What a difference a day makes
Esther 6 10/18/06
There is a Scripture found in Proverbs, I’m sure you have heard many times that reads, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow for you know not what a day may bring forth.” That is so true and I have seen it illustrated many times in my ministry.
Now with that, some people say there is no use in planning for tomorrow. That is not what the verse is teaching. It is teaching us that God is in control of tomorrow and when we make plans we should say if the Lord wills. We should always make plans to do something for the Lord tomorrow and the next day as long as He gives us a day here on earth.
Now we have said so many times in our studies of this book that the name of God is not mentioned in the entire book but He is seen all in the book. The providence of God is seen in the shadows of every page. The providence of God is God doing His thing in the history of time. Now in the providence of God and the history of time, timing is important. Things that seem so small to us can be the very thing God uses to bring about His plan.
I think about the life of Moses and his place in history that God used his so mightily. His mother built a little ark and placed him in the ark and into the Nile River. A daughter of the Pharaoh came down to the river to take a bath and saw the ark. She sent one of her servants to fetch the ark and when she opened the ark little Moses cried. Who knew that with the cry of that little baby that a nation would be led from slavery out of Egypt?
Does God work in little things? Yes, He sure does. When we come to the sixth chapter of the book of Esther we see that clearly God works in little things. We also see just how important the timing is in God’s plan. It reads in verse 1 on that night. That sounds rather natural doesn’t it? Just a regular night in the palace of a king; but on this particular night, the king could not sleep. Now do you think that is my accident or by divine appointment? I believe it is by divine appointment. Even though it seems like a small thing as the king could not sleep, we see the providence of God all over this.
Do you ever have times that you cannot sleep? I do every once in a while and when I do, I do a lot of praying. I have gotten up because God will give me a thought maybe in a sermon I have been working on or a theme to a series of messages and I need to write them down because I might forget them by day. Many times God just runs faces before me and I begin to pray for them, you as I lay there awake.
On this particular night, the king sent for the chronicles to have them read to him. The chronicles were the things that had been going on written down to have a copy of them for the future. Can you imagine how many things that the king could have done to have been entertained? But this time he wanted the records, the chronicles read to him. The servant read about five years prior to the time now how that Mordecai had saved the king’s life by stopping an assignation. With all the volumes that could have been read to the king, we cannot help but to see the hand of God all over this.
After being reminded of how that Mordecai had saved his life, the king asked, did we do anything to honor Mordecai? The servant said no, we did not. As we look at the series of things that are to take place in our text, I want us to see first that the king made a DETERMINATION in the night. The king determined that he would do something to honor Mordecai.
This of course speaks volumes of the timing of God. I was thinking about the man named Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph interpreted two dreams of some inmates that were in prison the same time he was. One was hanged and the other joined the Pharaoh and Joseph asked him to remember him before the pharaoh when he was reinstalled. You know the story; the man forgot and for 2 years Joseph was left in the prison. Then in God’s timing Joseph was restored back in the palace where he would save all his family.
Here we have the timing of God illustrated again in the pages of time. If Mordecai had been rewarded 5 years prior to this, then he would have been forgotten. But now, 5 years after he had saved the king’s life, he is about to be recognized for what he had done.
Now we see not only that the king made a determination in the night time but also we see Haman and his DISGRACE in the day time.
Isn’t it something that when the king decided that he was going to honor Mordecai that Haman would be at the door of the palace? I believe that Haman was up pretty much of the night to supervise the finishing of the gallows that Haman was having built to hang Mordecai. He must have wanted to get to the king early in the morning to make his request to the king to have Mordecai hanged to get him out of the way.
You know I said that you see the providence of God all in this book. Even though you don’t see God mentioned in this book, you see the hand of God all over the book. The king said who is at the door? The servant said it is Haman. The king said that is good; have him to come in here. Haman went before the king and before the king heard his request, he asks Haman what he should to honor someone who had done something. Haman thought this is even better than I thought; now the king wants to honor me in front of all the people. So when the king ask him what he should do to honor someone, Haman said let the royal robe be put on the man and then let the man ride the king’s horse and a runner in front proclaiming this is how the king honors someone he delights in. The king said that is such a great idea; go now and do all of what you have said to Mordecai and leave out nothing. Can you see Haman as he is leading the horse down the street and paying honor to Mordecai?
Now that leads us to the last point and that is the DECLARATION in the day. After Haman had carried out the king’s orders, he went to his house and told his wife and his friends what had just happened. Here is a man who has gone from hero to zero in just a day. One minute he is promoted and the next minute he is demoted. It is exactly what happens to one full of pride.
That is one side of the coin. Now on the other side of the coin notice what Mordecai did right after he had been honored by the king. He went back to the gate of service. He did not let any of this go to his head but went back to serving the king.
Have you been honored lately? Let me tell you something to do if you are honored and someday get honor and that is to just pass it on to the Lord. Thank the one who pays you honor but pass it on to the Lord. Along with that someday someone may criticize you and you can pass that on to the Lord as well. Just let the Lord handle it.
Look at verse 13. Haman tells his wife and friends all of what happened. His wife said Mordecai is going to be your downfall. While she was announcing what was going to happen to Haman, there was a knock at the door and Haman jumped like he was shot. Who is it? We are the king’s chamberlains and we have come to take you to the queen’s banquet. One time he was looking forward to going but I bet he isn’t as eager to go now that his wife and friends have given their pronouncement.
You wonder what Haman would have said early in the morning when he was at the king’s gate if you would have said Haman, today is your last day on earth? One day will be our last day on this earth and I would not want to leave this world without Jesus.
I was reading about a man who went to witness to his friend and he led him to the Lord. When the man just saved stood, his heart burst and he fell dead right on the floor. I bet he is glad that he said yes to Jesus if it was just in the nick of time.
