There are three things we learn at the beginning of Chapter 2- King Xerxes is a prisoner of his anger - he is a prisoner of his feelings for women - and he is a prisoner of his advisors.--Anger is not always a bad thing- You can be -good and angry- -David Powlison-- But the book of Esther portrays Ahasuerus's anger as a problem. He is angry - but his anger controls him. He is -out of control- - and so has to cool down before he can think rationally.--But then, when he cools down, he does not consider that maybe he was at fault for what happened with Vashti- As the king, he is used to having whatever he wants. And he wants women to do whatever he says---With Vashti out of favor, he wants to find someone else---He is the Great King - the King of Kings - and he is in charge- But, oddly enough, for the King of Kings - he always seems to be waiting for his advisors to tell him what to do----These three themes will recur throughout our story - Ahasuerus is driven by his anger - by his sexual appetite - and by his advisors.--And throughout the book, the theme of 'remembering' -or forgetting- will also recur. Ahasuerus tends to be forgetful. His remembering and his forgetting will play a key role in the story...

What does it mean for a Jew to be living in Persia- It means that you grandfather chose not to go back to Jerusalem. Rather than return when Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to go home in 538 B.C., instead your grandfather chose to stay in Babylon - and then he chose to take his chances by moving further east into Persia, in order to serve Cyrus - or maybe his son - your father - took a job working in Darius's court.- -And now you find yourself - 50 years later - living in a Jewish expatriate community in Susa -modern day Iran-.--The book of Esther is not about living in Exile. The Exile is over- You could go home to Jerusalem any time you like- Although -home- is an odd name for a place your family hasn't lived for more than 120 years.--The book of Esther is not about living in Exile - the book of Esther is about what it means to live in the Dispersion - the diaspora. Your identity as a people still matters - but you no longer really think of that land as your home.--In that way, Esther helps us to think about what it means to be the people of God in the new covenant-

-Sung Psalm- 52---Last week, we looked at the ninth commandment - and I've generally been preaching just one sermon per commandment in this section, but I came away from last Sunday with the sense that all I had done was lay a foundation.--We talked about the importance of thinking charitably of others - we saw the need for speaking truth in love - but I felt as though we missed a couple of key points - points that are especially important in our day.--In one sense, every generation faces the same basic issues. But every generation has to think through these issues specifically.--It's why I love the Larger Catechism's approach to the ninth commandment. In one sense it says everything that needs to be said - but today I would like to think about how to apply it to our own day.--And so today we will consider two questions arising from the Catechism---Do we have a charitable esteem for our neighbors--Are we eager to believe the best regarding them-

We've been seeing that Isaiah's vision of the new creation includes where we are right now. Isaiah speaks of the new heavens and the new earth as a place where people are born - where people die -65-20-. John, in the book of Revelation, will make clear that in the final new creation there is no death - and Jesus affirms that there is no marriage in the final new creation---But at the same time, Paul affirms that if anyone is in Christ, he participates in a new creation.--The New Creation has begun in the ascension of Jesus to the Right Hand of the Father. The New Creation has dawned in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. That's the -already- of the new creation in Jesus.--The -not yet- is what is still to come - and in between the already and the not yet, we are building - we are enriching and improving - that new creation...

-Sung Psalm- 64---The central point of the Ninth Commandment has to do with the law court.--When you stand before the judge, you must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.--But the ninth commandment has a far broader application than the legal system. Just like -you shall not kill- is about how you handle anger - because murder is about striking back at God- so also the ninth commandment -as all the commandments- has to do with what kind of person you are. Are you a person characterized by -the truth----We all like to think so. I used to think that I was a -straight shooter- - that I would just tell it the way I saw it----But I'm not. I tend to think an awful lot - and sometimes too much - about how the other person will hear what I am about to say. In one sense, it's a good trait- It is good to be sensitive to how others will hear you---But sometimes it gets in the way of the truth. Sometimes I wind up trying to out-think the Holy Spirit - and that never ends well...

The creation of a New Jerusalem, the city of the living God. This is the heart of Isaiah's message to Israel and Judah.--Exile is coming. And after the Exile, even the Restoration is not going to bring about a fundamental change.--Only when my Singular Servant comes to suffer, only when the Anointed One arises to conquer, only then will I establish a new creation. Only then will I change the hearts of my servants so that they might seek me as I desire.- -But first we start with God's readiness to save the Gentiles...

-Sung Psalm- 15---The Eighth Commandment is, You shall not steal.--And when one thing is forbidden, its opposite is commanded. What is the opposite of stealing- ---Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.---Paul says that there are two parts- labor - working honestly - and giving to those in need...

Having heard of the promise of the coming of the Anointed Conqueror, the righteous remnant now lift up their prayers in response to God's promise.--We are drawing to the end of Isaiah's prophecy. The message of salvation has been announced. Now he gives the faithful a model for their prayers as they await the coming of that day. And as such, it is useful for us. Because while we live on the other side of the coming of the Christ, we still anticipate his return and the final consummation of his kingdom...

-Sung Psalm- 45---God's commands are not burdensome. Jesus calls us to take his yoke upon us - for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. When we walk willingly in God's ways, then we find out how easy it is- But when we grumble and rebel - then we find out how heavy and burdensome disobedience can be---God's law is not a straitjacket to bind you, but the path of true freedom and contentment.--The seventh commandment is an excellent example of this. The sexual revolution promised freedom and happiness to all. All manner of sexual sins-from adultery to homosexuality to fornication - have been encouraged and rewarded.--But what has it produced- The self-indulgent quest for pleasure invariably reaps a harvest of pain and anguish. Divorce rates have skyrocketed. Sexually transmitted diseases have brought both fear and death. Unwanted pregnancies have resulted in a meteoric rise in the abortion rate as well. In order to hide from the consequences of breaking the seventh commandment, people frequently break the sixth commandment as well, murdering the unborn, hoping to escape from the consequences of their sins.--Sin produces fear, misery, and death.

In Isaiah 59, we heard of the Anointed Conqueror - when God himself comes to do what Israel has failed to do---Now in chapter 61, we hear again of the Anointed Conqueror who is given the Word and Spirit of God. -Cf Is 59----The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the poor---Isaiah 60-15-22 spoke of how Zion's sorrows would be replaced with joy. Now we hear that it is the Anointed Conqueror who will do this. His dual ministry of vengeance and comfort fits nicely with Isaiah 59 as well...