For Such A Time As This

Introduction

And about you be turning in your Bibles this morning to Esther, the fourth chapter. Esther chapter 4. The book of Exodus is going to be our text, and particularly a passage in Esther chapter 4. We’ll be turning there and looking at that in just a moment. We do have many who are visiting with us, many who are from across the country, some even out of the country that have come our way. And we’re so glad and thankful to see each and every one. And if you live here in the Orlando area and you’ve come to worship with us today, we certainly thank you for taking the time to come to worship our great God with us, to show our devotion to him, and now to turn to his word that we can learn from him.

And we hope and pray that everything that we have done today has been to his glory and to the edification of our souls. And we pray that you’ll be back with us again and join us as we continue to study the Word of God. And after the fourth chapter, we have the action in the book of Esther coming to a head. We have this matter of the king has decreed that all of the Jews are to be destroyed on a single day. And Mordecai has heard of the plot. And he brings us to Esther’s attention, Esther being the queen, and prays that she will go in and beseech the king on behalf of her people. And it’s in verses 13 and 14 that I want to draw our attention to this morning, particularly verse 14.

But there Mordecai says to Esther, do not imagine that you and the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether or not, I’m sorry, who knows whether you have not attention to that phrase this morning. For such a time as this.

1. The Kind of Man Esther Was Dealing With

Esther is being reminded by her cousin Mordecai that you are now queen. And it’s an odd coincidence that she was queen. Mordecai is drawing her attention to the very providence of God that here was Esther, an orphan, taken by her cousin and raised. And yet, through the providence of God, she is now queen, married to Isaharias, as he is called in the book of Esther, as we know him in history, Xerxes. Married to literally the most powerful man in all the world at that time. You may be in this position for just this time. I want to go back in our history a little bit and just look about this man named Xerxes, this man whom Esther was married to.

But Persia had its sights set toward the West. It had its sights set toward Greece. And particularly, Xerxes’ father, Darius, had made an invasion attempt in Greece and was repulsed. The famous Battle of Marathon. And of course, we even think about that today. You hear about all these marathons being run, and the legend is that when the battle of Marathon was over, a herald was sent from Marathon. He ran 26 miles to Athens to proclaim the Greek victory. And so he completed 26 miles and he dropped over dead. And most of us would think the same thing. If I ran 26 miles today, I’m going to drop over dead at the end of that. Well, he was repulsed. It’s all about 485, and Xerxes comes to power.

And Xerxes has his mind. I am going to go and I’m going to subjugate the Greeks. And so he begins in his capital in Susa. And he amasses this humongous force, this large army. And he begins on his way to Greece. And he makes his way across the Persian Empire into modern day Turkey, and he comes to the region of Sardis. Much of our knowledge about Xerxes’ invasion attempt comes from the historian Herodotus. Herodotus, the Greek historian, says that he had over two million soldiers and over 1,200 ships of war. Now, modern historians kind of scoff at that number, and it is unlikely that Xerxes amassed such a great force. If he had over two million soldiers, that kind of army is unknown throughout human history.

But even if you took those numbers way down, let’s say he only had a tenth of the number. Let’s say he only had 200,000. He still has the most powerful fighting force in the world at that time, one of the most powerful fighting forces in all history. So he marches his forces across land to Sardis. And there several interesting things happen. He sends his heralds into Greece. And he sends them to all the Greek cities, particularly to Athens and to Sparta, the two cities that had resisted his power up until this time. And he demands of these cities two things: a jar of earth and a jar of water, that they would pay tribute to him and send it, not in gold. We don’t want all your fortune.

We just want a jar of earth and a jar of water. Because if the Greek cities would do that, what they were pledging is our land belongs to great King Xerxes. Our water belongs to great King Xerxes. There were some spies that were sent to the Greeks to go out and to spy out the forces of Xerxes. And they were captured. And as you know, throughout modern history, and of course, ancient history, any time spies are captured, first of all, they’re tortured for any information that they might have, and then they’re killed. Xerxes didn’t do that. Xerxes allowed the spies to see everything that he had. And he didn’t harm them. He sent them back to Greece. He said, go and tell here’s the forces that are coming.

Go and tell them all that you have seen. Let them be afraid of what’s coming. It also happens that while he’s at Sardis there was a man named Pythias, who was a very wealthy man and who entertained Xerxes at his table, provided for him and his troops. Pythias had five sons. And Xerxes, as was his custom, and of course he is the Lord of the land, he can take all that he wants. And as he was traveling through these areas he would bring all the men, all the eligible men to fight for him. And so Pythias has one request take my four youngest sons. Use them in your service however you wish but please leave my eldest. Let him remain with me I am old. I’m going to die soon.

Let him carry on my family name. Let him have his inheritance leave my eldest. Xerxes repaid Pythias’ kindness by releasing his four youngest sons and by beheading the eldest and setting him up in the city so that all could see how dare you even make this request of great King Xerxes. This is the kind of man that we’re dealing with. This is the kind of man that Esther was dealing with, and that’s why I’m telling you all this, just so we have this in our mind. He then marches his forces from Sardis up to the Hellespont, this very narrow body of water that separates mainland Turkey from mainland Greece. Here’s a picture of the Hellespont. You see, that’s no small body of water. I mean, it’s small in comparison to the Mediterranean Ocean, or the Mediterranean Sea, but it’s still a wide channel over 1,300 yards long.

And he has his engineers build a bridge across the Hellespont. You can imagine that’s a that’s quite the feat for today. Imagine back then. Build a bridge, and you know that body of water is subject to storms and great winds. But he says, build a bridge, and so they do. And the first bridge collapses.

Xerxes is furious. He has 70 of his men take shackles and go to the Hellespont and throw these shackles into the Hellespont. They take whips and they whip the water with the with the whiffs. And all the while they’re saying this, bitter water. Your master is imposing this penalty upon you for wrongdoing him, even though you suffered no injustice from him. And King Xerxes will cross you whether you like it or not. It is for just cause, after all, that no human offers you sacrifice. You are a turbid and briny river. They’re insulting this body of water. They’re saying, how dare you have a storm and destroy great King Xerxes’ bridge. And by the way, for good measure, King Xerxes had his engineers beheaded and thrown over into the water.

2. How All This Fits Within the Book of Esther

That’s the kind of man we’re dealing with. Now, as history records for us, Xerxes will invade Greece, the famous battle of the 300 at Thermopylae. He marches on, but he is ultimately repulsed. And he comes back to Susa. Comes back to his capital there in Persia. I just want to take a minute to see how all this fits within the book of Esther. It was before the invasion that Vashtai his queen was deposed. You recall back in chapter 1. Actually, there is a 180-day feast that Xerxes is having. And what that is actually thought is that’s probably one of his great strategic planning sessions. Imagine a six-month feast. Well, what’s he doing for those six months? He has brought in all his princes, all those who reign over local powers.

He has brought them to Susa, and for six months what they’re doing is they’re planning the Greek invasion. But it’s at that time that he calls for Vashti, and she will not come out before him. She will not come to him. And so she is deposed. She is queen no longer. He then goes and he invades Greece. He’s repulsed, but he comes back. It’s not until the following year, according to chapter 2 and verses 16 and 17, after he is repulsed in Greece that he comes back, and now Esther becomes his queen. All these women from across the kingdom are brought in. Esther has found favor with that, the man who is the head of the harem, if you will. And she is the one that goes into King Xerxes and she becomes queen.

This is immediately following his repulsion out of Greece. And it’s just a few years later. That Haman, one of Xerxes’ chief advisors, plots to destroy the Jews. The reason being Haman was a great man in the kingdom. Mordecai, who had even saved the king’s life on a previous occasion, Mordecai would not bow down and give homage to Haman. And so Haman has determined that not only Mordecai, but all of the Jews must perish. And he has gone, I believe it’s significant when you look at the third chapter. When Haman goes before King Azaharias in verse 8, Esther 3 and verse 8, then Haman said to King Asaharias, there is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not observe the king’s laws.

So it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. And if it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed. And I’ll pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hand of those who carry on the king’s business to put into the king’s treasuries. Does this fit? Think about this. Xerxes has been trying to extend his power. He’s repulsed. Now it comes to Xerxes’ attention, you’ve got enemies all throughout your kingdom. We need to get rid of them. Do you think that fits in Xerxes’ logic? I think it probably does. He is thinking, I can’t have this. I’ve already suffered one defeat. I can’t be weak. I can’t have enemies. Destroy them all. Not knowing that his queen Esther was a Jew and one of these very people.

It’s with that, then Mordecai hears of the plot, and Mordecai comes to Esther in chapter 4, saying to her that she must go in before the king. You can believe that Mordecai is very concerned. Mordecai knows this man. Mordecai knows what Xerxes is capable of. Mordecai has every reason to believe that when the king says all the Jews will be destroyed, he means it. He is going to go and destroy all the Jews. And so he says to Esther, you go in before the king. You plead for your people. And of course she responds, I’ve not been called before him. And if I go to him without having been called, and if he will not extend to me the golden scepter, then my life is forfeit.

3. Deliverance Will Arise From Another Place

You can believe that Esther believed that. She knew the character of this man. She knew how many people he had killed and murdered, and she had every reason to believe that just as Vashti had been deposed, her life was in danger here as well. But that brings us back to our text. Note again what Mordecai says to Esther in verse 14. If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. Think about that. Mordecai is confident his people are going to be rescued. Deliverance is going to come. That’s not a question of Mordecai’s mind. Now we might ask, well, how is he so sure? Esther is an interesting book, and that God’s really not mentioned and talked about.

But I believe Mordecai believed in God. And I believe that Mordecai believed in the promises of God. When God had promised that the family of Abraham would bless all families of the earth, I believe Mordecai knew that and believed it. When God had promised in Deuteronomy 28 that when his people sinned, they would be taken away into captivity. But likewise, when God promised in Deuteronomy chapter 30 that when they repented and returned, God will return them to their land and bless them. Mordecai knew those promises. And he believed them. He was confident. He was sure that what God had said would happen would happen. And so deliverance is going to come for my people. Deliverance will come for the Jews. The only question is, Esther, what role do you have in fulfilling the promise of God?

Who knows that you do not come into royalty for such a time as this. Of all the millions of women in the kingdom of Xerxes, an orphaned Jewish girl becomes queen. Mordecai says, Who knows that you do not attain this position for exactly this time? I’m just going to give you the highlight for the rest of the book. Hopefully you already know the story. Mordecai and Esther commit themselves to fasting, and by extension of that, you can know they were praying to God. And God does deliver. Esther is accepted in the presence of Xerxes. And so this plot of Haman is uncovered, and Haman himself will die on his own gallows. And Mordecai will be exalted, and all the Jews will be saved. God delivered his people.

4. The Fulfillment of God’s Promises: What Place Do I Have?

The question that I’d like for us to think about for just a minute this morning is this idea of for such a time as this. You and I, I think we all believe that God’s promises are going to be fulfilled. I hope we all believe that. We can have this assurance that every promise of God will be fulfilled. The question that sometimes we ask and sometimes we wonder about is what place do I have in the fulfillment of God’s promises? And that’s not a new question, by the way. You may think of men like the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 16. Here, this great apostle of the Lord, one who went throughout the whole world spreading the gospel. Now, as he’s beginning his second missionary journey, he’s gone back through those regions, he’d gone on the first missionary journey, and in his mind, the next thing to do is let’s go into Bithynia.

Is what’s next on the map? Let’s go into Bithynia, and there we’ll preach the gospel. God says, no. Alright, not Bithynia. We’ll go into Asia. Asia, which has this huge population, and we know in the third missionary journey, Paul’s going to spend extensive time in Ephesus. All the people in Asia are going to hear the gospel. Paul’s mind is, all right, now the time, we’ll go to Asia. We mean by that Turkey. We’re not talking about Asia as we think about it. God says, no. And so it’s in a dream during the night that Paul sees that the will of God is go to Europe. The Macedonian call. Take the gospel to Europe, and so Paul will go to Europe. He’ll go to Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea and Athens and Corinth on that second missionary journey.

He knew the promises of God were going to be fulfilled. He was just struggling with the question of where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do? How am I going to do the will of God? Think about some of the promises that God makes today. We know pastors like Mark 16 and verse 16. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. That is a sure and fast promise of God. He is going to keep that promise. But what does he say in verse 15? Go into all the world. Preach the gospel to every creature. He’s saying to his disciples, you have a role in this. God’s promise is all who believe and are baptized will be saved. Your mission is go and take that message.

5. Where I Am for Such a Time as This

God needs to use you. Let’s just think for a minute about where we are and what we’re doing. Am I in my position in life? Out of just random chance. Do I know the people that I know just because it’s the people that I know? Do I live where I live? Do I work where I work? Do I go to school where I go to school just because this randomness of the entire universe? And I just happen to meet these people on a daily basis? Or could it be that I’m where I am for such a time as this? The people I meet and I interact with, they need the gospel. They need to believe and be baptized so that they can be saved. And God can use me if I allow him.

Esther had the choice. God can use me if I will allow him to help further that cause and so that his promises can be kept to even more people. I tell you, I’ve got to think. I’ve got to change my thinking. We’ve all got to change our thinking to just life. This isn’t just something that’s just supposed to happen. We just go about our daily lives just like we’re mindless robots. No. Why am I here? Why am I meeting these people? Why am I around these people if not? That I can show them the light of the gospel in my life and help them to see the truth of God from His Word. Let me just take it aside here and commend a couple of our members.

Tim Caldwell and Greg Klein, who are doing a fantastic work. They’ve really, I think, got the idea of what can be done with this social media, and you’ll see in the back there are these cards. This one is what is a Christian. What was the other one? What is the church or which church or something like that? You’ll see two cards in the back. And on the back it has a website or even a little code that can be scanned, and you know, people can watch a short message and read other material. The whole point of these things is you don’t know who you’re going to meet on any day on any given day. What an excellent idea to be able to just give them a non confrontational card.

6. How Did God Provide? Through People Like Us

There’s nothing confrontational about this. It’s not even identifying itself with a particular church. Somebody’s saying, hey, I want to talk to you about what a Christian is. Who knows that you’re not there for such a time as this? That you can plant a seed in someone’s heart and mind. All kinds of things like that. That we can do on a daily basis to help the promises of God be fulfilled. God has promised to us that he’ll provide for us what we need. We know those pastors like Matthew chapter 6 and verses 31 through 33, how we’re not supposed to worry about daily bread and what we’re going to wear. God’s going to provide that. Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

But then you look at the book of Acts. How did God provide those things? Through people like us. Through the brethren. You look in both Acts 2 and Acts 4. And those brethren who are selling what they had and providing for the needy saints. How did God provide daily bread? How did God provide for them? Clothes. How do you and I know that we’re not here today? That God has not provided us an income, that we can provide for others for such a time as this. We’ve got to think differently about the blessings that God gives us. Why did He give me all this money? So that I can go and buy all that I want? Or because there are needy people who I can aid.

How do I know that I’ve not been given this income for such a time as this? God has promised to never leave us or forsake us, the Hebrew writer quotes in Hebrews 13, verses 5 and 6. And yet he has told us to come together, to not forsake our assemblings of ourselves together, so that we can do what? So that we can encourage and edify each other. We all know God’s not going to leave us, but sometimes we need the human agency of brothers and sisters to encourage us to remind us we’re not alone in all this. How do you and I know that we’re not here on a day like today for such a time as this? That maybe today, or tomorrow, or the next day, or whatever day it is, that God can use me to help a brother or sister or some other soul who’s on life’s journey, who’s gotten cast down, weighed down, to help lift them up, to just give them that reminder, your God will never leave you, your God will never forsake you.

Conclusion

How do you know that you’re not here for such a time as this to hear the simple gospel message? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that He died on the cross for your sins and for my sins. And that if you’ll believe in Him, repent of your wrongs, and be baptized, you can be saved. The promises of God will be fulfilled for you. How do you know that you’re not here for such a time as this? So that you too can respond and have him as your Father. We would love to aid anyone this morning in whatever way we can, whether it be by baptizing you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, whether it be by praying with you and for you that God would again forgive, and that we can encourage and uplift each other on life’s road.

If we can aid you in some way, won’t you come as we stand and as we sing?