Sermon Synopsis
Esther’s final chapters reveal a great reversal: a people sentenced to death are rescued through God’s hidden but sovereign hand. Judgment is decreed, accomplished, and remembered—not through miracles, but through divine providence. This rescue anticipates the greater reversal achieved through Jesus Christ, where sinners are spared and justice is satisfied at the cross. The book calls God’s people to trust His unseen work, rejoice in their rescue, and live with gratitude and faith in a sovereign, covenant-keeping God.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
Esther, Episode Four
The Great Reversal: Rescue Decreed, Accomplished, and Remembered
Introduction
Good morning. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and your feedback over the past three weeks. When Darren and I set off on this journey to preach from the book of Esther, we didn’t expect it to be so challenging—but it has been deeply exciting. We have learned a great deal from each other, and from your feedback as well.
Today is the final episode in this series. As you heard, next week it will not be us but Uncle Andrew Premunda, so we won’t be able to respond directly to your feedback—but we truly appreciate all that you have shared. The QR code is still available, and although we conclude today, the book of Esther still has many riches to uncover. I hope these four weeks will serve as a springboard for your own study.
One piece of feedback I heard clearly was about speed. I went back and reflected on my motives, to ensure that I was not trying to impress anyone by squeezing as much information as possible into half an hour, but rather seeking to impress upon us the importance of God’s Word. So this week I have chosen to say less and pray that God would do more. I won’t go too fast. Last time it felt like a rocket ride; today we’ll aim for the speed of a sports car driving on Singapore roads. Still, strap in—and let’s begin.
Let us pray.
Our Father, as we look into your Word, teach us and bless us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Main Idea of Esther, Episode Four
We come now to the concluding episode of Esther—episode four. Let me begin with a question.
How relieved have you been? Or how scared have you been?
There is a connection between the two. A small scare brings small relief; a great scare brings great relief. Perhaps some of you have received a life-threatening medical diagnosis, and by God’s grace and kindness, you were healed. The fear was intense—but the relief afterward was overwhelming.
The main point I want us to grasp from this final episode is this:
Only those who have stood at the mouth of hell will truly understand and appreciate the wonder of what we have in Jesus Christ.
In these chapters, we witness frightened people transformed into a people of joy and relief. The story unfolds in three parts:
As we read chapter 8, we should watch carefully for the reversals.
King Ahasuerus has just given Queen Esther the house of Haman. Haman, the enemy of the Jews, has been executed. Mordecai now comes into the king’s presence, and the king removes his signet ring and gives it to him.
This is the first great reversal. In chapter 3, the king gave that same ring to Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Now it is given to Mordecai the Jew.
Then Esther speaks again to the king. She falls at his feet, weeps, and pleads with him to avert Haman’s evil plan. The king holds out the golden sceptre—meaning Esther has once again risked her life by appearing uninvited before the king.
Although Haman has been executed and Mordecai vindicated, the decree for the destruction of the Jews is still in force. Persian law cannot be revoked. The Jews remain under a sentence of death.
The king’s solution is another decree. Esther and Mordecai are permitted to write a new edict, sealed with the king’s ring. This is the second reversal: a counter-decree that cannot be revoked.
The content of the decree is also reversed. On the very same day appointed for their destruction, the Jews are now permitted to gather and defend their lives. The wording—to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate—is exactly the same as the original decree, but now turned against any armed force that attacks them.
Another reversal follows. When Haman’s decree was issued, the city of Susa was bewildered. Now the city erupts in joy, gladness, light, and honour. A people sentenced to death hear what is effectively a gospel proclamation promising life—and they rejoice.
Something remarkable happens as well: many people of other nationalities declare themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them. Earlier it was dangerous to admit Jewish identity. Now Gentiles are lining up to identify with God’s people. They see that the Jews have a champion in a position of supreme authority.
It is important to notice the timing. This decree is issued in the third month, but the events will not occur until the twelfth month. For nine months, the empire lives with two irrevocable decrees. People may choose to oppose the Jews—or to identify with them. There are nine months of proclamation before judgment is enacted.
Chapter 9 begins with a headline: the reverse occurred.
The Jews gain mastery over those who hated them. This happens because Mordecai has been vindicated and exalted to a position of power. Fear of him falls on the officials of the empire.
We are confronted here with violence and death, and we must read this carefully.
First, the narrator expects us to see these events as good news: a people unjustly sentenced to death are rescued.
Second, those who are killed are specifically identified as enemies and attackers of the Jews. No innocent bystanders are mentioned.
Third, and significantly, the Jews do not take plunder—even though they are permitted to do so.
In Susa, 500 men are killed, along with the ten sons of Haman. Esther then requests one more day, and a further 300 enemies are removed. Altogether, throughout the empire, 75,000 enemies of the Jews are killed.
This may shock us. But it is worth asking why there were so many violently hostile men, even in the heart of government. Esther, as an insider, likely knew there were still hundreds determined to massacre the Jews.
Three times we are told that the Jews did not take plunder. This repetition is deliberate. In the Old Testament, holy war required God’s people to act as agents of divine judgment without personal gain. This is precisely where Saul failed in 1 Samuel 15. Here, under Mordecai’s leadership, the people execute judgment without enriching themselves.
At the end of this section, we reach full resolution: the Jews gain relief from their enemies.
III. Judgment Remembered: The Feast of Purim (Esther 9:20–10:3)
The final section focuses not on killing, but on remembrance.
The feast of Purim is established to commemorate the great rescue of God’s people—their movement from sorrow to gladness, from mourning to joy. The killings are not celebrated; the rescue is.
They feast. They rejoice. They send gifts of food. And most strikingly, they give gifts to the poor. They become a people marked by generosity and overflowing joy, in contrast to their enemies.
The festival is named after pur—dice—highlighting the surprising providence of God. What seemed random was, all along, governed by the unseen hand of God.
Notice the phrase: all who joined them. Generation after generation, the door remains open for others to identify with God’s covenant people. This thanksgiving is to be universal, annual, and unceasing.
The book closes by highlighting Mordecai’s greatness—not merely because he is second to the king, but because he seeks the welfare of his people and speaks peace.
Esther and the Greater Reversal in Christ
This story points beyond itself.
A large group of people under an unjust sentence of death are rescued. Their enemies are justly judged. This finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
We live, as it were, between the third month and the twelfth month. Our champion sits at the right hand of God. At the cross, Jesus disarmed the powers of evil, yet we still await the final judgment.
The two irrevocable decrees hint at God’s irrevocable justice against sin and His irrevocable gospel decree for us—where our punishment is paid by Jesus, our substitute.
The killings of Esther 9 are not to be repeated. Vengeance belongs to God alone. What is celebrated is rescue, not judgment.
Believing Jews continued to celebrate Purim because they trusted it pointed forward to a greater, final rescue. In the same way, when we gather at the Lord’s Supper, we look back to the great reversal of the cross and forward to our final deliverance.
Those who have stood at the mouth of hell marvel most at the gospel proclamation of rescue.
The Central Theme of Esther
The central theme of Esther is this:
The hidden God uses His servants to rescue His threatened people and uphold His covenant.
Though God is never named, His unseen hand governs everything—the dismissal of Vashti, the elevation of Esther, Haman’s schemes, the casting of lots, the king’s sleepless night, and every “coincidence” in between.
For God’s people in exile, the question was whether the covenant with Abraham still stood. The answer is a resounding yes.
For us, Esther prefigures the great reversal of the cross. Esther’s mediation and Mordecai’s exaltation foreshadow Christ—the true Mediator and the righteous One exalted to supreme authority.
Faith in an Unseen God
Esther shows us that God often works through providence, not miracles. There is no fire from heaven—just God, silently at work.
Faith is not about hunting for signs. It is about trusting that our sovereign God is at work, even when He seems unseen.
Our choices matter—but God is already in charge.
A Personal Reflection
Raising children is overwhelming. My wife and I worry endlessly—about food, sleep, school, choices, influences. Will my choices today determine whether I am a good or bad parent?
Esther teaches us that Someone else is in control.
Esther and Mordecai did not always make obviously perfect choices—yet God remained sovereign. Our choices should be grounded in God’s Word, but our confidence rests in His sovereignty.
My goal for my children is not merely good behaviour, but that they would experience Christ and understand how they have been rescued from destruction—and respond with gratitude.
Whether raising children or grandchildren, choosing a career, a spouse, or a course of study—God is in control.
Faith is trusting that our unseen God will keep His promises.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for the book of Esther and for the great rescue we have in Christ. We were doomed for destruction, yet we were rescued through your Son. Help us to trust you when you seem unseen, and to rejoice in the great reversal of the cross. In Jesus’ name, Amen.