Pleading on Behalf of Others

Like Haman, Mordecai made sure the decree was written in every language and delivered as quickly as possible throughout the empire. In describing the method of delivery, the author lets us see the horses. Baldwin says, “These then were the equivalent of today’s racehorses, bred from the royal stud (lit. ‘sons of the royal mares’)” (Esther, 96). If it were possible, Mordecai would have paid extra for same-day delivery. Good news was on the way for God’s people. How beautiful were the hooves delivering it!

As I contrast Esther 4:1-3 with 8:15-17, Isaiah 61:3 comes to mind. There the prophet says the Lord’s people will receive “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair.” Also the psalmist rejoices, “You turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness” (Ps 30:11). Selfishly, where the author of Esther describes the reaction of the Jews throughout the empire, I wish what is written in Psalm 30:12 would have been added: “I can sing to you and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” The author notes their gladness, but if they expressed gratitude to God specifically, it is not recorded. Regardless, as the new edict advanced through the empire, so did joy among the Jews. For them fear was replaced with feasting, but for others feasting was replaced with fear. Professing to be a Jew became all the rage at that time in the empire, but that did not make such claims real.

Speaking of real, when Mordecai left the palace and walked among the people, my man was sporting some new threads. His new robes led to the entire city rejoicing. Talk about a transformation! It was a makeover he could never have imagined but one the Lord had completely planned.

If Anna Spafford had been given her preference, she never would have chosen to be “saved alone.” We have seen in our text where Esther stood. She was not just concerned about her own survival but for the survival of her people as well. Our salvation is not just an end in itself. May God use our being reconciled to him as a means of advancing the gospel in and through us, and then God will receive great glory.

Do you have a genuine concern for non-Christians? Or are you content with having your own Willy Wonka-like golden ticket to heaven but feel no compassion for those who do not? Some people claim to be concerned about those who are outside of Christ, but Paul genuinely was, and he called on the Holy Spirit to be his witness:

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood. (Rom 9:1-3)

Now that is concern. If it were possible, Paul was willing to trade his own salvation so that none of his people, the Israelites (9:4), would perish. And Paul’s burden never dissipated. His sorrow and anguish over their spiritual state was unceasing. Sometimes we have seasons of concern for the lost, but then something else captures our attention, and our regard for them wanes.

In Philippians 3:18, Paul told the believers in Philippi, “I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” He added, “Their end is destruction” (Phil 3:19). Even as Paul wrote that, he was weeping for the many people who were living as Christ’s enemies and, if they failed to repent and believe, would be destroyed. Paul wept for those who needed to be delivered. Esther wept for those who needed to be delivered. But do we weep for those who need to be delivered? Esther told Ahasuerus she could not “bear to see the disaster that would come on” or “the destruction of” her people (8:6). This should make us question whether we are living as if we can bear with people perishing. Like Paul and Esther, Adoniram Judson certainly could not. 

Soon after he became a Christian, Judson felt burdened to serve the Lord as a foreign missionary. In the early 1800s in America, however, not only was there no missions-sending agency within his own Congregationalist denomination, but there was no other mission board from which he could seek support. In his passion for those who were perishing without Christ, Judson penned an article titled, “Concern for the Salvation of the Heathen,” which was published in two magazines (Benge and Benge, Adoniram Judson, 52). In it Judson expressed his frustration with so many “Christians” who seemed unconcerned for those dying without having an opportunity to hear the gospel. He wrote,

How do Christians discharge this trust committed to them? They let three-fourths of the world sleep the sleep of death, ignorant of the simple truth that a Savior died for them. Content if they can be useful in the little circle of their acquaintances, they quietly sit and see whole nations perish for lack of knowledge. (Anderson, To the Golden Shore, 63–64)

God would use Judson to help form one of the first missions organizations in America and then to serve as one of the first missionaries to be sent. Driven by deep concern for the souls of others, Adoniram and his wife, Ann, would sacrifice greatly for the sake of the gospel in Burma.

Are we in any way like those who aggravated and grieved Adoniram Judson, those who seemed so unconcerned that so many perish in our world without knowledge of Christ? How much does our concern for non-Christians impact our weekly agendas? May our attitude never be, “Chill on that evangelism topic; I’m good!” or, “I’m saved—that spreading the gospel thing is someone else’s problem.”

Referencing Jesus, Matthew says, “When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36). If you currently lack compassion for the lost, I know who can help you. In fact, I often pray, “Jesus, please help me feel as much compassion for the lost as you felt for me.” How awful it would have been that night in college when my apartment caught fire if I had just said, “I am safe,” but then done nothing for my roommate sleeping upstairs. Esther could not have demonstrated her concern for others more clearly. Could the same be said about us?

In light of Esther’s perseverance in pleading to the king, I want to challenge you to keep praying in three ways. First, maybe you are close to giving up on praying for someone or about something today. Keep praying. Keep pleading. Keep travailing in prayer.

Second, keep asking “the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest” (Matt 9:38). One of the requests I bring before the Lord most often is that he will send believers out who love him, who love his Word, and who want to see all peoples have Scripture in their languages. Every youth/college event I preach, I ask those present to consider, as a possible career choice, immersing themselves with a people group and translating the Bible into their language. One of the families from our congregation, I am happy to report, will be coming home soon on furlough from where they have been serving with the Wycliffe Bible Translators. I am thankful for their obedience and sacrifice.

Third, like Paul, I hope we will not just pray passionately for people to come to Christ but also for them to grow in Christ. Paul prayed just as fervently for the sanctification of those he knew as he did for their justification. A great example of Paul’s prayer for Christians postconversion is Colossians 1:9-14. He prays for new believers to know what God wants (1:9) so they will do it (1:10) in God’s power (1:11) and because of the gospel (1:12-14). May the Lord empower us never to grow weary of praying and pleading for others.

Wherever the proclamation written by Mordecai was read, joy followed, and that was just for an announcement that gave God’s people the right to defend themselves. How much more joy will come from our announcing not just a victory that is possible but one that has already been won? Like the couriers we should carry this great news as far and as quickly as possible. As Jerry Bridges said,

We are not to be a terminus point for the gospel, but rather a way station in its progress to the ends of the earth. God intends that everyone who has embraced the gospel become a part of the great enterprise of spreading the gospel. What our particular part in this great enterprise may be will vary from person to person, but all of us should be involved. (The Gospel for Real Life, 166)

May our prayer always be, “Let the peoples praise you, God; let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy” (Ps 67:3-4). Our High King has decreed deliverance from the curse of death. Joy spreads wherever this good news is announced. Who needs to hear it from you today?

The edict that Mordecai sent out informed the Jews the king granted them permission to defend themselves. If the Jews celebrated in hearing that they could at least fight for victory, how much greater should our rejoicing be since Christ has won ours? This great news has implications for our celebration. Our hope is certain. In fact, I often say our hope is not fingers crossed (hoping my team will win the game) but thumbs up (our hope is definite). We have no doubts Christ has already won the war and, in him, so will we.

The news of Christ’s victory also has implications for our sanctification. We do not fight from a defeated position but from a delivered one. Christ has broken the power of our enemies. If we find ourselves feeling defeated, we need to consider two possibilities: We may be returning power where it has been relinquished (like those who still choose to obey a deposed leader). Or we may not be relying on Christ’s power.

Let me give you even more good news. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” The fact we can do nothing without Christ is not all I want you to see here. The fact he never asks us to do anything without him is what I do not want you to miss. Christ does not expect us to obey a single command of his in our own strength. He knows we cannot. In him, however, we are not just hoping things will turn out for our good and God’s glory. We know they will.

For the Jews in the Persian Empire, preservation would not come just from an announcement but from action. We will discuss more about this when we cover Esther 9:1–10:3, but it is worth noting here as well. If God’s people were going to be saved, they would have to fight those who attacked them. While Jesus has done all of the fighting necessary for our atonement, it does not mean we are passive in our sanctification. Yes, we strive from a position of victory, but also yes, we have to strive and to put forth effort for our advance in what Christ has achieved.

Those to whom God in his power had given “everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness,” Peter exhorted to

make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (2 Pet 1:3, 5-7)

They were not to make every effort in hopes of having what they needed for life and godliness but because they already had it. For Paul the gospel did not produce passivity but a pressing on toward the “prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). He pursued this goal not in hopes of Christ taking hold of his life but “because [he had] been taken hold of by Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:12). The Jews had permission to defend themselves, but they would still have to do their part. In Christ we do not just have permission; we have his power and his promises that fuel our progress in him.

In Esther 8:17 the author notes that after the new decree was distributed, “many of the ethnic groups . . . professed themselves to be Jews.” Were these declarations genuine? Only God knows. We certainly see Rahab’s conversion to the people of God when the fear of God seized the inhabitants of Canaan (Josh 2). But were the ethnic groups in Persia just switching to what seemed to be the winning team without experiencing true heart change? Again, we cannot know for certain. All we can know is what the biblical author tells us: fear of the Jews had seized them, and thus they declared themselves Jews.

I do not know where all those people are now, but I hope their declarations were real. Even more, I hope our discipleship is not just profession but practice. I once was at a special event at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Kelley, the NOBTS president, said our denomination had seen a lot of people make decisions about Christ, but we had not produced a lot of disciples for Christ. His words hit me like a lightning bolt that night, and I have never forgotten them. I hope your conversion is genuine and that you are not declaring yourself to be something you are not. May our discipleship be our loudest declaration.

In the beginning of the book of Esther, the author informs us that Ahasuerus reigned over 127 provinces, and in the first chapter we get no news about any Jews at all. But when we arrive at Esther 8, two of the three most powerful people in the Persian Empire are God’s people. No matter how perceptive any reader might claim to be, only God saw that coming because he was an active participant in making it happen.

But like the late-night salespeople who hawk their wares on television and continue to sweeten the deal, I have even more for you to consider. God does not just place his people in positions of power, but he places his enemies in their positions as well. As God told Pharaoh, “I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth” (Exod 9:16). Jesus told Pilate, “You would have no authority over me at all if it hadn’t been given you from above” (John 19:11). And consider this verse that I taught my oldest daughter, Arabella, one morning while we were having pancakes and Proverbs: “The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster” (Prov 16:4). Take just a moment to bask in God’s omnipotence and sovereignty. And be encouraged that no matter who is the “current ruler of the land” in any land and at any time, God not only brings a person up but also brings a person down and moves his people into positions of power for his purposes.

Without doubt Jesus is a better mediator than not just Esther but anyone. There is no one more qualified to plead on our behalf (Heb 4:14–5:10). And he longs to do this job instead of loathing it! Let that wash over you for a moment. His role as intercessor is full of delight for him rather than drudgery. Esther could barely gain access to the king for herself, but through Christ our access to the Father is never in doubt. His passion, however, is not just evidenced in his supplications on our behalf but also in his substitution. He does not just ask; he acts.

Throughout the book Ahasuerus seems ambivalent about who lives and who dies except for when Esther’s life was threatened. Were it not for Esther’s persistence in interceding for her people, he most likely would not have had anything else written concerning the Jews. Unlike Ahasuerus, however, our heavenly Father is not in need of being convinced and is not merely contemplating our salvation; he is contriving and completing it. Our salvation was not only his idea but his achievement. Paul says,

Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. (2 Cor 5:18-19)

As a matter of fact, it is not Jesus who is giving us to the Father but the Father who is giving us to Jesus (John 6:44). We come to Jesus because the Father gives us to him. How amazing is it that we do not have to try to persuade God to rescue us, but he is working to overcome all of our rebellion?

The picture of Mordecai walking through town in his splendid new robes cannot contrast any more starkly than with the earlier image of Mordecai wearing sackcloth and mourning at the King’s Gate. Change occurred, and Mordecai would never be the same again. In even more dramatic fashion, God’s love transforms us. He comes to us when we are dead in our sin, but then he makes us alive in Christ and empowers us to go forth as his workmanship (Eph 2:1-10). In Ezekiel 16 God reminds his people that when they were abandoned (16:1-5), he adopted them (16:6-8), and then he adorned them with his extravagant and transforming love (16:9-14). He says, “Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through my splendor, which I had bestowed on you. This is the declaration of the Lord God” (Ezek 16:14). Mordecai’s transition was caused by another, and so is ours. May we always join Paul in saying, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Cor 15:10).

What should we do in response to this text? Here are a few suggestions: (1) Plead to our King on behalf of someone or even on behalf of an entire ethnic group right now. (2) Persevere in your pleading. Do not be discouraged and do not quit. (3) Be positive you are in Christ. There could be no greater tragedy than to think you are in Christ only to find out in eternity that you were not. (4) Praise God for his power, his always doing what is right, and his desire to save you long before you even knew he existed. (5) Praise Jesus for his great intercession on our behalf.