The Hidden Hand of God in Injustice
Introduction: The Hidden Hand of God
Welcome to the Well Community Church. I’m so grateful that you chose to hang out with us here today. My name is Brad, and if we haven’t met yet, I get the privilege of handling God’s Word here. We’re going to be in Esther chapter two. To those in person, welcome; to those joining us at our Fig Garden campus, or even the PMs hanging out tonight with the rowdies, or those of you online—we’re glad you’re here. I also want to mention to those online that we have an option at the Clovis campus that is open now; we’ve got our theater space available. If coming back inside doesn’t fire you up, but you want to come and connect to people, we have a lot of options now, and we’d love to see you.
We are continuing our journey through Esther. It’s been a very interesting and, interestingly enough, controversial book so far. I think that’s primarily because we love to take people in the Bible and make them the hero. When God is the hero, we tend to get a little confused. Last week, Mike taught an amazing message on a very difficult text. If you missed it, it would be worth going back to listen or watch to understand the entire book. He talked about Esther being put in an impossible situation, making impossible decisions, being “beautified” for a year just to have an overnight opportunity with the King. Everything about it looks incredibly awful. And yet God, by His grace, even in an ungodly culture, takes this young lady and exalts her to be the most powerful woman in the Persian Empire.
As we walk through this book, I pray our hearts acknowledge the faithfulness of the hidden hand of God. He is present all throughout, even in this very difficult book, to bring about His glory and our good. Today, we’re looking at the hidden hand of God in the context of injustice.
Meanwhile: Hidden Identities and Secret Plots
Our text begins in chapter two, verse 19. Depending on your translation, you might see a paragraph break here. What really matters is that from verse 19 through the end of chapter three, we get a series of “meanwhile” moments. Meanwhile, Esther. Meanwhile, Mordecai. Meanwhile, Haman.
We start with Esther. She has been made queen, but she has not yet made known her kindred or her people. She is keeping her Jewishness, her ethnicity, and her religious background private.
Esther 2:20 (NASB)
Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her as she had done when under his care.
She does this because Mordecai commanded her to. Even as queen, she continues to follow his guidance. We don’t quite know why he asked this. Historically, the Persians seemed amiable to the Jewish people—Cyrus the Great had even given the decree for them to return home. But it’s possible Mordecai had experienced disdain toward his faith, or perhaps the general public didn’t share the leadership’s amiability. Mordecai is likely protecting her.
Then we have the “meanwhile” for Mordecai. Verse 19 tells us that virgins are brought a second time to the King. This could be the original group being brought back, or a completely new group of hundreds of young ladies. It seems likely that the King, in his indulgence, simply wanted more. But the important detail isn’t the group of women; it’s where Mordecai is. He is sitting at the city gate.
Esther 2:21 (NASB)
In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
To be sitting at the city gate was a significant thing. He’s not there loitering or throwing dice; he’s there because he has been exalted to a position of influence. Leaders conducted business at the city gate. While he is there, he overhears an assassination plot hatched by two of the king’s officials, Bigthan and Teresh. Mordecai tells Esther, and Esther informs the King—specifically in Mordecai’s name. The plot is investigated, found to be true, and the men are executed.
Esther 2:23 (NASB)
Now when the plot was investigated and found [to be so], they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.
When the text says they were “hanged on the gallows,” it likely means they were impaled on wooden stakes as a public example. This account is then written in the book of the chronicles in the king’s presence. This is a massive “it just so happened” moment that sets up chapter six, where the King’s insomnia leads him to read these very records.
The Injustice of Haman’s Rise
In historical narrative, what is absent is often as important as what is present. The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that the Kings of Persia were known for lavishing incredible wealth and honor on “benefactors”—anyone who did something for the King’s benefit. After Mordecai saves the King’s life, you would assume the next verse would describe Mordecai being honored. But look at chapter three, verse one.
Esther 3:1 (NASB)
After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and established his authority over all the princes who [were] with him.
It’s not Mordecai who gets the honor; it’s Haman. This is meant to jolt us. Something is wrong here. Haman is called an “Agagite.” This connects him to King Agag from 1 Samuel 15, the ancient enemies of God’s people. Whether he was a literal descendant or the author is just using the title to label him as an “enemy,” the point is clear: Haman is the villain. In the Jewish community to this day, when the book of Esther is read during the Feast of Purim, the audience boos or hisses every time Haman’s name is mentioned.
The Refusal to Bow
Now we see the conflict. The King commands everyone to bow to Haman, but Mordecai refuses.
Esther 3:2 (NASB)
All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.
There are a few possibilities for why he won’t bow. First, maybe he’s just being a punk. He’s in leadership, he’s seen Haman rise, and he’s like, “I’m not bowing to that guy.” Second, it could be religious. The language of “bow and pay homage” is often used for worship. Mordecai might be taking a stand like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did in Daniel 3. When the “dubstep” beat drops and everyone else hits the floor, Mordecai stays standing because he only worships the one true God.
Daniel 3:17-18 (NASB)
’If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ‘But [even] if [He does] not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’
Third, Mordecai might have seen Haman’s true colors. He’s at the gate, he’s hearing the talk, and he knows Haman’s disdain for the Jews. He might be refusing to honor a man he knows is evil. When the other servants ask him why he’s disobeying the King, Mordecai finally tells them: it’s because he is a Jew.
A Decree of Annihilation
When Haman finds out, his reaction isn’t just a personal beef. He doesn’t want to just kill Mordecai; he wants to destroy every Jew in the kingdom. He begins to cast “Pur,” or lots—basically rolling dice—to find the “lucky” day to carry out this genocide. He rolls for months until he gets a date in the twelfth month.
Proverbs 16:33 (NASB)
The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.
Even in Haman’s pagan divination, God’s hand is there. By pushing the date to the end of the year, God provides a window of time for His people to be delivered. Haman then goes to the King with a manipulative pitch. He says there is a “certain people” who are different, who don’t keep the King’s laws, and who are a threat. He offers to pay 10,000 talents of silver—millions of dollars today—to fund their destruction. He’s essentially saying, “Let me kill them and take their stuff, and I’ll use their loot to refill your treasury.”
Esther 3:10-11 (NASB)
Then the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. The king said to Haman, ‘The silver is yours, and the people [also], to do with them as you please.’
The King, acting as a total despot, gives Haman his signet ring. The decree goes out to every governor and official: on a single day, they are to kill and annihilate all Jews—young, old, women, and children—and plunder their goods.
Imagine the tension. You’re a Persian living next to a Jewish neighbor. You share a fence. Suddenly, you have a legal decree saying that in eleven months, you can kill that neighbor and take his house. Imagine the dread of those Jewish families for a whole year, wondering who is sharpening a sword for them. Meanwhile, look at the contrast in the final verse of the chapter.
Esther 3:15 (NASB)
The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion.
The King and Haman are sitting down to have drinks, taking shots while the entire city is in confusion and the Jewish people are in despair.
The Ancient Root of Hatred
Why were they being killed? Did they rebel? No. They were targeted simply because they were Jewish. This is the seed of anti-Semitism, and it isn’t a modern invention. People have hated God for centuries, and by extension, they hate God’s people.
Now, you might ask, “Pastor, are you saying the Jewish people are God’s chosen people?” I’m not saying it; the Bible says it.
Deuteronomy 7:6 (NASB)
’For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
God refers to the Jewish people as His “Jeshurun.” It’s like a pet name—it means “my little upright one.” He loves them. The name Israel comes from Genesis 32, where Jacob wrestles with God and his name is changed from “Deceiver” to “Strives with God.” It all starts with Abraham in Genesis 12.
Genesis 12:2-3 (NASB)
And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
How are all the families of the Earth blessed through Abraham? Because if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you have placed your faith in the Jewish Messiah. Jesus is the fulfillment of every Old Testament promise. In Romans 11, Paul says we as Gentiles are “grafted in” to the rich root of Israel. We aren’t replacing them; we are eating the crumbs from the Master’s table. God is not done with His chosen people. Currently, there is a veil over their hearts, as 2 Corinthians 3 says, but one day that veil will be lifted.
A History of Persecution
If we look at history, Haman was just one link in a long chain of anti-Semitism. In 722 BC, the Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom. In 586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. Then came the Persians, then the Greeks. In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the Temple. If you go to Rome and see the Arch of Titus, you’ll see reliefs of Roman soldiers carrying away the menorah. The Colosseum was built using the wealth and slave labor taken from the murder of Jews.
In the 4th and 5th centuries, Jews were persecuted by “Christians” who falsely blamed the entire Jewish race for the crucifixion of Jesus. During the Crusades, they were slaughtered by both Christians and Muslims. Even during the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther—the father of the Reformation—was wildly anti-Semitic, ordering synagogues to be burned. In the 19th century, lies were spread that Jews were “puppet masters” controlling the world’s money, which set the stage for Hitler. 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Why? Because they were Jewish. There is no other explanation.
Understanding the Current Conflict
This brings us to today. Since 1948, Israel has been attacked repeatedly by its neighbors—in 1948, 1967, and 1973. Every time a two-state solution or “land for peace” has been offered, it has been rejected by the enemies of Israel. Why? Because to accept the land is to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist.
We are now almost a year out from the day Hamas invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 people, raped and filmed those atrocities, and kidnapped 250 hostages—many of whom are still in terror tunnels today. Why did that happen? Anti-Semitism. People hate God, and they hate His people.
Even here in Fresno, we see people chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” I desperately hope they don’t understand what that means. The river is the Jordan; the sea is the Mediterranean. That is a genocidal slogan calling for the total annihilation of the Jewish people from their land. It is exactly what Haman was trying to do.
People call Israel an “apartheid state,” yet 20% of Israel’s population is Arab. They serve in the military, they vote, and they sit in the government. Meanwhile, there are zero Jews in Gaza. Why? Because they would be killed. Now, I don’t agree with everything the Israeli government does. They are led by fallible men. But the issue boils down to this: if the enemies of Israel disarmed today, there would be peace. If Israel disarmed today, there would be a genocide.
Conclusion: Praying for Peace
As followers of Jesus, we have to look at these issues through the lens of Scripture, not just cable news. Our culture is influenced by “critical theory,” which views everything only as “oppressed vs. oppressor.” But we must be people of the Word. We are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Psalms 122:6-7 (NASB)
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ’May they prosper who love you. ‘May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.’
We live in a complicated world with a lot of tension. But anti-Semitism is a character trait that has run through the history of the world since the time of Esther. If we don’t learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it. By the grace of God, let’s address these issues with an open mind and a heart shaped by the Word of God.
Let’s pray. God, I am grateful for the privilege we have to handle Your Word. As we deal with complex issues, I pray we would not lose sight of the fact that people have hated You and Your people for generations. May we be on the right side of Genesis 12. May we handle these issues with wisdom and discernment. We thank You for it in Jesus’ name, Amen.