Fingerprints of God: In Sovereign Silence

If you feel God has abandoned you, don’t mistaken the silence of God for the absence of God; trust God’s Word— it says, He will never leave you or forsake you.

Esther 1 - Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,  ² in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, ³ in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, ⁴ while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. ⁵ And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. ⁶ There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods^[a] and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. ⁷ Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. ⁸ And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. ⁹ Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown,^[b] in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

¹³ Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, ¹⁴ the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom): ¹⁵ “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” ¹⁶ Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. ¹⁷ For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt,^[c] since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ ¹⁸ This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. ¹⁹ If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. ²⁰ So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” ²¹ This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. ²² He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.

What do you do when God seems silent? Do you feel abandoned? Listen to what someone said on an online forum, “Why doesn't God ever do anything for me, no matter how much I pray…. Why has God abandoned me?” Another person said, “It feels like God is slamming every door closed, and I’m tired of waiting.” Do you feel like that?

The problem is that many people mistaken the silence of God for the absence of God. They need to know that they may feel discouraged, but God is neither absent nor does He ever abandon His people. If any book of the Bible demonstrates that, it is the book of Esther.

Today, with Esther 1, we begin our summer sermon series “Fingerprints of God,” a nine-week journey through the book of Esther. It is a book in which God is never mentioned, yet in the deliberate sovereign silence, His fingerprints are all over the story.

The big idea is not to mistaken God’s silence for God’s absence. He will never leave us or forsake us. We see that in Esther 1 as God, in sovereign silence, aligned three events in the story to set the stage for His purpose through the display of earthly power, the danger of human pride, and the damage of insecure people.

The Display of Earthly Power (Esther 1:1-9)

Esther 1 starts, “¹ Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, ² in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, ³ in the third year of his reign, he gave a feast for all his officials and servants.” At the time, there was no one like Ahasuerus on earth. His dominion over 127 provinces stretched from Asia Minor down into Africa and across to the northern parts of India. So, the display of his power was an ordinary event, yet God behind the scenes was working on something big. Ahasuerus is the English transliteration of the Hebrew form of the Persian name. We know him by his Greek name, Xerxes. Some Bible translations use Xerxes rather than Ahasuerus. Portions of Daniel and Ezra talk about him. Also, Nehemiah talks about him because Ezra and Nehemiah were a combined book in the Hebrew Bible. They talk about his power and might from a distance, but the author of Esther takes us inside the king’s house— his palace in present-day Iran. In our contemporary setting, this is equivalent to being at the White House. We do not know who wrote the book of Esther, but whoever wrote it knew Persian laws, customs, and traditions.

The Jewish scholars believe Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, wrote this book. For Jews, this book is the epitome of God’s eternal promise of deliverance for His chosen people. Therefore, every year, Jews read Esther during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Christian scholarship has mixed feelings about the book. Some thought it should not have been in the Christian canon, because they thought it glorifies the pagan practice of Purim, it has no moral or religious value, and above all, it lacks explicit mention of God. However, others saw Esther as a story of faith, courage, and trust in God even when He seems silent. By the way, Esther is one of only two books in the Bible named after women; the other book is Ruth, which we studied last summer.

Anyhow, the point is, the author is an insider who in verse 3b-4 continues with the purpose of the display of earthly power, it reads, “^3b The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, ⁴ while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.” So, hundreds of thousands of individuals from all over the world were invited. I am sure these delegates came in waves. Therefore, the party lasted six months.

But six months were not enough to display King Ahasuerus’ wealth and power, so, verse 5 continues, “And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace.” It is like opening the White House to the general public for seven days and lavishing them with presents. Imagine the expense and the security nightmare. The author of our story does not feel the need to mention why the king had such an extravagant gathering; perhaps because it was obvious to everyone. It must have been the talk of the town. World history tells us it was the time when King Ahasuerus was preparing for a massive military campaign against Greece, the only part of the world that was not under his sovereign control.

So, on one hand, the feast was a display of power to inspire the Persians, and on the other hand, it was to instill fear in officials and rulers serving him in other parts of the world that if they revolt, they would be met with the might of the Persian Empire. It is a strategic move.

Esther 1:6 continues to detail the royal grandeur, saying, “There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones.” This type of description of the glory of a place was last seen in the temple back in Jerusalem before the exile.

Verse 7-8 continues, “⁷ Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. ⁸ And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion [which meant no restriction].” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired.”

All of this can be illustrated with a movie set. It looks impressive from the outside, but hollow behind the curtain. This is evident in verse 9, which says, “Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.” Notice that the Queen hosted a separate party in the palace with the emphasis that the palaces belonged to the king and not the Queen, his wife.

Application

Be cautious of measuring success by external splendor—God is unimpressed by the display of power. King Ahasuerus was empty from within. Empty people often look for worldly things to fill a hole in their lives that only God can fill. The passage shows that the king was drunk not only on wine but also on power and pride. God used that to set things in motion for His purpose. This leads us to the second ordinary event that seems no big deal.

The Danger of Human Pride (Esther 1:10–12)

Esther 1:10-12 continues, “¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, in other words, when he was drunk, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this, the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.”  Many Bible teachers believe that the king wanted her to come out in nothing but a royal crown. Even if that were not the case, the king should have thought about her self-respect and dignity. The danger of human pride is that it sees no one else, whether spouse, children, friends, or family members. It is intensified with drunkenness.

God’s Word speaks against both being drunk and being prideful. A good example is in James 4:6, which says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Application

Be cautious of the dangers of human pride. God often humbles us through unexpected resistance. In this story, God humbled the most powerful man on earth through his own wife. Her resistance and refusal to submit to his command crumbled his control before the eyes of the very people in front of which he wanted to parade her. This leads to the third event that we see in the sovereign silence that has the fingerprints of God to place His people in positions necessary to protect His people.

The Damage of Insecure People (Esther 1:13–22)

Esther 1 finishes with, “¹³ Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, ¹⁴ the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom).” [Did you notice, three mentions of sevens: seven days, seven eunuchs and now seven advisors, clearly, the number seven had some significance in Persian culture. In the Bible, the number seven is the number of perfection, thus the number of God. God, in silence, was working.] Verse 15 continues, “¹⁵ “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” ¹⁶ Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. ¹⁷ For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ ¹⁸ This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. ¹⁹ If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. ²⁰ So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” ²¹ This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. ²² He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.”

The one wise thing King Ahasuerus did was that he sought out counsel, but the problem is that his advisors were as insecure as he; even their laws revealed their insecurity. They were made to enforce respect and honor in the household. This issue of insecurity and dominance continues to damage marriages even among Christians. The fear of losing male control in a household led to forming an unamenable law that was damaging for marriages.

We see many examples of such laws in our country made to please people out of fear of losing control— even laws that contradict God’s design of marriage between man and woman.

Application

God’s silent providence moves even through flawed laws.

Closing Thought

Imagine then, if in the display of power, the danger of pride, and the damage of insecure people, God was positioning everything for His redemptive purpose for His people-Israel. What stops Him today from positioning everything in our lives for His redemptive purposes? The book of Esther is not a story of fate, luck, or coincidence. It is a testimony to the providence of God, the sovereignty of God, and the faithfulness of God—even when He seems silent.

Action Step

Look for God’s fingerprints. Too many people miss God’s promised presence because they mistake God’s silence for God’s absence. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet named Elijah, mistook His sovereign silence for His absence. He was running for his life because of an evil queen, Jezebel, who wanted him dead. He felt he alone was fighting against the evil queen. 1 Kings 19:4 says, he prayed that he might die— ‘I have had enough, Lord, take my life.’ The following verses tell us that God told Elijah to stand on a certain mountain so that He could speak to him. Elijah did as he was commanded. First came the wind, God wasn’t in it. Then came the earthquake. He wasn’t there, then came the fire. He wasn’t there either. Then came a gentle whisper and God was there to comfort him. Elijah thought he was alone and Elijah thought God was silent, when in fact he looked for God in all the wrong or usual and expected places.

Sometimes, He wants us to let the sovereign silence direct the affairs of our life without demanding a physical, auditory response from God. However, sometimes God wants us to take the first steps like Elijah and climb high mountains of difficulties to hear Him clearly.  You might be standing on the mountain for some time to hear from God, but it seems silent. Perhaps like Elijah, you have been looking for Him in all the wrong, usual, and expected places. Perhaps haven’t stopped thinking, talking, and doubting. Sometimes God wants us to shut up and shut out all other noises to hear His whisper in the sovereign silence. However, sometimes He wants us to do is look for God’s fingerprints on our lives and the events surrounding us.

Appeal

If you are wondering where God is in the midst of your life difficulties, if you have been praying and getting tired of waiting, if you feel God has abandoned you, don’t mistaken the silence of God for the absence of God; trust God’s Word— it says, He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

Read More

Hear the full message

Read more First Baptist Metuchen blogs