Weekly Devotion no 24
11 September 2020
Bible reading – Esther 5[1]
On the third day Esther put on her
royal robes. She stood in the inner courtyard of the palace. It was in front of
the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall. He was
facing the entrance. 2 He saw Queen Esther standing
in the courtyard. He was pleased with her. So he reached out toward her the
gold sceptre that was in his hand. Then Esther approached him. She touched the
tip of the sceptre.
3 The king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I’ll give
it to you. I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”
4 Esther replied, “King Xerxes, if it pleases you, come to a feast today.
I’ve prepared it for you. Please have Haman come with you.”
5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said to his servants. “Then we’ll do
what Esther asks.”
So the king and Haman went to the feast
Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine,
the king asked Esther the same question again. He said, “What do you want? I’ll
give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even give you up to
half of my kingdom.”
7 Esther replied, “Here is what I want. Here is my appeal to you. 8 I
hope you will be pleased to give me what I want. And I hope you will be pleased
to listen to my appeal. If you are, I’d like you and Haman to come tomorrow to
the feast I’ll prepare for you. Then I’ll answer your question.”
9 That day Haman was happy. So he left the palace in a good mood. But then
he saw Mordecai at the palace gate. He noticed that Mordecai didn’t stand up
when he walked by. In fact, Mordecai didn’t have any respect for him at all. So
he was very angry with him. 10 But Haman was able
to control himself. He went on home.
Haman called together his friends and
his wife Zeresh. 11 He bragged to them about how
rich he was. He talked about how many sons he had. He spoke about all the ways
the king had honoured him. He bragged about how the king had given him a high
position. It was higher than the position of any of the other nobles and
officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added.
“I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the feast
she gave. Now she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But
even all of that doesn’t satisfy me. I won’t be satisfied as long as I see that
Jew Mordecai sitting at the palace gate.”
14 Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Get a pole. In the
morning, ask the king to have Mordecai put to death. Have the pole stuck
through his body. Set it up at a place where it will be 75 feet above the
ground. Everyone will be able to see it there. Then go to the feast with the
king. Have a good time.” Haman was delighted with that suggestion. So he got
the pole ready.
[1] Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible , New International Reader’s Version copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflection
After
three days of praying and fasting, God gave Esther the courage to enter into
the king’s presence to see if he found favour in her and would listen to her
request. The king was pleased to see her, and so her life was safe, for now. He
asks her what she wants. And here, she shows great wisdom. She knows that, if she
were to ask for her people to be saved now, the king might not carry through
with granting her request. So she makes him wait, building up his desire to
please her.
Instead,
she invites the king and Haman to a banquet. She knows how much they like to
eat and drink! Once again, the king asks Esther what it is that she wants. And
once again, in her wisdom she delays giving an answer to this question and invites
the king and Haman to another banquet.
Haman
was delighted with the attention he was getting from the queen. It boosted his
ego and his sense of importance. He bragged about this to his family. He was
special: he was being treated on a par with the king himself!
And
yet, Haman was not satisfied. He saw Mordecai as he left the palace and was
reminded of his hatred of Mordecai the Jew. Haman’s family and friends come up
with a solution. Rather than wait for the date set aside for the killing of all
the Jews, he should ask the king to have Mordecai put to death earlier. And so,
Haman got a pole ready so that when the king granted his request, he could
immediately put Mordecai to death. The height of the pole indicated that this
would put Mordecai to shame as he died.
This
story seems to be building up to be a prime example of pride coming before a
fall!
Haman
was proud. He was claiming supremacy in the kingdom. He was concerned about
status and being honoured by the people around him. He thought too highly of
himself and unfortunately his family and friends didn’t hold him to account. He
failed to understand that leadership is about serving others.
The Apostle
Paul warns us in his letter to the Romans: “Do not think of yourself more
highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in
accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”[1]
If we
hear ourselves or others talking about ‘getting the respect (or honour) we
deserve’ then be warned: downfall might not be far behind. So, our decision is:
do we seek the wisdom that Esther was granted by God, or do we follow the
foolish ways of Haman, seeking human approval by acting without integrity,
humility or peace? May God grant us his wisdom that we might honour his name.
Hymn
Verse 1
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Verse 2
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.
earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.
Verse 3
I need thy presence every
passing hour.What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Verse 4
I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless,
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.
Verse 5
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life and death, O Lord, abide with me.
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life and death, O Lord, abide with me.
Henry Francis Lyte 1847 © Public Domain CCLI:69198
Prayer
O God,
Without
you we are not able to please you:
mercifully
grant that your Holy Spirit
may in
all things direct and rule our hearts;
Through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer Book for Australia 1995
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