Growing up, I loved movies. I loved being able to escape for an hour or two, and imagine some new world or alternate reality. And by far, my favorite movie had to be Back to the Future. Now, likely some of the younger folks, and perhaps our older folks, have never seen the movie, so let me briefly set the scene (note: there are some spoilers here, so if you’ve never seen it, you can just cover your ears or tune me out for the next minute): The movie begins in 1985 when the main character, Marty McFly, accidentally time travels 30 years into the past, and unintentionally prevents his then-teenage parents from meeting, and subsequently falling in love, as they were supposed to. So, the rest of the movie is comprised of two main goals for Marty: trying to return to his own time, and attempting to kindle a relationship between his mom and dad, to ensure that he and his siblings will actually exist someday. As you might expect, there are a lot of bumps along the way, and things don’t go as planned. After a week of mishaps, we finally get to the dance where his parents were supposed to have fallen in love. Through a twist of events, Marty ends up on stage, playing guitar with the band, but after a couple songs, he begins to disappear – first his hand, then his arm, and so on – because his parents just don’t seem to be falling in love. But eventually, in a triumphant moment, we see his dad pull his mom in for a kiss, and Marty’s future existence is now secured, as his parents have fallen in love.
There’s more to the movie, and if you haven’t seen it, I would encourage you to do so, but this point in the movie is the turning point of all the action. Up to now, things have seemingly gone wrong at every turn, and Marty just can’t seem to catch a break. And that’s where we find ourselves in the story of Esther today: at the turning point.
So, to catch you up a little, we have four main characters in the story: King Ahasuerus – the most powerful man in the world at the time; Esther – his queen; Mordecai – Esther’s uncle who raised her, and; Haman – the king’s advisor and probably the second most powerful person in the kingdom. At the beginning of the story, the King threw a feast where he asked his then-wife Vashti, to perform for his guests. When she refused, he was enraged, and banished her. Then, King Ahasuerus brings in women from all over the land, including Esther, to his palace to find a future queen from among them, and sets up a system whereby women are groomed and brought to him, to sleep with him, and then placed in his harem, quite possibly never to be seen by him again. And even though Esther was favored above all the other women, and King Ahasuerus made her queen, she still ended up in the harem with all of the other women the king had slept with. Meanwhile, her uncle Mordecai discovers a plot against the king, and tells Esther, who turns around and tells the king, and Mordecai saves the king’s life.
After all this, we meet a man named Haman, who is given a high position in the kingdom, probably second only to the king. At the king’s command, everyone was bowing down to Haman, but Mordecai refused. So, being the spiteful and conceited man that he was, Haman goes to the king and has a decree sent out that not just Mordecai, but all the Jews, were to be killed on a certain day later that year. And while everyone in the kingdom was confused and saddened, the king and Haman drank.
Mordecai, then extremely distraught, enlists the help of his niece, Queen Esther, to try and save their people – the Jews. So, while the people fasted and prayed for her, Esther approached the king – at the risk of her own life – and when the king offered to grant her whatever request she made, Esther instead invited he and Haman to another feast, after which she would tell him her request.
Meanwhile, Haman has gone home, and is recalling his vast riches, large family, and many promotions to his friends and his wife, and about just how great he was – and that he had been the only other person invited to a feast with the king! But he also shared that, in spite of all these things, he was still angry with Mordecai refused to bow to him. So his wife and friends said that he should build a gallows to hang him on over seventy feet tall. So he put men to work building it that very night, to have Mordecai hanged the next day.
So that’s where we find ourselves in the story, Haman preparing to ask the king for Mordecai’s life, the Jews about to be slaughtered, and Esther about to ask for the king’s mercy toward her people. And what we’re about to see in this turning point in our story, is that the next 24 hours would change everything…
That brings us to Chapter 6. And what we’re going to read today can be broken down into three sections: The Reading (verses 1-3), The Recognition (verses 4-11), and The Reckoning (verses 12-14) [REPEAT]. So, if you’ll turn in your bibles, or go to chapter 6 on your phone now with me, we’ll pick up the story with versus 1-3. The book of Esther, chapter 6, verses 1-3. Esther – chapter six, verses one through three. … And it says:
[READ vv1-3]
So, verses 1-3: The Reading
We find King Ahasuerus, after a long feast held by Queen Esther, unable to sleep. So what does he ask for? Well, like I expect my daughter Avery may ask for someday, he requests a bedtime story from his servants. But not just any bedtime story…he wants the story of “the memorable deeds, the Chronicles” – in other words the story of his own life and reign to be read to him. He wants to hear about the wonderful things that have happened in his kingdom, so that he might be lulled into a nice, peaceful slumber. Now many of us might sympathize with wanting to read to try and fall asleep, but most of us probably wouldn’t turn to our spouse, or call our mom or dad, and say: “Hey, can you tell me a story about how awesome I am , and the great things I have done with my life?”, would we?
But, being the most powerful man in the world, his attendants acquiesce with his request and go and get the story of his kingdom. And in so doing, they just happened to pull out a volume from five years ago, that recalled how Mordecai saved his life. And as they continued to the next part of the story, I picture King Ahasuerus saying, “wait, hold on… did you skip a part? Where’s the part that said I honored Mordecai for saving my life?” But, there wasn’t one, because the king, so consumed with himself, had simply sighed a great big sigh of relief for having thwarted the plan of his eunuchs, and totally forgot the one who told him about the plot to kill him to begin with. This situation may bring back memories of the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis, where he interprets the dream of the king’s cupbearer, and tells the cupbearer to remember him, but he promptly forgets all about him, and only two years later remembers Joseph.
One of the big differences between that account, and this one, however, is that it’s not a big deal for a cupbearer to forget about a favor or friend in prison. But it was a huge deal for a king to neglect to honor a man who saved his life! The reason is twofold: First, because a just, fair, and good king honors those who do good to them (and punish those who seek to harm him), and; Second, because a wise king makes sure everyone knows that someone who would thwart a plot to kill him should be greatly rewarded (in the hopes of encouraging similar behavior in the future, should another attempt on his life come about). After all, for most of his kingdom, they had no reason to try and save the king, unless there was something in it for them – and often, they might even gain more from concealing such a plot, as they might gain some power in a new regime, for keeping their mouth shut.
So all of this leads to the king, not just unable to sleep, but now probably wide awake, trying to think what he should do to show his un-realized appreciation to this man, Mordecai, and as we will see in the next passage, he turns to his old friend Haman. So, please turn with me now to verses 4-11, and let’s see what happens as King Ahasuerus asks for Haman’s advice… Chapter 6, Verses 4-11…
[READ vv4-11]
In one of the funniest plot twists in the whole Bible, we find a conceited Haman setting up the worst possible punishment he could imagine for himself. And the result is the Recognition – the Recognition of Mordecai.
So Haman has come to the palace to ask for Mordecai’s head, while a seventy-foot gallows is being made for him just down the street. Some commentators even said that because the King was sleepless and the chronicle was being read to him to help him sleep, that Haman may have actually come in the middle of the night, also unable to sleep, because he was so furious about Mordecai and couldn’t wait until the morning to get to the palace and ask for Mordecai’s life. Whatever the case, we know that most likely Haman was seeking to be first in line when the king woke up, to ensure he could make his request that day, without delay.
But as he is waiting, the king calls him in to speak with him. And he asks Haman what he should do to a man he wishes to honor. And Haman, being so egocentric, forgets all about his request to kill Mordecai, and thinks about all he has been given – great wealth, power, promotions, and comes up with the one thing he would like added: prestige. Even though the king has already commanded the people to bow down before Haman, he wants them to see him paraded around in the king’s clothing, riding on the king’s horse, ensuring that everyone knows he and the king are practically at the same level of honor and renown. I mentioned Joseph earlier, and if you’ll recall, Joseph became second only to the Pharaoh in his time – but this honor that Haman was suggesting would go even beyond that!
But, in perhaps one of the biggest twists of irony in the Bible, the king reveals it is Mordecai that he wishes to honor, and that he likes Haman’s idea and entrusts him with carrying it out exactly as he said.
Can you imagine how Haman must have felt? I mean, the President just said to set up a parade to honor the one person in the world that you absolutely cannot stand, and “oh yeah, since you suggested it, drive him around in the president’s limo, wearing one of the president’s suits (tailored to fit him), and you should be walking in front of the limo with a mega-phone telling everyone as sincerely as you can (because your life might depend on it) that “This guy is great! Everyone should try and be just like this guy!””? How humiliating it must have been for Haman!
But is it really all that surprising that Haman’s ego blinded him as it did? We just read last week how he called all his friends to come and hear the story of his greatness, to and to brag about his riches! … There’s a verse in Proverbs that many of us are probably familiar with that says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” That’s Proverbs 16:18. And that is just what happened here. Haman couldn’t imagine anyone the king would want to honor besides himself, and thus fell right into the divine trap, laid for him.
And Haman was now utterly humiliated, as everyone likely knew of his hatred for the Jews, and Mordecai, and so they knew how crazy it was that he would be leading him around on the King’s horse singing his praises.
So we’ve heard now about The Reading, and about The Recognition, now let’s finish up by reading about The Reckoning, that we’re introduced to in verses 12-14. Again, verses 12-14 of Esther chapter 6. And it says…
[READ vv12-14]
So, thinking back on Mordecai’s parade around Susa on a horse, does that scene remind you of anyone else? Perhaps another who rode on a horse, and whose praises were sung as he entered Jerusalem? And yet another parallel I see between Mordecai and Jesus was that, despite their triumphant processions, both went on to continue their work and not to demand any special privilege, but to simply continue what God had given them to do, despite being praised in the streets.
Meanwhile, Haman tucks his tail between his legs and goes home. Not only had he praised his enemy publicly, but he knew there was no way he could kill Mordecai now. To do so would bring into question his loyalty to the king – after all, why would someone seek to kill a person who saved the king’s life? Not a wise move. So, he covers his head as a sign of great shame – the same shame the Jews had been made to feel when the decree against them was made – and heads home.
And his wife and friends see the writing on the wall. They know that if the king is honoring Mordecai, and Mordecai is a Jew, then Haman is in trouble, because something or someONE is moving against Haman and protecting his enemies. It’s possible that the wise men, and Zeresh, Haman’s wife, had heard of the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt, and subsequent preserving of the Jews during their time in the wilderness when Balak tried to have the sorcerer Balaam curse the Jews, but he could only bless them; or how God saved a remnant of his people since the reign of Cyrus. Yes, it seems that they now could see – albeit too late for Haman – that there was some divine power protecting this people, and that it would surely be Haman’s downfall.
Yet, Haman barely has time to grieve all this, because the king’s men show up and tell him it’s time to go to the king’s feast, so now he’s got to try and keep it together, as he enters the presence of the king and queen once more. And we are left as we are at the end of Back to the Future, with a “To be Continued…” of sorts.
[Reflection and Application]
As we reflect on this story, we once again are confronted with God’s providence in all this. Think about it – on the night between Queen Esther’s two feasts, after which she is planning to ask for her people to be spared, the king just happens to have a sleepless night. I don’t know about you, but after a big feast, I am typically ready for a nice long sleep, and am not tossing and turning. But that’s what the king did. And what does he do to soothe himself? Oh, he just happens to ask them to pull out the books of memorable deeds, and they just happen to go to a book from five years before that recorded Mordecai’s saving of the king. Then, Haman just happens to be outside waiting to speak with the king, to offer the ironic advice that will initiate his own downfall.
That’s a lot of coincidences! And while God is not explicitly mentioned here, we are meant to understand that it is He who sovereignly brought about this series of events exactly as He did, to save His people from destruction.
The same thing happened a few hundred years later when Jesus came. King Herod just happened to order a census right before Jesus was born, so that Jesus just happened to be born in Bethlehem, where the savior was to be born. And there just happened to be a star that later led the magi to the exact spot where Jesus was. And Joseph and Mary just happened to go to Egypt, so that Jesus would fulfill the prophecy that “Out of Egypt I called my son” from Hosea 1:11. Well, of course not – we know that these things, like those in our chapter for today from Esther, happened because God decreed they should.
What’s more, we have the benefit of hindsight and to see the whole story, knowing that God is using these events for the salvation of His people. But how do you think the Jews felt when the decree against them came; or how about Mary and Joseph when they were told the King was trying to find them and kill their son? We look back, knowing that God was doing a specific work, but in the midst of their circumstances, no doubt there was fear, confusion, worry, questioning why this was happening. And God didn’t change their circumstances in a flash, either. It was months before God saved the Jews from Haman’s edict. Yet, God had a plan all along to rescue them, and use this for His glory.
As we think about our own lives, are there circumstances we don’t understand? Are there things we wish were different in our lives? Does God seem slow in answering our prayers at times? Are His answers not always what we want to hear?
I think we can take away from today’s story in Esther that, be it over the course of one day, many days, months, or even years, God is not slow to respond, but responds exactly when and how we need, to accomplish His purposes in our lives. We don’t have the benefit of hindsight yet, in most cases, so we must instead trust that God’s plan is best – even though it often involves pain, struggle, and confusion, like the Jewish people undoubtedly felt as they awaited their day of execution in Esther, not knowing if or when God would rescue them. But they had faith; they asked God for salvation as they prayed and fasted for Esther, and God heard their cries. Likewise, we can and should cry out to God in our distress, and ask for deliverance when needed.
Another application perhaps can be drawn from Mordecai’s delayed reward. He did what was right – to tell the king (despite the king not being the best leader) that there was a plot to assassinate him. In our story, the king forgot to reward him for many years – but in our case, as we carry out the good works prepared ahead of time for us, as we read about in Ephesians 2:10, we know that they will not go unrewarded. And while we do not believe these good works purchase for us eternal life (for we are saved only by faith, and that is through the grace of God), we lay up for ourselves treasures of greater worth in heaven – where Mathew 6:20 reminds us, neither moth nor rust can destroy, nor thieves steal. Earthly kings and rulers may not reward us for doing what God would have us do; our bosses and supervisors and teachers may not always give us earthly rewards – but we can rest assured that as God sees and knows all things, those things that we do in accordance with His will, will be rewarded. And we serve a king who is perfect, and deserves infinitely more honor than the one we read about in Esther.
Finally, I want us to consider Haman’s pride in all this. Despite the humor in what we see unfolding in this chapter, it is also quite sad that this man could not see beyond his own inflated ego. He thought himself to be the most important person, without stopping and considering that perhaps there were others the king might be referring to.
I wonder, in our lives, and especially in our prayer lives – are we so prideful that we focus only on ourselves? Do we think that all God’s blessings are meant for only us? Or do we even see that many of God’s people around the world are suffering, enduring hostilities and pain beyond our comprehension?
Many critics of modern Christian worship songs have noted that our songs have moved from praising the glory of God to a focus on “me” and “I” and “us”. But what should our worship be focused on? Are we so full of ourselves in Western culture that even when we take the time to worship, we are focused on us, rather than on the glory and majesty of the one we are there to worship? That’s one reason we sing hymns here – because so many have (rightly) stood the test of time, because they are properly focused on Him: Great it THY Faithfulness; Holy, Holy, Holy; Crown Him with Many Crowns; A Mighty Fortress is Our God! So let our eyes, as men and women seeking after Christ, turn upward and away from our American self-focused navel-gazing, and see the needs of those around us; the goodness in what others are doing; and consider others as more significant than yourself, as it says in Philippians 2:3.
Some practical applications to this, in our present day, might include staying that 6 feet away from the person in front of us in line, even though we might be growing tired of the COVID-19 restrictions. Praying for the many black people in our community who, no matter how any of us may feel about what’s going on, can clearly see are in distress and pain, and may be feeling marginalized. Or the police officers who do their jobs well and honorably, and yet are feeling unappreciated in these times? Reaching out to Christian brothers and sisters in the church to make sure they are doing okay financially, as we continue to ride this roller coaster of an economy right now. Have you done these things? Or have you been guilty as I have of simply watching your 401k ride the waves up and down? And watching the news through the lens of my family and our situation, and not considering the many people hurting and suffering outside of my home, city, state, or even outside our country? Again, let us not be like Haman. And if we have been, let us take this time to repent and move in a new direction. A direction away from self-love, and self-focus, and toward God-honoring loving of our neighbors, and love our God above all else.