Thus far we have seen the failure of ungodly governments. Drunkenness is quite common among the lost. They need to find a way to dull their guilty conscience and liquor seems to be a common method of doing that. Moral corruption will accompany drunkenness. The king divorced his wife and then was counselled to find a new wife. The ungodly see nothing wrong in this. God calls it adultery and He condemns it. The world says people need to be able to love others and we all make mistakes. The Bible tells us we can make wise choices if we are saved and if we love someone it will be for life. The king eventually chose a Jewish virgin as his wife. She did not reveal that she was a Jew. We read that she had a pleasing way about her and that she was also easy to look at.
We also are introduced to a man named Haman. This man was chosen by the king to become his right hand man. He was a vain man, but the king was vain as well. The two made a good pair. Haman loved the praise of men. He loved to be worshipped, even though he did nothing that was worthy of any type of honour. One man, named Mordecai, who was a Jew, and let it be known that he was a Jew, would not cater to the vanity of Haman. This caused Haman to decide that not only Mordecai, but all the Jews in the Persian empire needed to be killed. He convinced the king to let him write a letter to that effect. The king granted him the authority needed to make this decree enforceable.
Mordecai was alarmed by this decree and having previously told Esther to keep quiet about her kindred, now demanded that she intervene to the king about this matter. No one considered bringing God into the matter. This did not stop God from being involved. He is the Lord of all the earth. He does not need an invitation to oversee and to interact with what is happening on earth. Psalm 2 is a good Psalm to read to remind yourself of the fact that God knows all about what the wicked are doing. He has provided all the information needed to prove He is God and yet the wicked live as though there is no God. God laughs at their foolishness. The lost dig themselves a pretty big hole, but they can only dig it so deep because God limits them.
Now in chapter 6 the king could not sleep one night. He did not know the Lord, so his way of dealing with sleeplessness was to cause someone else to be sleepless as well.
He commanded that they bring the book of records and read that before the king. As they were reading this, they came across the incident we read of earlier in this book. Mordecai heard of an attempt on the king’s life and he told Esther and she told the king and the perpetrators were arrested and put to death. However, there was no official reward given to Mordecai for exposing this plot.
Now the king was reminded of this event and that no official honour had been given to Mordecai.
By this time it was morning and the king wanted to know who was in the court to consult on this matter.
We read that ‘trusty old’ Haman was there. The king called for him to come to him. Haman had come to gain permission from the king to hang Mordecai. His plan was going to be stopped, first of all with the concern of the king and then with the second banquet. Haman had a plan. He was doing all he could to work that plan. However, God has a plan. He is systematically working His plan. He never misses a beat in getting His plan executed right on schedule.
In verse 6 the king asked Haman how he would address the matter of overlooking someone who committed a good deed. The king wanted to honour Mordecai, but he needed input as to how to best do that. Of course, at this point, the king did not let on who it was that he wanted to honour.
Haman, being the vain man that he was, could not imagine anyone more worthy of honour than himself. He forgot all about his request for the moment. He suggested an elaborate plan of action to let all people in Sushan know the reward that awaited someone who did something honourable regarding the king.
Haman’s suggestion was quite generous. He wrongly assumed that he was the one that was going to be honoured. He made his suggestion as extravagant as possible. His vanity was at a heightened level now. He would make sure that all people would know just how much the king appreciated him. Little did he know that his suggestions were not for him, but for his chief enemy.
We can learn so much from the book of Esther. We can see how corrupt, pagan governments function. We can also see that God is still at work, even the midst of corrupt governments. He never condones the corruption but as we see from Psalm 2, He knows exactly how to respond to man’s vanity and wickedness.
At present, Israel is facing an increasing threat against its survival. Mr. Biden, whose mind is going, is becoming more and more hostile toward Israel. He is rewarding the enemies of Israel and trying to put the choke hold on her. He is using American taxpayer money to support his endeavours. Of course he has just the right people surrounding him, who will follow through and even encourage his thinking.
As these events are unfolding at this present time, God has already told us of these upcoming events in Ezekiel 38-39. Israel will come to a place where it looks as though she will be destroyed. At just the right moment God will stop the attack and send the enemies away in defeat. A large number of the enemies will be killed and Israel will survive and prosper.
The events of that battle sound somewhat like what we read of in the book of Esther, but to a lesser degree. The Jews were under severe threat during that time. The king had foolishly agreed to Haman’s plot. How would the Jews defend themselves? God knew the answer and he would direct this wicked king to be part of the solution, rather than the problem. To this day, Israel reminds herself every year, of the victory they were granted in that time.
God knows all things. He works all things for His glory. The wise person wants to be on the right side of that glory. Unlike Haman, the wise person looks to God for His way of being on the right side. That begins with being saved. After salvation, the true child of God walks with the Lord and learns to serve Him more faithfully. His blessings are eternal and they are of much greater value than anything man can dream up.
Pastor Bartel