The Triumph of the Jews (Esther): Will God allow evil and injustice to prevail? Will God allow his enemies to win and his people to lose? The dramatic reversal of the downfall of Haman and the rise of Mordecai prevented the annihilation of the Jews in Persia. But this victory points to the truth that ultimately, God will not allow evil and injustice to prevail because of the person and work of Jesus. Recorded on Aug 17, 2025, on Esther 8:15-9:19 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 starting to make our descent as we approach the end of the book of Esther. After today, we only have one more sermon next week to wrap up our series, For Such A Time As This. What are we doing next? We’ll have two weeks to consider two of our key ministry priorities this coming year: 1) Helping people come to faith in Jesus. 2) Helping people grow in their faith in Jesus. And then, we’ll start our main series for the fall and winter, which will track the life of one of the most successful kings of ancient Israel, King Solomon. We’ve been working for months on that, and I’m so excited for the series, but we’re not quite there yet. First things first! Let’s finish Esther’s story. And we’ve said that Esther’s story took place twenty-five hundred years ago, in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, the most powerful kingdom on the planet at the time. And we saw that Esther was this courageous young Jewish orphan who, through a series of very unexpected events, became the queen of Persia! But then, years later, we met the evil Haman, the villain of our story. When Mordecai, Esther’s older cousin, refused to bow down to Haman, he used his position of authority (being the second in command over all the kingdom) to set a plot in motion not only to kill Mordecai, but all the Jewish people throughout the kingdom. This was obviously terrifying for Esther, Mordecai, and all the Jews in Persia. They had done nothing to deserve execution! But throughout Esther, we’ve been reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now, so there was still hope. “And who knows,” Mordecai famously told Esther, maybe “…you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Es 4:14). Well, sure enough, last week, we saw that Esther’s plan to expose Haman’s plot to the king, done with such wisdom and courage, actually worked! And I loved Pastor Nate’s analogy from the classic Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons, that in yet another dramatic reversal in the book of Esther, Haman fell into his own trap for Mordecai. “Pride [indeed] goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Pr 16:18). So Haman met his untimely end, but the edict of the king was still in effect. Mordecai was promoted and was able to send out a second edict that allowed the Jewish people to defend themselves from anyone who attacked them. But would it be enough to save the Jewish people from annihilation? But the bigger question is this: Will God allow evil and injustice to prevail? Will God allow his enemies to win and his people to lose? Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Esther 8:15. We’ll unpack this as we go.
Esther 8:15–17 (NIV), “15 When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.” So, we jumped back into the story after the second edict went out to all the 127 provinces of the Persian Kingdom. Haman’s original edict, steeped in his wounded pride and hatred for the Jews, said that on the 13th day of Adar, it would be lawful to attack, plunder, and destroy every Jewish man, woman, and child in Persia. This was totally unprovoked and grossly unjust, the slaughter of so many innocent people. But then, after Esther’s courageous intercession and this startling reversal that put Mordecai in Haman’s place, Mordecai couldn’t repeal the first edict (because of how Persian law worked back then), but he could send out a counter edict that allowed the Jewish people to assemble and protect themselves. This turned the bitter mourning of the Jewish people in Persia into great happiness and joy, gladness and honor. They were still in exile. They were still so far from home. And they were still all vulnerable as a minority in Persia and with many enemies who hated them as much as Haman had, but with King Xerxes listening to Esther and Mordecai, there was hope. Maybe God’s providence was at work? Either way, there was hope! Mordecai went from wearing sackcloth to wearing royal garments of fine linen. We’ve seen that changes of clothing in Esther typically reflect a change in circumstances, from joy to mourning and then from mourning back to joy. But it’s not just the attitude of the Jewish people that changed. The attitude of the Persian people toward the Jews had changed as well. They still had enemies, as we’ll see, but many Persians in Susa and elsewhere celebrated Mordecai’s edict along with the Jews. In fact, the mood shifted so much that “many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.” Does this mean they converted to saving faith in Yahweh, started obeying the Law of Moses, and so on? Pagan converts to saving faith in Yahweh are found throughout the OT. We saw this last year in our Exodus series when, after the plagues, Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, and Moses says, “Many other people [Egyptians and maybe other people groups] went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” (Ex 12:38). But this was God’s plan from the beginning. Back in Genesis 12, when God made a covenant with the family of Abraham and Sarah, he promised that eventually, all the peoples on earth would be blessed through them. This would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ, who was good news first for the Jew and then for the Gentile (meaning, for everybody). But back then and still today, God’s heart for the whole world doesn’t mean everyone will love God in return. There were in Esther’s day and still remain many enemies of God and his people. Haman was just one among many. So how would this play out? Let see.
Esther 9:1-10 (NIV), “1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. 3 And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. 4 Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.” According to commentator Anthony Tomasino, the thirteenth day of Adar “would correspond to February or March, 473 BC.” (Tomasino, Anthony. Esther. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 330.) Just a reminder, Esther’s story isn’t just an entertaining story. It’s part of the history of the Jewish people in exile. As we’ll see next week, the victory the Jewish people won that day was memorialized in the national festival of Purim, a holiday celebrated by Jewish people to this day. But here, we have the triumph of the Jewish people over their enemies in Persia. The tables were turned. The Jews assembled to courageously defend themselves from those who wanted to attack them. The nobles and all the authorities helped them because of Mordecai’s influence. The other nationalities were afraid of them. And they won the day. But instead of plundering their neighbors or going after their families, which they were legally able to do under Mordecai’s edict, they were careful to keep the rules of engagement to only those who attacked them first. But what would the king think of all this? Would there be any backlash?
Esther 9:11-19 (NIV), “11 The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.” 13 “If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles.” 14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. 17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 19 That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.” This is God’s word. So Queen Esther boldly approached the king’s throne once again. And King Xerxes welcomed her and asked what her request might be. And Esther asked for one more day for the Jews to defend themselves in Susa, as well as a public display of judgment against the sons of Haman. This sort of grisly public display was common in their day and would serve as a deterrent to anyone thinking of taking up Haman’s wicked desire to destroy the Jewish people. According to the Law of Moses, anyone left hanging like this was under a curse. Now, it’s not clear from the text why they needed another day of defense in Susa. Perhaps battles were still being fought, and they didn’t want to break the law by continuing to fight into the next day? Some think the Jews were going beyond what they should’ve done, but it seems as if the narrator is trying to show the restraint of refusing to plunder. What is clear is that the victory of the Jews extended from the capital of Susa to everywhere throughout Persia. And the next day was a day of rest, feasting, and great joy. Now, we started today by asking: Will God allow evil and injustice to prevail? Will God allow his enemies to win and his people to lose? Well, in Esther’s story, we see the answer is no, God did not allow evil and injustice to prevail. At the very least, we can say that Haman’s plot did not prevail. But what about more universally? This might’ve been true for Esther and Mordecai all those years ago. But what about all the evil and injustice in the world today? What about the abusive and hurtful sin that has been done to us? What about the enemies of God and those who hate God’s people today? This world can be so messed up at times. And how do we square all this with the teaching of Jesus to love our enemies and not to respond to evil with evil but with good and to pray for those who persecute us and bless those who curse us and so on? Well, here’s the deal: according to God’s word, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23). This makes every person in this broken world an enemy of God. We’re a world in rebellion against God. Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes us apart from the saving work of Christ in Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2:1–5 (NIV), “1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” The gospel is good news, but not for good people. The truth is there is no one who is perfectly good, who has perfectly loved God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and who has perfectly loved their neighbor as themself. That is, no one besides Jesus. The gospel is not good news for good people. The gospel is good news for sinners, for the enemies of God, for people like you and me. People who need help, grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God. People who need a Savior! But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. It is by grace you have been saved! The gospel is not only the story of how God defeated evil, but of how he offered this saving grace even to his enemies. This new status (death to life, enemy to adopted son or daughter of God) brings a whole new relationship with God. This is illustrated in Mordecai’s change of clothing. Mordecai’s new clothes represented his new status in relation to the king of Persia. He went from wearing clothes of mourning, not able to even enter through the king’s gate, to clothes of authority and honor, having been elevated to second only to King Xerxes. But the Christian has new clothes, too. Because when you put your faith in Jesus, you are clothed not in “royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen” (Es 8:15), but with the righteousness of Christ himself. In Isaiah 61, God tells us that this reversal will happen when the anointed one comes to proclaim good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim freedom for the captives (Is 61:1–2). Isaiah responds to this vision with joy and delight, saying, Isaiah 61:10 (NIV), “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Do you remember what Jesus said, years later, when he read this very passage in the synagogue in Nazareth? He read Isaiah 61 and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 4:21). Meaning I’m the one Isaiah was writing about. I’m the one that God promised would come, the anointed one, the Messiah. And it was Jesus who would break the power of sin and death through his perfect life, his death on the cross for the sins of the world, and his resurrection from the dead. You see, there is no greater dramatic reversal than the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Christ, we are given a new set of clothes: a robe of righteousness, the righteousness of Christ, because we have a new status in relation to not just the king of Persia, but the Lord of heaven and earth, the creator and sustainer of the entire cosmos. Mordecai could stand in the presence of the king in his royal robes. So can we, in Christ, stand in the presence of our king. No longer separated by our sin, we can boldly approach the throne of grace today in prayer and praise by the power of the Holy Spirit. And one day, we will see Jesus face to face, and we will be with him in his kingdom forevermore. And this radical change in status and relationship in Christ frees us to love our enemies. If God loves enemies like us, then we can love our enemies as well. There is still hope in the face of evil and injustice today. However, God will not allow this messed-up world or his enemies to continue forever. God’s heart for the whole world doesn’t mean everyone will love God in return. There are still many enemies of God and his people. However, one day Christ will return, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account to their maker. Those who remain enemies of God will get their justice. I say this with no joy. While those who trust in Christ will be with him forever, and it will be far better than you can imagine. The story of Esther and the victory of the Jewish people there in exile over their enemies points us to this ultimate reality: God will not allow evil and injustice to prevail because of the person and work of Jesus. Jesus will either be your savior or your judge. But the invitation of the gospel today is for all people. Do not delay. Come to Jesus. He is great, but he is good and gracious, abounding in love and faithfulness, and willing to save. The gospel is good news, even for enemies. Let us pray.
