People sometimes say that the Bible is great literature and we are quick to counter by reminding them that it is so much more than that. Of course it is so much more than that but we do need to take the point: the God who caused the Bible to be written is a great artist and we can expect that, in at least some places, the Bible will display amazing literary artistry.
One such place is in this book of Esther. Although ch.4 was very significant in terms of the story, it is in chapters 6&7 that the issues raised are settled (in principle). Not only can we see that in terms of how the story flows but also in how the book is structured.
There are 3 pairs of feasts in the book, the middle pair being these two feasts given by Esther for Xerxes and Haman. Structurally, the whole story hinges around what happens between the banquets given by Esther; this is the heart of the book.
And then we notice that the annals of Xerxes, the records about his reign get mentioned 3 times; again, the second instance (i.e. the middle one) is here in ch.6.
In these ways and more, the author of Esther wants us to see that this is the heart of the book, that here is where the issues are being decided. Great literary skill is being put in the service of the truth and together they combine to speak with power and urgency to us.
1. The humble honoured; the arrogant abased
In terms of those issues, we’re going to look in the first place at the way the big picture is played out here. Put simply, we see here the outworking of a principle that Jesus often referred to in his ministry: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Here we see, in Mordecai and Haman, the humble honoured and the arrogant abased.
And the point is made with great power and irony. After Esther’s first banquet, the king can’t sleep and asks for the records of his reign to be read to him – we’d feel certain that would send us to sleep but Xerxes probably has other things in mind.
Whatever his reason, he hears again of what Mordecai did to warn him of the attempted coup and ask what has been done to honour Mordecai. Of course, the answer is nothing; he has been entirely overlooked.
Just then, Haman arrives, bright and early to get the king to agree to have Mordecai killed. But the king asks what should be done for the one the king delights to honour – Haman straight away thinks he means him but boy is he in for a shock! The king orders Haman to go out and robe Mordecai and lead him in honoured procession through the town.
How striking is God’s way of honouring those who honour him! How deeply ironic that Haman should have his murderous plans brought to nothing. But there is worse yet in store for Haman. When he tells his family what has happened, they at least recognise that he’s onto a loser because he is fighting a Jew – God is with Mordecai so Haman’s case is lost.
And it is. At the next feast, Xerxes asks Esther for her petition and learns that Haman has set in motion the plan to exterminate the Jews, Esther included. His fate is quickly sealed – with great irony, he is impaled on the giant pole he had intended to slaughter Mordecai on.
This is the way of the God of the Bible. Those who are oppressed and who look to him for help will be heard. Those who oppose the Lord in their pride will be brought low; very low.
That principle functions as both a comfort and a challenge. Here is one writer expresses both those aspects: “In our darkest hours we can be assured of our final destiny of glory with Christ. We can be assured that the reversal of circumstances we so crave will one day be ours. By contrast, no matter how prosperous or powerful, those who are not in Christ will ultimately also suffer a reversal of fortune. Like Haman, they will find themselves caught in a web of destruction that hindsight will show to be of their own making. It can happen at any time.” (Jobes p.162)
2. How God Works
That is the big picture of these chapters but it is important that we also pay close attention to the smaller details which form that larger picture.
How does the Lord work his purposes out here? Is it through human ingenuity and plotting? Certainly, as we saw last time, Esther is very careful how she approaches the situation and that is still the case here. She is careful not to accuse the king of doing wrong (he after all signed the edict) but puts the blame where it really lies, with Haman.
But however wisely and prudently Esther acts, the show belongs to God. And the one who can work mighty miracles to deliver his people (as he so often did) chooses here not to do so; rather, he works through the seemingly insignificant detail of a sleepless night.
Had Xerxes not had that disturbed night, who knows what the outcome might have been. But he was awoken; and, when he asked for the chronicles of his reign to be read, it just so happens that he hears about Mordecai. God is at work, acting to deliver his people, not through human might or ingenuity, nor by mighty miracle but in quiet and unexpected ways.
As the hymn says, “This is your God!” This is the God who worked in the life of Jesus through a combination of the ordinary and the miraculous in order to effect our rescue from sin. Here is the God who, in ways seen and unseen, drew us to himself.
And here is the God who is still at work in our lives, in the life of his church – yes, in large and surprising ways but also in quiet ways and through seemingly insignificant events. Isn’t this just what Jesus was teaching in the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast? Small events, hidden from sight, yet with greatly important outcomes.
Doesn’t this mean we can trust the Lord to be at work in our lives as his people in the most unexpected of ways? And doesn’t this give a renewed sense of significance to what we might think of as trivial or mundane?
3. To pity or to punish?
God is at work, in his providence and through the hero of this book, Queen Esther. But there are some who believe Esther fails badly in this scene. When the king flies into a rage and decides that Haman’s fate is sealed, they suggest that Esther should have interceded on behalf of Haman, vile though he was. She was in a position to pity him but instead opts to punish.
Are they right to make that criticism? There are a number of points to bear in mind here.
Firstly, in general terms, there is a time to pity but there is also a time to punish. God’s grace will not always be extended (to individuals or the human race at large) and his justice will not always be held back.
As someone has rightly asked, “Is pity always a virtue? And is absence of it always a character flaw (especially in a woman)? Perhaps it is in this very moment that Esther exhibits her greatest strength of character and fulfils her highest calling.” (Jobes p.167)
And then, more specifically, we need to remember there is a larger OT storyline being worked out here. Haman, as we have been made aware, is an Agagite, a descendent of the king that Saul should have slain but allowed to live (Samuel had to finish the job). Is Esther aware of that and ready now not to make the same mistake?
She had a position of responsibility, both in the Persian kingdom and in relation to the Jews and their history (with which the whole destiny of the world is connected). Esther plays her part well here; there is a time for justice. God is good to those who seek him but all must seek him “while he may be found”.
