When God guides: Esther is triumphant
Part 3… Esther, Mordecai, and the King of Persia
Sleep eluded the king. In frustration, he ordered his servants to read
to him the events of his reign. He’d forgotten about the two gatekeepers who
had been hanged. When he discovered Mordecai had alerted the authorities, the
king guessed the Jew had been overlooked.
Another coincidence? Why tonight? Haman intended to execute Mordecai
the next day. Remember the spiritual battle? Unknown to the Jew, God kept Xerxes
awake to alert him to Mordecai’s integrity, and to engender his gratitude for
saving the king’s life.
If Haman wanted to hang Mordecai
on the gallows, he needed the king’s approval. He waited in the court until the
king admitted him.
“How should the king honor an illustrious man?” the king asked Haman.
Haman’s chest swelled with pride. The king must mean him! It would be his
chance for Susa to appreciate his importance to the king and his realm. He’d
loved to parade through Susa.
“Dress him in the king’s robes and let him ride the king’s horse, which
bears his royal crest, through the streets. Order a herald to declare his honor
to all the citizens of Susa!”
When arrogance and pride overtake us,
we worship ourselves. If we believe we’re superior to our peers, we’ll convince
ourselves the entire world should fall at our feet. But satisfaction is
fleeting, and our greedy souls yearn for continuous adulation and praise. Only
God can fill our deepest longings. He places this yearning in us, not to
worship ourselves, but to attribute glory to Jesus because he is worthy.
“Go. Place the robe on Mordecai the Jew. You will lead him through Susa,
proclaiming he deserves the king’s delight.”
A Jew and that wretched Jew in
particular! Haman’s humiliation stung him to the core. Unable to deny the king,
he paraded and applauded his enemy, Mordecai, through the streets of Susa. He
must have choked on his words and attracted the Jews’ scorn. Bitter irony!
Mordecai
returned to the king’s gate and resumed his watch over the court. Haman fled
home to his wife, who assured him his fate was sealed. She knew a Jew would win
because, throughout their history, God had defended their cause. Just then, the
eunuchs arrived to take Haman to Esther’s two banquets.
Haman had to sweat on his anxiety for two days while he pretended his attendance
at these banquets was his rightful privilege. After all, he’d boasted to his
family and friends about his superior favor with the king.
On the second day, King Xerxes asked Queen Esther her request.
“If the favor pleases your
majesty, spare both my people and me, for we’ve been sold for annihilation. If it
was for slavery, I wouldn’t have troubled you, for it wouldn’t concern the king.”
“Who has
done this?”
“This vile Haman is our perpetrator and our enemy!”
The king arose and stormed into
the palace garden.
But Haman knew he was doomed. He lent
across the queen as she rested on her couch and begged for his life.
At that precise moment, the king returned. How dare Haman molest the
queen right before his eyes! But before the king could accuse him, the eunuchs
blindfolded Haman, and Harbona, the king’s attendant, informed the king of Haman’s
intentions.
“Haman
has erected gallows beside his house to hang Mordecai.”
“Hang Haman
on them at once!” And this was how Haman died.
There’s
a blessing and a warning in these chapters. God honored Mordecai because of his
respect for the king’s authority, and his humility to his Creator. He had never
sought to revenge Haman’s hatred for the Jews. Rather, he fasted and left the solution
to God. The Lord says vengeance is his right, and his faithful people can rely
on his defense.
Haman, an unwitting servant of Satan, let
hatred and arrogance rule his heart. While he prized his ego, Satan wanted the
Jews annihilated to prevent the promised Messiah’s birth.
The king gave Haman’s estate to Esther, and she handed its management to
Mordecai. But Haman’s irrevocable decree to annihilate the Jews haunted her.
She wept and begged the king, falling to his feet, to issue a new order to
override Haman’s evil law. The king accepted her heartfelt plea and gave her
the right to compose a document in his name and seal it with his ring. With
Mordecai’s help, she created a statement which protected Jews from their
enemies and, at the king’s command, couriers spread the new law to every
province of the Persian kingdom. The king arrayed Mordecai in royal garments of
blue, white, and purple and placed a gold crown on his head. The entire 127
provinces celebrated with the Jews, some even becoming Jews for themselves. Mordecai’s
power increased in Susa and the Jews enjoyed an unprecedented lifestyle. Jews still
remember this festival of Purim on the fifteenth day of Adar, in late March,
every year.
From a simple Jewish orphan to a poised, beautiful Persian queen, God
selected this young woman to serve him. He guided and enabled her to withstand
Satan’s fiery darts. There are seasons when we stand for Jesus, and we almost collapse
under the attack. But we have the Spirit’s sword, God’s word, the belt of his
truth, the breastplate of righteousness to shield us. We may feel insignificant
or unworthy, but if God gives us a servant’s role in his kingdom, and we obey
his call, we will succeed, just as God intended. We resist evil by using the
Lord’s armory. Ephesians 6:10-18.
‘No weapon forged against you
will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,
declares the Lord.’ Isaiah 54:17.
The most
famous verse in the book of Esther occurs when Esther faces the possibility of
death, but Mordecai reminds her of God’s calling. It is ‘for such a time as
this.’ As we watch the attacks on Israel, we know we live in another era of
Israel’s suffering. God will walk with faithful Jews who honor his name.
Whether we’re Jews or Gentiles, if we have received the Messiah, Yeshua, as our
Lord and Savior, he calls us to pray for and support the sick and suffering in
their need. And to pray for our enemies. They also need God’s love and
forgiveness.
What has God called you to do? Serve the church or our
community, call or text a sick friend, run a household, raise children? He has
chosen each of us for such a time as this. We’re a link in his sovereign chain.
When
God’s name is not mentioned in our society, he still guides and directs behind
the scenes.
The heroes and the villain? Mordecai and Esther versus
Haman. But behind the scenes, God is the hero, and Satan, the villain. If we
acknowledge there’s a spiritual battle, and hand it to the Lord, he’ll fight
for us, and we need not fear.
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