1. Defining Moments in Esther and in Our Lives
   1. Winston Churchill’s observation: every person is figuratively “tapped on the shoulder” and offered a chance to do something special, and tragedy comes if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified.
   2. Esther and Mordecai in Esther 3–4 each face defining moments that require courageous decisions which shape their lives and affect all the Jews in the Persian Empire, including those back in the Promised Land (Esther 3–4).
   3. Everyone eventually encounters a defining moment in life; while most decisions will not match Esther and Mordecai’s in scope, they can still be life-changing for us and for people around us.
   4. Purpose of the lesson: to study these critical defining moments in the lives of Esther and Mordecai and consider how they apply to believers today (Esther 3–4).
2. Historical and Redemptive Context: Haman the Agagite and Mordecai the Benjaminite
   1. Timing: the events of Esther 3–4 occur about five years after Esther becomes queen and after Mordecai had previously saved King Ahasuerus’s life (Esther 2:21–23; Esther 3:1).
   2. Introduction of Haman: King Ahasuerus promotes Haman the Agagite above all the officials, and the narrative highlights his identity as an Agagite to signal his role in the story (Esther 3:1).
   3. Significance of first descriptions: Hebrew narrative often signals a character’s role by their initial description—Esther is noted as a young, beautiful woman, Mordecai as a Benjaminite, and Haman as an Agagite (Esther 2:5–7; Esther 2:17; Esther 3:1).
   4. Background of the Amalekites: the first people to attack Israel after the Exodus were the Amalekites, and God swore to Moses that He would completely blot out their memory and be at war with them from generation to generation (Exodus 17:8–16).
   5. Saul’s partial obedience: when Saul became Israel’s first king, God commanded him to destroy the Amalekites completely, including people and livestock, but Saul spared the Amalekite king Agag and some of the livestock (1 Samuel 15:1–9).
   6. Samuel’s judgment of Agag: the prophet Samuel rebuked Saul for disobedience and then hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord (1 Samuel 15:22–33).
   7. Tribal links: Saul was a Benjaminite, and Mordecai, also a Benjaminite, is from the same tribe; “Agagites” becomes a designation for perennial enemies of Israel linked with King Agag (Esther 2:5; 1 Samuel 9:1–2; Esther 3:1).
   8. Setup of the blood feud: by presenting Mordecai the Benjaminite and Haman the Agagite, the narrator evokes a true intergenerational blood feud reaching back to Moses’ day, setting the stage for deep conflict between them (Exodus 17:8–16; 1 Samuel 15:1–3; Esther 3:1–6).
3. Haman’s Promotion, Mordecai’s Refusal, and the Decree of Genocide
   1. Reversal in the court: Haman is elevated above all officials without explanation, while Mordecai, who had exposed a plot to assassinate the king, is overlooked and unrewarded (Esther 2:21–23; Esther 3:1).
   2. Command to honor Haman: by royal order, all the king’s servants are to bow down and pay homage to Haman, but Mordecai refuses to bow (Esther 3:2).
   3. Court protocol and conscience: Jews in Persia did bow to pagan officials as court courtesy, not as religious compromise, so Mordecai’s refusal appears driven by the long-standing conflict between Jews and Agagites rather than a simple worship issue (Esther 3:2–4).
   4. Mordecai’s identity revealed: the king’s servants repeatedly question Mordecai, and in explaining himself he reveals that he is a Jew, bringing his Jewish identity into the open (Esther 3:3–4).
   5. Haman’s fury and expanded plan:
      1. When Haman learns of Mordecai’s refusal to bow, he is filled with fury but restrains himself from striking Mordecai alone (Esther 3:5).
      2. Haman decides to destroy not only Mordecai but all of Mordecai’s people—the Jews—throughout the Persian Empire, turning personal offense into a genocidal scheme (Esther 3:6).
   6. Casting lots (Pur) and divine providence:
      1. Haman casts Pur (lots) to determine the date for the Jews’ destruction, a common pagan practice of divination seeking guidance from their gods (Esther 3:7).
      2. Though the Persians viewed lots as divine direction, the timing ultimately falls under God’s providence, consistent with the truth that “the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33).
      3. The result sets the annihilation of the Jews about eleven months out, giving a long runway between the decree and its scheduled execution (Esther 3:7, Esther 3:12–13).
   7. Haman’s pitch to the king:
      1. Haman approaches King Ahasuerus and describes “a certain people” scattered throughout the empire who are distinct, with different laws, and who do not keep the king’s laws, without directly naming the Jews (Esther 3:8).
      2. He argues that it is not in the king’s interest to tolerate this people and proposes their destruction (Esther 3:8–9).
      3. Haman offers to deposit ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury—likely plunder taken from those killed—an immense sum that would appeal to a king whose resources have been depleted by war and extravagance (Esther 3:9).
   8. Ahasuerus’s careless consent:
      1. The king gives Haman his signet ring, granting full authority to implement the plan, and blithely authorizes the destruction without even asking which people will be targeted (Esther 3:10–11).
      2. Letters are drafted, sealed, and sent throughout the provinces, commanding that all Jews—young and old, women and children—be destroyed, killed, and annihilated on the appointed day, and their goods plundered (Esther 3:12–13).
   9. Public fallout and private ease:
      1. The decree goes out to all provinces, throwing the city of Susa into confusion and distress (Esther 3:14–15).
      2. In stark contrast, the king and Haman sit down to drink, depicting the powerful and corrupt elite at ease while ordinary people panic (Esther 3:15).
   10. Key Truth: Those who decisively stand with God’s people will be opposed by God’s enemies.
       1. Mordecai’s refusal to bow as a Jew and his disclosure of his identity trigger open conflict with Haman and set in motion a genocidal decree (Esther 3:2–6).
       2. Historically, antisemitism has been described as the world’s oldest hatred, reflecting a deeper, ongoing cosmic conflict between God and Satan expressed through hostility toward God’s people (Genesis 12:3; Revelation 12:13–17 implied).
       3. In the Old Testament, Satan repeatedly attempts to destroy the Jews through idolatry, bondage in Egypt, assimilation with pagan neighbors, foreign captivity, dispersion, and now genocide in Esther (Exodus 1:8–22; 2 Kings 17:7–18; Esther 3:8–14).
       4. In the New Testament era, Jesus teaches that the world system under Satan’s sway will hate His followers just as it hated Him, and persecution of the Church, including martyrdom, has marked Christian history from the apostles to modern times (John 15:18–20; Acts 7:54–60; Hebrews 11:35–38).
       5. Believers today should expect that decisive allegiance to Christ will draw opposition in some form, though the intensity of persecution varies by time and place (2 Timothy 3:12).
   11. Reflection and application questions on opposition:
       1. How have you personally experienced opposition or persecution for your faith, and how has God used it to strengthen your trust in Him? (2 Timothy 3:12)
       2. If you cannot identify any meaningful form of persecution or pushback, how should that shape the way you evaluate your walk with Christ and the visibility of your allegiance to Him? (John 15:18–19)
4. Mourning, the Call to Intercede, and Esther’s Initial Hesitation
   1. National grief among the Jews:
      1. Mordecai responds to the decree by tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth and ashes, going out into the city, and crying with a loud and bitter cry (Esther 4:1).
      2. Throughout the empire, Jews mourn, fast, weep, and lament, many lying in sackcloth and ashes as visible expressions of grief and distress (Esther 4:3).
   2. Esther’s ignorance and concern:
      1. Although the decree has become public, Esther remains unaware of the details, but she learns that Mordecai is in sackcloth and is distressed for him (Esther 4:4).
      2. She sends clothes for Mordecai to put on, which he refuses, prompting her to send a eunuch to discover what is happening (Esther 4:4–5).
   3. Mordecai’s explanation and command:
      1. Mordecai explains the situation to the eunuch, provides a copy of Haman’s decree, and sends instructions for Esther to go to the king, seek his favor, and plead for her people (Esther 4:6–8).
      2. This is the first explicit call for Esther to use her position as queen to intercede on behalf of God’s people, even at personal risk (Esther 4:8).
   4. Esther’s fear and the law of the king:
      1. Esther responds that everyone knows the law: anyone, man or woman, who enters the king’s inner court without being called faces death unless the king extends the golden scepter (Esther 4:11).
      2. She adds that she has not been summoned to the king for thirty days, highlighting both the risk to her life and the lack of intimacy in their relationship (Esther 4:11).
      3. Being a Persian king involves constant threat of assassination, so strict limitations on access function as security measures, even for the queen (Esther 1:10–12 implied; Esther 4:11).
      4. This is not a love story; although Ahasuerus was initially smitten with Esther and made her queen, he continues to maintain a harem and appears bored or indifferent toward her (Esther 2:17–19; Esther 4:11).
5. Mordecai’s Call to Courage and Esther’s Defining Moment
   1. Mordecai’s sobering reminder:
      1. Mordecai replies that Esther must not think she will escape in the king’s palace more than all the other Jews; her position will not ultimately shield her (Esther 4:12–13).
      2. Once the eunuch knows Esther is a Jew, her identity will inevitably spread—she will be exposed, whether she remains silent or takes a stand (Esther 4:9–13).
   2. Implicit confidence in God’s providence:
      1. Mordecai declares that if Esther keeps silent, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, while she and her father’s house will perish (Esther 4:14).
      2. Though God is not named, Mordecai’s words imply faith that God will preserve His people, even if Esther refuses to act—His covenant purposes will not fail (Genesis 12:1–3; Esther 4:14).
   3. “For such a time as this”:
      1. Mordecai asks, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”, interpreting Esther’s improbable rise to the throne as providential positioning for this very crisis (Esther 4:14).
      2. His words force Esther to consider that her privileges, comforts, and influence are not accidents, but may be entrusted to her for sacrificial service to God’s people.
   4. Esther’s response of faith:
      1. Esther instructs Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa to fast for her for three days and nights, while she and her young women will do the same, implying prayer even though it is not explicitly mentioned (Esther 4:15–16).
      2. She resolves, “Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish,” embracing a willingness to sacrifice her life for her people (Esther 4:16).
   5. From passivity to courageous initiative:
      1. Up to this point, Esther has largely been carried along by circumstances—her beauty and favor with others move her from obscurity to the throne without clear indication of her inner thoughts (Esther 2:7–18).
      2. In this crisis, she moves from passive acceptance to active, courageous obedience, choosing to risk everything in faith for the sake of God’s people (Esther 4:16).
   6. Key Truth: Decisively standing with God’s people requires courageous faith.
      1. Esther is uniquely portrayed with two names—Hadassah (her Hebrew name) and Esther (her Persian name)—symbolizing her dual identity and the tension between hiding and standing with her people (Esther 2:7).
      2. For years, Hadassah has been hidden behind Esther, as she passively blends into the Persian court and enjoys the comforts and security of palace life (Esther 2:17–18; Esther 4:11).
      3. The crisis reveals that there is as much danger in doing nothing as in acting; Esther realizes she is “dead either way” and chooses courageous identification with God’s people (Esther 4:13–16).
      4. Throughout Scripture, imperfect men and women at defining moments stand courageously with God’s people, and believers today are called to the same costly solidarity (Hebrews 11:32–38).
   7. Bonhoeffer as a modern example:
      1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that when Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die, teaching that the cross is laid on every Christian and that true discipleship involves abandoning worldly attachments (Matthew 16:24–25).
      2. Bonhoeffer lived this out by standing with the confessing church against Hitler, accepting imprisonment and ultimately execution; his martyrdom was the outward result of an inner “self-death” that empowered selfless courage.
   8. New Testament perspective on self-denial:
      1. Jesus calls His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him, promising that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will find it (Matthew 16:24–25).
      2. Paul testifies that he counts everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, suffering the loss of all things and counting them as rubbish to gain Christ (Philippians 3:8–9).
   9. Reflection and application questions on courageous faith:
      1. Where in your life might you be hiding like Esther in the comfort of “palace” surroundings, rather than identifying boldly with God’s people? (Philippians 3:8)
      2. What would it look like in your context to say, “If I perish, I perish,” and to entrust reputation, security, or comfort to Christ in obedience to His call? (Matthew 16:24–25)
6. Crisis, Spiritual Clarity, and the Call to Stand with God’s People
   1. The power of crisis to cut through spiritual fog:
      1. From a worldly standpoint, Esther appears to have everything—fame, fortune, and security as Queen of Persia, with unparalleled access to comfort compared to ordinary Jews (Esther 2:17–18; Esther 4:11).
      2. Yet she is isolated from her people and spiritually foggy, with Hadassah hidden behind Esther until the crisis forces her to see reality and make a defining choice (Esther 4:13–16).
      3. God often uses crises in health, relationships, employment, or finances to cut through spiritual haze and show believers their need to separate from the world and stand decisively with His people (Romans 8:28).
   2. The battle with the flesh and the lure of the world:
      1. Believers wage an ongoing battle with the flesh, which loves the world and sin and continually seeks to draw them back to who they were before Christ (Galatians 5:16–17; 1 John 2:15–17).
      2. The flesh pushes Christians to distance themselves from God’s people and “hide out” in the world, where they may avoid enemy fire for a time but live in a place of false comfort and spiritual fog (Hebrews 10:24–25).
   3. Providence and placement “for such a time as this”:
      1. As in Esther’s story, God’s providence means that believers are not randomly placed in their time, circumstances, or church community; He has brought them to this moment by design (Esther 4:14; Acts 17:26–27).
      2. In the context of this study and the coming year, the question becomes: for such a time as this, what is God calling His people to do or change in their lives? (Esther 4:14).
   4. Questions for spiritual clarity and courage:
      1. What are you most afraid of losing—reputation, friendships, money, or a job—and how might those fears be holding you back from decisive obedience to Christ?
      2. Where in your life do you most need spiritual clarity and courage, and how would your Christian life look different if you embraced Esther’s mindset, “If I perish, I perish”? (Philippians 3:8; Matthew 16:24–25)
      3. How might your local church and city be impacted if the men in your fellowship decisively rejected the world and stood openly and sacrificially with God’s people in the coming year?
7. Hope in God’s Providential Love and Final Exhortation
   1. Defining moments under God’s providence:
      1. Many believers face defining moments in a given year, and even when God seems silent, He is always providentially working for the good of His people (Esther 4; Romans 8:28).
      2. For those who have trusted Christ for salvation, nothing—no crisis, failure, or persecution—can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35–39).
   2. God’s grace and the use of even our sin:
      1. God’s grace is greater than believers’ sin, and in His providence He even weaves sin and failure into His good purposes for their ultimate spiritual good, though sin itself remains evil (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).
      2. Adversity and trials are used by God to give spiritual clarity, awaken believers from spiritual stupor, and lead them into new expressions of courageous faith (James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 1:6–7).
   3. Final pastoral exhortation and prayer:
      1. Believers are urged to seek from God the spiritual clarity that leads to concrete, courageous steps of faith in the coming year, especially in light of Esther 3–4.
      2. The lesson concludes with prayer, thanking God for His Word and for the adversity He uses, and asking Him to grant each person fresh clarity and boldness to stand with His people “for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)

1. Introduction to Esther and the Second Exodus
   1. Beginning a new year and a new book in the Second Exodus study: the book of Esther.
   2. Esther as a dramatic story of how God saved His people from genocide through a young Jewish woman named Esther.
   3. Esther as the historical foundation for the Jewish festival of Purim, still celebrated today.
   4. Most exiled Jews had freedom to return to the land, yet many remained in foreign territory; Esther focuses on Jews who stayed in Babylon.
   5. Esther’s timeline: approximately ten years from 483–473 BC.
   6. Placement within Ezra: events occur between Ezra chapters 6 and 7, during the 60-year gap between temple completion and Ezra’s arrival (Ezra 6–7).
   7. Ezra himself is still in Babylon during the events of Esther.
2. Authorship and Unusual Features of Esther
   1. Unknown human author
      1. The author does not identify himself in the narrative.
      2. Mordecai has been suggested as a possible author, but this is uncertain.
   2. What Esther conspicuously omits
      1. The name of God is never explicitly mentioned.
      2. No mention of Jerusalem or those who returned to the promised land.
      3. No reference to the temple, patriarchs, Jewish kings, or Jewish prophets.
      4. No explicit reference to the Jewish law or the law of Moses.
   3. Moral ambiguity and descriptive narration
      1. The author makes no moral or value judgments about the actions of the characters, even when they appear morally dubious.
      2. Central example: Esther conceals her Jewish identity and joins the king’s harem.
      3. From prior Ezra study, the law of Moses clearly forbids Jewish intermarriage with non‑Jews; Esther sleeping with a pagan king would violate this standard (cf. Deuteronomy 7; Ezra 9–10 context).
      4. The narrative is descriptive, not prescriptive; it records what happened rather than endorsing every action.
   4. Historical discomfort in the church
      1. Martin Luther’s negative assessment: he strongly disliked Esther, viewing it as containing “heathen unnaturalities.”
      2. Moral ambiguity in Esther has historically produced discomfort and questions among believers.
      3. Readers are called to be content with the author’s silence where Scripture does not comment.
   5. Canonical status and theological importance
      1. Despite ambiguities, Esther is part of the canon of Scripture by God’s design.
      2. The unknown author wrote under divine inspiration; thus Esther warrants reverent attention and study (2 Timothy 3:16 principle implied).
   6. God as the unseen central character
      1. Though unnamed, God is the central actor in Esther’s story.
      2. God’s providence moves Persian politics, raises Esther to the throne, and grants her influence with the pagan king to save the Jews.
3. Providence of God: Review and Definition
   1. Connection to prior lesson on providence
      1. Previous lesson focused on understanding God’s providence as His purposeful sovereignty.
      2. Esther now serves as a narrative case study of providence in action.
   2. Definition of providence and sovereignty
      1. Providence as the purposeful outworking of God’s sovereignty.
      2. God’s sovereignty: His supreme and ultimate control over everything; providence: how His sovereignty works out in purposeful ways.
   3. Heidelberg Catechism on providence
      1. Providence defined as God’s almighty and ever‑present power by which He upholds heaven, earth, and all creatures.
      2. God so rules that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty all come not by chance but by His fatherly hand.
      3. There is no such thing as luck or coincidence; all things are directed by God’s providence, both what seems good and what seems bad.
   4. Reversal plots and providence as a main theme
      1. Familiar cultural pattern: the bad guy seems to win until a sudden reversal gives victory to the good and judgment to the wicked.
      2. Esther is built around a drastic, rapid reversal that showcases God’s providential reversal of fortunes.
      3. While providence often runs quietly in the background in Scripture, in Esther it is a major, foregrounded theme.
      4. One commentator’s summary: “God is omnipotently present, even where God is conspicuously absent.”
   5. Central theological “big idea” of Esther
      1. Question underlying the book: Are God’s covenant promises still valid for Jews who remain in Babylon instead of returning?
      2. Big idea: God fulfills His covenant promises through the good hand of His providence, even for those who remain in exile.
4. Historical and Political Context: Ahasuerus and Persia (Esther 1)
   1. Identity of Ahasuerus (Xerxes)
      1. Esther 1:1 introduces Ahasuerus, king of Persia; his Hebrew name is Ahasuerus, Greek name Xerxes.
      2. He is the son of Darius the Great and grandson of Cyrus the Great.
      3. Cyrus previously decreed that Jews could return to their land after 70 years of captivity (cf. Ezra 1; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23).
   2. Persia versus Greece and the background of defeat
      1. Persia is the global superpower, but Greece is rising.
      2. Darius fought Greece at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC; though stronger militarily, Persia was defeated.
      3. Legend of Pheidippides running ~26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the unlikely Greek victory, inspiring the modern marathon.
      4. In 486 BC Darius dies; Xerxes (Ahasuerus) succeeds him.
   3. Setting of Esther 1
      1. Events occur in the third year of Ahasuerus’ reign in the citadel of Susa (Esther 1:2–3).
      2. His empire spans 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1).
   4. The six‑month war council and seven‑day feast
      1. A six‑month gathering of nobles and governors functions as a war council to plan invasion of Greece.
      2. Ahasuerus seeks to avenge his father’s defeat and curb the Greek threat.
      3. He displays the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for 180 days (Esther 1:4).
      4. At the end, he hosts a lavish seven‑day feast for great and small in the citadel (Esther 1:5–8).
      5. Queen Vashti simultaneously hosts a feast for the women (Esther 1:9).
   5. Vashti’s refusal and Ahasuerus’ temper
      1. Heavy drinking marks the celebration; when Ahasuerus is “merry with wine,” he summons Vashti to display her beauty before the men (Esther 1:10–11).
      2. Vashti refuses the king’s command; the text does not specify her motive (Esther 1:12).
      3. Historically, Ahasuerus is known for a violent temper and irrational episodes.
      4. Example: when storms destroy his bridges over the Hellespont, he executes the engineers and orders soldiers to lash, bind, and stab the sea in rage (from Herodotus).
      5. Vashti’s refusal is dangerous but she is not immediately executed.
   6. Counsel of the wise men and empire‑wide decree
      1. Ahasuerus consults wise men versed in Persian law (Esther 1:13–15).
      2. Their interpretation: Vashti’s disobedience is not just against the king, but threatens male authority across the empire (Esther 1:16–18).
      3. They fear her example will inspire wives everywhere to despise their husbands.
      4. Remedy: strip Vashti of her position, forbid her to appear before the king, and choose a new queen better than she (Esther 1:19).
      5. Issue a royal decree that every man be master in his own household and wives give honor to their husbands, sending it to all provinces (Esther 1:20–22).
      6. Irony: attempt to contain bad press spreads knowledge of the queen’s defiance throughout the empire.
   7. Key truth: God’s providence guides the pagan world for His people’s good
      1. Esther 1 focuses entirely on a pagan court, politics, and palace intrigue, seemingly unrelated to God’s people.
      2. Yet this drama sets the stage for Esther’s rise and the later deliverance of the Jews.
      3. Lesson: God providentially works through the decisions of unbelieving rulers—presidents, kings, dictators, legislators—for the ultimate good of His people (Romans 8:28 implied).
      4. Application questions: How should this truth shape our response to current events and news? How should it affect our prayers for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2 implied)?
5. Esther’s Rise and Mordecai’s Loyalty (Esther 2)
   1. Four‑year gap and defeat in Greece
      1. Events of chapter 2 occur about four years after chapter 1.
      2. In that interval, Ahasuerus invades Greece and is defeated, leading to a costly and humiliating war.
      3. The war drains the empire’s resources and diminishes the king’s standing among his subjects.
   2. Empire‑wide beauty search
      1. After the failed campaign, Ahasuerus returns home and turns to replacing the queen (Esther 2:1–2).
      2. Court officials propose gathering the most beautiful young virgins from across the empire into the harem at Susa (Esther 2:2–3).
      3. The women will undergo beautification, and the one who most pleases the king will be made queen (Esther 2:3–4).
      4. Unlike typical political marriages that secure alliances, this process centers on beauty and sensual pleasure.
   3. Historical insight into Ahasuerus’ character
      1. Herodotus reports that after defeat, Ahasuerus lived a life of sensual overindulgence.
      2. He eventually dallies with the wives of generals and is assassinated in his bedroom in 465 BC.
      3. The harem of young virgins fits his character and appetites post‑war.
   4. Providentially unusual royal decisions
      1. Both the public removal of Vashti and the empire‑wide beauty contest are politically unwise and unusual.
      2. Yet these decisions are part of God’s providential ordering, preparing for Esther’s emergence.
   5. Introduction of Mordecai and Esther
      1. Mordecai is introduced as a Benjaminite, from the tribe of Benjamin (Esther 2:5).
      2. He is raising his younger orphan cousin Hadassah, whose Persian name is Esther, meaning “star” (Esther 2:7).
      3. Esther is noted first for having a beautiful figure and being lovely to look at (Esther 2:7).
      4. When the king’s agents search for beautiful young women, Esther is taken into the harem (Esther 2:8).
   6. Esther’s favor in the harem and concealed identity
      1. Esther pleases Hegai, the keeper of the harem, and wins his favor (Esther 2:9).
      2. He gives her special cosmetics, food, and advances her to the best place in the harem with seven chosen maids (Esther 2:9).
      3. Esther does not reveal her people or kindred because Mordecai commands her to conceal her Jewish identity (Esther 2:10).
      4. This approach contrasts with Daniel and his friends, who visibly seek to honor dietary laws and maintain distinctiveness (Daniel 1:8–16).
      5. Motives are unstated: it is unclear whether Esther resists or embraces the opportunity, or how she weighs Mosaic law against cultural pressures.
   7. Mordecai’s concern and Esther’s preparation
      1. Mordecai walks daily in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther is and what is happening to her (Esther 2:11).
      2. The preparation time for each woman is twelve months—six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and cosmetics (Esther 2:12).
      3. Each woman spends a night with the king and is then transferred to a second harem; she does not return unless summoned by name (Esther 2:13–14).
   8. Esther becomes queen
      1. Esther continues to win favor in the eyes of all who see her (Esther 2:15).
      2. When she goes in to Ahasuerus, he loves her more than all the other women (Esther 2:17).
      3. She wins grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; the king sets the royal crown on her head and makes her queen instead of Vashti (Esther 2:17).
      4. Ahasuerus celebrates Queen Esther with a great feast, remission of taxes, and generous gifts, despite a depleted treasury (Esther 2:18).
   9. Mordecai uncovers a plot
      1. While sitting at the king’s gate, Mordecai learns of a plot by two eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, to assassinate Ahasuerus (Esther 2:21–22).
      2. Mordecai tells Esther; she reports it to the king in Mordecai’s name (Esther 2:22).
      3. After investigation, the plot is confirmed and the conspirators are hanged (Esther 2:23).
      4. The incident is recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king, but Mordecai receives no immediate reward (Esther 2:23).
   10. Key truth: God uses life’s messiness in His providence
       1. Esther and Mordecai live as Jews in a foreign land, facing complex pressures and ambiguous choices.
       2. Esther’s assimilation, hidden identity, and participation in the harem appear morally messy when compared with Torah ideals.
       3. The author’s silence on moral evaluation leaves readers uncertain whether decisions stem from wisdom, fear, or compromise.
6. Messy Lives, Deceitful Hearts, and God’s Good Purposes
   1. Recognizing ambiguity and self‑deception
      1. Our own lives often contain complex mixtures of circumstances and choices, leading to “messy” situations in family, work, finances, and friendships.
      2. Even choices made with apparently good intentions can be tainted by unseen motives.
      3. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; we cannot fully understand our own hearts.
   2. God using even sinful choices for His purposes
      1. Scripture shows God using outright sin to accomplish His saving purposes.
      2. Classic example: Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery, which God uses to save many lives during famine.
      3. Joseph’s summary: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
      4. If God can incorporate blatant sin into His good plan, He can also use morally ambiguous and unclear situations in our lives.
   3. Call to repentance and confidence in providence
      1. Believers are commanded to repent of known sin to experience forgiveness, restoration, and life (Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9 implied).
      2. At the same time, God’s good plan will ultimately be accomplished despite the messiness and ambiguity we perceive.
      3. God’s providence assures that even when our motives are mixed and our paths tangled, He is still at work for our ultimate good and His glory (Romans 8:28 implied).
   4. Reflective questions for application
      1. Does God seem silent to you in a present struggle?
      2. How has God providentially used messy circumstances and questionable decisions in your past for your good?
      3. How does remembering God’s quiet work in your past encourage you in a current challenge?
   5. Summary of Esther 1–2 and ongoing encouragement
      1. The opening chapters lay groundwork: seemingly secular events in a pagan court are instruments of God’s covenant‑keeping providence.
      2. Though God may seem silent, He is continuously and invisibly working behind the scenes to fulfill His promises to His people.
      3. Prayerful response: praising God whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8–9), and asking for growing confidence in His providence in the coming year.

Jeremy Thomas – Teacher

1. Introduction to God’s Providence
   1. Providence as comprehensive yet incomprehensible, to be believed and embraced even though it cannot be fully explained (1 Corinthians 13:9 implied “know in part”).
   2. Call to fully believe in God’s providence even when the realities cannot be fully articulated.
   3. Need to define God’s sovereignty before defining providence.
   4. God’s sovereignty as His supreme and ultimate control over everything, everyone, everywhere, every moment.
   5. Providence defined as God’s purposeful sovereignty, with sovereignty emphasizing strength and power and providence emphasizing purpose and plan.
2. Biblical Depth of God’s Wisdom and Ways
   1. Romans 11:33–36 and the unsearchable judgments of God
      1. “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” highlighting the unsearchable nature of His judgments and inscrutable ways (Romans 11:33–36).
      2. Human beings cannot package or exhaustively explain God’s providence in statements, papers, or books.
      3. Question “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” showing that fully knowing God’s mind cannot be the goal (Romans 11:34).
      4. “Who has been his counselor?” exposing the folly of thinking we can advise or correct God’s ways (Romans 11:34).
      5. “Who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” affirming God’s independence and our inability to put Him in our debt (Romans 11:35).
      6. “For from him and through him and to him are all things” declaring God as source, means, and goal of all things; to Him be glory forever (Romans 11:36).
   2. God’s thoughts and ways higher than ours
      1. Isaiah 55:9 cited: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
      2. When our ideas about God clash with Scripture, the problem is never that our thoughts are higher than His.
      3. Providence described as perplexing, provocative, pervasive, and always purposeful.
   3. Working definition and teaching outline for providence
      1. Providence summarized as God’s purposeful sovereignty.
      2. Outline for exploring providence: God’s providence for Joseph, in Jesus, over Judas, in James, and in the life of Jeremy.
      3. Noting the providential “J” pattern in Joseph, Jesus, Judas, James, and Jeremy.
3. Providence in the Life of Joseph
   1. Narrative context in Genesis
      1. Encouragement from the lesson to read Genesis 37–50 as a sweeping narrative of God’s providence.
      2. Joseph hated by his brothers and sold into slavery (Genesis 37).
      3. Joseph raised by God to become second in command in Egypt (Genesis 41).
      4. Backdrop of a devastating famine across the known world affecting Egypt and Joseph’s family (Genesis 41–42).
   2. Genesis 45 and Joseph’s perspective on providence
      1. Joseph addressing his brothers after being exalted in Egypt (Genesis 45).
      2. “Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here” showing his settled heart (Genesis 45:5).
      3. “For God sent me before you to preserve life” emphasizing God’s sending over their selling (Genesis 45:5).
      4. Explanation of the ongoing famine and Joseph’s confidence in God’s plan for the remaining years (Genesis 45:6).
      5. “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors” tying providence to preserving a remnant (Genesis 45:7).
      6. “So it was not you who sent me here, but God” summarizing Joseph’s theology of providence (Genesis 45:8).
   3. Genesis 50 and the “you meant evil, God meant good” principle
      1. Joseph’s brothers fear retaliation after Jacob’s death (Genesis 50:15–17).
      2. Brothers confess their evil and ask for forgiveness, acknowledging transgression and sin (Genesis 50:17).
      3. Joseph weeps and hears them declare “We are your servants” showing their changed hearts (Genesis 50:18).
      4. “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?” revealing Joseph’s refusal to claim ultimate authority (Genesis 50:19).
      5. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” affirming simultaneous human evil intent and divine good intent (Genesis 50:20).
      6. God’s intent to save many lives, including Joseph’s family, and to advance His redemptive plan (Genesis 50:20).
      7. Joseph’s choice to provide for his brothers and their little ones, comforting and speaking kindly to them (Genesis 50:21).
   4. Joseph’s model of living by faith in providence
      1. Joseph acknowledges the real evil of his brothers’ actions yet focuses on God’s higher purpose.
      2. He chooses to reflect God’s love rather than react in kind to his brothers’ sin.
      3. Joseph becomes an example of trusting God’s providence in the midst of profound injustice and suffering.
4. Providence in the Crucifixion of Jesus
   1. Greatest human evil and greatest divine good
      1. The crucifixion of Jesus identified as the greatest evil ever worked by man.
      2. The cross likewise identified as the means of the greatest good ever done by God in redemption.
      3. Jesus’ followers, especially Peter, reflect on the cross through the lens of God’s providence.
   2. Acts 2 and the definite plan of God
      1. Peter preaching in Acts 2 after spending time with the risen Christ (Acts 2:22–23; Luke 24 background).
      2. Jesus of Nazareth attested by God through mighty works, wonders, and signs (Acts 2:22).
      3. “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” highlighting divine providence (Acts 2:23).
      4. “You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” underscoring human responsibility and guilt (Acts 2:23).
      5. Affirmation that God’s sovereignty does not cancel human culpability for sinful actions.
   3. Acts 4 and compatibilism in the cross
      1. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares to rulers and elders that they crucified Jesus, whom God raised (Acts 4:8–10).
      2. Jesus as the stone rejected by the builders, who has become the chief cornerstone (Acts 4:11; Psalm 118:22 allusion).
      3. Believers gather to pray, addressing God as “Sovereign Lord” (Acts 4:24).
      4. Prayer recalling those gathered against Jesus: Herod, Pontius Pilate, Gentiles, and peoples of Israel (Acts 4:27).
      5. They did “whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place,” combining divine predestination with human choices (Acts 4:28).
      6. Example of “compatibilism”: God ordains and humans freely choose, side by side, without contradiction in God’s perspective.
   4. Jesus’ own submission to the Father’s will
      1. In Gethsemane Jesus prays, “Not my will, but your will be done,” trusting the Father’s purpose in suffering (Luke 22:42).
      2. Jesus affirms that there is a divine purpose in the pain of the cross and submits to it by faith.
5. Providence and the Betrayal of Judas
   1. Jesus’ knowledge and choice of Judas
      1. Jesus chose Judas knowing he would betray Him (John 6:70–71).
      2. Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and who would betray Him (John 6:64).
   2. Satan’s role and Judas’s character
      1. The devil puts betrayal into Judas’s heart and later enters him (John 13:2, John 13:27).
      2. Judas described as a thief whose master was money (John 12:4–6).
      3. Judas acts according to his own greedy and sinful character even while being influenced by Satan.
   3. Judas fulfilling Scripture and his own will
      1. Judas’ betrayal understood as fulfillment of Scripture (Acts 1:16; Mark 14:21).
      2. He simultaneously fulfills his own sinful will and choices.
      3. Matthew 27:3–5: Judas changes his mind, admits “I have sinned,” and hangs himself, acknowledging his own guilt (Matthew 27:3–5).
      4. Judas’ self-evaluation confirms his moral responsibility despite God’s sovereignty and Satan’s influence.
   4. Parallel with Job and spiritual warfare
      1. Satan’s activity in Judas parallels Satan’s activity in the book of Job (Job 1–2).
      2. God remains sovereign over all satanic and human actions, using them without being the author of sin.
6. Living under Providence: The Book of James
   1. Planning under God’s will in James 4
      1. James addresses those who confidently plan business and profit “Today or tomorrow we will go…” (James 4:13).
      2. Reminder that we do not know what tomorrow will bring; life is a mist that appears briefly then vanishes (James 4:14).
      3. Challenge to consider whether our brief lives will reflect Christ or merely self-driven striving.
   2. Saying “If the Lord wills” as a posture of submission
      1. Instruction: “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15).
      2. God has a providential plan; humans have real choices and actions within that plan.
      3. God has not deified human decision-making, but He has dignified human beings as real moral agents with accountable choices.
   3. Desiring to align with God’s revealed will
      1. Christians are called to long to live in accordance with God’s purpose rather than in rebellion against His revealed will.
      2. Providence invites humble planning, active obedience, and trust rather than anxious self-sovereignty.
7. Experiencing Providence: The Life of Jeremy
   1. Move to Minnesota and seminary discernment
      1. Story of moving from Ohio to Minnesota connected to God’s providence.
      2. Application to Bethlehem College & Seminary and receiving a “waitlist” response instead of clear acceptance or rejection.
      3. Struggle with confusion, frustration, and the unknown while seeking God’s will.
   2. Waiting on God versus demanding answers
      1. Decision to call on the Lord before calling the seminary, choosing to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33 allusion).
      2. Phone call with the school revealing that the dean (Tom Steller) was leaving on an early-morning missions trip to Myanmar.
      3. Choice to wait for answers, recognizing that human explanations would not resolve all heart-level questions.
   3. Learning to “wait on the Lord”
      1. Remembering Isaiah 40:31: those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength, mount up with wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.
      2. Experiencing that promise in the unknown period between application and decision.
      3. Realization that God wanted to be known not only through professors and books but personally in the waiting.
   4. Perspective gained in retrospect
      1. Looking back like Joseph on 22 years, seeing God’s good hand in the eventual move and ministry.
      2. Shift from primarily wanting to know God’s future will to primarily wanting to know God Himself.
      3. Contrast with earlier seasons (college, marriage decisions) when the focus was trying to decode God’s specific will rather than trusting His providence.
   5. Deuteronomy 29:29 and revealed versus secret things
      1. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
      2. God keeps some aspects of His plan and providence hidden, calling us to trust Him with mysteries.
      3. What God has revealed belongs to us and our children so that we may do all the words of His law, emphasizing obedience over exhaustive understanding.
   6. Closing pastoral prayer
      1. Prayer that when understanding is lacking, God would help His people walk by faith, trusting Him as Shepherd (Psalm 23 allusion).
      2. Request for faith to trust God’s heart when His hand cannot be traced, embracing His purposeful sovereignty.
      3. Affirmation that God comprehensively, pervasively, and purposefully governs all things perfectly, and that the perfection lies in His ways, not in our understanding.