A SERIES OF COINCIDENTAL EVENTS (ESTHER 6)
Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London. One day a young vicar discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny shop, where he prospered, bought another, expanded, and ended up with a chain of stores worth several hundred thousand dollars. One day the man’s banker said, “You’ve done well for an illiterate, but where would you be if you could read and write?” “Well,” replied the man, “I’d be janitor of St. Peter’s Church in Neville Square” (From Bits and Pieces, June 24, 1993, p. 23).
If you were to tell me when I was young that I would be a pastor when I grow up, I would have laughed and say, “You are crazy.” And if you were to tell me that I would be a pastor for at least 20 years in ministry, and along with that to study theology for another seven years full-time and several more years in continuing education, I would say, “You need to go to see a doctor.” If you were to tell me then that I would leave the church I love and live thousands of miles away from my birthplace, I would say, “You must be admitted to an insane asylum.” If you were to tell me I would marry a Hong Kong girl with a doctorate, I would say, “That’s it. No more joking around.”
We cannot see God’s existence but we can see His hand at work and His imprint everywhere. God’s existence is often challenged and ridiculed, but it requires more faith to see life without rhyme or reason, as a random chain of events or an accident waiting to happen. Christians sees God in the big picture and the details of life. Nothing catches Him slacking off, gives Him a heart attack and makes Him throws His hand up. In fact, He will always triumph, His way is the best way, and He saves the best for the last.
What does God think of those who oppose His words, works and ways? How is man’s pride the means to accomplish God’s purposes?
God Stalls the Proud from Their Success
6:1 That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 3 “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked. “Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered. 4 The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him. 5 His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.” “Bring him in,” the king ordered. 6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” (Est 6:1-5)
One day a six-year old girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher was going to explain evolution to the children.
Teacher: Tommy do you see the tree outside?
Tommy: Yes.
Teacher: Tommy, do you see the grass outside?
Tommy: Yes.
Teacher: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.
Tommy: Okay. Yes, I saw the sky.
Teacher: Did you see God?
Tommy: No.
Teacher: That’s my point. We can’t see God because he isn’t there. He just
doesn’t exist.
A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed and the little girl asked the boy:
Little Girl: Tommy, do you see the tree outside?
Tommy: Yes.
Little Girl: Tommy do you see the grass outside?
Tommy: Yessssss!
Little Girl: Did you see the sky?
Tommy: Yessssss!
Little Girl: Tommy, do you see the teacher?
Tommy: Yes
Little Girl: Do you see her brain?
Tommy: No
Little Girl: Then according to what we were taught today in school, she must not have one!
God works in mysterious ways. When the king could not sleep, he did not ask for the court jester, a night snack or the queen’s company. He unexpectedly and blandly asked for a book to read, probably to induce sleep! Further, the king’s book of choice was not a fascinating storybook to begin with, but a boring court document and a palace record.
The next coincidence was that the king did not find the passage by himself. Of the many cases in the book, the attendants happened to choose and read the account of Mordecai’s astuteness, bravery and sacrifice. The attendants, eunuchs or officers (all similar words in Hebrew) were a controversial and powerful bunch. They were indirectly involved in Vashti’s dismissal (Est 1:15), directly involved in Esther’s selection (Est 2:14, 2:15) and were even responsible for the attempted assassination of the king (Est 2:21). While the attendants had no choice but to read something, how bizaarre and unlikely was it for them to find and read such an account (v 2), especially the account of a Jewish hero (v 10) foiling the plot of one of their own? If I were them, I would not hint that those of my status were the bad guys implicated in a plot to kill the king.
The third unexpected boost in the chapter came from the suggestion of Haman himself. He came in the middle of the night or early before dawn to ask for the immediate hanging of Mordecai’s head. He was there when the king was supposedly sleeping and when the king did not summon him. With their history, the attendants rightly and wisely did not offer the king a suggestion; they were more than happy to hand the job to Haman so as not to step on Haman’s toes, make a wrong suggestion and get themselves in trouble.
Haman was so obsessed with and fixated on hanging Mordecai that he did not care if the king was sleeping or resting, nor did he care to ask the right questions or find out who the beneficiary was. The words coming from Haman’s mouth was important. No one, definitely not an attendant, but Haman dared suggest such an extravagant reward. The initial thought of Haman was to benefit no one but himself. Haman buttered up the king so good that the king was so caught up with the scene, the sight and smell of the parade in the streets and agreed to his outlandish, unprecedented and almost impossible request. Note that Haman seized upon the king’s use of the word “delight” (v 6) and replicated it at least three times (vv 6, 7, 9, 9, 11).
God Stumbles the Proud in Their Success
7 So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’” 10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.” 11 So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” (Est 6:7-11)
An auto dealer, facing bankruptcy, was walking along a beach when he kicked a bottle and out popped a genie. “Thanks for setting me free,” said the genie. “To show my appreciation, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“Okay,” said the auto dealer, “I want to be the only foreign car dealer in a major metropolitan market.” “Done!” cried the genie.
Immediately, the dealer found himself in a glass-walled office looking out over a major city. “Quick,” he said to his secretary, “Tell me who I am.” “You’re the only Cadillac dealer in downtown Tokyo,” said the secretary. (Bits and Pieces 11/10/94)
George MacDonald said, “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably or succeed miserably.”
Haman sure knew how to help himself to the king’s finest belongings, dearest property and classic trademarks. The cunning court advisor asked for the very best of the best from the king; he was interested in recognition and not reward, in grandiosity and not generalities, in style and not substance.
The proposed robe (v 8) was not merely a single piece of outer tunic or robe, but the whole wardrobe. The same Hebrew word is properly translated in Esther 8:15 as “garments” (plural) or “robes” in NASB and RSV. Mordecai had all the royal treatment and trimmings planned for himself – the vest, the extras and the double-breasted or the three-piece or whole nine yards. He was dressed to the nines and decked from head to toe.
Haman had excellent, exquisite and expensive taste. The crown that he was supposed to wear was the same word for the crown Vashti (Est 1:11) and Esther (Est 2:17) wore. It had to be of the same design, engraving, supplier, quality, technique, price and impression. He also made sure it was royal robe, not ordinary attire. A new robe would not cut it; it had to be worn by the king and cut from the same cloth.
The horse (v 8) that Haman had his eyes on was the horse that the king was riding, not some out-of-commission Seabiscuit. KJV translates it as “the horse that the king rideth upon” (Est 6:8); not just from the same stable or breed, but the same horse. Haman really dreamed big. He wanted the horse the king was currently riding and not the one he used to ride. How did Haman end up with the job of leading the parade since he was not a “prince” of any kind (v 9)? The word is a generic word for “a person in charge.” It is the same word for the chief butler, the chief baker and the captain of the guard that Joseph met in Egypt (Gen 40:2, 3). At this point, he made the mistake of not thinking big enough. Had he asked for the king himself or a royal representative, a royal sibling or a cousin, a duke or duchess relative, he would not have end up doing the cries. But then again, even the egotistic Haman was not that thick-skin enough to ask for a king’s relative to walk the streets, holler like mad and pave the way.
God Strips the Proud of Their Success
10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.” 11 So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” 12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, 13 and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him-you will surely come to ruin!” 14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared. (Est 6:10-14)
58 year-old Richard Parsons has been the chairman and CEO of AOL Time Warner Inc. since 2002. He posted the highest score in the 1971 New York state bar exam and was an adviser to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and to President Gerald Ford. In 1977, he successfully transformed himself from the legal profession to the banking industry, culminating to his present appointment in the entertainment industry.
When Fortune magazine asked Parson to write on the subject of “The Best Advice I Ever Got” for its 75th anniversary, he revealed to its readers:
“The best business advice I ever received was from Steve Ross, who used to run this company. Steve was a friend. It was in 1991 or 1992, and I was on the Time Warner board. I was going to be coming over to the company from the banking industry, and we were talking about how to get things done. Steve said to me, ‘Dick, always remember this is a small business and a long life. You are going to see all these guys come around and around again, so how you treat them on each individual transaction is going to make an impression in the long haul. When you do deals, leave a little something to make everyone happy instead of trying to grab every nickel off the table.’” (Fortune, 3/21/2005 “The Best Advice I Ever Got.”)
Thomas Fuller said, “Praise makes good men better and bad men worse.”
Imagine how surprised and offended Haman was when the king announced the name of Mordecai. If it could not be any clearer, Mordecai the Jew was specified and not any Mordecai the Jew, but the one who sits at the king’s gate. Haman raised his eyebrows, paused to think and bit his tongue for fear of offending the king. He could not believe what the king said or what he was hearing. The king must be mistaken or sleepy. How in the world did Mordecai’s name get mixed up in this - a guy with no home, no manners and no future?
Poor Haman, he did not even have time to go home and tell his wife or change his outfit; so the king’s highest noble still in his courtly attire ended up dragging his feet through the dusty streets of Babylon in the hot sun, shouting words to strangers and visiting neighborhoods of commoners. As he paved the way for Mordecai and paced the streets of Babylon, he racked his brain to think of what’s next - how to cause trouble to Mordecai and how to hang him to death now. What to do with the gallows, when can he use it and where to put it? With the sudden turn of events, Haman knew he could not touch a hair on Haman’s head. The king was Mordecai’s protector by proxy. He instantly knew he was in trouble. What if word got out that he was trying to kill the Jews, therefore killing the king’s long lost but newfound rescuer and hero?
Haman raced home to see what his wife and friends had to say. Maybe they had more ideas than him. After all, they gave him great ideas and had lots to say the last time round. Maybe all was not lost. Again, something happened that might lost to the ordinary eye. The first time the word “rushed” (v 12) was used in the book was when the edict to kill the Jews was issued, “spurred on” (NIV) or rushed by the king’s command (3:15). Now it had come full circle. Haman was the one rushing or hastening home, even “covering his head.” Little did he know that was how he would die (Est 7:8).
The people who backed him before and were so certain before now said the opposite and were not so certain anymore. The hope for comforting words was dashed. The Hebrew word “fall” occurs three times in verse 13: “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall (1st time) has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him-you will surely come to ruin (“fall, fall” in Hebrew)!”“
Of course, the proud man did not think of repentance, throwing himself at the king’s or Mordecai’s feet. Nor did he think of making friends with Mordecai or seeking help from his rival even in his despair. Pride again got in the way.
Conclusion: Help and honor awaits the humble. Our welfare is in God’s hands and in His heart. An African proverb says, “The moon moves slowly but it crosses the town.” God works through the coincidences of life, the circumstances around us and the choices we make. His help comes and arrives from unexpected quarters, unwilling partners and unseen forces. Our God does not slumber nor sleep (Ps 121:4). He numbers the very hairs of our head (Luke 12:7). He is aware, awake, alert, attentive and active. To the unbelieving. since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom 1:20). Are you testing God’s great and unlimited patience? (Rom 9:22, 1 Tim 1:16) Have you taken for granted the eternal life, the new life and the abundant life He is offering you? Do you know God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6) and pays back the proud in full (Ps 31:23)?
Victor Yap
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