March 17
March 17, 2008 by Dan
“That night the King could not sleep…” (Esther 6:1)
Imagine that! The pivotal point in the high drama of this book happens through a rather insignificant event. A king who has a night of insomnia and is suffering from boredom asks for the “book of remembrance” to be brought to him, where he reads that Mordecai had never been amply rewarded for engaging in a little espionage for the King. This is the beginning of the end for Haman. He goes nowhere but down from this point, while Mordecai and the Jews go nowhere but up. What a reversal of events.
In Israel’s previous history, God had used mighty miracles to rescue his people. In the story of Esther, God utilized ordinary events to deliver on His promises: The king holds a banquet; his wife chooses not to obey; a new queen is chosen; a Jew refuses to bow down to a Gentile; an evil man conspires to commit genocide; a king spends a sleepless night reading; a Jew is rewarded for reporting a conspiracy; and on and on it goes.
Nothing supernatural here; no plagues nor parting of the Red Sea, just the superintending hand of God guiding in the common-place affairs of men. In the end, Haman is hanging on his own gallows, and Mordecai replaces him in a key position of the Persian government. The Jews are saved and avenged of their adversaries. All is well that ends well.
It would be good that we consider how God has guided our lives. What influences brought us to the Lord? How is it that we met and married our spouse? What providence led us to our current job? How and why are we at this place at this time?
What soon becomes obvious is that a series of ordinary events, which may have seemed insignificant at the time, have come together to create the tapestry of our lives. Seldom does God need to work great miracles to keep His promises and accomplish His purposes.
The assurance we receive while reading the book of Esther is that God exists behind the scenes, orchestrating the details of our life. Most of this orchestration is through the common-place events of life, while only occasionally the supernatural is summoned. If we are ready to seek and submit to His will, He will get His will done in our lives.
And His will is where our salvation and greatest blessings lie.
