Introduction:
A. Let’s s begin this sermon with a simple riddle.
1. What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work? A stick.
2. Boomerangs are instruments that are usually made of wood, and are designed to circle back to the thrower. So, a good boomerang, in the hand of a skilled person, will do just that.
3. You might be wondering why I’m beginning this sermon with a discussion about boomerangs.
4. Well, I’m using the boomerang to represent the idea that “what goes around comes around.”
5. When we use the phrase or proverb “what goes around comes around,” what we mean is: A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.
6. And often when we are trying to harm someone else, we harm ourselves in the process.
B. When I was growing up, my favorite cartoons were the Warner Bros “Looney Tunes.”
1. There was Bugs Bunny “What’s Up Doc?”
2. There was Tweety Bird “I taught I saw a Puty Tat!”
3. There was Porky Pig “That’s All Folks.” And there were many other characters.
C. But as I got to thinking about today’s section from the story of Esther, I immediately thought of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.
1. The luckless Wile E. came up with increasingly elaborate and seemingly foolproof schemes to snag Road Runner who, oblivious to the danger, always eluded the pathetic coyote’s plans.
2. Do you remember how Wile E. always ordered the things he needed for his schemes from the Acme Company?
3. Everything Wile E. Coyote tried to do to get Road Runner, ended up backfiring on him.
4. Bombs set for Road Runner didn’t go off, until Wile E got there. Anvils that were supposed to fall on Road Runner always fell on him. So many times he learned about gravity the hard way.
5. That’s how it is with trying to bring about the demise of someone else.
6. Trying to destroy someone else usually ends up hurting you more than the other person.
D. All this reminds me of one of my favorite Proverbs that we used as our Scripture reading.
1. “If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” (Pr. 26:27)
2. The Message has a simple rendering of that verse: “Malice backfires, spite boomerangs.”
E. As we return to the story of Esther, I think you will see how this introduction applies.
1. Let’s review where we left our story last week.
2. Haman’s evil plan to annihilate all of the Jews was still in place.
3. Haman came up with a new plan to immediately execute Mordecai, the Jew, on a huge gallows he had built at his house and he was about to ask the king if he could do just that.
4. After three days of fasting, Esther took the chance and appeared before the king uninvited.
5. The king received her positively and promised to give her anything she requested.
6. Esther simply requested his presence at a banquet along with Haman.
7. The king granted her request and at that banquet asked her again what she really wanted.
8. Esther revealed that she would like to hold a second banquet the next day with the king and Haman, and that she would reveal her real request at that time.
I. The Story
A. And so this is where we pick up the story today.
1. After the first banquet, Haman went home elated about his experience with the king and queen, but determined to have Mordecai killed the next day.
2. As we turn to chapter 6, we read: 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. 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 (Esther 6:1-2).
3. What do you do when you can’t sleep? Do you count sheep? Do you turn on the TV, read a book, or listen to my old sermons on CD? That would put you to sleep!
4. We notice in the text that it says “that night the king could not sleep.”
a. So while Haman slept, and Mordecai slept and all Susa slept, the king was awake.
b. I don’t know how often Xerxes had insomnia, but God made sure that he had it that night.
c. And what did Xerxes do when he couldn’t sleep? He had someone pull out the old records of his reign and read them to him. Surely that would put him to sleep!
5. Of all the parts of his reign that could be recounted for him that night, what are the chances that they would read about Mordecai saving the king’s life?
a. The king had no idea of Haman’s hatred for Mordecai, nor Haman’s plan to have him hung at daybreak.
b. God’s hand was obviously involved again.
B. So as Xerxes listened to the reading of his reign, he suddenly heard the recounting of the incident in which Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate him.
1. “Stop!” he told his reader. “Wait just a minute.”
2. The Bible says: “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked. “Nothing has been done for him," his attendants answered. The king said, “Who is in the court?” (Esther 6:3-4)
3. It was customary to reward people for their great acts of service to the throne, and especially acts that involved saving the king’s life.
a. It was a great oversight on the king’s part that something had not been done for Mordecai.
b. Again, we have to assume that God had orchestrated that oversight.
4. At the moment that it was needed, God allowed king Xerxes to be reminded of the debt he owed to Mordecai, an obscure Jewish man who, up to that moment, meant nothing to the king.
a. But now, suddenly, Mordecai was the king’s top priority.
5. As soon as the king heard that nothing had been done for Mordecai, the wheels of his mind started turning.
a. He began to imagine what might be done to reward Mordecai for his great deed.
6. Then he had to figure out who would help him carry out the reward.
a. So he asked the logical question: Who’s in the office? Who has already arrived for work?
C. The Bible says: 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. His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.” “Bring him in,” the king ordered (Esther 6:4-5).
1. Isn’t this an amazing moment? The sun has barely come above the horizon, and here came Haman, rushing to the palace as early as he could so he would be the first to have an audience with the king and finish off his hated enemy.
2. Suddenly, out of the inner court, comes the voice of the king, “Call him in. Call Haman in.”
3. “Wow,” thought Haman, “the king wants to see me. This will be easier than I thought!”
4. So, with the stride of a peacock, Haman strutted into the court of the king.
D. But before Haman could bring up his request, the king asked him a question.
1. The Bible says: 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?” (Esther 6:6)
2. So when the king asked the question: “what should be done for the man the king delights to honor?,” who did Haman immediately think of? Himself, of course. Who else could it be?
3. Remember, Haman is the guy who likes to brag about himself…how much money he has…how many sons…how he’s the one who is closest to the king and queen!
4. So who else would the king want to honor but him?
5. And so he thinks to himself – “This is my moment. So let’s see, what could be done for me?”
6. And he quickly began to list every glory that he would like to have for himself.
E. The Bible says: So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, 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. 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’ ” (Esther 6:7-9).
1. I can just picture Haman downplaying this, “Well, hypothetically, this person you would like to honor would love to wear a robe you have worn, and ride a horse you have ridden, and be highly exalted before others by being paraded through the city with your robe, on your horse, with glorious proclamations being made about him.”
a. Notice that the only thing Haman didn’t ask for was the king’s wife.
2. “Hypothetically, if you are asking me, I think that’s what someone the king wants to honor would like to have done for him.”
3. In moments like this, I wonder if God says to the angels in heaven, “Hey guys, watch what I’m about to do. You’re not going to want to miss this!”
F. How did the king respond to Haman’s suggestions?
1. The Bible says: “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.” (Esther 6:10)
2. Can you imagine what happened in Haman’s heart and mind when he heard those words?
3. He was expecting the king to say, “Go at once and have these very things done for you, Haman, my prized servant!”
4. I guarantee you, the last thing Haman expected to hear was, “Go at once and do this for Mordecai the Jew.”
5. Remember, Haman had come early that morning to ask if he could crucify Mordecai, and now he’s given the assignment to organize a parade for the man!
6. Who says that God is not in charge and He doesn’t have a sense of humor!
G. The Bible says: 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!” (Esther 6:11)
1. There was no way Haman could avoid this assignment. He had to obey the king’s orders.
a. But this must have been one of the hardest things that Haman had ever done in his life.
b. The words Haman had to proclaim must have been like gravel in his mouth.
2. What goes around comes around – that popular saying has never been truer than it is here.
a. Things have gone around for Haman, and they are negatively catching up with him.
b. And things are finally positively coming around for Mordecai.
c. God does oppose the proud and does give grace to the humble.
3. Picture Mordecai sitting on the king’s horse in regal attire - I think he was the most surprised man in the kingdom.
a. I believe that Mordecai was basically a humble man.
b. I can’t picture him gloating or rubbing it in with Haman.
c. As the parade progressed, I can’t picture him saying to Haman, “Say it a little louder, please, I don’t think everyone can hear you!” Or “Eat your heart out, Haman, look who’s being bowed to now!”
4. The Bible says: Afterward Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief… (Esther 6:12)
a. After Mordecai received that great honor, what did he do? He just went back to business as usual. It looks like he didn’t let it go to his head.
H. What did Haman do after this humbling and humiliating experience?
1. He covered his head in grief and slipped off to home like a dog with his tail between his legs.
2. Do you remember how Haman went home last time, bragging about how great he was?
3. Now he slides under the door and whines about what happened to him.
4. The Bible tells us: Haman rushed home…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!” (Esther 6:13).
5. Now this is an interesting change on the part of Haman’s wife and friends.
a. Now that everything was going wrong for Haman, his advisors make it sound as if they had nothing to do with the course of action Haman had pursued.
b. Remember they were the ones who had suggested the gallows for Mordecai.
c. Now they want to distance themselves from Haman and his actions.
6. It is interesting that Haman’s wife and friends are a bit prophetic and this information would have been more helpful to Haman before he made the edict against the Jews and before he constructed the gallows for Mordecai.
7. Truth is: God’s people are under God’s protection.
a. Remember the promise God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3? God said, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
b. God’s people will be protected. Whoever curses them, will pay a terrible price.
c. Ultimately, the Jewish people have been under God’s special protection ever since.
d. Even when God has needed to discipline them through other nations, they have still been protected.
I. Meanwhile, events in Haman’s life were spinning out of control.
1. The Bible says: While they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared (Esther 6:14).
2. Before Haman could even process all that was happening, a knock came at the door and he was escorted to the palace for banquet #2.
3. I can’t help but wonder of on the way to the palace Haman glanced over at the gallows he had built for Mordecai and wondered if building it wasn’t a terrible mistake.
J. The Bible says: So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther, and as they were drinking wine on that second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” (Esther 7:1-2)
1. King Xerxes had already asked this question to Esther, twice before.
a. As you recall, Esther had dangerously and courageously appeared before the king uninvited, so the king had been wondering what could be so important to cause her to do such a thing.
2. But Esther had been waiting on God, and waiting for the right moment to make her request.
3. And now the moment had come.
K. The Bible says: Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life - this is my petition. And spare my people - this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation [those are the exact words of the edict]. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” (Esther 7:3-4)
1. Notice how respectfully and diplomatically Esther made her request.
2. She said, “If I have found favor…If it pleases the king.”
3. And she said, “I wouldn’t bother you with this problem if my people were only being sold as slaves” – you’re busy and have more important matters to deal with than that.
4. Esther said, “But my request is a matter of life and death, both for me and for my people.”
L. How did the king respond to this shocking request?
1. The Bible says: King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?” (Esther 7:5)
2. I wonder how the king could be so oblivious at this point.
3. I want to say, “What do you mean who is he? You were there when Haman proposed the genocide of an entire people. You gave him your signet ring!”
M. Realizing that her moment had arrived, Esther neither stammered nor hesitated.
1. The Bible says: Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman.” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. (Esther 7:6)
2. I picture Esther slowly raising her finger to point at Haman as she emphatically uttered those words with strength and dignity.
3. Can you imagine the shock on the part of both Haman and the king.
4. Neither knew that Esther was Jewish and therefore fell under the edict of annihilation.
5. Haman was then overcome by terror and the king was enraged.
N. The Bible says: The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” As soon as the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman's house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” The king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's fury subsided. (Esther 7:7-10)
1. What an incredible and unbelievable turn of events!
a. It looked like Haman had everything going for him and that he was in control.
b. It looked like Mordecai, Esther, and God’s people were in trouble and were helpless.
2. But it all changed in an instant as God carried out His sovereign plan to save His people and bring His swift judgment against Haman.
3. How ironic that Haman would lose his life on the very gallows he built for someone else.
a. In his mind, this was going to be the best day of his whole life, but it turned out otherwise.
4. Which illustrates the Proverb we started with: If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him (Proverbs 26:27).
II. The Application
A. We would be remiss if we didn’t spend a few minutes applying this powerful story to our lives.
1. There are many, many lessons we could and should learn, but here are a few to ponder.
B. First, God’s ways are beyond our ways, so we should simply and totally trust Him.
1. In many respects, we live our lives in a fog.
a. Imagine for a moment that you are swimming in a large lake and have swam 300 yards off shore, when suddenly a freak fog rolls in
b. If that were to happen, we would find ourselves trapped in a tiny circle of diffused light, and could not see beyond our arm’s length.
c. We could swim for shore if we knew in which direction shore was.
d. If only someone would call to us from shore, but many times this is no voice to lead us.
2. So how do we live in the fog without panic? How do we live not knowing where shore is – especially times when we don’t hear a reassuring voice to guide us?
a. To put it simply, we put our trust in God…even when we can’t see Him or hear Him.
3. That’s what Esther had to do.
a. She was lost in a fog of an evil person with an evil plan.
b. It looked like nothing could be done to save her and her people, and God was silent.
c. But she trusted in God, and God took care of her and her people.
4. We must trust that God is in control and that He has the power to take care of us.
a. Nothing is too difficult for God – He is all powerful.
b. And when God is ready to move, He moves, and when He does we marvel at His ways.
5. We might wish that God would move faster or in a different way, but in the end looking back we can often see why God did what He did, when He did it.
6. God is God, and He will have His way when He pleases for His glory and our good – so we can trust Him.
C. A second lesson we should ponder is: God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, so we should submit ourselves to Him.
1. I wish I had more time for this application, but let me summarize it by saying that pride births death, and humility births life.
2. Augustine, the great church father said, “pride is a mother who is pregnant with all other sins.”
a. In many ways all sin comes out of pride.
b. Martin Luther used to say, “sin is the self bending in on the self.”
3. So do you struggle with pride like I do? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
a. Do I crave attention, honor, recognition, or reward?
b. Do I become jealous or critical of people who succeed?
c. Do I have a hard time fully acknowledging it when I am wrong?
d. Do I have a lot of conflicts with other people? There are very few conflicts between humble people.
e. Do I honestly feel that I am superior to most people?
f. If you answer “yes” to these questions, then there’s a good chance you have a problem with pride.
4. Proverbs 16:18 tells us that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
5. Haman was a man of pride who was so puffed up and was a glory seeker.
6. In his pride, he thought that he could get revenge on his enemies, but it all backfired on him.
7. That’s because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
D. Finally, we learn: “what goes around comes around” is both a promise and a warning. And because God is sovereign and just, so we should obey Him.
1. Scripture tells us: God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels (2 Thess. 1:6-7).
2. Scripture also tells us: God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them (Hebrews 6:10).
3. Therefore, we can trust God and we should submit ourselves to Him.
E. Boomerangs can be a helpful tool or an entertaining instrument.
1. But boomerangs can also be dangerous. They can come back and hit us when we least expect it.
2. The good news for us is that we need not fear others or fear evil, because if we humbly submit to God and walk with Him in obedience, then God will protect us and reward us.
Resources:
Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1997.
Jesus is a Better Servant, Sermon by Mark Driscoll, http://marshill.com
Jesus is a Better Esther, Sermon by Mark Driscoll, http://marshill.com
Esther, by Joyce Baldwin, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, IVP, 1984
