Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

A New Queen - God is still in control

Bryan Schneider · January 23, 2021

Esther 2

sharonrpc.org/sermons/god-is-still-in-control

Summary

Esther 2 introduces a vulnerable Jewish orphan in exile who is raised by Mordecai and taken into the Persian king's selection process.
The narrative reports Esther's concealment of her people and participation in the court without supplying simple moral approval of every decision.
Esther receives favor from the custodian and the king, is crowned queen instead of Vashti, and becomes publicly honored while her Jewish identity remains unknown.
The morally troubling court and Esther's ambiguous choices prevent readers from treating her or any other human character as an unqualified hero.
Scripture repeatedly shows God accomplishing holy purposes through flawed, confused, and sometimes disobedient people without approving their sin.
God's providence also governs powerful political structures and human decisions that appear opposed to his ways.
Believers need not be perfect heroes for God's kingdom to advance, yet grace is never permission to choose evil as a strategy.
In regret, uncertainty, and complex circumstances, Christians confess sin, seek Scripture and wisdom, keep living faithfully, and trust God's sovereign goodness.

What vulnerability marks Esther's life before she enters the Persian court?
What does the passive statement that Esther was taken suggest about her control over the situation?
Why does the narrative's silence about motives require caution before praising or condemning every detail?
What theological and moral tensions arise from Esther concealing her identity and entering the king's household?
How does Esther receive favor and become queen?
Why should readers resist making Esther, Mordecai, or the Persian king the flawless hero of the story?
How can God use sinful people and structures without approving their sin?
Why is trust in providence not permission to do evil so that good may result?
How should believers respond to regret over past decisions and uncertainty about present choices?

Providence: God's holy, wise, and powerful rule over creatures, decisions, institutions, and outcomes for his glory.
Moral ambiguity: A situation in which the narrative reports complex conduct without simplifying every motive or decision into obvious approval.
Exile: The displaced condition of Jewish people living under foreign imperial rule outside the covenant land.
Favor: The positive regard Esther receives from the royal custodian, observers, and king as events move toward her queenship.
Human fallibility: The confusion, mixed motives, weakness, and sin that characterize every biblical figure except Jesus.
Divine sovereignty: God's unrestricted authority and effective rule, which no sinful person or political system can frustrate.
Faithful wisdom: Prayerful obedience to revealed truth amid difficult circumstances without claiming that a desired outcome excuses sin.