Sermon: Esther 6-7

                      preached 7-7-19

Review:

The story of Esther is very odd in scripture.

It does not mention God, the temple, or the covenant,

which are key themes

and sort of what makes a holy book “holy”.

Still, Esther is part of the Hebrew Bible,

perhaps regarded as holy scripture

because it describes the institution of Purim,

a holiday celebrating the deliverance of the Jews from destruction.

In the story we have met Esther,

a young Jewish woman who was chosen to be queen

by marrying King Ahasueras.

Her uncle Mordecai and Esther live in Persia

as exiles from the land of Israel,

after the fall of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar

that resulted in the deportation of Jews from Judah to Babylon.

Haman is an official who works for the king,

and has been elevated to the number 2 spot,

the king’s right-hand man.  

Feeling disrespected by Mordecai, a faithful Jew,

who refuses to bow to a human,

Haman makes plans to have Mordecai and all the Jews executed throughout the land, 

and the king signs the decree.

Mordecai enlists Esther to intervene with the king,

to save her people.

Today’s chapters begin with an insomniac king.

Unable to sleep, he asks an attendant to read him

the records of legal actions that have happened recently.

(Good strategy!)

During the reading he is reminded that Mordecai uncovered

and reported an assassination plot against the king,

wondering how he might be rewarded for this loyalty,

so he consults Haman.

Since Haman can think of no other human whom the king might

want to honor, he suggests an elaborate scheme:

the person is to wear the king’s robe, crown, and ring,

and to ride on the king’s own horse throughout the city.

When the king agrees and reveals the honoree is Mordecai,

Haman must do all these grand things for his enemy.

The story continues with the second banquet to which Esther

has invited the king and Haman.

During this time, she reveals the plot Haman has devised

to slaughter all the Jews, including Esther.

The king is outraged and has Haman impaled on the very stake

Haman had built to execute Mordecai.

So there are two major problems in these episodes.

First, Haman is doing everything he can to get onto the throne.

He tries to get the very clothes the king wears onto his own back;

to ride the king’s own horse; 

to be noticed and proclaimed over as “one the king wishes to honor”.

When he is in trouble, he falls on the couch with the queen

to beg for mercy.

However, the implications of this move are dire:

“taking” the king’s woman shames the king

and declares victory over him.

Haman’s betrayal inside the palace is set in sharp contrast to

Mordecai’s loyalty outside the gate.

Trustworthiness is not guaranteed by ethnicity or rank.

The second problem is the treatment of the Jews in Persia.

They are there because they were forcibly relocated

from their homes.

Some returned to Judah when King Cyrus of Persia defeated

Babylon, but if there’s nothing to return to, why return at all? 

Jerusalem, the temple, the social structures,

the infrastructures of city life—everything was destroyed.

But in Persia they have homes and jobs and families—

and persecution, apparently.

 In the story a single individual has the power

to manipulate the king into agreeing to

the wholesale slaughter of an entire nation of people,

without the king realizing what he’s doing.

If the plan is carried out, all the Jews across all the provinces

will be summarily slaughtered on the same day,

so that Haman can feel more secure.  

Where is God in the midst of this?

Today I am struggling with how much humanity has not changed

in the 2500 years since this story of Esther.

Today people sit at the gate, like Mordecai,

wondering if they will live or die,

powerless to influence that decision themselves.

Death comes by calculated slaughter, sometimes,

or by neglect, when we fail to distribute food, water, shelter, medical care, or dignity to those who are deemed “other”.

Today people die because a few powerful people are insecure

or have deluded themselves into believing

that a certain characteristic or a whole group is dangerous.  

Today people manipulate systems and persons to gain power

in order to harm others, even to kill them.

Today people sign laws and decrees and policy

that appear to keep us secure but are certain death for others. 

And today we wonder, where is God in the midst of this?

God is not named in the book of Esther,

which some people take to mean God is absent.

But as a person of faith,

I do not believe it is possible for God to be absent.

And as a reader of scripture, I know God often works

through those who are unnamed,

yet whose stories stand as a powerful witness

to God’s redeeming love in the world.

Named or not, God is surely present in the timing of this story—

the movements of Esther, the king, Mordecai and even Haman 

happen at just the right time for salvation.

God is present in courage that risks my own life

for the sake of others’ lives, and for the greater good.

God is present in words that take shape to reveal evil

and suggest a better way, a way to life.

And God is present today in our reading of the story,

calling us to the courage of Esther

in a world that is dangerous for so many

of God’s beloved children.

In the climax of this story today,

we see God’s great reversal bringing life out of death.

Evil is turned upside down and good triumphs.

We see ordinary people walking faithfully with God

and finding what they need to participate in God’s justice,

in preserving the lives of the people God loves.

In old stories and in our stories,

God works through people and despite people,

for justice and new life.

Thanks be to God!