The Silhouette of God: God in the Shadows
Focus: God is working even when we can’t see him to lead us to the salvation that is found in Christ alone.
Who’s Running this Joint?
Well That Was a Coincidence
Nothing Stops This Train
Who’s Running this Joint?
In a fallen world, God remains sovereign and is guiding the affairs of mankind towards his gospel ends in Christ.
We can often wonder who, if anyone, is in charge of life and life’s circumstances, especially when we run into challenges and trouble.
We see in the Bible that God did not make our existence to be fatalistic or deterministic.
On the contrary, as AW Tozer described it (in Chapter 22 of his book The Knowledge of the Holy), human history is a ship with passengers and crew making decisions both good and bad, and God is the captain of the ship resolved to get the vessel to the planned far shore in Christ.
We see this play out again in Esther.
The sovereign, divine providence of God was seen throughout the book in the events that perfectly placed people, at the right place, at the right time, to accomplish Christ’s kingdom ends.
And so God was moving despite people’s horrifying sin, in the shadows.
Esther 2:19-23 ESV
Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.”
The first of God’s perfectly positioned moments that we see today was Mordecai getting to thwart the assasination attempt on King Ahasuerus’ life.
The threat of death was cut off and the conspirators were hung on a tree.
And so Mordecai was at the right place, at the right time to do good for a bad man, and ultimately save his life.
This is the mercy of God found in the gospel.
It is interesting that the gallows were the precursor to crucifixion that was perfected during the Roman Empire, and foreshadowed the death that Jesus would die to cancel the death sentence over our lives because of our sin.
*It is also an encouragement for our daily lives as we follow Christ, trusting that God is ordering our steps and will fulfill his purpose for us in Christ Jesus as we look to find our place in his metanarrative rather than our own.
We would find in the book of Esther the words of King David to be true:
Psalm 138:6-8 ESV
“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
We are reminded that in seemingly unconnected world events, God is in the shadows, guiding the events of history towards his gospel ends.
It should be a comfort to you as you listen to, read and are exposed to the global events of our day.
How can you use the word of God to build your worldview, your thinking and your confidence?:
When you read the news, think on these things:
Psalm 33:8-12 ESV
“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!”
Psalm 37:23-29 ESV
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.”
Proverbs 19:21 ESV
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”
Proverbs 16:4 ESV
“The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”
Proverbs 16:9 ESV
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”
Proverbs 21:30 ESV
“No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.”
Proverbs 21:30 NIV
“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.”
*Understand that though not every decision that people make is God’s desire, God will use all of life’s events and point them towards the fulfillment of his word and gospel ends in Christ.
Well That Was a Coincidence
In the midst of threat and terror, God’s divine providence always puts his people in the right place, at the right time, to continue his Kingdom and gospel work in Christ.
One big threat and six instances of divine providence - a perfect 7 of God’s involvement
The Big Threat:
Esther 3:1-3 ESV
“After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?””
Standing up for the wrong reasons, Mordecai ended up putting the entire Jewish population in danger.
Mordecai wouldn’t stand up for Esther when she was taken into the harem, but he would stand in defiance of Haman, possibly contrary to the Eastern culture’s norm of showing respect.
*Haman’s response was wicked in that he took his irritation with one man and applied his malice to an entire people group.
How do we do that today?
Haman’s burned with anger towards Mordecai and through spiritism concocted a plan against the Jewish people that was both sweeping and demonic.
Esther 3:5-7 ESV
“And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.”
Rather than address Mordecai personally, Haman plotted a demonic plan to punish Mordecai and anyone like him.
Esther 3:13-15 ESV
“Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.”
Divinely, this threat came at the very time of the Passover, as the official edict was sent out on the 13th day of Nisan - the very eve of Passover preparations (Esther 3:7,12).
This would not be lost on any Israelite familiar with the Exodus from Egypt or the significance of the Passover celebration.
*This would once again be a foreshadowing of our Passover Lamb Jesus, who would take the threat that death posed against humanity because of our sin, and provide his own life so that the destroying angel would pass over those who would turn to God in repentance and to whom the blood of the lamb had been applied.
Was everyone ok with Haman’s threat - and if not, why not?
Not everyone in Susa was ok with this - nor should they have been.
Why might this have been?
Beyond thinking that wicked people without God have an unselfish moral compass, we do know that while in Babylon, God had instructed the Israelites to:
Jeremiah 29:7 NIV
“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.””
So it could have been that the people of Susa were disturbed that what they deemed to be their innocent, “good citizen” neighbors were being sold to destruction in the name of monetary gain (Esther 3:8-15).
*Following God’s Jeremiah 29 directives, we should live such godly lives amongst people who think, live and worship differently that it is clear we are looking out for the benefit of all even as we call them to faith and repentance in Christ.
Emperor Julian would write of Christians (the impious Galileans) why their impact was felt in the cities that they found themselves in - foreigners in faith, but loving the people of the city, even those who temporarily disagreed, for their benefit:
“We ought then to share our money with all people, but more generously with the good, and with the helpless and poor so as to suffice for their need.
And I will assert, even though it be paradoxical to say so, that it would be a pious act to share our clothes and food even with the wicked. For it is to the humanity in a person that we give, and not to their moral character. Hence I think that even those who are shut up in prison have a right to the same sort of care, since this kind of philanthropy will not hinder justice.…
For it is disgraceful that, when no Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Galileans support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see our people lack aid from us.”
Haman’s threat posed both an immediate and a global, historic theological threat.
Eventually the Persians absorbed nearly all of these lands into their empire, which reached its greatest extent during the time of Esther.
So this is the time when the Persian empire is at its peak (thus the opening events of the book where the King is mustering his strength) and God is moving amidst the constant changes.
This is significant because the plan Haman initiated would have had an impact on the entirety of the dispersed Jewish population under this empire and thus interrupted the plan of God laid out in Genesis 12.
Genesis 12:1-3 ESV
“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””
Of the last promise, he was speaking of Jesus the Christ who would come to be the Lord and Savior of the world.
Haman’s threat pushed Mordecai out of hiding and had him begin to publicly identify with his Jewish heritage.
Just as Mordecai did not deferentially bow to Haman, now Esther would have to learn to stand up for the right reasons to save them.
Esther 4:12-17 ESV
“And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.”
Finally, in the midst of threat, Mordecai and Esther are showing signs of turning to God.
They would call a three day fast hoping for deliverance and favor with King Ahasuerus, even as Jesus would die on the cross, be buried and rise three days later to grant us favor with God - the true king of kings and lord of lords.
Mordecai and Esther would call this fast along with the other people of God, reminding us of our need to reject isolation and instead to live, cry out to God and be on mission with his people, the church.
We find two of the most famous statements in Esther at this point.
Mordecai would exhort Esther:
“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther would in turn begin to reflect a heart centered on God and his purposes as her highest ambition, rather than her own of comfort and self-preservation.
Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
This is the heart of the gospel found in Christ for his people - and it is what we are to emulate.
*We need to learn to recognize the moments where God’s sovereignty and our responsibility meet.
This is what Mordecai would charge Esther to do.
It is God that puts us in positions to influence people, environments and nations for his Kingdom - it is our responsibility to make the most of those opportunities to point people to God’s rescue in Christ.
If we don’t step up to do what we were placed there to do, God’s ultimate purposes of salvation will be rerouted to another source, but we can suffer in the meantime since we did not do what we were appointed to do.
Think about the Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the wilderness and a whole generation dying in the desert because of their lack of faith and obedience to go into God’s promised land.
It may not be on such a grand scale as with Esther, but it may be - and we need to remember that it was the smaller moment when Mordecai stepped up to do a good thing for a bad man that would eventually be a part of that salvation.
Six Points of Providence
The Deposition of Vashti (1:10-22)
Esther’s rise through the beauty contest to replace Vashti (2:1-18)
Mordecai overhearing the plot against the king (2:19-23)
King Ahasuerus’ insomnia the night before Mordecai’s execution (6:1-3)
Haman’s entry right when King Ahasuerus is thinking about how to reward Mordecai (6:6)
The king’s return just as Haman is falling on Esther’s couch (7:8)
Esther 6:1-11 ESV
“On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.””
So many times it is moments of duress that get us active and growing in God because we have no other choice - you don’t need to wait for this.
How did the ship finish its turn?
Esther 7:3-10 ESV
“Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.”
*In retrospect, how can you see God divinely ordering your footsteps for his Kingdom and gospel purposes?
How might that be now?
Nothing Stops This Train
Despite opposition, the invisible hand of God continually works throughout history to move people and nations to find the salvation that comes through Christ alone.
Esther would have been the last canonical book of the Old Testament.
*Esther and Mordecai might have originally thought to themselves that if they just kept their heads down, went along with the world’s program and didn’t rock the boat, that they could enjoy all of the pleasures of life and provide a salvation of their own without being directly affiliated with the God of Israel.
But it would not be for them and it will not be for us.
There is no salvation except that which comes from the mercy and grace of God in Christ alone.
Esther is a fascinating canonical account because though the name of God is not mentioned in the entire narrative, his invisible hand is ever present.
We know this most importantly because, under Haman’s horrendous murderous threat, if the Jewish people had been snuffed out, the promise of Christ’s advent to save the world would have been as well.
How many divinely ordered, sovereign things had to happen for Esther and Mordecai to be perfectly positioned to save the Jewish people from Haman’s murderous plot?
What would have happened if Haman’s edict was fulfilled?
It would have wiped out the entire Jewish nation, since King Ahasuerus ruled the entire known world at that point.
It would have cut off the salvation plan of God that began in Genesis 12.
The book of Esther is as much a story of Jewish deliverance as it is God’s commitment to his gospel, by his sovereignty, despite threat, throughout the ages.
All of this is ours as we wake up from our spiritual slumber like Mordecai and Esther, turn from our sin and look to Christ to be the only source of salvation that we could never provide for ourselves.
What we find in Jesus
Acts 17:22-31 ESV
“So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.””