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(Esther
5 & 6)
At the
request of Esther Mordecai (and many others) fasted for 3 days, with no food or
drink… During this time, the Lord prepared Esther, the king, and Haman for
what was yet to unfold. Haman was
scheming the most wicked and evilest plan he could conjure up in his bitter,
angry, and hateful mind, and Esther allowed the Lord to work miraculously
through her servant-like ways.
Queen Esther prepared herself donning her royal clothing, and came before
the king without invitation. Here
she lay’s in the fate of the king’s heart.
Will she be killed for approaching the mighty ruler without invitation,
or will she live by the mercy of the king’s scepter?
How amazing it is to see the way the king views Esther. He has a compassion towards her beauty and is willing to
legally give her anything she desire’s, up to ½ of the kingdom….
And how much greater is our Heavenly King towards those who belong to
HIM????? HE has such a compassion
and love that in our wickedly sinful condition HE made a way to allow us to come
to HIM without our death being required. Our
greatest gift ever given, through the cross of Jesus Christ, by HIS perfect
sacrifice, dying for our sins, being buried, and rising three days later – we
have permission to come before the throne and have wondrous fellowship with our
creator and master.
The king admired the beauty of his queen, and upon gazing at her
breathtaking presence; he presents the scepter of salvation and allows her into
his presence. And when asked what
is it she would like to have granted, she only makes a simple request stating,
“If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to
grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to
the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king
has said.”
“So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when
Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble
before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai.” (5:9 nkjv)
Haman restrains himself, calls for his friends and wife to come to
him, and begins to brag about his wealth and position with the king, and
furthermore he expresses how only he and the King is invited by the Queen for a
special banquet. But even with
this, he was aggravated at Mordecai, so Zeresh, Haman’s wife, and his friends
devise a plan to have a gallows made, and in the morning make a suggestion to
the king to have Mordecai hanged.
But that night, the King was unable to sleep, so he has his book of
records brought to him and begins review events from the past, where low and
behold, Mordecai’s name appears, and the king is reminded how his life was
saved by the words of Mordecai. The
king inquires, and finds that nothing was ever done to honor Mordecai for his
noble and honorable deed.
Haman then appears standing in the court, and the king invites him in,
and questions, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to
honor?"
“Now Haman thought in his heart,
‘Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?’ And Haman answered the king, ‘For the man whom the king
delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a
horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head.
Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the
king's most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to
honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before
him: “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”’
“Then the king said to Haman,
‘Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for
Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king's gate! Leave nothing undone of all
that you have spoken.’
“So Haman took the robe and the
horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and
proclaimed before him, ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king
delights to honor!’” (6:6-11
nkjv)
After the parade ended, Mordecai goes back to the king’s gate, and
Haman heads of like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs, and mourns for
what the king had him do. He tells
his wife and friends about his disgrace, and before they finished talking, a
servant of the king comes and gathers Haman to bring him to the banquet Queen
Esther has prepared.
Haman had gathered counsel from his friends and wife to scheme a terrible
plan to get rid of Mordecai, and in chapter 3 we see that Haman “sought to
destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus-the
people of Mordecai” (3:6
nkjv). And now, we’ve seen
Mordecai given great honor by the king in the form of a parade.
Imagine what the people would think or say if Mordecai was hanged the
next day? Here’s a man honored by
the king one day, and hanged in the gallows the next? Here we see the lord protecting… and laying down a set of
events, which will begin to unfold in a manner not ever expected by Haman and
his wicked friends.
Again, Esther is seen with patience, and trust in the Lord.
Se does not hurry into to king, even when the king states he will grant
anything up to ½ of the kingdom… the Queen does not yet petition for Mordecai
and her kinsfolk, she allows the lord to prepare the right timing, during the
right circumstances, following the right events. The dominos are being prepared, and soon we shall see the
grand display as they tumble to unfold I a manor that brings glory and honor to
God.
How do I trust in the Lord today? How
do I rely on HIS timing, HIS truth, and HIS guidance/direction?
How much glory and honor does God receive through the actions of my life
today? After seeing and reading the
life of Esther, I see the need to have patience with HIM and not to try and rush
into everything blindly and with my own desires and wishes at stake.
Esther brings us a great example of trust, faith, and patience in the
Lord.
“My son, do not forget my law, But
let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they
will add to you. Let not mercy and
truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your
heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
“Trust in the LORD with all your
heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It
will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”
(Prov 3:1-8 nkjv)
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