Year 2, Day 66: Esther 6

Esther 6 gives us another great perspective on faith.  We can learn a little from Mordecai, but we will learn a lot from Haman today.  However, we will start with Mordecai and what we can learn about patience.

Mordecai

Here we see that Mordecai was never rewarded for exposing the earlier plot to kill the king.  This is a very grave mistake for the king.  After all, ancient rulers were constantly under plots to depose of them.  If you are the top dog, everyone is looking to take your spot on the top.  Thus, rewarding people who foiled a plot to kill the king was a very cheap way to afford life insurance.  If people knew that a king would handsomely pay a reward, then people would begin to look for ways to protect the king. 

Thus, King Ahasuerus wouldn’t want Mordecai to go unrewarded.  If word got out that there was no profit in keeping the king safe, then one of the king’s most effective means for safety would be nullified.  Thus, we can understand the king’s concern for Mordecai.  King Ahasuerus isn’t being altruistic, he is very much thinking of his own safety!

However, we can learn from Mordecai a lesson of patience.  Mordecai hadn’t yet been rewarded.  Yet, we have heard nothing of that fact up until now.  Mordecai has not been causing trouble for the king nor talking about the king’s negligence.  Rather, it would seem that Mordecai has been waiting for God.

Hint-sight is of course 20/20.  What has been going on behind the scenes is that God was waiting for the right moment to make King Ahasuerus remember about the need to reward Mordecai.  God was in control of this scenario, and Mordecai was happy to let God remain in control.  Mordecai could have easily asserted himself, demanded some kind of reward, or threatened to spread bad words if he didn’t get a reward.  But Mordecai was patient.  Mordecai was willing to let God be in control.

Haman’s Impatience

Now we will turn to Haman and what we can learn from him.  Unlike Mordecai, who was patient and accepting of his lot in life, Haman was all about receiving for himself.  Yesterday we saw how Haman took the liberty of building a gallows – assuming that he could convince the King to punish Mordecai.  He was focused on his own agenda and his own means for accomplishing his agenda.  He was focused on punishing Mordecai because Haman didn’t get the honor that he believed that he was due.

Then we hear the declaration of the king.  Not only did Haman want Mordecai to die, but now Haman had to parade Mordecai through the city and declare how great Mordecai was in the eyes of the king.  Oh how Haman must have been blindsided by this pronouncement.  Oh how Haman must have been deeply wounded by this turn of events.

In this story we learn a few simple truths. 

• The larger our expectations, the larger our disappointments.  Haman had huge dreams, fueled by a growing ego.  Because Haman was focused on his own agenda, Haman was unable to see reality coming head-on towards him.
• In Haman’s self-centeredness, he clearly isn’t focused on God’s agenda.  This might seem obvious, but it is really so important that it must be stated.  We are either focused on God’s agenda or we are not.  I know I like to live in a black and white world and ignore the shades of gray that really exist, but on this point I don’t think there is any gray.  Either I am focused on God’s agenda or I am focused elsewhere.

Lacking In

Then we reach a sad part of the story.  When Haman goes home and looks for comfort regarding what he must consider a horrible twist of fate, his family and friends do not offer up any support.  They tell Haman that he will surely fall.

What is sad about this is not that Haman’s friends tell him the truth, which they do.  What is sad is that Haman’s friends do not accompany the truth with a message of repentance.  Haman is in error and he has made a mistake.  He is headed on the path of ruin.  But there is still time to make amends.  He could still learn to be humble and repent of his error.  But this is not the message that Haman receives.  Haman receives the message and believes that he is destined to fail and there is nothing he can do about it.  How sad is the advice of the world without the message of grace that God can bring to it!

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