Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

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for such a time as this

Esther 4:14 "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Mordecai urged Queen Esther to approach King Xerxes and plead for the Jewish people, who faced annihilation under Haman’s decree. He reminded her that her rise to queenship was no accident: God had likely placed her in this position precisely for this crisis. Mordecai warned that if she stayed silent, God would still deliver the Jews, affirming divine sovereignty, but she and her family would perish. The verse is a powerful call to courage and responsibility. Though approaching the king unsummoned carried the risk of immediate execution, Mordecai challenged Esther to embrace her divine purpose and act in faith. Context of the Risk: Persian law decreed that anyone entering the king’s inner court ...

responsibly

Esther 4:12&13 "12 And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. 13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews." Esther’s reply to Mordecai shows sober realism, not fear or lack of faith. Approaching the king uninvited meant certain death unless he extended his golden scepter—and she had not been summoned for thirty days. Mordecai shatters any illusion of safety. As a Jew, Esther was just as vulnerable to Haman’s genocidal decree as the rest of her people. Her royal position offered no protection. Verse 13 is the pivotal challenge: her privilege was never a shield, but a God-given opportunity for her people’s deliverance. She could not separate her fate from theirs. Inaction was not neutrality, it was complicity. A heavy responsibility indeed.

courage

Esther 4:10&11 "10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; 11 All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days." Though God did not appear to Esther in dramatic fashion, His sovereign hand was clearly at work. Haman, the king’s highest official, had secured a decree to annihilate all Jews throughout the empire (Esther 3:8–10). When Mordecai learned of the genocidal plot, he mourned publicly in sackcloth and ashes outside the king’s gate. Queen Esther, seeing his distress, sent her servant Hathach to discover the cause. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree and charged him to urge Esther to go before the king...

full crisis

Esther 4:8&9 "8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people. 9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai." Our current series explores God’s callings. Last week we saw Moses’ reluctance at the burning bush. This week we turn to Esther. God did not appear to her in dramatic fashion, yet His sovereign plan is clearly at work in her life. These events unfold in Susa, the Persian capital, during the reign of King Xerxes I (5th century BC). Haman, the king’s highest official, has secured a decree to annihilate all Jews throughout the empire (Esther 3:8–10). Upon learning of the genocidal plot, Mordecai mourns publicly in sackcloth and ashes outside the king’s gate. Because of court protocol, he cannot enter the palace in mourning c...

Esther does good

Esther 4:6&7 "6 So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate. 7 And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them." Last week we saw God call Moses. Despite Moses’ reluctance, he obeyed and fulfilled God’s mission. Today we honor him as one who pleased God, so much that he appeared with Elijah at Jesus’ Transfiguration. This week we turn to Esther, another unlikely deliverer of God’s people. The story takes place in Susa, the Persian capital, during the reign of King Xerxes I (5th century BC). Haman, the king’s highest official, has obtained a decree to annihilate all Jews in the empire (Esther 3:8–10). When Mordecai learns of the plot, he mourns publicly in sackcloth and ashes outside the king’s gate. Because of court protocol, Mordecai cannot enter the palace in mourning clothes. Queen Esther, ...

Moses did good

Luke 9:30&31 "30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." This week we studied God’s call on Moses. Though Moses doubted himself, God never doubted him. Despite his reluctance, Moses obeyed, returned to Egypt, and fulfilled his mission. He confronted Pharaoh through ten plagues, led the Israelites out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, received the Law on Mount Sinai, mediated the covenant, and faithfully shepherded God’s people for forty years in the wilderness, preparing the next generation to enter the Promised Land he himself would never see. Moses ranks among the greatest figures in the Bible, and God was well pleased with him. At Jesus’ Transfiguration, before Peter, James, and John, Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and spoke with the Lord. They discussed His “departure” (Greek: exodos), which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. Moses and Eli...