ACT ONE

[Esther 1:1-3]

“These events happened in the days of King Xerxes (became king in 486 BC), who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces.”

[Esther 2:10-11]

“Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.”

ACT TWO

[Esther 2:21-22]

“One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.”

ACT THREE

[Esther 3:8-9, 12]

“Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live.  If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.” So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.”

[Esther 4:11, 13-16]

“All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.””

ACT FOUR

[Esther 5:1-4]

“On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”

[Esther 6:4-10]

“Who is that in the outer court?” the king inquired. As it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared. So the attendants replied to the king, “Haman is out in the court.” “Bring him in,” the king ordered. So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone,  he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head.  Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’” “Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!””

ACT FIVE

[Esther 7:5-10]

“ Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?”  Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen.  Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden. Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him.  In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden. The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?” And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom.  Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.” “Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered.  So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.”

[Esther 9:1-2]

“So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies. The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them. But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them.”

ACT SIX (Finale)

[Esther 10:1-3]

“King Xerxes imposed a tribute throughout his empire, even to the distant coastlands. His great achievements and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Media and Persia. Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants.”

3 Observations from the Book of Esther

God is at work, even though he is never mentioned

• He’s not mentioned and that’s intentional
• It’s a reminder that he’s there even when we don’t see him
• Just because God is silent does not mean that God is absent

Each hero in the story recognized that they were put there on purpose

• You aren’t any more of accident than Esther or Mordecai
• Esther and Mordecai’s blessings were tools God used to make a difference
• “You were created for such a time as this”

God is writing a bigger story than the page you’re on right now

• Right is greater than wrong when people do right instead of wrong
• It’s always right to do the right thing, even if something bad might happen to you because of it
• God doesn’t waste a plot twist
  • The thing you’re going through may not have been anticipated but it’s being written into the story for God’s good

1 Observation from each Character

King Xerxes

• This guy was indulgent and lacked boundaries
• Making decisions based on how you feel leads you to life lived out of bounds
• Boundaries are a sign of maturity
• Wisdom is knowing when to tell YOURSELF no

Haman

• Was obsessed with one thing- His own success
• He thought his path to success was paved with his ability to control the people around him
• Others lack of respect was seen as a personal threat

Mordecai

• Mordecai did not see his lack of “authority” as an excuse to be passive
• He made consistent decisions to do right which gave him the moral authority to persuade those in charge

Esther

• She overcame her fear by a greater commitment to her convictions
• She saw her position as a tool to be leveraged rather than an idol to be worshipped

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?

2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?

3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?

4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?