"THE QUEEN'S CRUSADE!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte





ESTHER 7:1-10
 

Thank God for those who crusade against injustice and evil. Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper was such a crusader. He was a Christian and a member of the British Parliament. He was appalled at the abuses of child labor in British factories. Children as young as 7 were working from before dawn until after sunset and many of them got no wage other than room and board. Women, too, were victims of the heartless system and they had little or no time to devote to their families. Against strong opposition of the politicians and mill owners, Cooper introduced a bill to bring relief to the oppressed. He appealed to Parliament, saying, "Society has a moral obligation to provide for the physical, mental, social and spiritual welfare of its citizens." In facing off with injustice and making an appeal to the authority that could make a difference, Cooper is like Esther. She saw the injustice intended for the Jews. She fasted for 3 days and then determined to go to the King which could mean her death since she had not been summoned. She would do what she had to do to thwart the plot against her people. Cooper went on a crusade against labor injustice, Esther went on a crusade against ethnic injustice. In that there are some good lessons for us.

  1. ESTHER COMPASSIONATELY ENTREATED THE KING FOR HER PEOPLE: VV3, 4:
    1. She appealed to the only one who had the power and authority to help. She entreated the one who could make a difference. Esther was a powerful advocate, an effective intercessor, a compassionate champion for the Jews.
    2. What does that suggest to you? Is there some light that comes on in your head? Is there a lesson to learn?
      1. We ought to entreat the King of Heaven for others; He is the one Who can make a difference.
      2. We ought to be ministers of intercessory prayer! We ought to be advocates and prayer champions. Hear what Samuel said to Israel in 1 Samuel 12:23 "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you."
      3. James admonishes us to engage in prayer for others, saying, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16 (NASB).
      4. Paul prayed for the churches and asked the churches to pray for him.
      5. I ask you to pray for me; pray for the elders; pray for the Sunday School teachers; pray for the youth sponsors; pray for the quiet leaders whose work is vital though they work behind the scenes. Pray for Shasta Way Christian Church.
      6. Pray for the poor, the unemployed, the underprivileged, children in foster homes, those in marital conflicts, our military personnel, those who are sick and shut-in, those in grief, those under the daily cloud of depression. Pray for others.
    3. If Ahasuerus, a pagan King, could be moved by the supplication of the Queen, how much more our Heavenly Father, the King of Heaven? Listen to Him, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11 (NASB).
    4. Because of her compassion, Esther entreated the King for her people. So may we be urgent before the Throne of Heaven for those in need. More things are wrought by prayer than this world can conceive! So pray! Entreat the King.
Cooper appealed to Parliament for those suffering oppression and injustice. In his speech he exposed the evils of the corrupt labor laws and of the slum districts and of the plight of the poor. He said, "If you find them (the poor) covered with vermin ... do not lay the blame upon them, but upon yourselves. You have knowledge, you have means. They have not knowledge; they have not means; and by everything true, by everything holy, you are your neighbor's keeper." He pointed his finger directly at the source and the solution of the evil. So did Queen Esther. In the midst of banquet merriment, she said in ice-cold, stone-hard, dagger-sharp tones, "A foe and an enemy, is this wicked Haman!" Esther lowered the boom, she stripped Haman of his odious smugness. What lesson does she provide?
  1. ESTHER COURAGEOUSLY EXPOSED EVIL: V6:
    1. With a single sentence she ripped off the mask of this pretender to royalty. "Here is the wolf in sheep's clothing, the weed in the wheat crop, the spy in the camp." She beamed the light of truth upon this man of dark duplicity. She exposed his evil.
    2. What does that mean for you and me? Paul urges us,
      1. Ephesians 5:11 "And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;"
      2. 1 Timothy 5:20 "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning."
    3. How can we expose evil? How can we follow Esther's example? How fulfill Paul's teaching?
      1. Let your light shine. Paul wrote, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world," Philippians 2:14-15 (NASB). When we live a moral, upright, honest, Christian life it exposes the immoral, dishonesty of the world by contrast.
      2. Call sin by its proper name: sin!
        1. Adultery is not an affair, it's immorality, it's adultery.
        2. Drunkenness is drunkenness.
        3. Cheating is not a clever way to get ahead, it's stealing.
        4. Shoplifting is not a lark or game, it's downright theft.
        5. A fib is not an innocent deception, it's an outright lie.
        6. The New Age movement is not a benign new religion, it's malignant heresy.
        7. Pornography is not an art style or freedom of expression, it's septic sewer smut!
    4. But: Caution! Beware! Slow down!
      1. We are not to be spiritual detectives or vigilantes spying out the moral lapses of others; but we are to expose evil.
      2. We are not to publish, gossip about, or spread abroad the details of the malfeasance of others, holding them up to public scorn; but we are to expose evil.
      3. We are not to develop a spirit of holier-than-thou superiority, smugly condemning the failures of others; but we are to expose evil.
Like Toto pulling back the curtain to expose the wimp posing as the Wizard of Oz, Esther laid the phoniness of Haman on the table. Just so, Cooper exposed the evils of the labor laws. He devoted his life to campaigning for justice; he tried to reform the labor and housing situation of the poor. But it was not until 41 years later that the Factory And Workshop Consolidation Act was passed by Parliament. The act brought about needed reform. The future of the people was radically changed. This one act, introduced and fought for by one man, changed the course of history. Now, look at Queen Esther. See what she did.
  1. ESTHER CONSTRUCTIVELY EFFECTED THE COURSE OF HISTORY: V3:
    1. The law Haman finagled through spelled death and destruction; Esther's appeal changed that. Instead of being destroyed, killed, annihilated and plundered, the Jews were authorized to defend themselves. While even the King could not revoke a Persian law, he could institute another law that would have the same effect.
    2. Is there an application for us? What does this suggest? What can we do to change the course of history? Three simple things can help:
      1. Be God's person right where you are. You can be an influence for God at work, school, the neighborhood, your own home, and here in the congregation. How you live among your peers will have its ripple effect from now for years to come.
      2. Share the Gospel with others. You might lead someone to Jesus who will turn out to be a missionary, or Bible college professor, or preacher, or a fantastic layperson in the local church.
      3. Vote for the candidates who support Christian ethics and morals; hang the party lines, forget the special monetary and personal interests and get people in office who stand for what is right.
    3. Sometimes it is one action that turns the course of events for good or evil:
      1. Sara and Abram took things into their own hands to fulfil God's promise that they would be parents in their old age; as a result, Hagar conceived Ishmael and the ensuing Israeli / Arab conflict was also conceived.
      2. On the other hand, a little girl named Hattie Wyatt wanted to help build a bigger church building and saved only 57 cents before she died. But her example caused others to give and a huge church building was erected and many were led to Christ there.
    4. Society is changed one act at a time, one person at a time. By changing the heart of Ahasuerus, Esther changed the course of history for the Jews. We, too, can be God's instruments to change the course of history for individuals, this congregation and even America.
God used Cooper; God used Esther; God will use you, too. Maybe you say, "I have no special ability." Your greatest ability is availability. You say, "I have no resources." God is your resource. You say, "I don't know how to do anything great." Just do what He tells you to do. May I testify? I had no plans to be a preacher; I enrolled at New Mexico State University to become an Electrical Engineer. I felt unfulfilled and restless and I went to Bible College as an experiment of God's will. I've never regretted my decision to enter the ministry. A couple of years ago, I fought with God about coming to Klamath Falls; He won, I surrendered, and I'm blessed to be here. If you want to know what God wants, and are willing to do it when He lets you know, He can use you to alter the course of history. Will you just be available? Will you just be humble? Will you just surrender to Him? Are you struggling with God, really knowing pretty well what He wants? Won't you just give it up? Won't you just submit? There's no life without Christ; there's no real, lasting fulfillment apart from His will; there's no victory without surrender. Esther had no clue that God would use her to save the Jews, she was just willing to be used. You won't know what God will do through you until you, too, are just willing to be used. Will you make that decision today? And will you come to let us all celebrate that with you? We are going to sing a song, let it be your prayer, let it be your covenant, let it be your surrender.
 
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