Life in a Messy World
November 13, 2016

Scripture: Esther 2

I. You should recognize that sin is the cause of this mess.

A. In the beginning of Esther 2 we see that King Ahasuerus of Persia is looking for a new queen. She just had to be three things: she had to be young, she had to be unmarried and she had to be extremely beautiful (vs. 3). No one cared about what the potential queens in the king’s harem wanted or thought. They now existed at the beck and call of a selfish king. They were going to be living Barbie dolls that the king added to his collection of toys. This was the sinful mess that these women of the harem lived in.

B. Into this messy world in Persia stepped two Jews: Mordecai and his beautiful cousin Esther (vs. 5 and vs. 7). Esther was so beautiful she was forced into the king’s harem (vs. 8). The reason the Jews were in Persia in the first place was because of the sin of God’s chosen people. Because of their rebellion God sent them into exile away from their homeland. And in their new homeland of Persia Mordecai and Esther hid their Jewish identity (vs. 10). Their messy circumstances led them to compromise in their choices and their behavior.

II. You should remember that failure is not final.

A. Both Mordecai and Esther probably thought that they had to hide their faith to survive in Persia. Mordecai had probably experienced anti-Semitism. And it seems that Esther by nature was a rather compliant person. She did whatever she was told (see vs. 10 and vs. 15). Esther was beautiful like Vashti. But in some ways she was the anti-Vashti. She was not rebellious like Vashti. She would never embarrass the king in front of his dinner guests. So Esther appeared to not only be surviving in Persia. She was now thriving. She was the queen of the Empire!

B. Both Mordecai and Esther must have wondered, “We have lived a life of compromise. We have made some choices we’re not proud of. We’ve failed as God’s people. Maybe our failure is final.” Even though Mordecai and Esther begin the story as people of compromise, sin and failure, that is not how their story will end. They will become remarkably courageous people. God used them for His purposes to save His people the Jews. And if Mordecai and Esther had not courageously acted to save the Jews, Jesus our Jewish Savior would never have been born.

III. You should realize that we are preparing for Christ.

A. Esther 2:12 shows us what the beautiful Esther was willing to put up with before her one night with the king. Do you know who you are preparing to meet? King Jesus! What an incredible King we are being prepared for! Jesus is no selfish ruler like Ahasuerus. Jesus is not eager to use you and dispose of you. Jesus loves you and is preparing great things for you. Jesus even uses the messes of this life to prepare us to meet Him. 1 Peter 1:6-7: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Application:
Prepare to meet your beautiful King Jesus. Seeing Him will help you through the mess.

Sources:
The book of Esther
Commentaries on Esther by Iain Duguid, Karen Jobes and Frederic Bush