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[0:00] 6 and 7. We're going to wind up in 7, but we're going to start out a little bit of 6. Esther chapter 6 and 7. The deliverance of God.

[0:15] You ever have times in your life when they take some unusual twists and turns? I think we've all faced those at times. We're going along and things are going great and all of a sudden we get a phone call.

[0:30] Or we get a text. And our whole thing just changed. It just shifted. And we're like, oh man. Haman's about to face one of those moments.

[0:44] His life's been going along great. He's been getting everything he wants. He's been getting all the recognition he wants. And he's about to change for him. You ever think about people who, you know, like I said, we all face those things.

[0:57] But there have been other people in history who face that. Napoleon. One day he was getting ready to go into Russia. And he's getting ready to challenge the Russians.

[1:08] Try to take over their territory. And a woman overhears him saying, arrogantly, that he is going to just wipe them out. And he's going to take over the land.

[1:19] And he's just, it's going to be easy going. There's no problem whatsoever. And this woman says to him, sir, man proposes, but God disposes.

[1:32] Napoleon arrogantly replied, you know what? I propose and I dispose. he went into Russia a few months later he came back home to France defeated having lost 80% of his army whoa 80% how about another guy maybe those of you who are my age or maybe a little younger remember a guy by the name of Richard Nixon came in got voted in office popular candidate he wound up making peace with China having a detente with them he wound up began pulling soldiers out of Vietnam and everything and then he got elected to his second term and a little thing called Watergate happened and he wound up being he had to resign out of office there's another guy you might know this guy he was very trusted by his friends and the people around him so much so that he was made treasurer of the group he was in he got to control all the money and everything that was taking place and he's going along things are going good everything's fine and then there's a supper and at that supper there's discussion about somebody's going to betray someone and this man winds up leaving and everybody's like oh he's going to get more food he's got the money he's like okay he's no problem his name was Judas Iscariot and he wound up betraying the Lord and wound up going out and hanging himself you know there's a lot of times when we have great things happening and we wonder what went wrong last week we were talking about Haman

[3:32] Haman had been invited to supper with the king and the queen and Hal had such a great time went home told his wife and his friends all about it what a great time they had and then remember he walks in the next day he's got a plan where he's going to have Mordecai killed and he's already he's got the gallows already for him to kill Mordecai and the king says hey Haman before you say anything what do you think we should do for a guy that the king honors Haman's like he's talking about me and so he says well we should give him the king's clothes and we should give him the king's horse and we should give him the king's crown and we should have prayed him through the seats and say this is what happens to the people who honor the king and the king's like that is a wonderful idea I want you to go out and do that for Mordecai things just turned bad things are not going well Haman comes home and he's telling his family look at chapter 6 verse 12 and Mordecai came again to the king's gate by Haman hasted to his house mourning and having his head covered and Haman told

[4:47] Zeresh his wife and all of his friends everything that had befallen him then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him if Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt not prevail against him but shalt surely fall before him and while they were yet talking with him came the king's chamberlains and hasted to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared oh yeah I'm supposed to be going to the queen's house today having supper with her and the king again oh man he's had a terrible day parading Mordecai around being fully ashamed that he had to do it he comes home he's so he's ready to spit nails but then they're here to take me to the queen's I'm supposed to go to the queen's tonight so he goes while he's going he seems to be

[5:49] I'm getting a little bit of a ring then he seems to be doing better he's going to the king and queen he's preparing himself for that okay this is going to be fun yesterday was fun so today ought to be fun it'll be a good time for us and everything but now the story's about to take a turn the story's about to go a little different you know up to this point it's looking pretty good for Haman looking pretty bleak for Esther and Mordecai and the Jews what's going to happen to them right now they are scheduled to be killed in the 12th month of the year so they go get to the banquet and Esther makes her request the request of Esther she's about to make remember the king has talked to her about you can have whatever you want well they arrived according to verse 1 king and Haman came to the banquet and when they get there

[6:52] Warren Wearsby points out in his commentary he says that they arrived at the banquet hall at the palace and neither the king nor Haman know that Esther is a Jew at this point but they're about to find out and Haman is upset because of the events of the day having a parade Mordecai around and everything if Haman had known the nationality of Esther he would have either fled or he would have been on his knees begging the king for forgiveness but he did not know that Esther was a Jew so Esther comes to the banquet they're all there now and she's ready to make her petition known and she does it first of all at the king's prompting the king's prompting do you realize what the king is about to say he's about to say

[7:53] I will give you whatever you want look at verse 2 of chapter 7 verse 2 of chapter 7 and the king said again unto Esther on the second day of the banquet of wine what is thy petition queen Esther and it shall be granted thee and what is thy request it shall be performed even to half the kingdom even to half the kingdom can you imagine you know that this is the third time he has said this he said it when he invited her into the throne room he said it at the banquet yesterday he said it again today three times he has said you can have anything you want up to half the kingdom wow you know Hazrus had been in a rush in the past doing things taking care of his work but right now he has watched his queen be so gracious so caring so respectful that he's like you can have anything you want what would you like you know

[9:09] Mordecai had previously told Esther God put you here for such a time as this you can have anything you want wow God put me here for this that I can have anything I want okay here goes look at Esther's petition look at what it is that she wants she's got just the king and just Haman there at her request it's just the three of them verse 3 chapter 7 then Esther the queen answered and said if I have found favor in thy sight O king and if it please the king stop there again notice the way she's doing this if it is if I found favor if it pleases you she's not arrogant she's not saying okay buddy here it is this is what I want she said if you're okay with it if it's okay with you here's what

[10:20] I would like to have here's the thing that I'm looking for here's what I want and she shows such humility such deference to the king she's showing him all the respect that she possibly can and she's doing it because she knows it's part of the Lord's will and how she handles this Esther faced a very difficult situation what she's about to do so often we face difficult situations how do we handle them when you face a difficult situation how do you handle it there's immediately a wall go up and the fences go up are you God you're at work God you're doing things God I'm going to trust you verses you know really well Proverbs 3 5 and 6 trust in the Lord with all thine heart lean not thy own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths you know trust lean not acknowledge he shall direct thy paths do we trust

[11:42] God to do that are we willing to no matter what situation we find ourselves in God you're in control song we've been learning I didn't make you sing it again today his way is perfect God knows what he's doing God has his will he is in control are we looking out for what he wants to do and you know the great thing about doing that when we trust God to do his work Isaiah 26 3 thou shall keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusted in me when we trust in God when we keep our eyes on him when we allow him to do his work we can go through things in peace so often we look for other things to give us peace things are not going well things are not going the way it looks best for us and so therefore

[12:42] I'm going to turn to alcohol I'm going to turn to drugs I'm going to turn to this I'm going to turn to all kinds of things the one thing I'm not going to do is trust in God when there is the one thing you need to do is trust in God allow him to do his work and here's Esther she's very meek remember meek does not mean weak meek means strength under control and she's asking some very tough things here in a minute but she's doing it in the attitude that she's under control she's doing it I'm doing this in God's will not my will God not only gave her grace to ask the request he gave her the boldness that she needed in order to be able to ask it verse three again then Esther the queen answered and said if I have found favor in thy sight O king and if it please the king let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request whoa what that king did a double take on that one he is expecting her to ask for all kinds of riches and things she's asking for her life she's asking for the life of her people what do you mean her people what do mean your people later on verse the next verse verse four she's going to talk about

[14:09] I and my people she's revealing! something to him that he didn't know before she's not Persian here he is the emperor of the Persian empire and she's not Persian oh that must have made him do a double take wow she showed great vulnerability because the king being who he was could have done what take her out and kill her I thought she was Persian all this time take her out and kill her but the way she has been handling this instructed by God how to handle this she is not going to be killed as a matter of fact she knows the king!

[14:55] could respond in anger! He doesn't but she knows that her heavenly father is in more control than the king is her heavenly father is the king of kings and lord of lords he's in control of this situation he's taking care of it you remember Paul faced a similar thing he had a thing going on in his life 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 through 9 says this unless I should be exalted the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh Paul says God has been giving me so much remember Paul wrote one third of the new testament Paul has been receiving so much it could have gone to his head but he says God gave me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure for this thing I besought the Lord thrice three times that it might depart from me and he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly therefore will

[16:03] I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me he says God has given me grace God said to Paul Paul I've given you grace I've given you what you need you can go through this Esther I've given you what you need you can go through this I'm giving you the strength I'm giving you the encouragement I'm giving you the comfort you do what I asked to do and watch and see how it turns out so Esther is ranking her request for her and her people what was the request what did it have to do with the Jewish plight the Jewish plight remember what happened Haman had gotten the king to sign a document that said we're going to wipe out the Jews on the 12th month of this year all of them wipe them all out every last one of them which would have included Esther and remember the law the Persian law you cannot change the law once the king has signed it so here they are in a situation where the king is basically going to kill all the

[17:12] Jews including his wife whoa verse four for we are sold and my people to be destroyed to be slain to perish but if we had been sold for bondsmen or bonds women I had held my tongue although the enemy could not count countervail the king's damage Esther's words are actually taken from what Haman said if you don't have to turn ever if you went back to chapter 3 verse 9 chapter 3 verse 9 of Esther says if it please the king let it be written that they may be destroyed these are Haman's words and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver to the hands of those that have charge of the business to bring it into the king's treasury king you make sure these people are wiped out I will give you 700 375 tons of silver to have this done and

[18:22] Esther's pointing out that the king had agreed to this that the king has received money that is blood money he's getting money for the execution of an entire group of people and she continues on listen to what she says there if we had been sold for bondsmen and bond women I would help my tongue although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage notice the words the king's damage the king was about to mistreat the Jews and she says if you do this it's going to affect your own downfall king you're going to lose your kingdom if you go again how could she say that remember we talked about genesis 12 those that bless Israel will be blessed those that curse Israel will be cursed king you're bringing your own downfall upon yourself if you follow this and go with this history is full of examples of people who have lost nations who have lost dictators who have lost because they went up against

[19:34] Israel you remember those of you older like me remember the six day war that ring a bell six day war 1967 May Egypt and Jordan signed a agreement that they would defend each other against Israel that they would go against Israel that they would be there Israel responded by doing exactly that they attacked before anybody could settle the dust could settle they attacked they wiped out the entire Egyptian air force before it ever left the ground while it was still sitting on the runways they wiped it out and within six days the war was over and Israel had won and Israel not only won the war won the protection that they had that moment they also got all of Jerusalem Jerusalem had been kind of a split city now it was all theirs you know when people try to go up against what

[20:39] God wants and God's people it can be a real problem and here's Esther she's trying to word this in just such a way not to tick the king off not to give Haman any warning yet but she's wording it in such a way that king you're in trouble and I'm trying to help you you need to learn this you know the king should have understood you think about it he was up the night before we talked about this last week he was up the night before looking through the chronicles remember and he found out about Mordecai and what he had done to save him from being assassinated and Mordecai had never been rewarded for it and so here he is Mordecai had talked to Esther Esther relayed the message to the king that there are guys who are out to get you Esther is now warning him about people who are working behind him to get to do things that they should not be doing to try to wipe out an entire group she's pleading for her life and the life of the

[21:48] Jews and she said if you sold us into slavery we wouldn't have cared we've been there before but trying to wipe us all out no and when the king hears all this he's outraged he is mad angry whatever word you want to put in there he's upset the fact that people would try to go against his queen who is nothing but loving and kind and considerate and respectful why would they do that well he gets upset and he's like I want to know what's going on look at verse 5 and 6 then the king of hazzard answered and said unto esther the queen who is he and where is he that does presume in his heart to do so he didn't know he signed the agreement haman's been there encouraging him to sign the agreement and he hadn't figured it out yet sometimes

[22:51] I wonder about this king anyway verse 6 esther said the adversary and the enemy is this wicked haman can you imagine being haman sitting there at that moment the enemy is that guy right there notice the rest of the verse then haman was afraid before the king and queen yeah I would be too I'd be afraid a whole lot you know the king says I can't believe anybody would do this and now to find out it's his most trusted advisor the one guy he put above everybody else he's working behind my back to take care of this group of people to take care of my wife he wants and she's been so kind to invite him in twice now and he wants to take her out oh he's upset he's mad he's ready to punish the person you remember

[23:55] David after David had had his affair and his wedding and everything with Bathsheba and had her husband killed off Nathan comes visiting one day Nathan the prophet and Nathan gives him this whole story about a man who was rich and he had and he had these sheep and he didn't want to sacrifice his sheep and use his sheep for a meal and stuff so he took it from this poor man next door and brought that sheep in and killed it and David's fit to be tied David's like let me know who that is I'm ready to take him out he needs to die and Nathan very calmly goes David you're the man you're the man can you imagine doing that in front of a king like that who had that kind of power can you imagine Esther doing this in front of this king who has the kind of power to have her killed this is my favorite guy this is a guy who I trust with everything he's the guy oh how badly did it affect the king pretty badly you you stop and think why God had impressed upon Esther and why Mordecai had mentioned to her don't mention the fact that you're a Jew don't tell them that you're a Jew yet see if she had told them in the first banquet it probably wouldn't have had the same effect because remember what happened that night in between the two banquets the king was awake at night he went asked for the chronicles to be read he was reminded about

[25:42] Mordecai what Mordecai had done and how Mordecai had protected him and given him you know protect him from assassination now he's been reminded that Mordecai did this and Mordecai told Esther and Esther told me and now Esther's telling me again that somebody else is trying to do something Esther is the one person I can really trust except for Haman who he's about to learn I can't trust him either Esther's the only one that I can really trust you know God tells us that all things work together for good Romans 8 28 and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are they called according to his purpose God has a plan God is working things out we need to trust him with whatever we have everything that goes along may not be good may not seem good God's working all things together for good

[26:43] God says don't do this don't do this do this do this do this don't do this and it's all being done so that when he comes down to this point they are ready they hear what's going on Haman is about to be indicted Haman's going to be indicted after seeing the courage of Mordecai and the graciousness of Esther the king's infuriated that anybody would want to go and try to mess with that group of people who can I trust more than these Jewish people who can I trust more than Mordecai and Esther who can I and he's so mad look at verse 7 and the king arising from the banquet of wine and in his wrath went into the palace garden stop there he is so mad he's going to do something he may regret and he's done that before already in chapter one with Vashti so he's

[27:48] I need to think about this I need to calm down I need to so he goes out in the king's garden and he's out there by himself allowing himself to get composed allowing himself to be ready to go in and take care of this matter what's going to happen how are things going to be handled what is he going to do how is he going to reprimand Haman or take care of Esther or do whatever it is he's going to do most of you know this story so you know what's going to happen but we'll talk about it some more next week and what he's going to do and how he's going to handle this and God is just amazing you know what the difference is between Haman and king Ahasuerus and Mordecai and Esther Mordecai and

[28:48] Esther knew God Mordecai and Esther knew not only about God they knew God they spent time talking Esther had spent three days she and her maids and all the Jews there in Shushan they spent three days praying and fasting to God to see how God was going to work and so when Esther went in there notice how calm she is notice how all together she is she's like no matter what happens happens I'm not worried about it because I trust my God see Mordecai and Esther and those who have been with him for three days they had bowed their knees they had prayed they had fasted they had trusted God and what he was going to do do you trust God are you trusting him for what he's going to do too often we try to do things on our own too often we try to do the things that we think are right

[29:50]  God says trust me follow me spend some time in prayer and see what I'm going to do I'm going to have you this morning we're going to end the service this morning bow the knee that's what Esther and Mordecai did they learned to bow the knee that was the most important thing in this whole story they knew how to pray let's stand through