Something happened today that, well, let’s just say that I was climbing the walls afterwards. It was one of those things that felt like the worst timing ever. If I had my druthers, I’d rather it hadn’t happened at all, but if it had to happen, today feels like a phenomenally bad day for it to happen.
Anyway, I’ve been reworking my way through Beth Moore’s Esther study, and have been loving the reminders that God’s timing is perfect. I love, love, love that Esther becomes queen before Haman ever gains a position of power. I love that the Israelites hear the edict to have them killed, destroyed, and annihilated on Passover. I love the parallels between Esther entering the king’s throne room to plead for her people and Moses entering Pharaoh’s throne room to plead for his people.
Today’s study was on Xerxes’ sleepless night in Esther 6, and how Haman evidently wasn’t sleeping well either since he came into the court while it was still dark. Xerxes had decided to have someone read to him out of the chronicle of his reign as an antidote for his insomnia and had just heard the recounting of how Mordecai saved his life, but Xerxes hadn’t honored him in any fashion. Coincidentally, Haman shows up getting ready to ask Xerxes if he can build a 7-story tall gallows to kill Mordecai on.
It’s so amazing how over and over you can see God’s hand at work in the timing of the events of Esther… the fact that Xerxes was queenless and wanting a new queen when Esther was the right age. He was “single” for 5 years before he decided to get a new queen. And this section in chapter 6–I can’t imagine what it was like for the folks who’d been following the Mordecai-Haman drama around the palace gate. Mordecai refuses to bow, to Haman’s obvious chagrin. Haman manages to get a death sentence enacted for all the Jews. Mordecai refuses to even stand/show fear. Haman comes to Mordecai at the king’s command and leads him around on the king’s horse, proclaiming “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor.” Wonder how much head scratching went on that day 🙂
Anyway! It was so nice to be reminded that God’s timing is perfect. The bad timing that happened today isn’t actually bad timing; it’s good set-up for God to do something amazing.
