Each week in this sermon series on the book of Esther, the passages have highlighted a particular character in the narrative: we met King Ahasuerus and Queen Vashti in chapter 1 then Esther and her guardian Mordecai in chapter 2. This week, in chapter 3, we encounter the villain of the story, Haman. He unfolds a plot to eliminate the troublesome Hebrews from the empire. But throughout our service, the Scripture readings remind us of the promise that Haman, like all who hate the Lord and His people, will ultimately fail. We read in Isaiah 35:4 that “God will come with might . . . He will come and save you.” In Isaiah 42:13, we are reminded, “The Lord goes out like a mighty man . . . He shows Himself mighty against His foes.” The hymns we sing this morning are a combination of prayers for deliverance and of confidence in God’s promises: in Be My Contender In The Strife (Psalm 35), we sing, “Let not my foes cry out with scorn, or laughter with joy at my dismay,” and we respond to the reading of the Word with, “The promise assures us, ‘The Lord will provide’.” We also declare praise that “Plenteous grace with Thee is found,” in Jesus, Lover of My Soul. Thus, we are reminded that even when our enemies seem ascendant, the hidden hand of God’s providence is always working. The Gospel Invitation from Psalm 18:2 captures this: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” —Henry C. Haffner
Key Words: Gate, Bowed, Homage, Transgress, Jew, Fury, Different, Annihilate
Keystone Verse: Their laws are different from every other people (Esther 3:8).