Esther 6

I don't know if you have problems to sleep.

Many of us have certain periods in our lives where we have these difficulties to sleep.

! But here we see in this story of the book of Esther, chapter 6, how the king was not able to sleep.

Esther 6 · chapter mention

We don't know the reason.

It's not like Daniel, a dream, or something which was bothering him.

It's like often happens to us.

We don't know why, but we can't sleep.

But of course, in that time, there was not the same sort of entertainment you can have when you are sleepless.

But there was also entertainment for a king, at least.

There was no night television or internet to watch with a computer, but you could, of course, have anything.

He had to drink and to eat.

He had a whole RM, even dancing girls, if he wanted.

But we don't know why he had chosen, in the first verse of Esther, chapter 6, to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles.

Esther 6 · chapter mention

And they were read.

They were read to the king.

Maybe it's because he wanted something flattering to him, something about the praises of what he has done.

Or maybe because it was so boring.

It was the easiest way to sleep, you know?

To hear all these deeds, you know?

About battles and all the chronicles about the empire and everything that happened, probably during his reign.

But this chapter, like the whole book of Esther, is full of things which are surprising.

Because it happens that in that very moment, what it was read to him during the night was about Mordecai.

This Jew who was like Esther living in the Persian Empire.

But they are not like the Jews living in the empire of Daniel's time.

The story of the book of Daniel, as you know, is the book of how faith dares to confess, you know?

That God is Lord.

But when you think about Mordecai and Esther, they don't confess anything.

They are part of the empire.

They are completely taken over and serving fully, you know?

The interest of the king.

In a way, they are similar to us.

What is true of us is that we hate to be different.

We would like to be like anyone else.

It's not that we are happy living under the empire and their values.

But we try to adapt to them, to live like them.

Even when we want to see Esther like a hero, no?

There are some things in the book which really are difficult to understand from a hero, no?

In the key moment in the chapter before when Mordecai really asked her,

you have to take a stance to speak for your people, no?

The problem is that they didn't know what was her people.

And she knew that if she reveals the hidden secret of her identity, she was in trouble.

So you see that when Mordecai asked her to speak for her people, she's not so ready to do it.

She's hesitant, reluctant to do it.

She doesn't accept easily the idea.

Of course, we remember the words.

If I perish, I will perish, no?

But this is after a conversation, really, when she's not ready to do it, no?

In a way, you can understand these words differently.

You can understand these words as saying, well, if it has to happen, que sera, sera, no?

You cannot do anything about it, no?

You have to say it.

But the way she dealt with it, as you know, is that she would speak to the king, but in a progressive way.

Not just one moment asking him to save her people, but with delays, no?

And after the first banquet you see in the chapter 5, no?

We don't know why, but maybe she didn't dare to say anything, or she thought it was better to wait for the next time.

Another banquet, another opportunity to speak for her people.

And in this chapter 6 is a turnover.

The whole thing changes.

But as you can realize, it's not because of Esther.

It's not because of her heroic deeds, no?

She dares to speak for her people.

No, it was in the way things happen very often in our lives.

A sleepless night, something is red, and the king thinks,

what happens with Mordecai?

He has heard a plot against the king, and he revealed that to the king.

And the Persian kings were known, like any other king,

to reward those who betray others,

who had the confidence to reveal things against them, no?

As you know, a king lives alone, isolated.

You need information.

You need the intelligence service to bring the knowledge things were happening.

But in a strange way, Mordecai didn't get anything.

He revealed the plot to the king.

He saved his life.

But he didn't have a reward.

Sometimes in life, we experience these things, no?

What you expect normally, you don't get it.

What you think you are going to have, does not happen.

And that was the case with Mordecai.

Mordecai was, in a way, not happy with that.

And particularly Haman, the third person of our story,

he was the man in position.

And Mordecai thought that he was his enemy.

So he was bitter because Haman didn't have enough respect for him.

Didn't realize how important was him.

And Haman also was very much against Mordecai

because he didn't realize that he was the important person after the king.

So we see the conflict between these two men,

like so often happens in politics, no?

People who are the whole time, no?

Having things against each other.

But it happens that in that moment,

Haman is in this good position

that he can manage to finish his enemy.

He has so much hate for Mordecai

that he asks and has these plans

to build this stake, this gallows, no?

To kill him.

And his family, when he came back from the banquet,

encouraged him.

They say, yeah, you are the great man, no?

And you have to finish with your enemy.

You have to be strong

and to show him who is in power.

So that night, maybe, they were building the stake

and that was the reason he couldn't sleep.

We don't know.

But Haman came early in the morning

and it was not usual.

And in the second verse,

when we found that it was written

how Mordecai had told about this plot,

the king says,

what honor of distinction

has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?

And the king's young men who attended him

say nothing has been done for him.

And the king says,

who is in the court?

He heard something.

Someone was there.

It was Haman.

Had just entered the outer court

of the king's palace

to speak to the king

about having Mordecai

hung on the gallows.

So the king was not aware yet.

He was going to ask him

to be able to execute him.

Probably on a stake,

a terrible death, no?

That was in his mind.

And in this story of Esther,

what is interesting is that

you know what is in the minds

of the people, no?

You realize what they are thinking to do,

but what happens is something else, no?

It's like very often in life, no?

We have our own thoughts,

our plans,

our ideas, no?

But things

don't work the same way

we think, no?

Haman

was before the king,

and the king's young men told him,

he's there,

standing in the court,

and the king said,

let him come.

So Haman came,

and the king said,

in verse number eight,

what should be done to the man

whom the king delights to honor?

And Haman said to himself,

whom would be the king

he would be delighted to honor?

more than me.

He's like ourselves,

so full of himself,

that he cannot even imagine

the king can be thinking

about someone else, no?

We are so immersed, no?

In our own lives,

really wanting,

needing the praise,

the favor,

to be well thought of,

everyone, no?

That we cannot even

have in our own minds

someone else

in our place, no?

In that way,

we can judge

too easily Haman,

because he's very much

like us,

constantly struggling

with his own mind.

At the same time,

of course,

Haman is an evil man, no?

He's someone hating, no?

The Jews,

and hating Mordecai.

In the Christian tradition,

he has been seen also

as someone portraying

like the devil, no?

The evil one, no?

Who is really trying

to finish God's people.

So these people are

like representing

more than themselves.

Esther and Mordecai

are part of God's people,

and Haman

are

the ones

who are against

God's people,

the ones who want

to finish God's people.

But you see

in this chapter

that this great turnover

comes

not from any of them,

but from the one

who is the king

above the king,

the one

who is not mentioned

in the whole book.

As some of you know,

there is not

one single verse

in the whole book

of Esther

with the name of God.

Nothing is said

about him.

This is why

I think it's a book

so close to us,

to our present situation.

We are

in a part

of the world

where religion

is not any more important.

To speak about God

is only a way

of cursing.

You don't have

anything to do

with what is God

in the past

and

what has been religion.

This is why

it's so

good for us

to read Esther

with these eyes

in our secular society.

Because the one

who is

behind the curtains

doesn't want

to stay

out of the screen.

he

is really

on the script

but it's hidden.

It's unseen.

It's invisible.

And his hand

is everywhere

in the book

of Esther.

But like

in our present life,

we don't see him.

We cannot

show God

to the people.

Look at him.

It's an unseen,

invisible hand

working

behind

the action.

And this is

the first lesson

we have

from our test.

That God

works

in an invisible

way.

It's true

that Christians,

we are hungry

for miracles.

Supernatural

signs.

Clear

ways

of seeing

God.

But

God's will

has been

very often

like in Esther's

time.

not to work

in a spectacular

way

by signs

and wonders,

but taking

the sleep

to the skin,

letting him

be a book

be read,

remembering

Mordecai,

bringing the chance

and the opportunity

that Haman

comes at the moment.

And of course

this

great conversation

between the

king

and Haman

has

this twist.

He doesn't

know

about whom

is the king

speaking.

He thinks

it's about

himself.

But of course

the king

is thinking

about Mordecai.

So you get

two different

minds

and thinking

at the same

time.

And you get

the tension

of the story.

This masterful

story,

you know?

It's a bit

like Alfred

Hitchcock

films.

The most

well-known

book about

Hitchcock

is a book

of conversations

between a

French film

director,

François

Trifaut,

and Hitchcock.

They could

not speak

English like

myself.

He had

troubles

to express

himself.

So they

have an

interpreter,

a translator,

who was

bringing the

questions.

But he

had many

good questions.

He knew

very well

Hitchcock

films.

And

Alfred

Hitchcock

explained that

the tension

in his

films comes

because you

know more

than the

characters.

You see

the two

persons

sitting there,

but you

know that

there is

a bomb,

something

threatening,

behind it.

But the

characters

don't know

it.

You know

more than

the people

who are

in the

story.

And this

is the

way he

gets

this

feeling,

this

curious

interest

we have

about the

story,

about what

is going

to happen.

And this

is really

what the

Bible

brings us

with the

book of

Esther.

You know

what is

happening

behind,

in their

minds,

but you

don't know

what is

going to

happen.

And

Haman

said to

the king,

for the

man whom

the king

delights

to honor,

let royal

robes be

brought,

which the

king has

worn,

and the

horse that

the king

has ridden,

and on

whose head

a royal

crown is

set.

And let

the robes

and their

horse be

handed over

to one of

the king's

most noble

officials.

Let them

dress the

man whom

the king

delights

to honor,

and let

them lift

him on

the horse

through the

square of

the city,

proclaiming

before him,

thus shall

it be

done to

the man

whom the

king

delights

to honor.

So what

he

expresses,

what he

reveals,

is what

is in

his

heart.

And what

Haman

wants,

is not

power,

he's the

second man

in the

empire,

he doesn't

want money,

he has

the treasures

of the

empire for

him,

administration,

he wants

the praise,

he wants

to be

well thought

of,

to be

admired by

the people.

It's very

often like

that with

idols.

You have

some big,

great idols

in our

society,

money,

sex,

power,

but there

are like

a hidden

under

idolatry

of other

things you

can get

with them.

People

want money

for different

reasons.

People

want power

for different

reasons.

So you

can see

that they

live for

the money

or for

sex or

for power

but you

don't realize

really what

is behind

them,

what is

the motives

behind

them.

Certainly

Heyman

showed us

that he

wanted that

power and

that position

because he

needed the

attention of

the people.

And we

are so

hungry of

that.

When we

are children

and even

teenagers

constantly

hungering for

the attention

of other

people.

And we

spend the

whole life

like that.

When we

come to

work,

when we

come to

relationships,

we really

need to

catch the

attention of

the people.

We want

to be

well thought

of.

We want

to be

praised.

And

secondly,

we have

this lesson

here,

a warning.

Be careful

if you

time.

We despise

him.

We ignore

him.

In this

very

moment,

like in

these two

days in

the story

of Esther,

the first

chapters are

about nine,

it's a long

period of

time.

And then

you have

just two

days when

this happens

in chapter

five and

six.

But this

is the

whole

turnover

of the

story.

In just

that moment,

everything

comes to a

different

conclusion.

The rest

of the

chapters of

the book

is just

because of

what happens

in that

moment.

so there

is a

moment in

history,

in God's

plan and

purpose,

when everything

is changed.

After 30

years,

reaching

upon this

earth,

God,

who became

a man,

Jesus Christ,

he was

brought to

that cross,

to that

suffering.

and that

humiliation,

that disgrace,

that same,

was the

fall of

Satan and

the evil

one.

The New

Testament says

that in

that cross,

all the

evil plot

from the

beginning,

from the

devil,

was

finally

brought

down.

because

that sign

of disgrace

was his

victory.

Why?

Because of

the unseen,

invisible

hand of

God.

No one

could see

around that

cross

that

God was

doing

something

apart

from

punishing

Christ

as an

evil

one.

But God

was working

through that

cross,

for our

salvation.

And in

this glory,

we can

see something

of the

future

of the

Son,

Jesus

Christ,

seated

at the

right hand

of God,

receiving

every praise

and honor,

and for a

whole

eternity,

a whole

crowd,

from every

nation,

language,

drive,

all

sort of

people

will only

praise

the man,

the king

has his

delight.

Because there

is nothing

God does

that is not

for the

delight

in his

beloved son.

God,

from the

very beginning,

in this

plan of

salvation,

the idea

was that

the one

who was

going to

sacrifice

himself on

that cross

will be

praised

forever.

And the

delight of

God to

fulfill his

plan,

to give

us what

we ask,

to expect

everything from

him,

we know

that we

can expect

it because

of God's

son.

When we

pray,

like now,

in his

name,

we know

that it's

God's

delight,

the king's

delight,

to do

anything,

anything,

really,

for the

sake of

that man.

His

beloved

son,

Jesus

Christ,

so here,

we are

asked also

to believe,

to believe

in that

man,

who is

going to

be the

center of

the

universe,

who is

God

himself,

shown to

us,

made

human,

like us,

but getting

the praise

and the

honor we

always want.

So we

have to

die

ourselves,

we have

to let

any

expectation,

dream,

any

plan

apart

because

and for

the sake

of him.

And that's

what I would

like to ask

you

to share

with me

in this

prayer,

to ask

him

that we

would

forget

all these

dreams

and plans

we have

for

ourselves,

to

be

finally

free

of this

hunger

to get

the

attention,

the praise,

to be so

well thought

of,

and to

think of

someone else.

praise,

because we

are not

going to

reign,

we are

not going

to be

the king,

we are

not going

to get

the praises

to someone

else.

Maybe

for some

people this

is bad

news,

but this

is the

truth.

The truth

is someone

else who

is going

to be

praised.

And if

we don't

do it

now,

think about

this warning

about

Haman.

it can

be too

late.

It will

be a

day

when

if we

have not

bowed

our knees

before him,

we will

fall like

Haman fell.

Let us

pray.

Let us

talk to

the Lord

about it.