Thomas Watson, the Puritan pastor of the 1600’s wrote this of God’s providence: "There is no such thing as blind fate, but there is a Providence that guides and governs the world. Providence is God’s ordering all issues and events of things, after the counsel of His will, to His own glory. The wheels of the clock seem to move contrary one to the other, but they help forward the hands of the clock".
Little mannerism here – which was “cool” at that time, but the concept is obviously well expressed. In light of what we’re about to read from Esther, I would have to add that the unexpected should be expected when we are investigating God’s business along history, along our lives…
An unexpected invitation to a private dinner and a sleepless night in the King’s palace. The moment of truth has arrived. The ink on the edict to kill all the Jews is barely dry. Esther has called upon her people to fast and pray. The three day fast is now completed. It’s time to act. Let’s go back into this drama and try our best to keep up with some rather breathtaking twists and turns.
The Moment of Truth. Esther 5:1. Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace. When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court she obtained favor in his sight.
Now that was way too easy!... In fact, going back several centuries, Bible scholars have been puzzled by such an immediate favor with a king. There was no way that Ahasuerus would have interrupted the business of his court and violate Persian protocol and say, “C’mon in, Esther . . . so what’s on your mind.” That just couldn’t happen. After you do your best, fast and pray also, trust God. That’s it…
Tilting the scepter toward Esther was court protocol for acceptance before the king. So instead of dying, Esther will be able to keep on living. But instead of being rebuked or even dismissed with irritation, the king gives her his undivided attention and the business of the court screeches to a halt.
ILL. I remember going downtown Hot Springs AR to the courthouse, to assist someone who didn’t know English to dispute a ticket he had gotten when evidently the radar gun of the state trooper wasn’t working properly. Inside there I met a lawyer that I knew very well because I remodeled his lakeside beautiful house. He introduced me to other people dressed like for church and invited me to the courtroom. So after paying for the traffic ticket, I slipped into the back of the courtroom which was in session. Sitting on the front row was a couple of guys in orange jumpsuits, their arms and ankles chained.
Evidently, in this case my acquaintance had something to do with them. The judge left her sit and was busy talking with someone. I was about to slip back out when the lawyer spotted me and motioned for me to come forward. I didn’t want to come forward. I kind of waved and shook my head. He motioned even more. So I ended up walking down the aisle – everybody looking at me – I walked through room, past these 2 guys who just looked at me. What do I say to them? “How are you doing?” In that moment, the judge turned around and she looked at me. Saying nothing, just having that look – and I froze not knowing what she’s going to say… Because I didn’t suppose to be there.
Multiply that feeling by 100 - in this chapter, Esther was not invited to stop by and say hello to her husband in her way to Walmart. Archeologists have confirmed that standing just below the throne of this Persian monarch would have been a man holding an axe in his hand. Listen, apart from the providence of God, Esther will lose her head that afternoon.
But to everyone’s surprise, He says to her in v. 3, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.” That phrase was an expression which meant he was willing to do anything in his power to satisfy her request. He basically says, “I’m in the mood to do whatever I can for you – just name it.”
V. 4 “If it pleases the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
In other words, I want you to come to my quarters after work and eat supper with me – I’ve had your favorite meal fixed just like you like it – oh, and bring the Prime Minister with you when you come.
That was a stroke of genius, by the way. By inviting Haman, she will allow his ego to blind his eyesight – any suspicions he would have automatically entertained were completely neutralized.
He should have been thinking: why would the Queen risk her life to invite the King over for supper? Something’s up with this queen . . . I better find out what it is.
Instead, he’s so flattered to join the King and Queen for dinner, that he never even asked the first question. He just ran to the dry cleaners to get his tuxedo ready. And this event, the private dinner was repeated…
* Esther didn’t need a double reinforcement from the king. In fact, she ran the risk of provoking his irritation at yet another delay.
What I believe is happening is the providence of God is moving Esther to delay her request.
From her perspective, she might indeed have been too afraid . . . she might have frozen at that moment . . . she might have lost her courage.
Remember, the Book of Esther is not a revelation of how clever people are – it’s a living, dramatic demonstration of how clever God is . . . how brilliantly wise and sovereign He is in His providence. And also prophecy…
Unless God does something that night to change the course of events, Mordecai is less than 24 hours away from hanging. Something must happen to put Mordecai in a place of great favor before the king . . . something that Esther could have never arranged.
Here’s why… notice v.9. “Then Haman went out that day glad and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate and that he did not stand up or tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai”. Evidently, Mordecai knew that Esther had been welcomed by the king – Mordecai is no longer outside the administration building wearing sackcloth, he’s now inside and sitting at his desk.
And when Haman walks out through the palace office building to go home, not only does everyone bow before him, Mordecai doesn’t even get up from where he’s seated . . . in front of everybody, Mordecai brazenly insults the Prime Minister. This is the final and ultimate insult to the egomaniac before whom everyone must grovel.
But Haman controlled himself, verse 10 informs us. In other words, no one’s going to spoil his party – he’s just been invited back to dine with the King and Queen of Persia – he’ll deal with Mordecai later, so verse 10 tells us, he went to his house and sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh. “Wait „until they hear what’s happened to me today – this has been the best day of my life and tomorrow is going to be even better!”
V.11 “Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, and the number of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had promoted him above the princes and servants of the king”… blah, blah-blah, blah-blah. That’s in the Hebrew text.
ILL. It was a man called Narcissus, the Greek legend goes - his greatest love was his own reflection. He was so in love with himself; he was his favorite object of devotion. Everything revolved around him. Narcissus – narcissism, the worse kind of vanity. You work with anybody like that?
-they get invited somewhere and you have to hear all about why;
-they get a promotion and you have to hear every reason why they deserved it;
-they purchase something and you have to see it and say something positive about;
-they come back from a trip and everyone has to endure the endless play by play
and all the pictures – look that’s me here – that’s me over there – that’s me standing there.
Here’s Zeresh and all of Haman’s family and neighbor’s – they’ve heard it all before – his sons, his job, his money, how much the King admires him, how Persia wouldn’t be the same without him. Haman is one gigantic hot air balloon . . . self conceited, self-promoting, self-applauding, self-absorbed.
This is the opposite of Christ-like person, humble and having a balanced opinion about self…Notice v.13. “Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate”. This is classic human nature! I’ve got all the things, but I want one more. And that one thing obscured his sight.
ILL. I have in my hands two quarters. They are fairly small – in fact, I can hold them up and see around me just fine. But if I bring them up really close to my eyes, I can’t see anything else at all. Imagine . . . my sight can be obscured by only 50 cents! Is there anything blocking your vision? Is there something you don’t have that you’ve pulled up to your heart so close that you can’t see anything else? Are you preparing gallows for someone else because you cannot be happy until terminate that person?...
Verse 14 - “Have a gallows fifty cubits high made and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet.” And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
Esther doesn’t know about this – her second banquet the next evening will be too late.
Mordecai doesn’t know about this – he’s going to hung from a gallows.
At this point in the drama, things have never looked worse.
Mordecai is a dead man – unless God does something during the night. And does God ever do something – again, through his control of hearts, minds and circumstances to fulfill His perfect plan. Inspired Insomnia. The next scene opens with a bad case of divinely ordered insomnia. Chapter 6 opens, 1. During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
I love this scene. Here’s the king in his private chambers – he can’t fall asleep. He’s read the newspaper, watched the Fox News, he’s tried counting sheep… he’s thumbed through Better Homes and Gardens Magazine – that’ll knock you out – but nothing works. So he calls a servant to come in and read to him anywhere he wants to read from, literally, the “words of the days”.iv This is the Persian equivalent of watching the CSPAN, the Congress sessions on TV – that’ll put anybody to sleep.
And of all the thousands of items recorded every year in the official book of records – and the Persians were world renowned for their administrative care in record keeping – of all the places that servant could have chosen to turn and begin reading –
Of all of these, the reader turned and began to read the events of a conspiracy against the King, where Mordecai found the plot and informed Esther who informed the King. The reading of this five year old event did several things – it reminded the King of the loyalty of his wife Esther and a member of his office staff named Mordecai. It also revealed something somewhat embarrassing.
The king asks the servant, in v 3. “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” In other words, what does the record show that I did for him some 5 years ago for saving my life? And the servant scanned the next few paragraphs and then responded, “Nothing has been done for him.”
Now keep in mind – 5 years for Mordecai brave act and no medal. No promotion. Not a single word of appreciation. “God, I am depressed. I did such a good thing for the king sake, I’ve risked my career, my life, and nothing”. No one cares. I am out of here…
Did you ever feel like that? Doing something good for our king and no imediat reward? Learn from Mordecai. He didn’t complain when he uncovered the plot but somebody else was promoted instead – Haman! Are you frustrated? I am sure God wants to give you a better reward.
Now Haman just finished building the gallows – he’s too excited to sleep so he decides to go to work early that morning. He expects to do away with that man who refuses to bow before him. he has also a private dinner engagement with the King and Queen . . . this is going to be the best day of his life!
V6. So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Obviously Haman thinks the King is talking about him V.7, 8 READ
Now stop for a moment. Don’t just give the man a horse – give him the king’s horse. You don’t have to have a PhD in psychology to understand Haman coveting king’s position! He was not happy being the prime minister – he wanted to be the king!
Give him your robe also..Let me add that in the Middle East, a part of their garment was considered a part of their body – a part of their being. It represented who they were. Aaron’s priestly garments were given to his son to wear as he inherited the priestly office (Numbers 20); Elisha received the mantle – the cloak of Elijah – which represented that he now occupied the place of Elijah (2 Kings 2:14);
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the people shouted hosanna and waved palm branches – a symbol of deference to His royalty as the son of David – the people spread out their garments on the road for Jesus to ride over. In other words, there were symbolically submitting their lives to Jesus (Luke 19).
Haman got so excited fantasizing about being the man the king wanted to honor… But what happens next is what we’ll simply call the great reversal. V.10 - Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.”
The Hebrew construction indicates that Haman himself will dress Mordecai in the King’s robe and place him on the King’s horse and then lead that horse through the city square declaring that Mordecai is so honored because of the King’s desire.
All of us are excited about certain stories form Bibles; wanting that Sci-Fi thing called time travel could exsists. Wow, to see not just the move “The 10 C”. but be there when the Red See parted in two. How about Samson, or David/Goliath…
My #1 is Jesus resurrecting Lazarus, but #2 is this very scene from Esther – when for a whole day, Mordecai is on display, riding the king’s horse, wearing royal symbols of power and authority, the very day he was suppose to be hanged. And Haman, shouting every 100 feet - Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. (louder!...)
Only God can arrange the timing of these events. One day you and way will sit on the throne with Jesus as kings and priests, judging the world during the millennium… (Rev…)
The pieces are being moved with divine precision.
- a king who can’t sleep
- a Queen who delays in making her petition until the second banquet
- a servant who turns to the right page in the book of the chronicles
- a man who saves the king’s life but isn’t rewarded until the day he was unknowingly going to be executed
- a man at the top of his world who now leads a horse like a servant through the public square upon which sits his mortal enemy.
Only God can arrange all these details to come together in one sleepless night.
There are three profound insights into the providence of God to be learned from this passage we’ve studied.
1. First, God is at work even when circumstances are uncontrollable.
2. Secondly, God is at work even when life is unpredictable.
3. God is at work even when sin seems unstoppable.
As the Psalmist wrote, “God never slumbers or sleeps.” (Psalm 121:4) So when you have trouble sleeping, He’s awake with you. When you drift off to sleep, He doesn’t – He works on.
God is at work even when circumstances are uncontrollable.Revelation describes things that may seem unstoppabile, but… deliverance God’s way!
