Esther: Silent but SovereignÀpẹrẹ

In his book Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey writes: 

No matter how we try to rationalize, God will sometimes seem unfair from the perspective of a person trapped in time. Only at the end of time, after we have attained God’s level of viewing, after every evil has been punished, every illness healed, and the entire universe restored, only then will fairness reign. Then we will understand what role is played by evil, by the fall, and by natural law, in an ‘unfair’ event like the death of a child. Until then, we will not know, and can only trust in a God who does know ... Not until history has run its course, will we understand how ‘all things worked together for good’. Faith then means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

Mordecai saved King Xerxes from an assassination plot against him. But he received no thanks or reward for this. Instead, King Xerxes honored Haman the Agagite (3:1) and Mordecai continued to work at the king’s gate. 

Then Mordecai became the object of Haman’s wrath and hatred because he wouldn’t dishonor the Lord by bowing to Haman. When Haman planned to kill all of God’s people, Mordecai had faith that God would deliver His people and he influenced Esther to speak on their behalf. Even Haman’s wife and advisors later realized that if God was on Mordecai’s side, Haman could not ‘stand against him’ and would ‘come to ruin’ (v. 13 ). 

But despite Mordecai’s integrity and faith, he faced a cruel and unjust execution. 

It must have been difficult for Mordecai to understand what God was doing during those testing times. He believed in God’s promises and faithfulness to His people, but he must have struggled to see how God was working for his good in his life. 

The events recorded in Esther 6 show us that God hadn’t forgotten Mordecai. He hadn’t overlooked him as Xerxes had done. He was working, even through the night, to save Mordecai and honor him for his faithfulness. 

Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic at age seventeen as a result of a diving accident. After the accident, she struggled to understand why God had allowed this tragedy in her life, but eventually, she began to see her circumstances from a different perspective. She later said, ‘Sometimes God allows what He hates to accomplish what He loves.’ 

Read Romans 8:28. Joni has said, 

Most of the time we scratched our heads and wondered how the matted mesh of threads in Romans 8:28 could possibly be woven together for our good. On earth, the underside of the tapestry was tangled and unclear; but in heaven, we will stand amazed to see the topside of the tapestry and how God beautifully embroidered each circumstance into a pattern for our good and His glory.

(Joni Eareckson Tada, Heaven: Your Real Home)

Reflection

How does Esther 6 encourage you to trust that God is always working for your good and His glory?