For Such a Time as This (Esther): What do you do when your circumstances are messed up and you don’t have enough control to fix it yourself? The big question is this: Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? While Mordecai lamented the king’s edict, Esther demonstrated real courage by being willing to sacrifice herself to try to save her people. But would it be enough? Recorded on Jul 27, 2025, on Esther 4 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our series, For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. Far from home, Esther and her cousin Mordecai had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger to prevent the annihilation of their people. They needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage. Esther’s story is dramatic, inspiring, and surprising. Because while God’s name is never mentioned, His fingerprints are everywhere. In our series, we’re reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. He did it then. He can do it again. But will we have the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost?
Sermon Transcript
Well, we’re already halfway through our summer sermon series called For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. And we’ve said, twenty-five hundred years ago, in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, the greatest kingdom on the planet at the time, a courageous young Jewish orphan named Esther became the queen of Persia. But despite this dramatic reversal, Esther was still very far from home, and she was still vulnerable. Last week, we saw the leadership failure of King Xerxes in promoting Haman, the Agagite, the villain of our story. When Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, who had raised her, refused to bow down to Haman, as the king had commanded, Haman’s wounded pride not only wouldn’t allow him to forgive this offense, but instead, Haman used his proximity to the king to get permission to kill all of the Jews in Persia. This is so messed-up. How would Mordecai respond to this existential threat? Was there anything Esther could do to prevent the annihilation of her people? We’ll see. But what would you do if your very existence were in question? Today, we have more of a big question given to us by the text than a big idea to share. If your circumstances are ever messed up (like this) and you face powers much greater than you, or you feel you only have the ability to control a tiny part of a huge problem, here’s the question: Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Already, in our series, we’ve seen that God’s people need wisdom and courage to navigate the complexities of life in exile. And we saw last week that pride is the root of many other sins, so humility is also vital for life in exile. But will wisdom, courage, and humility be enough to overcome Haman’s plot? Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Esther 4:1. We’ll read through the whole chapter today and unpack it as we go.
Esther 4:1–5 (NIV), “1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.” Commentator Anthony Tomasino writes, “…in the book of Esther, changes of clothing typically reflect a change in circumstances.” (Tomasino, Anthony. Esther. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 241.) Talk about a bad change in circumstances here, right? Well, how would Mordecai respond? When he learned of all that had been done, about Haman’s plot, the approval of the king, and the couriers who sent the word throughout the kingdom that on the 13th day of the month of Adar, the Jewish people were legally able to be attacked, killed, and plundered, Mordecai tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out wailing loudly and bitterly. Now, all these actions were culturally normal for someone in mourning. Mordecai was mourning the evil of Haman’s plot, the injustice of the king’s decree, and the thought of the death of all his people throughout Persia. But it wasn’t just Mordecai. Jews throughout the kingdom joined him in mourning when they received the news. But it seems Esther remained insulated from the news while she remained in the palace. All she knew was that Mordecai was mourning some sort of great loss, and since he was in his sackcloth, he wasn’t allowed to come in the king’s gate to be able to tell Esther what had happened. But here, we start to see Esther taking action for herself. She summoned Hathak, one of her royal attendants, to go to Mordecai and find out what was going on. What would he say?
Esther 4:6-11 (NIV), “6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. 9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” So Mordecai told Hathak everything. He told him about the plot to kill all the Jews in Persia. He told him about the money Haman basically bribed the king with — a huge sum of money, by the way. Worth billions in today’s dollars! And he gave Hathak a copy of the edict to give to Esther so she would know what was happening. Hathak brought all this back to the queen, but Esther wasn’t thrilled about what Mordecai was asking her to do. Something like, “All you have to do is go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for your people!” And Esther basically responded, “Are you trying to get me killed? Me! Your own adopted daughter! Everybody knows that if I do that and the king fails to extend his scepter to me, I’m dead!” That’s a fair point, Esther. Plus, she says that it had been thirty days since she was called to go to the king. Maybe she was already wondering if the king was growing tired of her. Maybe she was wondering if she was about to be tossed aside like Vashti was before her. Again, despite her position as the queen, Esther was still vulnerable. It would be understandable that Esther wouldn’t want to do anything that might put her position in further jeopardy. Let’s see what Mordecai will say.
Esther 4:12–17 (NIV), “12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.” This is God’s word. So, when Mordecai hears of Esther’s reluctance to go to the king, he responds with wisdom and humility. “Esther, you might see it as a risk to try to go talk with the king. But you’re already at risk by the nature of Haman’s plot. The word is out. People know that I’m Jewish, so they’ll know that you are as well. Do you think you’ll be able to escape this edict because you’re the queen? You won’t! But guess what? No one else could even get through the king’s gate. No one else could have the favor that you would have with the king. Maybe this is what all this craziness of becoming the queen was all about? Whether or not you ever agreed to this or wanted to be here, maybe, just maybe, you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” For such a time as this. It should be “for such a crisis as this.” Who knows? Only God knows. Only God knows if part of the reason for Esther’s wild story, and experiencing the messiness of certain situations and being involved with certain messy people, was to put her in a position of influence to alter the course of history. But if wisdom and humility came from Mordecai, the courage came from Esther. She saw the wisdom in what Mordecai suggested, despite the risks. But it was still risky. So, instead of Mordecai giving instructions and Esther listening, Esther started giving some instructions and Mordecai started listening. And Esther instructs Mordecai to gather all the Jews in the city of Susa to fast for three days. Esther and her attendants would fast as well, and when they had fasted, she would go to the king. “And,” Esther famously said, “if I perish, I perish.” She understands the risks, but has totally accepted them because of the needs of her people. She was willing to put her own life on the line for the sake of her people. And if she would be a sacrifice, so be it. That’s real courage. It’s not that Esther wasn’t afraid; I’m sure she was. She already voiced her fears of rejection from the king. But courage means you’re willing to do what is right, whatever the cost. Esther was vulnerable; she was still very far from home, but she had wisdom, humility, and courage. Would this be enough? For now, Queen Esther declared a time of fasting. They would all fast for three days. Why three? The number three is a meaningful number in the Bible. God himself is revealed as one God in three divine persons, the Father, Son, and Spirit. The prophet Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish before going to Nineveh. Jesus, of course, died on the cross but rose again on the third day. Now, aside from the personhood of God, the use of threes in Jonah and Jesus’ stories both reflect a dramatic reversal that took place after waiting for three days in death or in a death-like state in the sea. Will a dramatic reversal happen in Persia after three days of fasting? We’ll see. Now, before we get to the application, one of the curious features of this passage is that fasting is mentioned several times, but prayer is not. This is biblically weird. Wearing sackcloth and ashes, and fasting would almost always be accompanied by fervent prayer to Yahweh El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, to act. Fasting and prayers of lamentation in the Bible are often an expression of grief. But they’re also a common expression of repentance (Dan 9; Neh 9; Jon 3). This is mourning, not for the loss of a loved one, but as a humble expression of godly sorrow over the sin of an individual, family, or nation. So why wouldn’t the narrator mention prayer? Surely, that was the idea of fasting before going to see the king; it was a spiritual action. I believe the reason is that in Esther, the narrator intentionally leaves God hidden in the background. So it’s not a surprise that they might leave an explicit mention of prayer to God in the background, too. We almost had a reference to God when Mordecai delivered his famous line, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” God would know. And he is the one who could reverse this terrible situation. So God’s people would go to him in humility, fasting and praying for help, favor, wisdom, and deliverance. But would it work? Would the king receive Esther and listen to her? Or would she give her life for her people? Would Esther one day be able to say, like Joseph said all those years earlier, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Ge 50:20). Or could she quote the Apostle Paul years later when he wrote, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Ro 8:28). We’ll find out in the week ahead. But what do we do with Chapter 4 today? How might we apply this to our lives today? Well, as we often say about stories in the Bible, we most likely will never face the exact situation that Mordecai and Esther faced in Persia. However, we most likely will face times when our circumstances become messy, confusing, or are very much a threat. So, if your circumstances are ever messed up (like this) and perhaps you too face powers much greater than you, or you feel you only have the ability to control a tiny part of a huge problem, here’s the question: Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Mordecai had to risk upsetting the king by loudly wailing and disrupting the capital city with his mourning. He had to have the courage to lament. But this hardly compares to the risks Esther faced and the courage she needed to face the king. “If I perish, I perish.” is such a tough response. Would that be your response? Esther was humble, but she wasn’t weak. Maybe, perhaps counterintuitively, her humility strengthened her. Why? Because humility means you do not think more highly of yourself than you should. This lends itself to a better, truer view of who God is. Humility says we must trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding, because our understanding is limited. We don’t have all the data. We can’t see people’s hearts. So, we must trust in the Lord and not pridefully in ourselves. This humble faith will help us do the right thing, regardless of the cost. But finally, as we close, let us not rush too quickly past what Mordecai and Esther did first. Let us not dismiss their fasting and mourning only as a strange cultural practice of ancient people. Because times of fasting and prayers of lament have helped God’s people throughout the ages of life, not only in exile, but in the exile of life in a broken world—a world of sin and darkness, a world of injustice, chaos, and death. Is there beauty here? Is there goodness and justice here? Yes. God made this to be a good and perfect world. But it has become corrupted by sin and death. This is the whole problem that Jesus came to solve. But even for us, his followers, men and women who have been saved by faith in Jesus, who have been forgiven for our sins, adopted into God’s family, and given life even beyond the grave, even for us, we can still feel the sting of the brokenness of this world. We can still feel the threat of evil. How do we respond? We do need wisdom, courage, and humility, but also, it might help to learn the ancient practice of lament. From the book, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop, Mark writes, “Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness…It is a prayer loaded with theology. Christians affirm that the world is broken, God is powerful, and he will be faithful…lament is a path to praise as we are led through our brokenness and disappointment. The space between brokenness and God’s mercy is where this song is sung. Think of lament as the transition between pain and promise. It is the path from heartbreak to hope.” (Vroegop, Mark. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament (pp. 26-27, 29). (Function). Kindle Edition.) The author encourages us to echo many of the psalms in the Bible when we are hurting. To turn to God in prayer and bring our complaints to him. To ask boldly for him to intervene/deliver/provide/protect us, but to remember who our great God is and affirm our trust/hope in him, even while we wait on him, even in the midst of our pain. So today, are we people who lament when we come face to face with the evil or injustice of this broken world? Are we a church where people can lament, but find hope, healing, and renewal in the midst of a community of believers? I pray this is true. Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Let us pray.
