Skip to content The Power of Righteousness: Haman's Downfall and Mordecai's Rise in Esther 7-10 May 26 · 14 min ...more
The Power of Righteousness: Haman's Downfall and Mordecai's Rise in Esther 7-10
May 26, 2025 · 14 min
Learn how the weapon meant for evil was used for good in the story of Esther, reflecting Isaiah 54:17's promise to God's servants.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand May 26, 2025 · 14 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
Learn how the weapon meant for evil was used for good in the story of Esther, reflecting Isaiah 54:17's promise to God's servants. ...more Show the full description Show less Learn how the weapon meant for evil was used for good in the story of Esther, reflecting Isaiah 54:17's promise to God's servants.
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The Providence of God in Esther 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. Today, we finished the short but pivotal book of Esther. We're gonna look at chapter 7 through 10, verse 17 of chapter 8. And in0:22 every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews because fear of the Jews fell upon0:33 them. What an amazing verse. Now these 4 chapters, once again, reveal the providence of God, God's amazing hand working his plan through the affairs of men.0:45 Now the Jewish people were about to be exterminated, but God used a Jewish orphan and her proactive cousin who didn't give up or run away when the situation appeared hopeless. Instead, Mordecai0:57 pressed in confident that would that God would break through somehow, some way, and God did. You know what we often miss in, topical studies of the Bible or even, you know, random1:09 studies of the books of the Bible is that the Bible provides this unfolding story from start to finish that we see on this chronological journey through the Bible. You see,1:21 Esther and Mordecai preserved the Jewish people and then set the stage for Ezra's return in 4 57 BC and Nehemiah's return to build rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in1:33 4 44 BC. So that's a it's a part of the story. So it's important that we see it and understand how it fits in this overall mosaic of the picture that God's word gives us.1:45 Alright. Let's start chapter 7 verse 1. So the king and Haman went to dine with queen Esther. And on the second day at the banquet of wine, the king again asked Esther, what is your petition, queen Esther? It shall be1:57 granted to you. And what is your request up to half the kingdom? It shall be done. Then queen Esther answered and said, if I have found favor in your sight, oh king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given to2:08 given me at my petition and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as slut male and female slaves, I2:20 would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king's loss. So king Ahasuerus answered and said to queen Esther, who is he? Where2:32 is he who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing? Well, I can imagine Haman's getting a bit nervous at this point. Verse 6, and Esther said, the adversary2:45 and enemy is this wicked Haman? So Haman was terrified before the king and queen. I bet so. Verse 10, so, didn't turn out well, they2:57 hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided. So she answers the king's third request of what he can do for Esther, save my life and the3:08 life of my people. And I imagine this request caught the king by surprise. Who would dare take the queen's life? Wicked man sitting right next to you. Here we see Haman's rapid3:20 decline. 24 hours earlier, he was on top of the world. He was the most powerful man in the kingdom. Now his evil, wicked life was flashing before his eyes. Haman was executed on the very3:32 gallows that he had constructed to kill Mordecai, the Jew. Now reminds me of Isaiah 54 17. No weapon that is formed againstMordecai's Rise and the Jews' Victory 3:44 thee shall prosper. And every tongue that rises against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the3:56 Lord. So Esther and Mordecai and the Jewish people were targeted for death and condemned by Haman, but that didn't happen. The weapon was turned, and it was used on Haman.4:07 Alright. On the chapter 8 verse 1, on that day, king Ahasuerus gave queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had4:19 told how he was related to her. So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.4:32 Further advancement for Mordecai. So Haman's plot was to destroy the Jews and take their property. Haman was executed, and his property was given to Esther. Esther brought4:44 Mordecai before the king. The king gave him the signet ring, which he had given Haman. Mordecai then goes on to become an adviser to the king dressed in royal attire, and the city4:56 rejoiced with his promotion. So, I mean, don't miss this rapid turn of events. I mean, you often see this where you you feel like you're at5:07 the end of your rope. Have you ever been there? Dead end. You don't see a way out. Part of the story, it doesn't always turn out this way, but we know that God is a God of5:19 new beginnings. He's a God of opportunities. And and so Mordecai was faithful. God had a plan he was gonna use, Mordecai and Esther. And and and so we see this rapid turn of events. Just as Haman5:31 went into a rapid decline, Mordecai went from sitting outside the king's gate in sackcloth and ashes to wearing royal attire and being the number 2 man in the entire5:43 kingdom. Verse 3. Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. Now here's the deal. The5:55 king could not revoke the decree that Haman had issued. He instructed Esther and Mordecai to craft another decree that would counteract Haman's and then have it distributed throughout the land. Verse6:07 8, you yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews as you please in the king's name and seal it with the king's signet ring for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring, no 1 can6:18 revoke. Verse 13, a copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all the people so that the Jews would be ready on the day to avenge6:29 themselves on their enemies. So verse 17, and in every province and city, wherever the king's command, the decree came. The Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of6:41 the land became Jews because fear of the Jews fell upon them. So instead of the enemy succeeding and wiping out God's people with an evil plot hatched by Haman. The people of God6:53 were prepared, and they were then promoted. Faith in God spread, and God's kingdom and plans advanced. When God's people have hearts after him and are willing to stand7:05 for him and for righteousness, and and not all the time, but oftentimes at the last minute, what appears to be the end is really just the beginning of a new chapter of god's marvelous plan of grace7:17 being written in your life. The enemy seeks to destroy us. And just when it looks like like he has succeeded in ruining our future, destroying the path that we're on, god says, that works perfectly7:29 with my plan. Verse 2, chapter 9. Then the Jews gathered together in the cities throughout all the provinces of king Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm, and no 1 could withstand them7:41 because fear of them fell upon the people. Wow. I love that. Verse 5, thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction,8:04 to establish among them that they should celebrate year yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar. This became the feast8:16 of Purim, which is still observed today. The word Purim comes from the word, p u r, Pur, which is the in the Persian language, it actually8:27 means lot. Proverbs 16 33 says the lot is cast in the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. Haman, earlier in the book, had decided the day of the Jews destruction by8:39 casting a lot or rolling dice. But it was the lord who had the final say. The lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the lord. Alright. In verses,8:52 1 through 17 here in, in chapter 9, this is is a a classic account of overreach by the enemy. Haman, greedy for power and fortune, devised the plot not only to destroy Mordecai,9:03 who he couldn't stand, but the entire Jewish nation. Esther, through the prompting of Mordecai, sought god and acted. Right? Both. Not only did Haman lose his9:15 life, but so did his 10 sons and nearly 76000 others who had harassed or intended evil toward the Jewish people. There were 3 specific references that the9:27 Jews did not plunder those that they had killed. I think this is significant. They were given the right by the king's decree to take their property, but they did not. We see in verse 10, verse 15,9:39 verse 16. Maybe it was to make clear that their motive was not greed like Haman, but simply a defensive mood to move to protect themselves from those who were devising evil against them. It was self defense.9:51 Mordecai went from interceding at the gate of the king to standing in the king's chamber and providing counsel. You know, 1 reason the defeat was so great was that the government officials10:03 helped the Jews because they feared Mordecai. Mordecai's fame spread throughout all the provinces. For this man, Mordecai became increasingly prominent. We see verse 4. You know, what10:15 a God story. You know, 1 day, 1 day, your political enemies are planning your funeral because you're a nuisance to the prominent and the powerful. But the nextLessons from Esther and Mordecai 10:27 day, you've taken their place and on their on the way to becoming 1 of the most powerful people in the kingdom. That's a God story. Verse 3 chapter 10. For Mordecai, the Jew, was second10:39 to king Ahasuerus and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all10:51 of his countrymen. I mean, notice that he was seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all of the countrymen. Mordecai verse 3, Mordecai11:03 was second only to the king. In his position, he was able to look out for the well-being of the Jewish people. I mean, government matters. Had Haman not overreached and just ignored Mordecai,11:15 it is unlikely that the Jewish people would have had such a powerful advocate as Mordecai in such a position of influence. What looked like the end from man's11:27 perspective was just the beginning from God's perspective as providence played out in the affairs of men. Father, we thank you for your word, and11:39 what an amazing story we see here in the account of Esther. And and, lord, I pray that we would be encouraged by this. And as we seek you and the11:51 well-being of others and and those within the body of Christ and those outside the body of Christ as we seek their well-being, that, lord, even when we come up against these obstacles and we come up against those12:03 who, lord, driven by spiritual forces are set on the destruction and the undermining of your people, lord. I pray, lord,12:15 the 1 who opens doors would open those doors just like he did Mordecai and Esther, that your purposes and plans would be accomplished. Lord, may we not lose heart, but may we hold on.12:27 Lord, hopeful, filled with faith that, lord, you are the god. You are the the god that does the amazing and that, lord, you take all all things, and12:39 you work them together to for good for your purposes. We pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining this morning. Let me remind you coming up on June the12:51 eleventh. Okay? That's when we start the New Testament. We're gonna be starting the book of Matthew. We're doing something different. I'm doing something different. We're gonna do a 21 day family bible challenge.13:03 I thought, you know, this be a great opportunity for those who have been on this journey to invite someone else to join them that you you can kinda you you know how this has impacted you and your family. Think of someone13:14 else you could invite just to join for 21 days and and and see what god would do through the journey through the book of Matthew. So just give them the word Matthew, the word Matthew.13:27 Text it to 6 7 7 4 2. Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2. 2. And we'll have, we'll reach out to them. We'll have resources available, study guides more than we normally13:39 have on this journey, some extra stuff for the family because we want this to be a family undertaking. So it's 21 days, the Bible challenge through the book of Matthew. Until next13:50 time, keep standing on the word.13:54 Today's study comes from the stand on the word Bible reading plan available for free at frc dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you14:06 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Providence of God in Esther3:34 Mordecai's Rise and the Jews' Victory10:16 Lessons from Esther and Mordecai
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