed the point; because it wasn’t chance at all. God had brought about all these events (from the banishment of Vashti to Esther’s being taken) in order that Esther might come into that position. None of this was chance, but was part of God’s will and plan for the salvation of His people; which He brought by His divine hand. God orchestrated all of it. And we really see how Mordecai recognizes this later in the book, when he says to Esther… 

Esther 4:14b (ESV)— …And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

You know what this says to me? The situations you and I face every day; the jobs we work; the people we come into contact with. That’s not chance. Rather God has placed us in those specific spheres of influence because He has ordained ahead of time that we ought to be His instruments to those people? God has raised us up in those circumstances to fulfill His purposes; to give Christ to another. 
    You know what passage scares the living daylights out of me? It’s when Jesus calls His disciples (which includes us) His hands and His feet. Because what it reveals is that Christ chooses to work through us. And if we are not willing to do what Christ is moving us to do, then we are impeding His Kingdom work.

​And so we need to remember that God has raised us up in this time in this place to make a difference for His Kingdom. Don’t be afraid to stand for Christ; don’t be afraid to share your faith. He may be using you and moving you towards the fulfillment of a grand purpose for your life that you will never reach unless you obey Him in the moment. We may not be able to see the end, but we can take the path He puts immediately before us, as Esther did time and time again.. Let us commit to obey God as she did, so that in every way we might also experience the favor of God in a special way. Amen.

Lechem Panim #96 "Lord In Our Brokenness" (Esther 2:1-7) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to the show today. We have been studying together the book of Esther; a marvelous book that has so much to speak to regarding the unique situations we are facing today. And last week we highlighted how Xerxes (or in our English Bibles: Ahasuerus) is preparing to march on Greece (which we know will be unsuccessful). And he throws this massive feast during which he is showing his army how great Persia is and (more importantly) how great he is; and he decides he wants to put his wife (the Queen) Vashti on display. So he commands that she be brought before them; but she refuses. And Xerxes reacts in the worst way possible (following the advice of his advisor Memucan) and banishes Vashti. So chapter one ends in brokenness. And soon after that Xerxes leads his army out of Persia to face Greece.

God’s Humbling of Xerxes— Now Xerxes obviously had a pride problem. And if there’s anything we learn from scripture (especially the book of Proverbs) is that pride always comes before a fall. And if we don’t humble ourselves, God must find a way to humble us. And that is not a bad thing. Sometimes it is in our falling (after we have reached rock bottom) that we can then be in a position to receive God‘s grace. This is certainly what happened in the life of Xerxes. He had to go through a process of intense humiliation before he was prepared to receive what was for him one of God’s greatest graces in his life (Esther). And similarly in our own lives, before God can show us His primary objects of grace, He must first show us the grace of His humbling, so that we will be ready to receive those objects of grace. And really the instrument that God used to humble Ahasuerus was the Persian war against Greece.

Thermopylae and The 300— There was more than one battle, but one of the most significant battles was the Battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes remember had amassed this incredible force and they are marching to try to defeat Greece. And the King of Sparta, Leonidas, marches to Thermopylae with the 300 men of his royal bodyguard, gathering troops as they go (as many as they can) to meet the Persians. [The Greeks were not able to muster a large force immediately because of some religious prohibitions. In progress at the time were two major religious festivals. The first was the Spartan’s Carnea in honor of the Greek god Apollo; and the second was the famous Olympic Games.] So in other words, sports was distracting people from what was really going on.

King Leonidas no doubt felt some frustration as he marched with his 300 men. Who cares about the Olympics? Xerxes is marching right now to defeat us! Nevertheless, he amasses a force of about 7,100 men by the time they reach the pass of Thermopylae, which was nothing compared to the army of Persia (around 250,000 men). But the Greek’s advantage lay in the fact that although they were hopelessly outnumbered, the Persians had to enter through a narrow pass (kind of like a funnel). So suddenly numbers didn’t count for anything. And the Greeks fight valiantly and are able to even repel the Persian forces for a period of time. And these Greeks are tough; they are fearless; they are the fight-to-the-death kind of warriors. They believed themselves to be descendants of the demi-god Hercules; they thought he was their ancestor. And they strived to live up to that in the fierceness of their fighting. 

Now this battle took place in the blistering heat of August. And just to let you know how fearless these guys were; during the battle (as the historian Herodotus records) a Spartan by the name of Dieneces is told that [the Medes were so many that when they shoot their multitudes of arrows it would block the sun light. Dieneces reportedly quipped, “Our friend…brings us right good news, for if the Medes hide the sun we shall fight them in the shade and not in the sunshine” (Persian Wars 7.226; LCL 3: 543).] These guys are willing to go to the grave before surrendering to Xerxes. And so Greece succeeds in repelling (at least for the time) the Medo-Persian forces, until they are betrayed by a Greek man who shows the Persian forces another way to get to them. And Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors are the only ones who stay to make that last stand. And they of course are killed. But the battle is so demoralizing for Xerxes that after they eventually defeated the Greeks, Xerxes had his men quickly bury the bodies of the 300 Greeks and 19,000 corpses of his own men (leaving only 1,000) so that his massive army would not know that they had just been obliterated by so few men. And they go on to sack Athens, but are then defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis. And Xerxes returns to Persia with his tail between his legs.

All this happens between chapters 1 and 2 of Esther. When the text says in verse 1 of chapter 2, “after these things”, all this has happened in between. So he and his army arrive home. And what is the first thing Ahasuerus wants to do? 

Olympic Defeat— I remember once my wife Tanya and I were watching the olympics and there was man who was skying down the mountain making incredible time! And his wife is there supporting him and cheering him on. She was a professional sportswoman herself. And he crosses the finish line in place for gold. And they both watch as the other skiers compete, hoping that his time will not be beat. But finally, another skier beats his time. And realizing the gold has just slipped from his hands, he puts his face down on his wife’s shoulder. And she says to him, “It’s going to be ok.” 

You know, you can be the toughest guy in the world, but when you fall, sometimes you need someone there to pick you up. Well that is how Ahasuerus is feeling. 

Esther 2:1 (ESV)— 1 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

Ahasuerus Wanted Comfort— You see, Ahasuerus wants to crawl up into his palace, put his head on his wife’s shoulder and receive comfort from her. But there’s a problem with that. He had banished her just before he left!!! No more Vashti! And he can’t simply re-instate her because of the nature of the law of the Medes and the Persians, which could not be repealed. So his men come up with a brilliant idea. It says… 

Esther 2:2-4 (ESV)— 2 Then the king's young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.

An Empire-wide Beauty Pageant— So Xerxes decides to throw an empire-wide beauty pageant to select his new queen. Now this is ingenious because what better way can you come up with to help your nation forget that you were just beaten (royally) on the battlefield than telling your kingdom that you are going to select a woman from amongst them (it could be anybody) to be their queen. It’s kind of like the media does today. Major political scandal happens? Yeah, we can talk about that. But hey look what’s on! The Bachelor. Which lovely lady will he choose?! People tend to be much more interested in stars than in what people are really going through in and throughout the world. And that was the same in ancient times as well as today. Leaders are often masters of distraction. And it is no different here when Ahasuerus throws this beauty pageant. Welcome to The Bachelor; season 1; Persian edition, except we will see that Esther is a few grades above your typical Bachelor contestant.

The Star That Reveals— The people want a star; and the people will soon be given a star Esther is the Persian word for star. But when we study and examine her story, we find that Esther is not the kind of star that distracts people from what is really going on; but is a star that illuminates and calls attention to it; and we will see this specifically later in how she will bring to light the dark plot of Haman the Agagite.

Esther 2:5-6 (ESV)— 5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 

So Mordecai is [among the fourth generation of deported Jews.] His great grandfather Kish experienced the Babylonian deportation. And the text says in…

Esther 2:7 (ESV)—7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

So the first thing told to us about Hadassah is that she is an orphan living in the care of her cousin Mordecai.

Ally Playing Orphan— Not long ago our daughter Ally discovered a new game; playing orphan. She likes to pretend that she is all alone and that she has no parents or grandparents. She likes to be little Annie I guess. The funny thing is I remember doing the same thing with my sister Bethany growing up. We loved to play orphans like the Boxcar children (if you remember them). 

But in reality, being an orphan is tough. It is very difficult to lose your parents, no matter what age you are. Not long ago I took a trip back to the church where I had begun pastoral ministry years ago to help do the funeral for one of our dear friends who had died of lung cancer. And just recently I was reading a post from her daughter about how much she misses her mom, and how those feelings had been most recently triggered by a familiar smell that had brought back a flood of memories. And dealing with not only the initial pain of losing somebody, but the void they leave behind, is difficult. Now I know that we must all, at some point, lose our parents. But the earlier you lose them, sometimes it can be harder because they don’t get to see you arrive, if you know what I mean. Esther (for instance) would never experience the joy of having her parents share in her growing up, her engagement, her wedding, her first child, any of it (not to mention becoming queen). And that is especially painful. And you know I love how scripture doesn’t leave out the fact that while God is in sovereign control over the nations, He is also sovereign on a smaller scale in each and every one of our own individual lives. He is the Lord even in times of brokenness; and despite our brokenness (maybe even at times because of our brokenness) God can do amazing things in and through us. Just about everybody in scripture who was used by God in a mighty way had some kind of brokenness in their lives or situations. And Esther’s life is no exception.

Now I don’t know where you are today. Maybe you are dealing with brokenness in some way. Maybe you feel that that brokenness is your fault (like Ahasuerus no doubt did). Or maybe you feel that your brokenness is rooted in circumstances that were dealt to you and are completely outside of your control, as Esther probably felt. Either way, God has something to offer to you today. Not something that will automatically take all the pain away (though He does bring healing); but the assurance of knowing that He is in control and He can use even (I would say especially) our darkest circumstances to do the greatest things. But we need to trust Him and His plan, even when we might not see that overall plan yet (if ever). And we need to trust that God does love us and that He will neither leave us or forsake us. That is His promise to you and to me. So let us (in every way) trust in Him. Amen.

Lechem Panim #95 "The Banishment of Vashti" (Esther 1:5-2:1) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to the show today. We have been studying the book of Esther, last week talking about the rise of Xerxes and the war that he was engaged in with Greece, the next major world empire. And this helps us to understand this feast in our passage today in Esther chapter 1; how it was one that was meant to display Xerxes’ greatness and ability not just to rule well, but to be strong enough to lead his army into victory in this war against the Greeks. It says in verses 5-8…

Esther 1:5-8 (ESV)— 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, ([Susa the citadel refers to the fortified palace complex.]) both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace (Now this was [An enclosed courtyard for entertaining in the summer months (see 7:7).]). 6 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. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 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.

No Compulsion— Now what this “no compulsion” meant was that [King Ahasuerus set aside the custom that everyone had to drink whenever the king drank.] Guests could drink whenever they wanted; as much as they wanted. And in addition to drinking for fun and leisure, [The Greek historian Herodotus explained that the Persians drank as they deliberated matters of state (cf. 3:15 ), believing that intoxication put them in closer touch with the spiritual world.] And so you have this prolonged, drunken, pervasively worldly and pagan feast going on in Susa. And on top of this feast, you also have another feast for the women. It says in verse 9…

Esther 1:9 (ESV)— 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.

A book of feasts— So you have feast after feast. And in fact the book of Esther is filled with feasts. [The word mishteh, “banquet, feast(ing),” occurs fifty-five times in the Old Testament, twenty of which are in Esther,] [In fact, there are nine of them (or ten if one splits the ninth into two feasts)] [seven of Esther’s ten chapters refer to somebody throwing a party.] In fact the purpose of the whole book of Esther is to show how one major feast Jews celebrate even to today came into being; the feast of Purim. And we’ll talk more about that in upcoming weeks. But for now, keep this feast theme in the back of your mind.

Esther 1:10-11 (ESV)— Queen Vashti's Refusal— 10 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, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown,[b] in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at.

Ahasuerus Objectifies Vashti— Now imagine this. Your husband invites you to come out in front of a bunch of his guests (who are slobbering drunk, by the way) so they can stare at you and see what a trophy your husband has. Yet what gets me is here King Ahasuerus is inviting his men to lust after his wife and devour her with their drunken eyes. Now what is disgusting to me (and should be disgusting to you too) is that he is treating her like an object; he is objectifying her. And he’s inviting all his friends to do the same. And to engage in this kind of behavior is absolutely wrong. Remember Jesus says in Matthew 5 (in the Sermon on the Mount)…

Matthew 5:27-28 (ESV)— 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

Anything that objectifies a woman is wrong; when you use a woman for your own selfish pleasure (degrading her), you are in sin. Jesus doesn’t want us to have any part of that. And guess what; Queen Vashti doesn’t want any part of that either. Verse 12 says…

Esther 1:12a (ESV)— 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs.

Why Vashti Refuses— Now we are not told why Vashti refuses to come. Some have suggested that perhaps she refused because lewd behavior was expected. Some have suggested that the command for her to wear her crown was really a command to come wearing only her crown. And that might be the case. However, it is interesting to note that, from what we know from history, she actually is seen to give birth to Ahasuerus’ third son, Artaxerxes in c. 483 B.C. So it is very possible that she is pregnant during this time. 

Pregnancy and Culture— Now in our culture we have made pregnancy a very public thing. But in ancient culture you would often go into seclusion. It was an embarrassing, sometimes shameful thing to be seen when you were pregnant. And it is possible that this is why Vashti is so resistant. And even the fact that he tells her to do this shows a lack of care for her. He is very much focused on himself; and therefore when he hears about Vashti’s refusal, the text says…

Esther 1:12b (ESV)— Queen Vashti's Refusal— At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

The Anger of Ahasuerus— Now one thing you are going to see (not only here, but throughout this book) is that Ahasuerus has a very hot and violent temper. And if you know anyone who is prone to anger, you will know that they are in bondage to that anger. It controls them. In fact, a year after this, when Ahasuerus eventually marches against Greece, he has to cross the Hellespont, a narrow body of water that lies between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. So he orders bridges to be built. And so they were built. But before his troops could use them, a storm destroys them. And Ahasuerus is so enraged, he gathers all the engineers together who designed the bridges and has them beheaded. Then he turns in his rage to the water that had swallowed his bridges. History tells us he sent some of his soldiers into water with whips, telling them to lash the water 300 times as punishment for swallowing his bridges. So they lash the waves with those whips 300 times. Then he has his soldiers throw shackles into the water to bind the water and even has them take red-hot irons and stab the waves with them. Now imagine having a ruler like that. Or even worse, imagine having a husband like that! Some of you may have grown up in a home where you saw that kind of anger often; maybe on an even daily basis. I have counseled people who have been in those kinds of situations. And let me tell you, Jesus doesn’t want there to be any room for this kind of anger in our lives…

Colossians 3:8a (NIV)— 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice,…

Don’t Be Slaves to Anger— Jesus doesn’t want anger to control our lives. Anger destroys relationships and it ultimately destroys ourselves. And someone who has rage as a part of their life is a slave to that anger. There is righteous anger that moves us to act in accordance with God’s will and then there is selfish anger and rage that is destructive rather than constructive. And it is that kind of anger that is sin. And we see that Ahasuerus (at least at this point in his life) is a slave to his anger. Now it says in…

Esther 1:13-22 (ESV)— 13 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, 14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” 16 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. [You see, they are afraid that Vashti’s disobedience will spark a women’s liberation movement. So they say…] 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. 20 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.” 21 This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 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.

Vashti De-Throned— Now here Ahasuerus is told not just to command that Vashti be de-throned, but that he do it in such a way so as to make it impossible for anyone (including himself) to repeal that command. And so he does. He de-thrones her for her disobedience. He is so concerned about how she made him look that he never stopped to consider how he made her look. But you know what?; I think Ahasuerus regretted his mistake. Why? Because it says in…

Esther 2:1 (ESV)— 1 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

He regrets his actions— You see, he regrets his actions. And ultimately that is where anger leads us; regret. He drives his wife away. And when he comes to his senses, it is too late. And what bothers me about this situation is that their relationship could have been restored in the first place if only he had been willing to acknowledge he had made a mistake and sought to treat his wife more fairly. But he doesn’t. Instead he does what is in his own self-interest and what is in the interest of those around him; not what is in the best interest of his wife. 

He treats Esther differently— But you know, I think he may have had a change of heart after this. And the reason I tend to think this way is because we see in and throughout this story that he treats Esther differently. There is no evidence that he objectified her in the same way he did Vashti. And when she appears to model the same kind of defiance when she later approaches the king uninvited, he shows mercy where he could have shown anger. I think her marriage to him may have affected his demeanor in a positive way. There was something special about Esther. And next week  we will begin to explore what that was.

But there are some key lessons we can learn from Ahasuerus. This book opens up with a sense of lostness and brokenness; lostness and brokenness that is the natural result of pride and anger. Ahasuerus sent into exile the very person he cared about. And maybe sin in your life has cost you something. Maybe it is already hurting your marriage or your relationships. It might be anger; it might be lust; maybe it’s putting your own needs ahead of someone else’s. Jesus wants us to be willing to surrender our pride; to admit when we are wrong; and to help us to treat those we claim to love lovingly; even as He first loved us. Let us commit to do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #94 "The Rise of Xerxes" (Esther 1:1-4) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to the show today. You know, in recent days I have been reflecting on the uniqueness of Christianity amongst the many other religions of the world. There are many religious works today, each offering differing (and often mutually exclusive) worldviews; meaning they make claims that are at opposition with other worldviews; and therefore you have to choose (you can’t have it both ways). And so you have to evaluate which religion (or religious work) is true based on a set of criteria. And for many it is enough that the religious book in question be the cause of some kind of special emotion or experience that they have while reading it. For others, it is that the philosophy of the book resonates with them, challenges them, or aligns with one’s own set of beliefs held even prior to picking up the book. But virtually none of these books has anything to offer that is independently verifiable historically or scientifically. And those that try are often shown later to be erroneous and false. That is, until we come to the Christian Bible. One of the key things that separates the Bible from every other religious book is that it ties itself to known history. Every page bleeds with the challenge “come and check this out. Here is what REALLY happened; here are the facts.” Even Jesus, the embodiment of the Word of God, begs people to come and check out the facts; to have faith, yes, but not a blind faith, but rather a faith that rests on the sufficiency of the evidence. He always gave people a sign (whether it was a healing, a miracle of nature, etc.) that showed that He is who He claimed to be. And that formed the foundation for their (hopefully) then coming to put their faith and trust in Him. And the Bible is the same way because it is His Word. The Bible offers to us not just a set of beliefs we should ascribe to, but a history of God Himself interacting in time and space with His people; performing real miracles; doing real things. And then it invites us to (based on the evidence) to place our faith in Him. The first seventeen books of the Old Testament are historical. The first 5 books of the New Testament are historical, by which I mean they are meant to be read (primarily) as history. And I think what God might be trying to say to us is that before you get into poetry, into prophecy, into instruction and teaching, you must first come to grips with the understanding that I have acted in time and space with real people in real places and my entire Word is historically accurate and worthy of your trust.

And I want to emphasize this as we enter into this first chapter of Esther because the author begins not with “Once upon a time” or some other vague backdrop, but with a number of key historical markers that help his readers to understand where exactly this story took place in known history and who specifically we are talking about. He says…

Esther 1:1-3a (ESV)— 1 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants.

Xerxes is Ahasuerus— Now we see that the first name given to us in the book of Esther is that of the King, Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus is the name many of us have in our Bibles, which comes from a Hebrew transliteration. But we know him in history primarily by his Greek name, Xerxes. Ahasuerus is none other than the mighty Xerxes. 

Cyrus Conquers Babylon— Now let’s back-track a tad. You will remember from last week that not too long before this, Cyrus (king of Persia comes to power). Israel had been in exile to Babylon, but then Cyrus conquers the Babylonian empire; and what is incredible is that he does this without a fight. Remember in Daniel chapter 5 we see the Babylonian king Belshazzar throwing a drunken party using the vessels of gold and silver stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. And the fingers of a human hand appear and write on the wall “Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. (Dan. 5)”. And Daniel reveals to Belshazzar that God is going to immediately bring his kingdom to an end. And He does. That very night (the night of October 12, 539 B.C.) the army of Persia waded up the waters of the Euphrates River through the canals of the city of Babylon and took the city. And in fact Belshazzar was such a terrible leader that Cyrus was actually welcomed by the Babylonians as a liberator. And so all the lands previously under Babylonian rule (including Jerusalem and Judah) now fell under the control of the ever-expanding Persian empire. 

Darius and the Beginning of the Persian Wars— Now after Cyrus died, the throne went to Cambyses and then to Darius 1 (the Great). And Darius the Great goes on to conquer Greece in 550 B.C. and following. But Greece is never totally conquered. In fact later they fight back relentlessly against Persia, defeating them at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., that famous battle where a man ran 26 miles, which is where we get our distance for modern-day marathons. And Darius is furious at having lost this battle and therefore swears revenge. However, on his way back to try to crush the Greeks and gain revenge, he dies, leaving the duty of crushing the Greeks to his son, Xerxes, who comes to power in 486 B.C. Now despite strong advice not to go to war with Greece again, Xerxes decides to ignore that counsel and in 481 he is finally able to set out; and does so with a massive army. Persia (the largest empire in history; now with a population of around 50 million people) puts on a massive military display, boasting hundreds of thousands if not close to a million soldiers. So this battle against the Greeks should be no contest. However, unbelievably, the Greeks are able to repel Xerxes. And there are some very famous battles you may remember from your history class when you studied the Persian War. The Battle of Thermopylae (the battle of the 300 Spartans); the Battle of Salamis, where the Greeks annihilate the Persian navy, Persia losing around 300 warships.

Eventual Defeat by Alexander the Great— So there is constant fighting between Persia (the reigning world empire) and Greece, the next major world empire. And Xerxes continues fighting (mostly unsuccessfully) until Alexander the Great finally comes on the scene and defeats Persia for good. 

Important Backstory— Now the reason this whole backstory is so important is because unless you understand what historical events are going on in the background, you won’t really get what this feast (or feasts) is about. [In the book of Esther, the Persian war against the Greeks, takes place between chapters 1 and 2 of the book. It would be included in the “after these things” (2:1).] So this banquet in chapter 1 is more than just a banquet. It is a war-related banquet. How do we know this? Who is at this banquet?

Esther 1:3b-4 (ESV)— The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. 

Building Support— [The time (483 b.c., the third year of Xerxes’ reign), and the presence of the army, suggest that Xerxes may have been building support for his invasion of Greece (preparations c. 483–480; the Battle of Thermopylae took place in 480).] So Xerxes/Ahasuerus is getting ready to march against the Greeks. But remember there are those who don’t think he can or should do this; and so he throws this massive banquet to display his greatness and kind of get everyone hyped up into believing that he can do it. And so this is not just a “let’s get our groove on kind of party.” There’s purpose behind it. To show that he is all-powerful and in complete control and able to do whatever he wants to do. That is how the book opens up; with a king thinking he’s in absolute control. And yet, as we will see, he is humbled in some amazing ways.

And by the end of the book we discover that it was never him who was in control of history, but God. History is His Story. And nobody can thwart His plans or His purposes. And the same is true for you and for me today. We can have assurance in the midst of all this craziness going on in the world today because we know that behind the scenes the hand of God is moving, working all things together for His glory and our benefit. Let’s give thanks to Him for that today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #93 "A Sign of Hope" (An Introduction to Esther) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to the show today. I don’t know how all of you are faring during this unusual crisis in our nation (and really the whole world). It is not an easy time economically. I am sure many of you have been laid off, as my wife (who is a dental assistant) has been laid off from her job. Many of you are probably wondering what the future might hold for you and your family and may even be wondering if you are going to make it financially. I mean these are uncertain times. And who would have thought that we would go through something like this.

Recently I was reading an author in my studies of the book of Esther and he made the remark about how ordinary and regular it is for people to go through trials and difficulties. And I remember thinking, “actually, I am doing okay. Not really going through anything difficult right now.” But then he said, “And if you think you are doing okay right now, watch out, because there’s a trial just around the corner.” And I thought something like, “Well, aren’t you just a bright little ray of sunshine.” But he was right. It was not long after that that all of this began to unravel. And his point was not to discourage, but to encourage. He was making the point (in his commentary) that the story of the book of Esther is not a light and airy fairytale, but a powerful story born out of pain and uncertainty. Persia (as we will see) was not the place to be, particularly if you were a Jew. Everyone in this book is afraid. And yet God uses those dark circumstances for some incredibly good things and Israel comes out of these trials far stronger than it had been before this time of intense darkness.

And the same is true of us. I believe that on the other side of this the United States is going to be stronger and better. I believe God’s Church is going to be stronger and better. We are being forced to think creatively in how we interact with one another, how we do Church. And many Churches are being forced to catch up in a lot of ways. Has this been difficult? Yes. But I’m telling you, these past few Sundays have probably yielded more livestreams of the Gospel than at any other time in history. And I know in my Church (Renton Park Chapel) we are having many people view our service online whom I know would probably not darken the door of my Church (or maybe any Church). And that is only one small refraction of how God is using these circumstances for good. 

But all of this is still hard. And I think about how my family (and many of you) are affected by this. But you know, it gives us a chance to ask ourselves, “Do we really believe many of the things we talk about on a regular basis regarding God and His faithfulness; His love for us and therefore His provision for us?” 

Pilots— You know in my church we have two pilots, both of whom own airplanes and both of whom have built or did major rebuilding on their airplanes. Now I don’t know too much about airplanes, other than what I have gleaned from conversations with guys who do. But I do know that building an airplane can be a long project and requires a lot of time and care. And I (who live about ten minutes from Boeing) am very thankful to those who know how to build airplanes. But there comes a point when the building stops and you have to actually get into the airplane and fly it. One of these men in our church finished his little red plane and eventually took it for a test-fly. Now that kind of takes faith to the next level, doesn’t it. I mean yeah you can brag about whatever parts you put into it (how shiny you got the wings) and how well it has been put together. But then come a moment when you climb into that cockpit, turn the ignition, and begin rolling down the runway. And if it was me, a thousand different questions would probably be going through my mind. Did I remember to do this, that, or whatever? Or, if it’s like any of the pieces of furniture I have put together over the years, why are there extra pieces afterwards? Now when it comes to a dresser, I might be able to get by. But an airplane. Ummmmm……..maybe not so much.
    But for these men, their faith in their planes was probably more real afterwards than before. Their talk of trust became an active faith.

And so it is during these trying times. It is easy to have faith in the good times. But what about now when uncertainty clouds so much of our future? Now is the time to ask when we sing about God being our rock, our deliverer, our foundation, the One in whom we place our faith and trust, do we really believe that? All of this gives us the opportunity to demonstrate (not just talk, but demonstrate) our faith in God. Do we really believe Jesus is who He says He, that He can do what He says He can do, and that He can be for us who He says He can be for us? 

The is the question Israel was forced to ask themselves about God over and over again; and never more so than in the book of Esther, which we began studying during out time together last week.

The State of Exile— Now you will remember that we have begun exploring the state of exile Israel had experienced during that time; the judgment of God; but also the nature of God’s judgment. Remember we said that whenever God judges, His judgment is alway redemptive; it is to bring healing through repentance; which manifests itself in a change of heart (the inner person) and also a change of direction in how we outwardly act. God judges sin not to destroy or hurt us, but to move His people to turn from those sinful behaviors that are by nature destructive. Secondly, whenever God judges, He always leaves His people with hope; hope that His judgment will not last forever; but that at the right time He will restore them when they turn back to Him with all their hearts. And just prior to the book of Esther we see this restoration begin to take place. Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, allows the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild the temple; and on top of that, he has Persia finance it. His proclamation, recorded in Ezra 1:4, says this…

Ezra 1:4 (ESV)— 4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

The Persians Paid For It— How amazing it is that God not only sets them free; not only has the king that ruled over them given them permission to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple, but even has their enemies (the Persians) pay for it. 

Does God’s Covenant Still Stand?— Now during this time one of the chief concerns of the Jews was (because their was no more temple, no more priesthood, no more sacrifices, and no monarchy); where they stood in relationship to God and His covenant. 

“Is God going to back our efforts?”— I was reading an author who said that even though they were set free to go home and even rebuild the temple, this question still remained in their minds because the command to rebuild the temple didn’t come from God, but from a pagan king; and not out of love for God, but in order to further his own political agenda. So the question becomes, “Is God going to back our efforts?” Because they could rebuild the temple, but that doesn’t automatically mean God is going to restore His presence; that He will reestablish His covenant with them. Would God respond to them and move in their midst once again? That was the soul-cry of their hearts.

Not the First Plundering— But this bit of history about those in the Persian empire being commanded to give to the Jews of their resources intrigues me, because it is not the first time their enemies have financed their undertakings. Remember when Israel first left their bondage in Egypt it says...

Exodus 12:35-36 (ESV)— 35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Remember What God Did Before— And this made we wonder if God isn’t almost beginning to answer their ultimate question even as they are asking it. God not only sets them free from Egypt but grants them favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, causing them to give silver and gold to them. And in this way God shows that He is with them. And I wonder if here, at this point in Israel’s history, it may be that God, through the plundering of the Persians, is saying to them, “Remember what I did for you before when I called you out of Egypt? Look; I’m doing it again. I’m still with you; yes, my covenant still stands.” 

The Prodigal’s Surprise— How like God this is; to as we look up from the slop we are eating and ask if He will receive us again (like the Prodigal son wondered as he moved from the slop back towards His father’s house), we find Him already moving towards us; already making way for our restoration. If you remember nothing else today from God’s message this morning, remember this: If you find yourself beginning to want to return to Jesus, you will find He has already begun moving towards you. Our God is the God who forgave us while still on the cross (that blessed cross we sing about in so many of our songs); our God is the God who begins to restore us before we have sense enough to even seek restoration. Perhaps the most powerful verse on prayer in all of scripture comes from the book of Isaiah…

Isaiah 65:24 (ESV)— 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

Already Making Way For Your Restoration— If you find yourself desiring restoration to God, it is because God has already begun to make way for your restoration. And this is what we see here. Israel is wondering if God will restore them; but through Cyrus and this incredible decree Cyrus gives, God is showing them that yes, He is still with them and has indeed already begun to restore them.

​And that is his message for you and for me today. It doesn’t matter what we have done, or how lost we feel. God has given us His Son as a real and tangible sign that He still loves us; that He still wants to have a relationship with us; and He will redeem us if only we put our trust in Christ. Put your trust in Him today. Even if you have believed for many many years, choose to get in the cockpit and allow that cognitive trust to become a living and breathing (actively trusting) faith. Amen.

Lechem Panim #92 "The Star of God's Presence" (An Introduction to Esther) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to the show today. I hope all of our listeners today are faring as well as you can during this very unusual time. And I hope today’s message of hope will be an encouragement to you. 

Intro To Esther— Today we will be beginning a journey through one of my favorite books of the Bible, a book that has a message that is very relevant to some of the things we are facing right now. It is a story filled with plot and intrigue; love and passion; danger and courage. God’s people are faced with annihilation; and yet they are saved by God’s mighty hand through one of history’s most important heroes; a young Jewish girl who, because of her obedience and trust in God’s plan, saved God’s people from certain destruction. And of course we know her as Esther.

Mordecai— Now just to give you a little bit of background, God had sent the Jews into captivity for their failure to keep themselves free from false gods. But at this point they have been released from exile; yet there are many who still remain. And among these was a man by the name of Mordecai, a Jew whose great grandfather Kish was very likely carried away into the Babylonian captivity. And Mordecai (as elder cousin to Esther) plays a very key role in this story. 

Authorship— Now we don’t know who wrote the book of Esther (it is anonymous). However it had to be someone who had access to the records taken in Persia, and someone who also had a very strong interest in Jewish affairs. This as unusual combination, leading some (myself included) to think the author could very well have been Mordecai himself, who seems to have had some position in the king’s palace. And his most important role in this story is the fatherly role he takes on for a young Jewish orphan girl named Esther.

Hadassah the “Star” of God’s Presence— Now Hadassah is her Jewish name. But the Persian name she is given is Esther, which means “star.” And this makes sense because in Persia (where this story takes place), astrology (using the stars to practice divination in order to learn the future) was a serious thing. Even today, the number of people who check their horoscopes is staggering. Paganism is very much alive today, let me tell you. Now the Wise men (the Magi) of Media and Persia were very into this kind of thing. And remember Daniel not too long before this was actually head of the wise men of Babylon/Media/Persia. And because of his faithfulness to God, God gave him understanding of visions and dreams, some of the very gifts that the Magi claimed to possess. And so Daniel rose to become head of the Magi. And in that position he no doubt was an ambassador on God’s behalf, teaching the other wise men about the one true God, Yahweh, and may have revealed to them signs of a coming Messiah, using their own astrology to do it. 

The Magi and the Star— And so when we come to the birth of Christ, it says Wise Men (Magi) came from the East, following a star; these men whose ancestors had most likely been influenced by Daniel back in his Babylonian captivity, and whose influence could still be felt in the Medo-Persian empire, which was still alive and well during the time of the birth of Christ. There was still a strong Jewish presence there even at the beginning of the New Testament; Jews who never left even after the exile was over. Many chose to stay, Esther and Mordecai being among them. But back to the Magi; that is most likely how they (the Magi) knew of the coming Messiah. And I want to make that connection for you because that star the Magi followed revealed the presence of God; there “with us”. That is the meaning of “Immanuel”; God with us.

God Not Mentioned— But in the book of Esther, one of the perplexing things is that the word "God" is not mentioned anywhere in the book. We have the pagan Persian king Ahasuerus mentioned at least once in ever chapter, but God is never mentioned. Yet despite that we find that God is in fact the main character. Yet He is not revealed on a mountain; in a pillar of fire; or in a voice from heaven. No, we see His presence revealed in Esther and in how He moves and directs the events in her life to save His people from destruction. God doesn’t speak through prophets in this book; we have no divine revelation; there are no miracles or signs from heaven. Instead God is behind the scenes, quietly guiding these events towards His purposes. And Esther (like the star of the Magi) is in a sense that star that reveals the presence of God; that reveals to Israel that God is still with them and is still their deliverer.

Post-exile in Persia— And this was easy for them to forget. They had been carried into exile in Babylon. Then Babylon fell to Persia and Cyrus the Great came to power, the founder of the Persian Empire. And miracle of miracles, he allows Israel to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. And not only does he allow Israel to return home to rebuild the temple, but even allows them to use the resources of Persia to do it!  Now Cyrus had a bit of strategy here. From what we know of history, his sending former captives back to their homeland was actually part of his overall strategy to help him strengthen his authority in those more remote parts of his empire. But regardless, it served Israel well. And it goes to show how quickly God can bring redemption and restoration to a people that truly repents.

Looking Back to Egypt— Now you can say God was harsh in sending them into exile. But remember that this was an issue that God had wrestled with them over for hundreds of years, ever since He delivered them out of Egypt and that whole pagan culture. We know that there were times that they looked back in physical hunger, longing for what was familiar to them in Egypt. And that included paganism and idolatry. But God knew that though He delivered them out of slavery in Egypt, they would never be free (even after reaching the Promised Land) until they forsook their false gods and embraced Him (Yahweh) as the center of their reality and the sole recipient of their worship. And the same is true of us. You may not bow before a statue; an idol. But I am telling you, there ARE things we worship other than God; that we give ourselves to other than God that will bring us no life and will in fact produce death in us. And God knows it, which is why He fights so hard (even being willing to allow us to suffer for a while) in order that we might let go of those things and come to experience life in His very presence; before His very face. Lechem Panim (the bread of the presence of God in the tabernacle) was a reminder to them of that reality. 

They Are Cured!— And one of my mentors pointed out to me that after this Israel never again fell into idolatry. God’s judgment in sending them into exile worked. And the God who was holy enough to send them into captivity was also loving enough to bring them out. You can never separate God’s holiness from His love. You can never separate God’s holiness from His love. And that is how we ought to see God’s judgment; as an extension of God’s love. It is always redemptive; it is always constructive. In fact, it proves to us (as Hebrews 12:5-11 says) that He has accepted us as His children.

Now some say America is too far gone to make any kind of significant spiritual turnaround. But I don’t believe that for a minute. There is hope for our nation. But that hope lies not in our being able to sway major institutions, though we should always strive to do so. Our hope lies in the salvation, obedience, and consecration of normal everyday people; in the individual rather than the institution.

Individuals, Not Institutions— One scholar I read often said something that has always stuck with me; and which is very important for us to remember in and throughout our study of this book. He says: We live in a day when most people believe that institutions are the determining factors. They declare that if we could just change institutions, then we could change society. This is the appeal of the politician. Scripture tantalizes us with the amount of space it devotes to individual people rather than institutions. People seem to be the tools that God uses to bring change. The implication is clear. Ultimately, persons determine institutions; institutions do not determine persons. The decisions that are made deep in the heart of an individual in the intimacy of aloneness with God are the decisions that will be historically significant for deciding the future.

What God Can Do Through One Obedient Person— Herein lies our hope. It isn’t going to be institutions that have the greatest impact on turning our country around; it’s individual people like you and me who, as the darkness closes in, will choose to remain faithful to God. Nowhere in scripture is it more clearly shown to us what God can do through one obedient person to affect the course and the fate of a nation than right here in the book of Esther. An insignificant Jewish girl, through the providence of God and her obedience, changed the fate of a nation. 

Our Potential Power— Now many of us may feel powerless when it comes to affecting change; I know I do; at least significant change on any kind of large scale. But what God wants you to understand today is that you have a power you can’t even fathom; power that is released through your personal commitment to Christ to remain consecrated to Him. John Wesley said an amazing thing. He said, “Give me ten men that hate nothing but sin and love nothing but God and we will change the world.” It is important to note that he did. And there is no telling what God can do through you if you (like Daniel and Esther), even in the face of leadership that is telling you it is okay to do something else, still choose to do and to stand for the right thing. God can do great things through us.

God is Present— And even when God may seem absent (like in the book of Esther, where His name is never even mentioned; and maybe that’s the point), He is never more present even when we can't see Him. This is the message of the book of Esther. And it is His message for you and for me this week. 

This week, may we live a lives that are characterized by true repentance. May we seek God with all of our hearts. And may you and experience (in every way) His redemption, His restoration, and His love for Us. Amen.

Lechem Panim #91 "The Prayer of Daniel" (Daniel 9) Pastor Cameron Ury

Greetings! Welcome to the show today. Last week we talked about one of my favorite heroes, the prophet Daniel; an amazing man who had an amazing impact on everyone who had the privilege of falling under his influence, from the lowest servant to the king himself; and there were multiple kings he served under. And he did so during a very difficult time; a time when God’s people were in exile. And you will remember that one of the things that set Daniel apart form everybody else was his prayer life.

Intro to Daniel 9— And so today I want us to take a look briefly at the first half of Daniel chapter 9 and see if we can draw some insight into how Daniel prayed and why His prayers proved to be so effective. Daniel, who is an old man at this time, over 80 years old, is serving under Darius (the king of Persia). And he is pouring over the scriptures; particularly over Jeremiah, who had written prophecies concerning Israel’s upcoming captivity in Babylon. And Daniel comes across Jeremiah 29:10-12, which says…

Jeremiah 29:10-12— “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Just Three Years Away!— And Daniel begins to think, and is beginning to do the math, “Huh...wait a minute. That puts our captivity around about 67 years. Let’s see.....year 605 to 538....yeah that’s right. Well, wait a minute....that would mean our captivity is almost over!” And just imagine his excitement. Never before has he come across a passage of scripture that has gotten him this pumped; this shaken with joy. “My God, are you telling me that we are going to be free in three years? In three years I may get to set foot in Jerusalem (Your city) once again!” And he immediately starts praying. And we will get to his prayer in a minute. 

Praying Scripture— But let me ask you, do you ever have difficulty knowing what to pray? Sometimes when you start praying (I know I have experienced this) you kind of have writer’s block. You think to yourself “If I only knew where to begin.” Well here it is interesting to see that Daniel begins in the scriptures. And his prayers have strong content and amazing power because they flow out of his meditation on the Word of God. 

Meditating on The Word— Now some of us, when we make our new year’s resolution to “read the Bible more” start by trying to bulldoze through a large chunk of scripture. And when we get to the end, we feel pretty good about the amount of scripture we covered, but (honestly) we didn’t get much out of it. Why? Because we didn’t take the time to meditate on the Word of God. It’s much better to read a shorter passage of scripture and meditate on it. We need to let it’s roots sink into our minds and hearts throughout the day.

The Cow and The Cud Illustration— Dawson Trotman illustrated Biblical meditation by comparing the way cows {(who have 4 stomachs)} get the cud on which they chew: 

A cow eats grass as it grazes early in the morning. When the sun gets hot, it will lie in the shade of a tree, and through the use of a unique elevator system it will bring up the grass from one stomach and thoroughly masticate it. When this is finished, it will put it into another stomach, having gotten from it everything possible in the way of nutrients.

Chewing the Word— That is how we need to meditate on the scriptures. Just like Daniel, we need to be willing to stop and chew the cud. And when we do, we will discover such blessings from God’s holy word that our lives cannot help but be transformed, because we have allowed God the time to make that scripture personal to us and our own individual situations. Have you ever noticed a difference in your life when you didn’t get much into the Word a particular week? And you felt dry and weak, lacking the power of God because maybe you did not take the time to chew the cud? Daniel really kept the disciplines of prayer and meditation at the forefront of his life. Not only did he pray three times a day, but he took the time to chew on the Word of God. And I think that is key. He says in verse 3…

Daniel 9:3 (ESV)— 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Daniel’s Mourning— Now picture this. Daniel (a high official) takes off his beautiful royal robes and jewelry and clothes himself with “sackcloth and ashes”, both of which were visual ways of demonstrating to God his need for Him and his willingness to conform to the will of God. And interestingly, our season of Lent begins for many Christians with this symbolic use of ashes. And Lent is also a time when many people give up certain things (a form of fasting) in order to outwardly demonstrate a repentant heart as we anticipate Good Friday. It is a way for us to humble ourselves before God. Now whether or not you fast from something during Lent or receive the ashes or not, nevertheless, humility is always key when it comes to entering in to the presence of God.

What is Humility?— But what is humility? Some of us have been taught that it means we have to convince ourselves that we are garbage in comparison to everyone else. But if Christ has called you clean, and has adopted you as His child, who are we to put ourselves down? Should we put down what God has glorified? I don’t think so.

Measured Against the Greater— I think Phillip Brooks said it best when he said, "The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is." 

Looking To The Cross— And you know, he’s absolutely right. What we ought to be thinking about is the greatness of God and how small any man’s righteousness is by comparison. Don’t puff yourself up; but be humbled by the fact that no matter how Holy God has made you, it was your sin and my sin that held Christ to that cross (which is part of what Lent is all about). 

Wrestling With God— The next thing we can learn from Daniel concerning prayer is that he prayed with intensity. We see in verse 3 that Daniel pleads with the Lord. And that word “plea” in Hebrew means “to wrestle”. So Daniel wrestles with God, similar to the time when Jacob wrestled with God in a physical sense in Genesis chapter 32. And verse 4 says, “I prayed to the Lord my God...” The Hebrew word “prayed” is an emphatic imperative that denotes extreme intensity.

Avoiding Vain Repetition— So many of our prayers are just vain repetitions…Many of us are like the little boy who said his prayers one night and got confused with his rhymes, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If he hollers let him go . . . eeny, meeny, miney, mo.” What?!

Have you ever prayed to God a ritualistic prayer without ever stopping to think about what you were praying. We need to take our prayers a little more seriously. Daniel’s prayer was filled with urgency and fervency. Ten times he says something like, “O, Lord” or “O My God.” The word “O” is actually an untranslatable word that represents a groan. Romans 8:26 says that when we are praying in the Spirit there are often groans that can’t be uttered. Have you agonized in prayer? Have you wrestled and groaned when you prayed?...

People Groaning for Us— I can testify that the only reason I am where I am today is because I had godly parents and grandparents faithfully praying for me in and throughout my life. God heard their groans for me and He answered them. And the same to you who are listening today. Many of you are followers of Christ today because there were faithful Christians (maybe your mom or your dad, your grandparents, or somebody like that) who were willing to groan and plead about you to the Lord. And there are more people yet to be touched by Christ’s Gospel of salvation and a transformed life who are going to be touched because you (when the time and opportunity presents itself) are going to groan before the Savior for the salvation of their souls.

The next thing Daniel does is he confesses sins specifically. He says in verses 4-5…

Daniel 9:4-6 ESV— [4] I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, [5] we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. [6] We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

Faithful Daniel Identifies With Israel— Now what is interesting to me is that Daniel is actually one of the Jews who has remained obedient to God and has been faithful to keep His law in and throughout His whole life. At every single point at which he is tested, he has proved faithful. Yet he still identifies himself with his nation of Israel and recognizes that he is part of a community that has lived in rebellion against God.

You see, he takes responsibility. He not only admits that his nation is at fault, but is willing to take some of the blame on their behalf. Now I have heard a lot of preachers who stand up and speak about the evil that is going on in our country. I am one of them. But how often do you see a Christian who is willing to admit that he/she is partially to blame? Sadly you don’t see that too often. No, we as Christians are often too busy playing the blame game rather than accepting fault, confessing it before God, and asking Him for healing not just for our nation, but for us specifically; because it is often our sin that is at least a contributing factor to the problem.

Confessing— But what Daniel is demonstrating is that confession must remain a constant element in our prayers. If we lose our ability to confess (and not just confess general sin, but specific sins in our lives), then we will lose our ability to recognize, deal with, and turn from the sin that is in our lives and be, as the scriptures say, Holy as He is Holy. We have to repent. We have to confess and be willing to come clean with our sin before God.

Expect God to Answer— Now the last element of prayer that Daniel demonstrated is so obvious, but should never be taken for granted; and that is that when we pray, we ought to expect God to answer. Because He always will. When Daniel prayed, he received an answer even before he finished prayer. And there have been times in my life (and I am sure yours as well) where that has happened. But that does not always happen. Sometimes you pray and pray and pray, but nothing seems to happen. And this can be a real struggle for a lot of people. It is sometimes hard to continue praying for something or someone when, after a long time of praying, nothing happens. There are people I have prayed for for years who have still not received Christ. And if we let it, that can discourage us. 

He Will Answer— But even when our prayers don’t get answered right away, we must persist and not cease in praying because God has promised to hear and answer our prayers.

1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)— 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Let us have that confidence today and pray faithfully, so that we might see God move through our prayers in amazing ways. Amen.