"ESTHER'S ENDEAVORS!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte



ESTHER 4:1-17

Queen Esther's cousin, Mordecai, refused to bow down and pay homage, or to worship, Prince Haman. Haman, in a spirit of spiteful revenge, plotted the demise of all the Jews in the Kingdom. He duped King Ahasuerus into letting him make a law that would result in the absolute destruction of the Jews in the Kingdom. A date was set and soon the terrible massacre would commence. Letters were sent throughout the provinces commanding that the Jews of all ages and genders be destroyed, killed and annihilated. The Jews were faced with imminent death. In Marseilles, France, when the Bubonic Plague broke out, those people were also faced with imminent death. So fierce was the Plague that parents abandoned children and children forsook parents. The city saw a constant stream of funeral processions. Nobody could stop the dying. The entire city was cast into somber gloom. The physicians met to consider what they could do to lessen the calamity. They were faced with a formidable task and it seemed hopeless. But they could not, would not, abandon their calling. They would not turn their backs on those who needed their medical assistance. Queen Esther, too, was faced with a formidable task. She, too, felt hopeless. But neither would she turn her back on those who needed her. She was faced with changing the course of history by rescuing the Jews. This was a defining moment in her life. It would define her character, her courage, and her resolve. It would define the fate of the Jews. She is a paradigm for our own performance as followers of Jesus Christ. Esther performed a noble endeavor. What do we learn from her?

  1. ESTHER IDENTIFIED WITH THE PLIGHT OF THE WEAK: V4:
    1. Esther was Queen. She was sheltered from the condition of the common people. She had no lack, no privation, no discomfort. The exigencies of life did not touch her. But she was a Queen in the truest sense. She had not forgotten her humanity in her exaltation! A Jewess herself, she had not forgotten the Jews!
      1. She writhed in anguish when she heard about Mordecai's humiliation and the distress of the Jews.
      2. In 8:3 we see that she fell before the King and wept because of Haman's plot to destroy the Jews.
      3. She was a fountain of empathy, tenderness and compassion toward the weak.
      4. Unlike Charlie Brown's sister who adopted the philosophy, "Who cares? Life goes on! No problem!" Esther cared!
    2. Esther is a model of Biblical benevolence:
      1. She wept with those who weep in keeping with Romans 12:15.
      2. She bore the burdens of others as Paul taught in Galatians 6:2.
      3. She exemplified the strong bearing with the weak, as we read in Romans 15:1.
      4. She truly looked out for the interest of others, not just her own interests, as Paul taught in Philippians 2:4.
      5. Unlike Cain, she understood that she was her brother's keeper.
    3. Esther stands tall in a long line of compassionate women. She is like:
      1. Martha who wanted to serve Jesus a meal in Luke 10:38.
      2. Dorcas who provided garments for the poor of her city in Acts 9:36.
      3. Phoebe who was approved by Paul as a helper in the church inRomans 16:1-2.
      4. Mother Theresa who spent her life in service.
    4. May God create within each of us a heart like that. A heart that enters into the difficulties of the downtrodden, that lifts the load of the overburdened, that extends a hand to lift the fallen, that identifies with the plight of the weak..
Esther was deeply concerned for her people, the Jews. So were the physicians of Marseilles concerned about their people who were afflicted with the Plague. They needed to perform an autopsy on a victim to determine the cause of death. The problem was that the examining coroner would likely be afflicted in the process and would likely die, too. After much deliberation, one young man by the name of Greydon, said, "Be it so. I devote myself to the safety of my country." He purposed that by the next day he would have determined the cause of all the death. It was a perilous task at best. There was every likelihood of his catching the disease without determining what it was. Esther faced a difficulty too. She was called upon to enter the presence of the King without being bidden. For doing that people, even the Queen, could be executed. But Esther was devoted to the safety of her countrymen and with courage, entered the presence of the King to appeal for their safety.
  1. ESTHER UNDERTOOK A PERILOUS TASK: VV11-16:
    1. There were several factors which made her task dangerous:
      1. First, according to Persian Law, nobody, including the Queen, could enter the King's presence in the inner court unbidden. To do so could mean death.
      2. Second, she had not been called for in over 30 days. Perhaps she had fallen into disfavor.
      3. Third, there was a law that put all Jews in peril of death. She had not disclosed her nationality to the King. There was a death warrant for her, too.
    2. You can clearly see Esther's heroism:
      1. She showed moral courage: she chose to possibly die rather than to fail in her duty to do what was right.
      2. She showed self-denial: She said, "I will go to the King. If I die, I die!"
      3. She showed true fortitude: a hero is not one who is unafraid; a hero is one who knows fear but acts anyway! A hero is one who may be afraid but doesn't act like a coward and run away.
    3. Nobody correctly said the right way is the easy way. God never claimed that to follow Him would be a bed of roses. The way of faith is the way of risk. The way of servanthood is the way of obedience no matter what the peril.
    4. God create in us a heart of courage. God give us a heart to do what we must do no matter who opposes, no matter how difficult the task, no matter how daunting the way.
Esther undertook a perilous task. She could have been killed for approaching the King; she could have been killed for being a Jewess. But she did it anyway. To perform an autopsy on one of the victims of the Plague could mean death for the examining physician. But Greydon did it anyway. He wrote his will and then spent the evening performing the post mortem exam. But more importantly, he put himself in God's care before the procedure. He came to terms with the possibility of death and faced it in faith. Esther, too, came to terms with the possibility of death and made mental and spiritual preparation.
  1. ESTHER PLACED HERSELF IN GOD'S HANDS: VV14-16:
    1. To call her to duty, Mordecai reminded her of some weighty concerns:
      1. There is no escape in silence. She could not hide her ethnicity and was not safe even in the King's house.
      2. Perhaps Esther's ascension to the throne was for just this very moment! In God's foreknowledge, He elevated her, not for her own position, but that she might be used to rescue the Jews.
      3. If she failed in her duty, someone else would be raised up and she would perish.
    2. Before moving forward in her course of action, however, Esther sought Divine assistance:
      1. She took 3 days to fast. For Jews, fasting was a time of discipline, prayer and supplication.
      2. She'd put herself in the hands of God before putting herself in the hands of the King.
      3. She'd trust God, seek His help, and then act and let the chips fall where they may.
    3. Esther had determined that if she had been raised up by God for such a time as this, she'd do what she was called to do whether she perished or not! No hiding out, no shirking, no self-preservation. Trusting God, she'd step out and act.
    4. God give us a heart to trust Him fully in the hardest of times. God help our hearts be brave and confident in His care.
Esther made herself available; she cared for the weak. She undertook a perilous task. She put herself in God's hands. So did Greydon. He performed his autopsy, wrote his observations down, cast the paper into a jar of vinegar so it might not convey the disease to others. He retired and within 12 hours had died of the disease. Esther fared better. Sometimes people who do right things for right reasons still suffer; other times they are spared harm. But either way ours is to yield our lives to God in service and obedience. It's time for all Christians to step forward and do what God has called them to do: care for the weak, fulfill our task even if it is dangerous, and to put our lives in His hands for His use and purposes. Greydon consecrated himself to finding the cause of the Plague. Esther consecrated herself to preserve the Jews. Consecrate yourself to be available to God, to walk through doors He opens, to do duties He assigns, to obey what He commands. For some that is a call to full time Christian ministry. Is He calling you to that? For some it is to more giving to His cause. Is He calling you to that? For some it is to some new service in this congregation. Is He calling you to that? For some it is to yield to Christ as Lord, and to obey Him in baptism. Is He calling you to that? He is calling you, and as He calls, will you respond? Will you answer, "Take my life and let it be consecrated to You?" He calls, He waits, will you come as we sing?

Story from unidentified source



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