Pastor John Jahnke

God’s Justice and Sovereignty in the Book of Esther

Introduction & Context of Esther

Well, thanks, Pastor Dan, for the opportunity to speak this morning, and thank you all for being here. We’ve been in a series on the Book of Esther, and Pastor Dan has taught so far about many different things leading up to where we’re going to be this morning. He talked about trusting God in life’s cast, being chosen for a purpose, trusting God when hatred surrounds you, faith over fear to fulfill your purpose, your breakthrough starts with one risky step, and maybe feeling forgotten—God’s answer is on the way.
Today, we’ll be looking at the power of Truth and Justice from Esther chapter 7. So go ahead and turn there in your Bibles. If you’re using a digital device, I will be reading from the NIV, so you can turn there as well and make sure you’re on the NIV so it doesn’t confuse you, as there are different words from different translations.
At this point in the series, I believe it’s important to make some notes about the Book of Esther because the Old Testament is a mastery of literary skill. The way they wrote, they put things in poetry, and they used different literary skills to make the reader take a step back and say, “Oh, man, I need to pay attention. Maybe I need to look back at some things. It seems like the reader is trying to get me to understand something—truth from the Lord—and I need to make sure I’m getting it.”

The Literary Structure of Esther

The Jewish way of teaching is very different from our Western way of teaching. If you grew up in our schools and you went to our colleges, they put up a bunch of information, and it’s like a download—you take a bunch of notes, and you write things down, and lots of lists and stuff like that. That’s our Western way of teaching.
But the Jewish way of teaching was not like that. It was an invitation for discovery. So when you read things from the Old Testament, you have to put your Western thinking aside for a second and make sure that you are trying to discover what God has to say. The author is giving us clues to look, saying, “Okay, take a step back. Maybe you need to re-read some things. Maybe you need to look at what’s going on.”
And that’s what we’re going to do here this morning. Because our goal is to discover the meaning of what God has to say, take it to heart, and then apply it to our lives. So let’s look at Esther to discover what God has to say and understand how it applies to our lives.

The Hidden Presence of God in Esther

As Pastor Dan mentioned early in the series, Esther doesn’t even mention God. And it’s such a brilliant thing that the author did, to give us an invitation to look for God working behind the scenes. That’s the goal that the writer had. Instead of explicitly saying things, it’s like, “Hey, go back and re-read. Look for what God is doing. It’s an invitation for you to find out what God is doing.”
The writer uses sets—sets of two different things together. He uses sets of feasts to cause the reader to step back and take a second look and see what God is doing. And we’re particularly going to look at a set of two feasts today because chapter 7 is the second time Esther brings this feast for the king and Haman.
There’s another literary device that the writer uses—it’s called a chiastic structure. It gives a statement or an idea, and then it uses a symmetrical structure to repeat those things—that word or idea. As you see in your notes, there’s a thought or idea, then another thought or idea, then another thought or idea, and then it comes back in parallel to what had been said before. They use that to say, “Take a step back. Pay attention. See what’s going on.”
The Book of Esther is a chiastic inverted parallel. Now—don’t get intimidated by those words! I know they seem a little bit long. It just means that the chiastic structure shows a reversal following a pivot point—a climax—where everything changes.

The Rise of Haman’s Wicked Plans

So, let’s look at this chiastic inverted parallel of Esther. In the early chapters, the author declares the greatness of Ahasuerus. Other translations say Xerxes is the name of the king. Then you see two feasts that he puts together for all of the Persians.
Why? To celebrate his greatness and show off, right? He’s showing off—one in all of the provinces everywhere—and this takes place for a long time. Dude was rich, and he wanted to show it off. And then, another feast in the capital city.
Then there’s Mordecai and Esther. They work together to save the king. And even before this point, there’s another little chiasm that the author puts in there—of the deposed Queen Vashti and then the ascension of Esther to that position. The author wanted you to pay attention to what’s going to happen in her life and what God is doing.

Haman’s Downfall and Justice Served

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “Well, a gallows 75 feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, because he was going to kill him—you know, the guy who spoke up to help the king and save his life? He was going to murder him.”
And the king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.
Justice had been done.

God’s Sovereign Protection of His People

What a transition in between these two feasts that the author set up for you to take a look—and then to go back and take another look—and go back and take another look and say, “I see now what God was doing.”
When hope seems lost, when life seems like it’s going to be over, God is working His plan behind the scenes. God never abandons His purposes or His people—never. You see that all throughout the Old Testament. And when His people were getting ready to go into the Promised Land, God gave that promise:
"I’ll never leave you. I’ll never forsake you."
Forsake—you know, treat as if you don’t even care about. No. God says, "I care deeply for my people, and I will take care of you."
You may not always see it. Things may not look so good. But He is working. He is working on your behalf.

God’s Justice Over Wickedness

Even when wicked people seem to be prevailing, God is protecting His people. Haman was a wicked, vile, deceitful individual. He didn’t care about life. He just had a huge ego and wanted everybody to look to him and bow down to him.
Mordecai refused to do so because he was a Jewish person, and he would only bow down to God. That infuriated Haman. He wanted to destroy Mordecai, and not just him—all of his people. The entire Jewish nation was now at risk.
It didn’t look so good for them. But when wicked people seem to be prevailing, God is working out His plan and His purpose to protect His people.
When deceit and wrongdoing are prevalent, God will bring truth and justice. Justice was served against Haman.
You see—at just the right time, God gave an opportunity for the truth to come out, and justice was served.
That’s the power of God.

Jesus: The Ultimate Truth and Justice

And you know what? This story in Esther points to the greatest act of Truth and Justice in history—Jesus Christ.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth and took on our punishment. He was innocent, yet He was hung on a cross—the ultimate act of injustice. But—just like in Esther—the story wasn’t over.
On the third day, Jesus rose again, proving He had defeated sin and death. And one day, He will return again—this time to bring final truth and justice.
When He comes again, He will expose all evil, judge with perfect justice, and restore all things.

Trusting God’s Plan in Uncertain Times

Maybe today, you’re facing a situation where wicked people seem to be winning. Maybe you’re wondering, “Where is God? Why isn’t He doing something?” Take a step back. Look again.
Because God is always working behind the scenes. Maybe He’s preparing you for a specific moment. Maybe He’s positioning you to make a difference. Maybe He’s asking you to trust Him and wait. Whatever the case—He sees. He knows. And He will act.
And just like Esther, maybe God has placed you where you are “for such a time as this.”
So today—trust in Him. Because when everything seems lost—God is still in control.

An Invitation to Trust in Jesus

Maybe you’re watching online today, or you’re here in the room, and you’re saying, “I want to be a child of God. I am far from Him, but I want to draw near today. I want my life to be changed and different.”
You can place your trust in Jesus today and receive that transformation. You can then see how God will work things out in your life.
There’s another verse in Romans, 8:28, that is often misquoted. It says:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."
It doesn’t say, “God causes all things.” Because God doesn’t cause evil. He doesn’t cause evil things in this world or in your life.
Rather, the verse means that in all things—no matter what the circumstance, no matter what evil may be coming against you—God is still working. Even though you may not see it, He will work for your good if you love Him and are called according to His purpose.
If that’s you, whether watching online or sitting here today, you can simply say this prayer:
"God, I’m sorry for the things I’ve done wrong. Please forgive me and transform me. I believe in Jesus. I believe that He came to this earth, and He died for my sins, and He rose again, and He is eternally with You, and He’s coming again to bring truth and justice and fix what is wrong in this world."
"I believe that. And I want Him to fix me right now. Help me to do better from this day forward. Fill me up with Your Holy Spirit so that I am renewed and changed, and I can follow what You say."
Simple as that.

A Call to Trust God in Your Situation

Maybe you are seeing circumstances in your life that seem unfair or uncertain. Maybe you’re wondering, “Where’s God? When’s He going to fix this?”
Today, you can say, “I trust You, God. I put it in Your hands—Your mighty hand that can change things. Your mighty hands that are working even right now, even when I don’t see it. I trust You.”