Pride vs. Providence
July 25, 2013 at 9:58 am | Posted in Esther | 8 CommentsTags: commentary on Esther, danger of pride, Esther 5, Esther 6, Haman, insomnia, Mordecai, providence of God, Psalm 7, Sunday School lessons on Esther
In his pride Haman rejoiced with his family and friends, unknowingly bragging about the preparation for his own downfall and death.
Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king. Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.
Esther 5:10-13
Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
Psalm 7:14
Haman was “pregnant” with wickedness and evil plans. Therefore, he gave birth to a “child” which brought evil upon its own “father.”
He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
Psalm 7:15
Haman had “made his own bed,” and would now have to lie in it.
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
Psalm 7:16
On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Esther 6:1
Why couldn’t the king sleep that night? Perhaps he was worried, wondering about Esther’s request. Perhaps he was kept awake by the racket caused by the building of the gallows outside. God, in His providence, may intervene supernaturally in obvious ways into the affairs of men, but often He works through what seem to be perfectly natural circumstances. The king could have chosen any manner of entertainment, but he chose to read a book, and not just any old book, but the book of the chronicles. Some historical chronicles are boring enough to put anybody to sleep! The servant picked out which of the chronicles to bring, and God’s providence worked to bring Haman to the king’s gate early that day. Haman’s plan for the day was to see Mordecai hanging all day, but instead he would have to spend all day seeing Mordecai honored!
Could this have been arranged by God to offer Haman a chance to repent? If so, Haman certainly did not seize the opportunity.
And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
Esther 6:12
Despite being celebrated and honored all day, Mordecai did not fall into the trap of pride. When the festivities were over he humbly returned to his place. We must not let pride settle down and make itself at home in our hearts.
Prep Time
June 20, 2013 at 11:25 am | Posted in Esther | 1 CommentTags: 2 Corinthians 4, commentary on Esther, emergency prayers, Esther 4, Esther 5, prayer time, providence, providence of God, Sunday School lessons on Esther
Lord, help Your people to be dedicated to You, and help us to stand against the attack of the enemy. Give us the wisdom to know when we need to use the methods of confrontation or separation in dealing with our problems, but help us to deal with people always in love. In the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
God often uses people to accomplish His purposes. One example is the gift of the Gospel, which is a great treasure. God could appear to people in person and preach it directly to them, but He has entrusted it to us.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
II Corinthians 4:6-7
This is possibly the most well-known and often-quoted verse in the Book of Esther:
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Esther 4:14
It shows the providence of God, but it also shows that we may miss out on the blessing when God accomplishes His purposes anyway without us.
Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.
Esther 5:1-4
Esther was receiving Godly favor and influence. Why wasn’t she more direct with the king? There are some similarities in the way subjects approach an earthly king and the way God’s people approach the Heavenly King, but there are also many differences.
Esther prepared for her meeting with the king, including putting on her royal apparel. We should be thankful that God hears “emergency prayers” (Nehemiah 2:4), but most of the time we should make some preparation for our prayer time.
The Earthly King and the Heavenly King
April 29, 2010 at 11:46 am | Posted in Esther, Uncategorized | 14 CommentsTags: 2 Peter 3, Esther, Esther 5, Hebrews 4, Hebrews 7, Jeremiah 29, John 15, King of Kings, Malachi 3, Romans 10
The book of Esther describes the devil’s attempt to prevent the birth of the Messiah years before it happened. The way he attempted this was horrific. He designed a plan to annihilate the entire Jewish people. To accomplish this evil plan, Satan used (as he would again centuries later in the case of Adolph Hitler) a man who hated the Jews: Haman.
Haman’s scheme was thwarted through the Lord’s providential use of a man named Mordecai, and the Jewish Queen Esther. In order to stop Haman, however, Esther needed to gain an audience with the king. Esther employed a good deal of wisdom in gaining the king’s favor, but in her approach to this earthly king, we may see some contrasts between the inferiority of an earthly king and the superiority of the King of Kings.
Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
Esther 5:1-2
a. The earthly king may refuse to grant an audience to his subject on a whim; the King of Kings openly invites all to come unto Him. (Romans 10:13)
b. The earthly king demands that those who come before his throne come meekly; the King of Kings allows those who truly desire His help to come boldly. (Hebrews 4:16)
c. The earthly king may swing from being in a good mood to being in a bad mood purely without reason; the King of Kings deals justly with all on the basis of His unchanging character. (Malachi 3:6)
d. The earthly king may or may not keep his promises; the King of Kings is never slack concerning His promises. (II Peter 3:9)
e. The earthly king demands that his subjects keep their distance; the King of Kings beckons His followers to draw nigh. (Hebrews 7:19)
f. The earthly king may grant a request, but secretly be motivated by his own selfish desires; the King of Kings has plans for His servants that are always for their own good. (Jeremiah 29:11)
g. The earthly king motivates his servants to obedience through the threat of harm; the King of Kings motivates His servants by His unwavering love for them. (John 15:9-11)
The Deep End 
Beware the Forestalled Feast
March 7, 2014 at 5:11 pm | Posted in The Fives | 2 CommentsTags: Cinco de Mayo, Cinco de Mayo Bible lessons, Cinco de Mayo devotions, commentary on Esther, Esther 5, reconsideration, seeking God, Sunday School lessons on Esther, unexpected delays
They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. However, in the days when Esther was queen of Persia, it appears that the way to change a man’s mind was to throw a party.
Esther 5:5
Esther needed an audience with King Ahasuerus and she needed his trusted lieutenant, Haman, to be there, but she needed this audience to be in private, and she needed it to be well-timed. Both of these needs were met by the providence of God, and Esther was successful in being used to rescue the Jewish people that Haman wanted to exterminate.
From the Jewish and Christian point of view, Esther’s daring and wisdom are heroic. Likewise, the king’s decision to grant the request turns out to have been the right choice (even if it was motivated by the anticipation of attending a “banquet of wine” (v. 6). But what – if anything – can we learn from Haman’s folly? He went forth from this privileged audience with the king swollen with pride and primed to be easily offended by anyone who wouldn’t honor him. May the Lord grant us the grace to do the opposite.
When you experience a delay – even in something to which you are greatly looking forward – take the occasion to reconsider. Seek the face of the Lord and seek out His will in His Word. If what we are anxious to partake of is fraught with sin, a forced delay may be our last chance for repentance and rescue.