I don't know if you have problems to sleep.
Many of us have certain periods in our lives where we have these difficulties to sleep.
! But here we see in this story of the book of Esther, chapter 6, how the king was not able to sleep.
We don't know the reason.
It's not like Daniel, a dream, or something which was bothering him.
It's like often happens to us.
We don't know why, but we can't sleep.
But of course, in that time, there was not the same sort of entertainment you can have when you are sleepless.
But there was also entertainment for a king, at least.
There was no night television or internet to watch with a computer, but you could, of course, have anything.
He had to drink and to eat.
He had a whole RM, even dancing girls, if he wanted.
But we don't know why he had chosen, in the first verse of Esther, chapter 6, to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles.
And they were read.
They were read to the king.
Maybe it's because he wanted something flattering to him, something about the praises of what he has done.
Or maybe because it was so boring.
It was the easiest way to sleep, you know?
To hear all these deeds, you know?
About battles and all the chronicles about the empire and everything that happened, probably during his reign.
But this chapter, like the whole book of Esther, is full of things which are surprising.
Because it happens that in that very moment, what it was read to him during the night was about Mordecai.
This Jew who was like Esther living in the Persian Empire.
But they are not like the Jews living in the empire of Daniel's time.
The story of the book of Daniel, as you know, is the book of how faith dares to confess, you know?
That God is Lord.
But when you think about Mordecai and Esther, they don't confess anything.
They are part of the empire.
They are completely taken over and serving fully, you know?
The interest of the king.
In a way, they are similar to us.
What is true of us is that we hate to be different.
We would like to be like anyone else.
It's not that we are happy living under the empire and their values.
But we try to adapt to them, to live like them.
Even when we want to see Esther like a hero, no?
There are some things in the book which really are difficult to understand from a hero, no?
In the key moment in the chapter before when Mordecai really asked her,
you have to take a stance to speak for your people, no?
The problem is that they didn't know what was her people.
And she knew that if she reveals the hidden secret of her identity, she was in trouble.
So you see that when Mordecai asked her to speak for her people, she's not so ready to do it.
She's hesitant, reluctant to do it.
She doesn't accept easily the idea.
Of course, we remember the words.
If I perish, I will perish, no?
But this is after a conversation, really, when she's not ready to do it, no?
In a way, you can understand these words differently.
You can understand these words as saying, well, if it has to happen, que sera, sera, no?
You cannot do anything about it, no?
You have to say it.
But the way she dealt with it, as you know, is that she would speak to the king, but in a progressive way.
Not just one moment asking him to save her people, but with delays, no?
And after the first banquet you see in the chapter 5, no?
We don't know why, but maybe she didn't dare to say anything, or she thought it was better to wait for the next time.
Another banquet, another opportunity to speak for her people.
And in this chapter 6 is a turnover.
The whole thing changes.
But as you can realize, it's not because of Esther.
It's not because of her heroic deeds, no?
She dares to speak for her people.
No, it was in the way things happen very often in our lives.
A sleepless night, something is red, and the king thinks,
what happens with Mordecai?
He has heard a plot against the king, and he revealed that to the king.
And the Persian kings were known, like any other king,
to reward those who betray others,
who had the confidence to reveal things against them, no?
As you know, a king lives alone, isolated.
You need information.
You need the intelligence service to bring the knowledge things were happening.
But in a strange way, Mordecai didn't get anything.
He revealed the plot to the king.
He saved his life.
But he didn't have a reward.
Sometimes in life, we experience these things, no?
What you expect normally, you don't get it.
What you think you are going to have, does not happen.
And that was the case with Mordecai.
Mordecai was, in a way, not happy with that.
And particularly Haman, the third person of our story,
he was the man in position.
And Mordecai thought that he was his enemy.
So he was bitter because Haman didn't have enough respect for him.
Didn't realize how important was him.
And Haman also was very much against Mordecai
because he didn't realize that he was the important person after the king.
So we see the conflict between these two men,
like so often happens in politics, no?
People who are the whole time, no?
Having things against each other.
But it happens that in that moment,
Haman is in this good position
that he can manage to finish his enemy.
He has so much hate for Mordecai
that he asks and has these plans
to build this stake, this gallows, no?
To kill him.
And his family, when he came back from the banquet,
encouraged him.
They say, yeah, you are the great man, no?
And you have to finish with your enemy.
You have to be strong
and to show him who is in power.
So that night, maybe, they were building the stake
and that was the reason he couldn't sleep.
We don't know.
But Haman came early in the morning
and it was not usual.
And in the second verse,
when we found that it was written
how Mordecai had told about this plot,
the king says,
what honor of distinction
has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?
And the king's young men who attended him
say nothing has been done for him.
And the king says,
who is in the court?
He heard something.
Someone was there.
It was Haman.
Had just entered the outer court
of the king's palace
to speak to the king
about having Mordecai
hung on the gallows.
So the king was not aware yet.
He was going to ask him
to be able to execute him.
Probably on a stake,
a terrible death, no?
That was in his mind.
And in this story of Esther,
what is interesting is that
you know what is in the minds
of the people, no?
You realize what they are thinking to do,
but what happens is something else, no?
It's like very often in life, no?
We have our own thoughts,
our plans,
our ideas, no?
But things
don't work the same way
we think, no?
Haman
was before the king,
and the king's young men told him,
he's there,
standing in the court,
and the king said,
let him come.
So Haman came,
and the king said,
in verse number eight,
what should be done to the man
whom the king delights to honor?
And Haman said to himself,
whom would be the king
he would be delighted to honor?
more than me.
He's like ourselves,
so full of himself,
that he cannot even imagine
the king can be thinking
about someone else, no?
We are so immersed, no?
In our own lives,
really wanting,
needing the praise,
the favor,
to be well thought of,
everyone, no?
That we cannot even
have in our own minds
someone else
in our place, no?
In that way,
we can judge
too easily Haman,
because he's very much
like us,
constantly struggling
with his own mind.
At the same time,
of course,
Haman is an evil man, no?
He's someone hating, no?
The Jews,
and hating Mordecai.
In the Christian tradition,
he has been seen also
as someone portraying
like the devil, no?
The evil one, no?
Who is really trying
to finish God's people.
So these people are
like representing
more than themselves.
Esther and Mordecai
are part of God's people,
and Haman
are
the ones
who are against
God's people,
the ones who want
to finish God's people.
But you see
in this chapter
that this great turnover
comes
not from any of them,
but from the one
who is the king
above the king,
the one
who is not mentioned
in the whole book.
As some of you know,
there is not
one single verse
in the whole book
of Esther
with the name of God.
Nothing is said
about him.
This is why
I think it's a book
so close to us,
to our present situation.
We are
in a part
of the world
where religion
is not any more important.
To speak about God
is only a way
of cursing.
You don't have
anything to do
with what is God
in the past
and
what has been religion.
This is why
it's so
good for us
to read Esther
with these eyes
in our secular society.
Because the one
who is
behind the curtains
doesn't want
to stay
out of the screen.
he
is really
on the script
but it's hidden.
It's unseen.
It's invisible.
And his hand
is everywhere
in the book
of Esther.
But like
in our present life,
we don't see him.
We cannot
show God
to the people.
Look at him.
It's an unseen,
invisible hand
working
behind
the action.
And this is
the first lesson
we have
from our test.
That God
works
in an invisible
way.
It's true
that Christians,
we are hungry
for miracles.
Supernatural
signs.
Clear
ways
of seeing
God.
But
God's will
has been
very often
like in Esther's
time.
not to work
in a spectacular
way
by signs
and wonders,
but taking
the sleep
to the skin,
letting him
be a book
be read,
remembering
Mordecai,
bringing the chance
and the opportunity
that Haman
comes at the moment.
And of course
this
great conversation
between the
king
and Haman
has
this twist.
He doesn't
know
about whom
is the king
speaking.
He thinks
it's about
himself.
But of course
the king
is thinking
about Mordecai.
So you get
two different
minds
and thinking
at the same
time.
And you get
the tension
of the story.
This masterful
story,
you know?
It's a bit
like Alfred
Hitchcock
films.
The most
well-known
book about
Hitchcock
is a book
of conversations
between a
French film
director,
François
Trifaut,
and Hitchcock.
They could
not speak
English like
myself.
He had
troubles
to express
himself.
So they
have an
interpreter,
a translator,
who was
bringing the
questions.
But he
had many
good questions.
He knew
very well
Hitchcock
films.
And
Alfred
Hitchcock
explained that
the tension
in his
films comes
because you
know more
than the
characters.
You see
the two
persons
sitting there,
but you
know that
there is
a bomb,
something
threatening,
behind it.
But the
characters
don't know
it.
You know
more than
the people
who are
in the
story.
And this
is the
way he
gets
this
feeling,
this
curious
interest
we have
about the
story,
about what
is going
to happen.
And this
is really
what the
Bible
brings us
with the
book of
Esther.
You know
what is
happening
behind,
in their
minds,
but you
don't know
what is
going to
happen.
And
Haman
said to
the king,
for the
man whom
the king
delights
to honor,
let royal
robes be
brought,
which the
king has
worn,
and the
horse that
the king
has ridden,
and on
whose head
a royal
crown is
set.
And let
the robes
and their
horse be
handed over
to one of
the king's
most noble
officials.
Let them
dress the
man whom
the king
delights
to honor,
and let
them lift
him on
the horse
through the
square of
the city,
proclaiming
before him,
thus shall
it be
done to
the man
whom the
king
delights
to honor.
So what
he
expresses,
what he
reveals,
is what
is in
his
heart.
And what
Haman
wants,
is not
power,
he's the
second man
in the
empire,
he doesn't
want money,
he has
the treasures
of the
empire for
him,
administration,
he wants
the praise,
he wants
to be
well thought
of,
to be
admired by
the people.
It's very
often like
that with
idols.
You have
some big,
great idols
in our
society,
money,
sex,
power,
but there
are like
a hidden
under
idolatry
of other
things you
can get
with them.
People
want money
for different
reasons.
People
want power
for different
reasons.
So you
can see
that they
live for
the money
or for
sex or
for power
but you
don't realize
really what
is behind
them,
what is
the motives
behind
them.
Certainly
Heyman
showed us
that he
wanted that
power and
that position
because he
needed the
attention of
the people.
And we
are so
hungry of
that.
When we
are children
and even
teenagers
constantly
hungering for
the attention
of other
people.
And we
spend the
whole life
like that.
When we
come to
work,
when we
come to
relationships,
we really
need to
catch the
attention of
the people.
We want
to be
well thought
of.
We want
to be
praised.
And
secondly,
we have
this lesson
here,
a warning.
Be careful
if you
time.
We despise
him.
We ignore
him.
In this
very
moment,
like in
these two
days in
the story
of Esther,
the first
chapters are
about nine,
it's a long
period of
time.
And then
you have
just two
days when
this happens
in chapter
five and
six.
But this
is the
whole
turnover
of the
story.
In just
that moment,
everything
comes to a
different
conclusion.
The rest
of the
chapters of
the book
is just
because of
what happens
in that
moment.
so there
is a
moment in
history,
in God's
plan and
purpose,
when everything
is changed.
After 30
years,
reaching
upon this
earth,
God,
who became
a man,
Jesus Christ,
he was
brought to
that cross,
to that
suffering.
and that
humiliation,
that disgrace,
that same,
was the
fall of
Satan and
the evil
one.
The New
Testament says
that in
that cross,
all the
evil plot
from the
beginning,
from the
devil,
was
finally
brought
down.
because
that sign
of disgrace
was his
victory.
Why?
Because of
the unseen,
invisible
hand of
God.
No one
could see
around that
cross
that
God was
doing
something
apart
from
punishing
Christ
as an
evil
one.
But God
was working
through that
cross,
for our
salvation.
And in
this glory,
we can
see something
of the
future
of the
Son,
Jesus
Christ,
seated
at the
right hand
of God,
receiving
every praise
and honor,
and for a
whole
eternity,
a whole
crowd,
from every
nation,
language,
drive,
all
sort of
people
will only
praise
the man,
the king
has his
delight.
Because there
is nothing
God does
that is not
for the
delight
in his
beloved son.
God,
from the
very beginning,
in this
plan of
salvation,
the idea
was that
the one
who was
going to
sacrifice
himself on
that cross
will be
praised
forever.
And the
delight of
God to
fulfill his
plan,
to give
us what
we ask,
to expect
everything from
him,
we know
that we
can expect
it because
of God's
son.
When we
pray,
like now,
in his
name,
we know
that it's
God's
delight,
the king's
delight,
to do
anything,
really,
for the
sake of
that man.
His
beloved
son,
Jesus
Christ,
so here,
we are
asked also
to believe,
to believe
in that
man,
who is
going to
be the
center of
the
universe,
who is
God
himself,
shown to
us,
made
human,
like us,
but getting
the praise
and the
honor we
always want.
So we
have to
die
ourselves,
we have
to let
any
expectation,
dream,
any
plan
apart
because
and for
the sake
of him.
And that's
what I would
like to ask
you
to share
with me
in this
prayer,
to ask
him
that we
would
forget
all these
dreams
and plans
we have
for
ourselves,
to
be
finally
free
of this
hunger
to get
the
attention,
the praise,
to be so
well thought
of,
and to
think of
someone else.
praise,
because we
are not
going to
reign,
we are
not going
to be
the king,
we are
not going
to get
the praises
to someone
else.
Maybe
for some
people this
is bad
news,
but this
is the
truth.
The truth
is someone
else who
is going
to be
praised.
And if
we don't
do it
now,
think about
this warning
about
Haman.
it can
be too
late.
It will
be a
day
when
if we
have not
bowed
our knees
before him,
we will
fall like
Haman fell.
Let us
pray.
Let us
talk to
the Lord
about it.