Esther 7:1-4
Chapter 6 was where the story line changed direction.
Although Esther seems to plan her words and her timing very carefully, we know a sovereign God was the reason for her success. She approached the King with little or no experience at this type of negotiating but God used her carefully planned approach.
It is not by our words alone that any of us can reach another soul for Christ but by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we are willing to know the truth we would be set free by it. (John 8:32) We know that God’s truth can set us free. We are also set free by our truthfulness no matter what it costs us. Esther fasted, prayed and planned because she knew she was going to have to tell King Xerxes the truth about herself, that she was a Jew and she knew that that truth could cost her her life. By her honesty, she can be the vessel that is used to deliver her people. If we are honest about where we have been, we can be the vessel that God uses to deliver people from situations similar to what we have experienced. Sometimes it is worth telling our story.
Esther 7:5-6
Esther exposes the enemy Haman and refers to him as the “adversary” which is the meaning of the name “satan”. Be aware of satan’s schemes. He uses the same tactics as always to make promises that lead to destruction. Just as Esther exposed Haman to Xerxes, we need to expose satan to Christ. Our King already knows how satan works and when we stand by our King we can claim the victory and deliverance that comes through Christ.
Esther 7:7
As much as a crisis can divide a marriage, it can also bring a couple closer together. This crisis has brought the King and Queen to common ground.
Haman stayed back to beg for his life. Even if Esther had any mercy to offer Haman, how could she take a chance that he was sincere now that his life was at stake. Mercy is not something that we give in every situation. We often have to battle with a decision to trust someone or not. God knows the hearts of people and He knows sincere repentance. We often have to examine a situation very closely in hopes of making the right decision to trust the untrustworthy or to give something to someone simply because they want it. We can be assured that if someone is worthy of mercy and does not receive it, God will be sure they receive it. Also if we offer mercy to those that don’t deserve it, there will come a day if regret has not caused true repentance that God will bring justice.
Esther 7:8-9
Haman tried to condemn a people for a crime they did not commit. Now Haman is sentenced to be hung for his actions and the last action he was accused of was one that he did not commit. Justice is often served back in the same way we have served it. satan used Haman and then betrayed him. We will never benefit by acting on satan’s lies. He uses us to cause destruction and then turns the tables to destroy us.
Xerxes seems to be presuming something on the base of jealousy. After all he hadn’t summoned Esther in a month and she has now invited Haman to join them for not one dinner but two. We can often come to a wrong conclusion when our mind is running out of control. Our feelings are not accurate sources for making assumptions and are often invitations for inappropriate responses.
Harbona seems to be in a position to see from more than one perspective. He has information without the emotion. We are wiser to act on information than emotion. Haman was headed to a familiar place that he prepared. Without God, that is our destination. With God, we can walk down a better path, one prepared by God.
Esther 7:10
Xerxes anger had subsided. He seemed relieved to have destroyed the one that has given his ego a blow. He seemed to have forgotten the greater crisis still hanging over the Jews. We have a tendency to view the crisis in how it effects us and not see the other half of the crisis and how it affects others. Esther’s truth of being a Jew is also still hanging over her head. Esther told the truth but there still seems to be some things that need to take place to win the war. There were still problems to be taken care of.
Haman’s life did not end well. May our lives and the lives of those we love end well. No matter where we have come from, God can end our story well. Most of us have ordinary lives that involve paying bills and taking trash out. We don’t often get greatness by seeking the extraordinary. With God the extraordinary often happens while we are doing the ordinary. We don’t often recognize them in the midst of our everyday routine.
Haman was poisoned by his desire to achieve greatness. Where did that desire for greatness come from? Did he hear it all his life growing up? He no doubt heard the history between the Jews and the Amalekites. Parents are often the ones blamed for what their children do even when they have the best intentions. Our identity needs to be in Christ not the things we are destine to achieve. We can have expectations of greatness if we balance it with respect for others.
Another hindrance to doing something good, is to think it has to be perfect. God expects obedience not perfection. We looked at this earlier in our study. When we have a gift, God is the one who gave it to us and He expects us to use it. We need to learn what to do with it. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 to work on our gift. We are responsible for what we do with it. There is a difference between having a gift and knowing what to do with it. When encouraging young people, your children and others, we need to find a balance between encouragement and making them aware of their need for God’s guidance.
When God is the center of our greatness, we no longer feel the pain of having us being our focus. We were created for something greater which satisfies our God-given need to matter. We will feel empty when we focus on attaining a personal greatness. Fulfilling our purpose for the greatness of God is to live a fulfilled life. The greatest things we do will be God-things. We who are able are called to spill our drink offering over the needs that surround us even when it goes unnoticed.