The Hidden Hand of God in Unlikely Favor

Well, church, as always, it is a delight to get to be with you today as we get to open up God’s word, take a look, and examine the Scriptures together. My name is Mike, and I’m one of the teaching pastors here at The Well. If I have not had the privilege to meet you yet, welcome. For those of you joining us live here at the Clovis campus, welcome to you. For those of you joining us via the 7 PM service at your new digs in the student center, I am super excited for you guys tonight. By the way, the feedback on the coffee house and the student center has been incredible. Thank you guys again for that; it’s been a really cool thing to see God finally bring that to fruition around here.

If you have your Bible with you, I want to invite you to turn to Esther chapter two. We’ve been in this book for the last two weeks, looking at the big picture idea of the book: the hidden hand of God. By way of introduction, let’s walk some ground we’ve been through before that will be important for where we’re headed this week. We’re looking at the nation of Israel while they are not at home. They are not living in the Promised Land; they are in Persia because of sin. God booted them from the land. Though we’re kind of in the middle of our Old Testament in terms of where the books lie, we’re at the very chronological end of the Old Testament. These are the last recorded events of this season.

The nation had been there for over seventy years. God used a pagan king named Cyrus to issue a decree saying all the Jews in captivity now had the green light to go home. The problem was, as we learned a few weeks ago, only 5% of them did. Over a million Jews chose to remain in Persia because they had jobs, a life, a routine, a mortgage, and all the things that come with normal everyday life. Jerusalem was a hot mess, and they said, “You know what? That’s for somebody else. I think we’ll stay.”

This nation is now being ruled by a king we’ve learned a lot about: a guy by the name of Ahasuerus, or Xerxes. He is the Persian king of the day, ruling over the world’s largest empire to date. In fact, we won’t see a larger empire for a thousand years after Xerxes is gone. He refers to himself as the “King of Kings” or the “God King.” As we learned, he is an absolute tyrant with unlimited power, unlimited resources, and unhindered depravity. He has multiple wives and concubines; polygamy is regularly practiced.

We saw in chapter one that he threw a six-month bash as a fundraising campaign to go do what his dad couldn’t do: defeat Greece. He spent that first chapter gathering nobles and throwing a party of opulence. Even us common folk got invited to party with him for a week. We saw last week that he had a wife named Vashti. She was the most prominent, his first wife, but there were many others in his harem. You get the impression that the women around Xerxes exist for one reason only: to meet his carnal desires. He asked Vashti to do something that, at the very least, objectified her—asking her to parade herself before a bunch of drunk nobles. She said, “No.” She dug her heels in, and she promptly got fired. She lost her crown, and a decree was issued that all women must submit to their husbands. (I find that doesn’t work very well when you demand it, by the way.) That’s how chapter one ends, and it sets the table for chapter two.

Before we dive in, remember a few nuances of Esther. Number one: the book is descriptive, not prescriptive. It doesn’t read like a New Testament epistle where Paul is giving commands. It just says, “This happened, then that happened.” It is full of moral ambiguity. Secondly, God is never mentioned. He’s not prayed to, He’s not worshiped, and He doesn’t speak. It’s a rare exception in the Word of God. Lastly, though He is never mentioned, His invisible hand of providence is all over this book. We’re going to see so many “it just so happened” moments. As believers, we look at those through a different lens and say, “No, that’s the sovereign hand of my God.”

The King’s Search for a Queen

We start in chapter two, verse one, and watch the events that unfold after the deposing of Queen Vashti.

Esther 2:1 (NASB)

After these things when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

It says “after these things.” We know from chapter one that we were in the third year of Xerxes’ reign. By verse 16 of this chapter, we’re in the seventh year. There is a four-year gap between chapters one and two. While the Bible is silent on those four years, secular history is not. History tells us that Xerxes took that fundraising money and went to war against Greece. He was soundly defeated. He came home with his tail between his legs. It was a humiliating defeat. The treasuries were depleted. He took the largest army known to date and still lost. He was discredited in the eyes of his subjects.

Verse one says he “remembered Vashti.” Some suggest he was having a Hallmark movie moment, thinking, “Oh, what did I do? I want her back!” But that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening. The same mess of character that got him here continues to play out. Herodotus, the Greek historian, describes the king’s life after this defeat as one of sensual overindulgence. He tried to have an affair with his brother’s wife and slept with the wives of his officers. He concerned himself with nothing but his harem. He isn’t soft or open to Yahweh; he’s a ruthless pagan king with fleshly desires.

Esther 2:2-4 (NASB)

Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, ’Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. ’Let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their cosmetics be given [them]. ‘Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.’ And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

Since the king can’t undo his previous decree, his attendants suggest a new plan: find a group of beautiful young virgins to replace Vashti. Notice the two “godly” requirements: they must be beautiful (external appearance only) and they must be virgins. He is going to take from these women the thing they cherish most.

These women are brought into a harem, which means “house of women.” This practice was common in the ancient Near East, even among Israel. Abraham, David, and Solomon had them. Now, that should set off bells in your head. God’s plan was one man and one woman in Genesis 2. While harems were sometimes used to provide protection for widows or violated women, that is not what is happening here. Xerxes’ desire was to use them. His successor, Artaxerxes II, reportedly had 360 concubines—one for every day of the year.

This was far more than a beauty pageant. There were no restrictions on the king’s wishes. From the point of view of the girls involved, this was no enviable fate. I doubt anyone was clamoring to be in Xerxes’ harem. But notice the king’s response in verse four: “the matter pleased the king.” I bet it did.

Introducing Mordecai and Esther

Now the author takes a parenthesis to introduce our two main characters.

Esther 2:5-6 (NASB)

[Now] there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled.

We meet Mordecai. Notice he is introduced as “a Jew.” This is unique; usually, that phrasing is reserved for foreigners living among Hebrews, like Ruth the Moabitess. Here, Mordecai is the foreigner. He can trace his heritage back to the line of Saul, yet he is in a foreign land. The name “Mordecai” isn’t even Hebrew; it’s linked to Marduk, a Babylonian deity. We don’t know his Jewish name. Like Daniel, his name was changed to give him a Babylonian identity. We are reminded three times in verse six that he is an exile. He chose to stay in Persia rather than go home, yet he does a noble thing by taking care of his orphaned cousin.

Esther 2:7 (NASB)

He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

We learn about Esther. Her Persian name means “star,” but her Hebrew name is Hadassah, meaning “Myrtle.” She is beautiful in form and face. Keep that in the back of your mind—that quality is going to make her stand out in a way she probably has no desire to. We also find out she lost her parents. This poor lady has been through a ton of trauma. At this point, she’s likely between 13 and 20 years old. She has no mom to teach her the Scriptures and no dad to guide her. She is in a pivotal time of life, and her cousin is doing the best he can to raise her.

Both characters have dual identities. Mordecai is a Jew in Persia. Esther is Hadassah and Esther. They are trying to live in two worlds: the Jewish world they were raised in and the opulent Persian court they are thrust into. Their names were changed because their conquerors wanted to say, “We own you. We are whitewashing your history. You are Persian now.”

Taken into the Harem

Esther 2:8-9 (NASB)

So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.

Esther’s beauty catches the eye of the scouts. Josephus says upwards of 400 women were gathered. Verse eight says Esther was “taken.” Was this an audition she wanted? Probably not. Could she have refused? I think it’s highly unlikely she could say no to an all-powerful king. But there is something beautiful in that phrase “was taken.” That passive voice is used all over this book. It suggests things are happening beyond their control, and an unseen force is orchestrating events.

She finds favor with Hegai, the man in charge of the harem. He provides her with cosmetics and food and moves her to the best place in the harem.

Esther 2:10-11 (NASB)

Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make [them] known. Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

Mordecai tells her, “Keep your identity under wraps. Don’t tell anyone you’re a Jew.” She acts Persian, speaks Persian, and looks Persian. This is a compromise. This isn’t Daniel, who boldly refused to eat the king’s food or stop praying. Esther’s story is different, and in some ways, it’s troubling.

I want to take a quick “cul-de-sac” here to talk about the tension in this book. Esther is one of the most difficult books to interpret because it only gives us facts. We don’t know how Esther felt or what Mordecai’s motives were. The temptation is to fill in the blanks. Traditionally, people “whitewash” the story, pretending the characters never sinned and that Esther never did anything immoral. If you were taught it that way, I ask for your forgiveness, because we’re ripping off the band-aid today. We have to let the Scripture say what it says.

The other temptation is to villainize them—to say they are disobedient Jews who deserve this mess. But the author doesn’t do either. These characters are human and flawed. They are struggling with their fidelity to God while surrounded by culture. As one commentator put it, the silence on their motives is part of the message. Regardless of their character, the decisions they make move events to fulfill God’s promises. It “just so happens” a door has opened for a Jewish woman to become queen.

The Night with the King

Esther 2:12-14 (NASB)

Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women– for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women– the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

Ladies, can you imagine? A year-long spa treatment. Six months of oil and myrrh, six months of spices. But it’s all for Xerxes. After that year, the young lady would go to the king in the evening and return in the morning to a second harem for concubines. She would never see the king again unless he summoned her by name.

To be blunt, this is a sex contest. You had one opportunity to please a pagan, sex-obsessed king. If you failed, you spent the rest of your life in a secondary harem. Imagine being Esther. She knows this isn’t God’s best, but she has no parents, she’s in a foreign land, and she’s likely in survival mode. As a dad who raised three daughters, I cannot imagine how horrific this was for her. She must have been terrified.

Esther 2:15-17 (NASB)

Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

When it’s Esther’s turn, she doesn’t request extra jewelry or clothes; she just takes what Hegai advises. She “wins” favor. It’s not just sexual; her character and personality rise to the surface. Xerxes is more attracted to her than any other woman. He sets the royal crown on her head and makes her queen. A pagan king just unknowingly made a Jew the Queen of Persia.

Esther 2:18 (NASB)

Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.

He throws a party—Esther’s banquet. He gives gifts and declares a holiday. What a story.

The Gospel in the Messy Middle

As we conclude, look at the rawness of these characters. We might yearn for a story like Daniel, where everyone is perfectly faithful, but that’s not what we see here. If I’m honest, and I imagine if you are too, there are times in our lives when we look a lot more like Esther and Mordecai than Daniel.

The beauty of this is that God uses people in the “messy middle.” If we believe God only uses “good” people, it leads to one of two things: pride or despair. Pride says, “God uses me because I’m like Daniel.” Despair says, “My life is a train wreck; God can’t use me.”

But the Gospel tells a different story. God uses broken, messed-up people to accomplish His will. He uses liars like Abraham, deceivers like Jacob, harlots like Rahab, and murderers like David. He uses saints who are still walking through a messy process—people like you and me.

The hidden hand of God provides unlikely favor. God isn’t off His throne, pulling His hair out, wondering how He can use this situation. He is sovereignly controlling it all, even the parts that make us swallow hard. He hasn’t forgotten His promises. He doesn’t use them because they are perfect; He uses them because He is faithful.

The next time you find yourself in a “Persian” situation, wondering where God is, remember this. His invisible hand of providence is working for your good and His pleasure. Find confidence that even in the craziest circumstances, our God is still sovereign, still good, and still moving for Gospel purposes.

Let’s pray.

Father, we thank You for hard texts like these. We thank You that at the end of it all, You are exalted. Your plan will come about regardless of the means. Father, we’re grateful that You have not forgotten the Esthers and Mordecais of the world, and we’re grateful You haven’t forgotten us. Would You cause us to walk intimately with You and trust You even in the midst of turbulent times? May You be delighted in the condition of our hearts. We love You. In Christ’s name, Amen.