Esther Lesson 5: The Right Place at the Right Time :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: February 12, 2021 by RR7

Chapter 2:19-23

“When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. 20 Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him. ²¹ In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²² So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.”

For the past few weeks, we have focused on Esther and the events that led to her becoming the queen. But there is another character in this account, Mordecai. He is a Jew that has lived the majority of his life in Babylon. He is a Godly man who, in spite of living in Babylon, has not forgotten his Jewish heritage; and he has certainly not abandoned his God, the God of Israel. Mordecai obviously was a man of importance, and we are told that he sat within the king’s gate. It would appear that he was an advisor to the king with regard to the Jewish people. He also was able to keep tabs on Esther as she began to take ownership of her role as the new queen. Esther was blessed in that she was loved, and as such, knew what true love was. But she did not forget who she was and the investment that was put into her by Mordecai.

Often, when I have read this wonderful book, it is easy to miss the wonderful nuances that resonate in the story. We get the highlights; we want to get to the plot twists, and we often miss the wonderful lessons to be learned.

Power Does not have to change you, verse 20

This young lady was raised as a slave/captive in a foreign land. She would most likely have been poorer, maybe not destitute; God takes care of his own. She was unknown to most of the people of the land, and she was humble. Now, even as the queen, having been elevated from poverty to riches, from in need to excess, from slave to being waited on hand and foot, she had not lost her humility. She was still obedient to Mordecai.

Sadly, what happens to many people is that power actually brings out the real person. You begin to see how selfish or how not very nice people are once they have power. But it can also be the opposite in this case with Esther; power revealed more of her character. She was a truly lovely person, even when rich and powerful. She still had regard for Mordecai, still had regard for his instruction, and she respected his authority over her.

All too often in our North American world, we have this idea that once a child has moved out, they do not have to maintain the same regard for their parents as they have before. It is true that when a young woman is married, she is under the leadership of her husband. But there needs to be regard for the elder parents, their wisdom and the sacrifices that were made to get that kid to where they are. There needs to be an acknowledgement that they did not get to where they are on their own.

Plotting to Kill the King, verse 21

Mordecai sat within the King’s gate and overheard a plot by two men to kill the king. Two men, Bigthan and Teresh, were mad with the king and plotted out loud to kill the king. There are a couple of lessons to be learned here, and we would be wise to heed them. First, anger is a dangerous emotion. In the book of Proverbs, there are dozens of verses warning about angry men. Anger clouds your judgment, and it leads you to say things that you may not have meant but cannot take back. Anger can be good sometimes, but rarely when we are the offended ones. If you are angry at the treatment of another or the injustice done to another, that is okay. Proverbs 15:8; 16:32; 19:11, 19 and others warn us that anger is not becoming of a Godly man.

In this case, these two men plotted against the king and wanted to kill him. Mordecai overheard them and told Esther about it. These two men, we are told, were executed for this outburst. We don’t understand that here in North America and most of the free world. We have people make death threats against our leaders all the time, some very publicly, and yet they live. This is a breakdown of the chain of authority. Over the past few years, we have seen celebrities and others do things such as hold up the blood-covered head of the President, and yet they are not even arrested, furthermore executed. But in the days of Esther and Mordecai, respect for the political leadership was very, very important.

This kind of public respect for authority secures the authority in the home. If one can disrespect the king, the President, or in our case here in Canada, the Prime Minister, then it filters down to the home, the office, and the public in general. This explains the issues we are having with the police and the public in North America. Where I grew up, the police did not try to be your friend; they needed a healthy distance to be able to do their jobs. My father may not have agreed with the politics of the Prime Minister, but he never disrespected him. One is free to disagree, but not free to disrespect.

That leads to another problem that we have here in North America and maybe around the world; the idea that rats (people who tell about crimes) are bad. This gang garbage has permeated into our Christian homes and lives. In Leviticus 5:1, we are told that if someone is called to testify about something they have seen or heard and don’t, they are to be held responsible. It is our duty to reveal if a crime is about to or has been committed. This is not ratting out in the negative sense as far as God is concerned, but this is the duty of all Godly men and women.

Mordecai told Esther of the plot, there was an investigation, and they were executed. Then there was a record made of the people involved in the matter and its resolution, much like we make a recording of all that happens in the parliament here in Canada and the different stations of government in the USA.

Placement and Plans, verse 22-23

We do not always know why certain things happen, but what we do know is that God oversees everything in our lives and has a plan. Those of us who have read the book of Esther know that God is going to cause the king to have a sleepless night, he will call for the records to be read, and this will lead to Mordecai being celebrated and blessed by the king. But for right now, it was important that the pieces be put in place just like a jigsaw puzzle. God knows the picture on the box, but all we see are the pieces. God has Esther in place, then He allowed Mordecai to overhear a plot to kill the king. He then had the events of the plot, its subsequent events and the persons involved recorded. He planned a sleepless night for the king, and on and on. God is in complete charge of all that happens.

Our job is to be obedient; our job is to be available to God for His purposes, and our job is to do what is right when we are called to act. God will handle the rest. God will take charge of the then; you and I need to be obedient and submissive in the now. God allows us to be in place to be obedient and where He can bless us and use us for His glory. God has you where you are to be, to be of use to Him. Too many of us are so busy wanting to be elsewhere that we do not take advantage of where God has us, and we do not throw our all into it. We serve God half-heartedly expecting to be ‘promoted’ elsewhere. Be faithful where you are; serve the Lord where you are, and give Him all you have where you are and expect nothing.

I have also come to understand that there are no coincidences in the life of a saved person. God places people in your life, and you into people’s lives to reveal Himself to us and them. We often miss the opportunities because we do not live in obedience and do not live expecting to make a difference; thus, we are not prepared to act when called upon. One of the other things that holds us back is that we live by the world’s standards and not the Lord’s. Thus, we do not make decisions based on what is right but on what feels good.

God did not call you and me to be happy; He calls us to be righteous. The two do not always go hand in hand, and there is rarely instant gratification. So be in the place God has put you, be there wholeheartedly, and let God work His plan.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

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Esther Lesson 4: The New Queen :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: February 3, 2021 by RR7

Chapter 2:10-18

“Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.¹¹ And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.¹² Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. ¹³Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace.

“¹⁴ In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name. ¹⁵Now when the turn came for Esther (the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.

“¹⁶ So 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. ¹⁷ The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so, he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.”

Last week we talked about true beauty, the kind that is more than skin deep. We have all met people that are beautiful at first; their speech seems lovely, they seem to be a joy to be around, and they are even physically attractive. They could be either gender, male or female. But as you get to know them more, you begin to see that beneath the façade is a mean person, a person who is looking for an angle and who uses their charm to take advantage of others. God’s people should not be this way; we should be genuine. Be truly loving and kind, and not for gain; just be that way.

We are about to explore more about Esther. There are so many little details about this young woman that I have overlooked in the past, and as I am going through them now, it is hitting me. As I may have mentioned in previous articles, I am currently reading through the book of Proverbs; the goal was 12 times this year. But I am just about 5 times through it already, and it is changing the way that I see people. It has certainly helped me to see some things about Esther that, even though I knew, they did not weigh in my assessment of the story.

She was obedient, submissive to authority, verse 10

Esther was a Jew. But she had been born and raised in Babylon and most likely looked and spoke like she was from Babylon. Her uncle Mordecai told her not to reveal her heritage, and she obeyed. That simple; she obeyed. The Jews were hated by pagan cultures. Satan has done a good job of trying to eradicate the people that would bring our Savior. He continues his mission in our time, as the Jews are still the most hated people in the world. The Muslims hate Jesus because He is not Ishmael, and they cannot ever have the Temple Mount as long as there are Jews in the world. And the Globalists like Biden and Clinton hate the Jews because – if Jesus is real and they know He is – He will one day rule the world, and they will have to submit to Him.

But, back to Esther, she was told by her uncle Mordecai not to reveal her heritage, and she did not; that simple.

Wow! What if we were all like this as teenagers? What if we just did what we were told? In North America the teenage years are seen as the right of rebellion; the excuse ‘well, they are just teenagers’ is often used. I use it with my kids. But the Bible has a very different view of rebellion. In 1 Samuel 15:23, we are told that rebellion as far as God is concerned is the same as witchcraft, a sin punishable by death. We should think carefully about that when we look the other way at rebellion in our kids and, to some degree, encourage it. But you can’t fix rebellion at 14; you must begin at day 1 to teach submission and obedience. This will carry kids further than anything else you teach them in life, except that they need to be saved.

Esther was equipped and ready to stand and be submissive to authority as a teenager. And as such, she was equipped to change the world and be the heroine of her people, but the foundation as submission. As such, she was equipped to be queen, unlike Vashti, who forgets her place, Esther was equipped to remember her place, and this put her in place for success. Too many of us forget our place in life, and we constantly seek something that God did not have for us. We want to push boundaries and break barriers, but many forget that God put these barriers in place for a reason.

She understood, she did not know everything, verse 15

Esther listened to Hegai’s advice. This man served the king personally, and he knew the king. As such, it was wise for Esther to listen to him and take his advice. In the world of Google, it is not hard for the average teenager to think that they know more about life than their parents. Just because you know the answer to the questions does not mean that you know how to apply the solution. This takes skill. I can Google what is wrong with my fridge and even order the part, but I need an expert to show me how to install it right.

Esther understood that the adults in her life knew more than she did, and she sought their counsel. This is an essential lesson to learn in life; even as adults, we need to seek the wise, godly advice of others. Proverbs 12:1 says that “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge.” Esther loved instruction; she was set up for success by her uncle Mordecai. She wanted to know. Why learn the hard way when there have been others who have traveled that path before and know the pitfalls?

In contrast, it would seem the other young ladies, relying on their charm and physical beauty, went in unprepared to meet the king’s needs. This was obviously more than sexual. In any relationship, the emotional highs and ‘googly’ eyes eventually calm down, and the real work begins. Once you get back to work and life from the honeymoon, the frequency of sex will drop down, and things like fatigue and kids can get in the way. The role of the king was a draining one; he was always on call; he had the weight of millions on his shoulders, and wars were normal in that day. He needed more than a pretty face; he needed an Esther. God sent him an Esther, and his life was never the same again.

Do you and I make this kind of difference in the lives of people? Are we the solutions that they are looking for? Do we know how to ask for advice from other godly men and women? Do we seek God’s advice in the Word? Do we want to know more, or are we happy in our ignorance?

Sadly, many Christians are happy in their ignorance; they have a cursory knowledge of the Scriptures and don’t want to go any further. The Bible offers godly wisdom and instruction for any and all endeavors of life, from marriage to parenting to being a good friend, how to run an honest business, and how to behave before royalty and those in power. It tells us how to be kids, how to be adults, and how to be grandparents. The Bible tells us who made us and to whom we will answer once this life is over. Unlike Esther, most of us simply don’t want to know. Knowledge takes work, wisdom takes discipline, and success is more about endurance than talent most of the time. Learn to want to know more, learn to ask Godly men and women that know God’s way of life, and follow the advice.

She became the Queen, verse 16-18

Esther won the king’s heart. This is very important; it was not often that marital relationships like these were based on love. Most were marriages of convenience for political power or for peace. Esther offered neither, but the king loved her and made her queen. As we discussed before, Esther’s physical beauty was eclipsed only by the fact that she was lovely. She was submissive, and she was not full of herself; these were the qualities the king was looking for, and he did not find it in any of the women he had been with before Esther.

From the time that Esther arrived at the palace to the time she became the queen was more than a year. She had been observed by the people around the king, she had been pampered beyond all that a poor Jewish girl could ever expect, and now she was the queen. God was preparing her to make a big difference in the lives of the Jewish people. But there are steps to being where God wants you to be to make a big difference.

We, like Esther, need to learn to be submissive and obedient to those in authority; we need to be willing to seek the knowledge and wisdom of the godly people in our lives and the Word of God. Most of us want to make an ‘impact’ in other people’s lives, and as a child of God, we should be light in this dark world. But we have to live in the complete opposite of the world. Too many of our Christian young people are trying to make an impact for God by living as the world system. But God’s way is the only way He blesses; God is not interested in your ideas; He is looking for your obedience and submission to Him and His ways. Submission is almost a swear word in our modern vocabulary, but it is a very important word if we are to be useful to the Lord.

Are you wanting to make a difference? Then learn to submit, seek Godly wisdom, and obey. See 1 Samuel 15:22-23,

“So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”