Sovereignty Within Mayhem Series

Sovereignty within Mayhem

Esther 6:1-9

Although their hearts are not filled with joy, Mordecai and Esther must have been encouraged somewhat by her meeting with Ahasuerus. He had extended her favor, while granting her request. The banquet with the king and Haman was scheduled, and Esther would now have the opportunity to present her concern in front of Ahasuerus with Haman present.

This was just the first hurdle Esther would have to overcome. It appears she has delayed the banquet until the next day in order to have a bit more time to prepare her case. She had been chosen to replace Vashti as queen, but as of yet she had no way of knowing how the king would respond to her request. Little did Esther, or Mordecai, know that God was already at work in their situation. Prior to making her petition before the king, the Lord would set in motion a chain of events that would alter the decree in favor of Esther and the Jews. Men can make their plans, but those well laid plans never trump the sovereignty of God.

This passage deals with events that happened thousands of years ago and yet they offer hope and assurance to the church today. We too face unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances, but we serve One who is sovereign in every aspect of our lives. As we examine the lessons revealed in the text, I want to consider: Sovereignty within Mayhem.

I. The Discovery of the King (1-2) – Prior to his meeting with Esther and Haman, Ahasuerus makes a discovery that will have a profound impact on the situation the Jews faced. Consider:

A. His Insomnia (1) – On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. Following his meeting with Esther and Haman, Ahasuerus endured a sleepless night. Being unable to sleep, he called for the book of the chronicles, which recorded the history of the kingdom, to be read unto him. Likely he thought this would calm his mind and bring about a desire to sleep. We don’t know if this was a regular occurrence with the king, but it was no accident this happened on that particular night. God has many ways of getting our attention and working in our lives.

B. The Inscription (2) – And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. As the servant read to the king, he came across the record of Mordecai’s faithfulness to the king in revealing the devious plot of the chamberlains to kill Ahasuerus. The king may have forgotten this good deed, but God hadn’t. Mordecai may have wondered why there was nothing done for his faithfulness at the time it happened, but God had a greater plan.

C. The Intervention (1-2) – Ahasuerus may not have given any thought to his insomnia on that particular night, but it was certainly no accident. Haman had already planned to stand before the king the day following this sleepless night. He was going to request that Mordecai be hanged on the gallows. While men couldn’t see the hand of God at this time, He was clearly at work preserving Mordecai and the entire Jewish race within the kingdom.

There will be seasons of uncertainty and doubt in all our lives. We may wonder why we are forced to deal with situations that come our way. You may be doing your best to live for God and yet it seems that life is spiraling out of control. In those moments when we can’t see the hand of God at work, we must trust Him, knowing He is at work on our behalf. Our lives are not lived by chance; we serve a sovereign God who holds our lives in His hands. He is at always at work, orchestrating the events in our lives. There is peace and comfort in the hand of God.

II. The Deliberation of the King (3-6) – Here we discover the conversation Ahasuerus has with his servants in regard to Mordecai’s faithfulness. Notice:

A. The Inquiry (3a) – And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Upon being reminded of what Mordecai had done, the king questioned if he had been rewarded for his good deed. Had anyone officially honored Mordecai by publicly recognizing his deed?

This trend seems to appear in every culture. Mordecai was a man who sought to serve the Lord and even his fellow man, but his good deeds were initially overlooked. Our modern culture tries to demonize the godly and upright while honoring the wicked. This is not always the case, but the world in which we live offers little respect to those who strive to live for the Lord. Matthew Henry said, "The greatest merits and the best services are often overlooked and go unrewarded among men. Little honor is done to those who best deserve it, are the fittest for it, and would do most good with it."