(Week #37) Esther: A Kingdom People Preserved (Esther 4:14)

I. Esther’s Promotion (2:17-18)
A. Esther is selected to replace the former Queen.
a. After becoming King, Xerxes (Ahasuerus) attempts to expand Persia’s interest in the West.
b. Xerxes wins the battle at Thermopylae but suffers a moral defeat. (This war causes the Greeks to form a Delian League in 478 BC, which will be instrumental in the Greeks becoming the next World Empire under Alexander the Great.)
c. Xerxes then turns his interest to domestic affairs by honoring the splendor of Persia and its royal hosts. This is where Chapter 1 of Esther begins.
d. Xerxes hosts a drunken festival desiring to show off the Queen. (Esther 1:12)
e. Fearing a women’s liberation movement the king orders the Queen to be replaced. (1:13-22)
f. Many young women are selected. Esther, who does not reveal that she is a Jew, is among them.

II. Esther’s Problem (3:8-10, 4:13-16)
A. Haman seeks to kill the Jews. (3:8-10)
a. Haman was angry because Mordecai (Esther’s Cousin) refused to pay him homage. (3:2)

B. Esther is encouraged to confront the king under penalty of death. (4:13-16)
- “The question that Esther might have come to the queenship for the purpose of saving the Jews assumes, at the very least, a divine providence at work…It is also a challenge to Esther: do you believe circumstances have allowed you to become queen merely so that you can live in luxury, or will you accept the responsibility that your elevation might entail?”

III. Esther’s Plea (7:1-6)
A. Esther pleads her case before the King.
a. She plans a feast for Haman and Xerxes (5:4)
b. She plans a second feast (7:1-2)

B. Esther begs for the lives of her people (7:3-6)

IV. Esther’s Provision (7:7-10; 8:1-8)
A. The King’s anger is turned against Haman (7:7-10)

B. Mordecai is promoted to a vice-regent (8:1-8)
a. He decrees that the Jews may defend themselves. (9:5)
b. Mordecai and Esther establish this victory and create the Feast of Purim to remember it.
- “The Feast of Purim was not established by the Mosaic Law. It was commanded by Mordecai and by Esther. The two-day feast was for remembering the goodness of God working through a number of circumstances to protect His people from extinction…Jews were to celebrate the event annually with eating, rejoicing, giving … food, and sharing with the poor.”

V. Principles for the Christian
A. Have faith in God’s presence. Regardless of your circumstance God is with you, even when He is silent.
B. Have faith in God’s providence. God is in control of history and destiny. Serve Him boldly and He will accomplish great things through your simple acts of faith.

Anthony Tomasino, Esther: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary, ed. H. Wayne House and William Barrick, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, n.d.), 248.
John A. Martin, “Esther,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 712.