The Invisible Hands of God

That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 

Esther 6:1-2

This is where the climax begins. One fateful night of a powerful Gentile king who was left sleepless and restless. Something did not sit right with him, and his heart was stirring. In the most ungodly hour, he decided to reflect upon his own reign. On a book (perhaps books) recording all the great things he had done, all the happenings of his kingdom, chapter after chapter, something out of the ordinary caught his eyes. One overlooked man who kept him alive and sleepless was left unrewarded for his act of loyalty.

Mordecai vs Haman

As a concerned father, Mordecai paced back and forward daily in front of the king's gate to check on his lovely adopted daughter Esther, who was summoned into the king's court as queen. His regular presence fatefully led him to uncover a plot against the king. The crisis was averted before any harm was caused. But Mordecai was not a man of compromise. He refused pay his respect and tribute to Haman and this has angered Haman. Haman's bloated self-esteem and pride has taken another step further than reprimanding Mordecai: he wanted the destruction of Mordecai's people. At this, Mordecai was gravely grieved.

Putting Haman in focus, he was drunk in his indulgence of his vanity and pride. He boasted the favor of the king upon himself, and he bragged about the honor to be invited by the Queen Esther. He had riches, treasures and honor. But one thing remain imperfect: Modercai still refused to bow. He had everything but one, and he was still dissatisfied. He desires to see Modercai and his family suffer, he would go on and set up high poles to see them impaled upon the poles. Haman continued to feast and indulge.

A Mysterious Restlessness

As Haman plotted evil against Mordecai, the all-powerful King Xerxes couldn't fall asleep. He was powerful, yet he did not seem to have control over his restlessness. This mysterious restlessness rendered King Xerxes powerless and he had no rest until Mordecai was noticed. This very same night, as Haman entered the king's court to propose Mordecai's tragic demise, Mordecai became a man honored by the king.

O how ironic! Haman came to humiliate Mordecai, was instead humiliated by the command of the king to be the very person to robe his enemy. No man shall stand against God's people. As they plot to bring shame upon God's people, the Lord shall put them to shame! Even his wife and friends remarked "Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin! (Esther 6:13)"

Surely those who plot to bring harm upon His people, shall be brought to the very harm upon themselves. Indeed, Haman soon met his end upon the very pole he had intended for Mordecai.

The Invisible Hands of God

In the story of the Book of Esther, God was never mentioned by name. I went through all 10 chapters to search for words like "the LORD" and "God" but with no avail. But nevertheless, God was the focus of the entire story. He was there from the beginning to the end of it. From the crowning of King Xerxes in history, to the abolition of Vashti as Queen, to the installation of Esther as Queen, to the uncovering of the plot against the king by Mordecai, to the plot of Haman against the Jews, to the calling of Queen Esther to protect the Jews, to the honor of Mordecai, to the demise of Haman, to the demise of the enemy of the Jews and to the installation of Purim as celebration. From the beginning until the end, the invisible hands of God was seen. He was the focus of the entire story.

That only time in history when the Lord had ever turned His back against His faithful servant and had forsaken him, was when Jesus cried out "eli eli lema sabachthani" (Matthew 27:46). God had forsaken His own Son, so that you and I may never be forsaken.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, even when this journey of life seem so dark you cannot move on; even though God seems to be so far away in your distress; even when it seems like God is nowhere to be found, it is this exact moment that you can be sure that God's invisible hands are carrying you through the path that He has called you to endure. 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:38-39

 Love • Christ • Unity