Esther 5 GOD IS IN THE DETAILS Even when the step of faith is taken in fear and trepidation, once a child of God has demonstrated trust in Him, we can move forward with assurance. "He knoweth the way that I take" includes the seemingly small things as well as the things of obvious importance. When the three days of fasting had passed, it was plain to Esther the time had come to go forward and she had taken time to plan how to go forward. Time taken before God in preparation for important activity is never wasted time.
Esther's understanding of her position and the dignity expected of a person in that position, dons her best royal apparel. When we take an event seriously, such as meeting with the Lord and His people, and understand the significance of that meeting, then it is only right to dress accordingly. Dignity, integrity, respect and reverence all go together to give a positive testimony and weight to what we are doing.
There is also appropriate body-language when we are seeking to gain approval, or at least acceptance, when we are not really sure how we will be received. Quiet dignity and humility without groveling, indicates a sincerity and seriousness as it relates to the matter at hand. Esther demonstrated all of this when she came to the king's house, far enough away to not be intrusive, yet near enough to be seen.
After not seeing her king-husband for thirty days, her approach was very appropriate to the time of absence. If she had come in a demanding way with an "attitude," she likely would have been put to death. Her dignity, distance and demeanor were such that she was pleasing to the king when he saw her. Common sense linked with confidence in the sovereign God, can change what may appear at first as an intrusion into another person's life, into a welcome acceptance.
As he held out the golden scepter to Esther, she came close enough to reach out her hand to touch the end of it, but not close enough to seem aggressive. When one is in fellowship with God, we can expect to know what to do at any given time, how far to go, and when to stop. It was obvious by the way Ahasuerus addressed Esther, that her sense of what was the right way to approach him was spot on. Her position was acknowledged by the king when he addressed her first as "Queen Esther." The second time he used her name he used the more personal name "Esther." The comment he made to her was an extravagant remark that would assure her she was safe.
Esther had learned some basic principles of diplomacy from someone, likely Mordecai, that let the king know her request was important enough to take more time than a brief appearance before his throne. Also, she implied by asking that Haman also attend the banquet she was going to prepare, that it was an official matter that needed to be witnessed. This was not a desire for some romantic interlude with her husband.
When we trust God to do what we cannot do, we do not have to waste our time or emotions on the "what ifs" that might come to our mind later.
When God's people are willing to do His will, He can guide us in ways that we may never have thought of if we were only acting on our own volition. Extremes of acting too fast and doing everything ourselves, or acting too slow and expecting others to do what we do not want to do are both to be avoided. Waiting for a miracle from God to accomplish His will may not be His will either, because we may be the answer to our own prayer. By acting in a way consistent with our character, ability, testimony and commitment to the word of God, we can expect the right outcome even though we do not know how it will happen. The response and opinion of others may be critical but as long as we know this is what God wants from me at this moment, that is enough to move us ahead.
Haman's pride at being invited to the banquet with the royal couple was obvious. When he was invited to the second banquet, he likely thought the sky was the only limit to his ambition. Pride and arrogance go together, and Haman had both. "Pride goeth before a fall" is not just a proverb but a principle that works. Bitterness and vengeance also go together and Haman had both against Mordecai. Mordecai must have changed from sackcloth to regular clothing after the third day of fasting was past because he was at the king's gate. Likely it was in faith that he anticipated the outcome of Esther's part in the whole dramatic event.
"The root of bitterness" defiles many and its roots are very deep. If we ever become aware of bitterness raising its head in us, we are in danger of losing our testimony as a believer. One who trusts God when a wrong or perceived wrong has been done to them, can leave that whole matter and rest in the sovereignty of God to deal with the matter in His own time and way - either in us or in others. Haman's bitterness as an ungodly man who had a vindictive spirit against Mordecai, one of God's people, was evil enough. But when it expanded to include a whole race of people, there was no question that the powers of darkness were arrayed against God. As it was, he passed on that bitterness to his wife and friends along with his pronouncements of his importance at being the only guest invited to feast with the king and Esther.
The hatred and bitterness that was in Haman was passed on to his wife and friends. When they told him to make a gallows seventy-five feet high as a warning to others not to mess with Haman, they had hitched themselves to his "band-wagon." People who speak words in bitterness can expect others who favor them to go even farther than they had planned. Haman was going to wait to carry out his bitterness against Mordecai when the Jews were decreed to die. Those people associated with him made the consequences of that bitterness to escalate to immediate action. Once evil is allowed to go unchecked in any of us, it has a snowballing effect that spreads like cancer.
When a path of evil is started like it did with Haman, there is really no going back. He was pleased with the terrible suggestion of his foolish wife and fawning friends. Heady with his authority as the second in the kingdom, he felt he had no restraints. When one starts on a downward course away from God, against God's people and favorable to the evil world, seldom is there any stopping it. Usually it goes farther, faster and lower than ever thought possible. But our sovereign God can intervene and change the normal course of events to that which brings glory to His name.