Big Idea: God doesn’t change problems; he changes people.

Esther 9:1-17

I. God moves at the perfect moment

Esther 9:1-5

The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them; fear of them fell on every nationality. All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai. For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful. The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them.

II. Only God can turn the tides

Esther 9:6-10

In the fortress of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not seize any plunder.

III. God is the only warrior that matters

Esther 9:11-17

On that day the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king. The king said to Queen Esther, “In the fortress of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek will also be done.” Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews who are in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s law, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hung on the gallows.” The king gave the orders for this to be done, so a law was announced in Susa, and they hung the bodies of Haman’s ten sons. The Jews in Susa assembled again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men in Susa, but they did not seize any plunder. The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces assembled, defended themselves, and gained relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not seize any plunder. They fought on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar and rested on the fourteenth, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing.

Next Steps: 

• Believe: I need God to change me today.
• Become: I will serve someone in need this week.
• Be Sent: I want to see God change my city, one person at a time.

Discussion Questions: 

1. When was the last time you faced opposition for doing the right thing?
2. Who in your life does God most need to change?
3. Has there been a situation you thought was too far gone for even God to change it?
4. If God is the only factor that matters in our problems, why do we worry about our circumstances?
5. Describe a time when you persevered, even though you wanted to give up.  How did it turn out?
6. How does it affect your faith when God doesn’t respond when you want him to?
7. Pray for the Holy Spirit to make you an agent of change in your city.