Answered Prayer

I hear bells. Are we on our way to heaven?

This whole church is being lifted up and we're up on.

They stopped Esther. Chapter 5. Tonight Queen Vasti has been dethroned for insubordination. Chapter 1.

God's purposes begin to unfold very clearly in chapter 2. When Esther is replaced, I mean, Esther replaces Vasti and becomes the queen. And when Mordecai is recognized and made a judge.

Chapter three. The king promotes Haman and commands all to bow down to him.

But Mordecai refuses.

And Haman, a very proud man, can't handle that. So he sets a plot to get rid of all the Jews, because he knows the reason he won't bow to him is because Jews will only bow to God.

Chapter four. The decree is sent out for Israel's destruction through the conniving activities of the vice regent, Haman.

And all the kingdom of Persia is confused at what's going on. Many have met friends that were Jews. And now the decree says all the Jews in a certain day are to be wiped off the planet. And if you rise up and just do what the king has asked, you can keep all that which was his will be your possessions.

Esther sees Mordecai, hears that Mordecai is wearing sackcloth, and she don't know why, and she inquires, sends out someone to find out why Mordecai is in sackcloth. Mordecai tells Esther's messenger what is about the decree and asks Esther to go in and talk to the king to do something about it. But Esther sends a message back. I can't do that. The king hasn't seen me in a month.

I must not be in his favor. And if I enter into the throne room, the special room, the inner chamber, without his permission, the law says I die unless he lays his scepter out for me. I can't do that. And so Mordecai sends the messenger back with another message. You better.

Do you think you're going to escape? You're a Jew too, you know. Do you think you're going to escape death? And how would you like to have us all wiped out? But you, how would you like to go through life with that kind of a conscience?

And he says, supposing you were raised up for just this hour, supposing this is your very purpose in life, the reason you become queen was for this hour to save Israel.

And so Esther agrees at the end of the fourth chapter to go in to the king, after three days of prayer by her and her maidens, and by all the Jews is in Shushan. And she says, if I perish, I perish, but I will go in in three days. That's where we left off this morning and where we pick up tonight in chapter five. In chapter five, Esther's critical moment and God's sovereign intervention, Esther's delaying tactics and the Holy Spirit's divine leading and Haman's pride and God's providence. Some interesting parallels in this chapter.

Father, bless us now as we look into your word. Thank you for the clarity of it. Help us to understand it and to not make of it what's not there, but to see what is there. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Now is Esther's critical moment. Is God going to intervene and protect her and protect her people? What's going to happen? Esther's going to go through that door and into the presence of the king, which is forbidden her to do.

Chapter five, verse one. Now, it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house facing the entrance of the house. So it was when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court that she found favor in his sight. And the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

It's important to notice that it clearly says it was done after three days. Esther was not going to enter into this dangerous place, this dangerous situation without three days of prayer by her people and by herself and her maidens. She knows she's going to risk her life, but she's not going to do it carelessly. She is going to carefully pray and ask the Lord to intervene. Esther was under no illusion as to the risk that she was taking.

She had quoted the law to Mordecai through her messenger. The king had supreme authority, and to appear uninvited may well have embarrassed the king. And you remember when Vasty embarrassed him by not appearing before all the people at the seven day feast when he called her, she got kicked out of the green ship. And in this case the law says death.

Esther will wish to life, but she'll do it only after three days of prayer. And I say to you, and I think about that, don't skip over that lightly. You've got something very crucial in your life. Spend time and time and time, three days in prayer.

Esther furthermore, risked her life knowing God is sovereign over the king.

She knew there was no fear in this place. The Persians were not God fearing people.

Genesis chapter 20, verse 11 is a verse like this that says. And Abraham said, because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife. You remember when Abraham went down to Gezur and called his wife his sister?

And because there was no fear of God in this place, he did a stupid thing. But Esther knew there was no fear of God in Persia.

But she knew God was still there.

She knew because she knew her Bible. She knew there was no fear of God in Egypt, but God was in Egypt with Joseph and God could be in Persia with Esther. She knew there was no fear of God in Babylon for Daniel, but God was there and closed the mouths of the lions. She knew there was no fear of God in the day of Nehemiah.

And yet God did things greater than Nehemiah asked for him and his people.

She knew that God is sovereign and controls the heart of the king. But she also knew the God that controls the heart of the king can harden the heart as easy as he can soften the heart. Surely he did that in the days of Moses.

She also knew that things are not always as they appear.

And boy, we need to learn that too. Things are not always the way they seem.

You remember Joseph and his brothers.

They were so afraid that Joseph was going to render vengeance and revenge on him for the way they had treated him.

And finally Joseph confronts them with that whole issue. And he says, but as for you, you met evil against me, but God met it for good in order to bring it about that in this day to save many people alive. Things are not always as they seem. It seemed like just an issue between Joseph and his brothers, but it wasn't. The whole nation of Israel, yea, the whole world of that day.

Seven years of famine affected the world. Things are not always as they seem.

And so a man or a woman of God must know that God is sovereignly, providentially involved in the affairs of man and will bring to pass all the determinants. Proverbs 21:1 Again. And we've used it before, we use it again. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord like the rivers of water. He turns it wherever he will.

And as she would enter into the palace room to that forbidden place, she knew the king's heart was in the hand of God. And he could turn it this way or that. Understand that will comfort your heart wherever you go. That will give you strength and confidence with whatever you face to know that God is there too. You can't see him, but he's there.

And he's in charge of the outcome of whatever goes on.

So Esther risked her life knowing God was sovereign over the king. Esther risked alive after three days of prayer. And Esther did what was right and left the results with God.

She dressed up in her robe as a queen, the ones the king had gave her when he made her king queen. The ones that would remind the king that she's not just a tramp coming into the room. She's his queen.

Can you believe it? I've got my notes all mixed up.

There we go.

She entered the inner court having not been called. She entered quietly. Can't you hear? I bet you can't hear a thing. As she quietly walks through the door.

And then just inside, she stands patiently waiting.

She didn't whisper, hi, honey. Hi, honey.

She quietly, reverently, respectfully waited to see what the king would do.

He saw her because it says in the text that the throne faced the door and he saw her.

And he favored her by holding out the golden scepter. I asked you women, how fast do you think your heart was beating?

Now they say women don't sweat. But she had to be sweating that day.

Oh, what a thrill must been when she saw the scepter come forward, meaning, come on down, you're invited in. So Esther went near.

And I want you to notice the wisdom interactions.

Wisdom that I think came from time on her knees before the Lord. Wisdom that I think that came from the Holy Spirit that's guiding her. And she was spared and invited in. Now, Xerxes was not aware that God control his heart, but he did. And Esther may not been totally aware that the Holy Spirit was guiding her, but he was, you see, we're not always aware, are we?

But he's there, you know, Salvation's a little like that. You ever. I don't want to get too far off the subject. Do you ever think about salvation?

I wasn't aware that at this certain time, God granted me a new heart, a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone.

I wasn't aware that the God had granted me wisdom to where I would say, I believe in Jesus Christ and trust him with all my heart. I wasn't aware that this was all a gift from God, that God had done a work in me. But he did, you see. But he did that.

And as a result, like Esther, I am spared from eternal death.

So Esther's critical moment is coupled with God's sovereign intervention into the whole affair. Can you see that?

Notice as we go on in chapter five, verse three through eight, the delaying tactics of Esther as it relates to the divine leading of the Holy Spirit. Verse 3.

And the king said to her, what do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you. Up to half of the kingdom. Kings were in a habit of exaggerating, making outrageous promises.

It's a very generous offer. Half of the kingdom. You remember Herod said that to Herodias and she asked for the head of John the Baptist. This was a common phrase now, but it must have been music to the ear of Esther. Anything you want, Esther.

Name it. Up to half of the kingdom. He goes in, wipes the sweat off and says, wow, what a difference it is than what it could have been, huh? My.

I think her unannounced visit cause Xerxes to think. My. For her to come in here and risk your life, this must be very important, don't you think? And I think that caused this. Unusual.

It wasn't unusual, but very special response of half to the kingdom.

His reaction must have been a great encouragement to Esther and encouraged her to proceed on with her plan.

But she was again being led by the Holy Spirit, and she was wise at this time. Pray it up, if you please.

And she sensed that it would be good if this was in a different setting. Here's all the king's advisors around him. Perhaps some people from another country that they were doing business with in some way. I don't know what was going on, but it was a business setting. And Esther, wisely, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, suggested that it might be better on my turf than on your turf.

You ever done that with people where you think, we need to meet, but I don't think I want to meet at their house, and they won't want to meet at my house. We'll meet at the restaurant. Yeah. You see what I'm saying? I think that's what she's thinking.

If I could get him on my turf, it would be better for me, and I think I would be able to turn the king's heart, or the Lord would more readily. So the king makes a generous offer and the queen makes a mysterious delay. What do you want? Tell me right now and I'll give it to you up. The half of the kingdom.

She could have said right then and there. What I want is for you to spare me and my people.

That's not what she said.

But right now she's noticed something very important with the attitude of the king. She's noticed God has answered our prayers. Do we notice when God answers our prayers? I'm sure the very most important part of her prayer wasn't that God at that moment wasn't that God would spare Israel, but that God would spare her when she enters the room.

You know, when your prayers get answers, doesn't that make you feel full of joy? Doesn't that throw your heart?

So often our fears and apprehensions have been unnecessary. And we look back and say, I wonder why I was so uptight about that. But it's part of the way our makeup is, you know, this probably was necessary, but God had went before her and turned the heart of the king. And she now seeks the right moment to unfold her purpose. I believe she's being led by the Holy Spirit and led to delay and to wait.

Isaiah makes it clear in chapter 40, verse 31 that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up like wings, like of eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. I am a very impatient person, and I hate that I'm impetuous more than impatient.

But both are true. Yeah, I say it and then I wish I wouldn't have. I do it and say, why did I wait? Wait is what this is teaching, you see, sometimes it's funny and we can laugh at it. Sometimes it's sad and we cry about it.

Taking her time was a wise move. She needed to be in the in group. She needed to feel included. She needed to be in a relaxed situation.

And so she picks on the king and Haman and invites them to the banquet before she breaks the news. Verse 6.

I guess I should go back to verse four. So Esther answered, if it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for them. And the king said, bring Haman quickly that he may do as Esther has said. So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. At the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, what is your petition?

Can't you imagine the excitement he must have felt? Or the I want to know. It shall be granted to you. Don't hesitate to ask it, what is your request? Up to half the kingdom?

It will be done. And Esther answered and said, my petition. And my request is this. If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition and to fulfill my request, then Let the king and Haman come to the banquet, which I'll prepare them tomorrow. Then I will do as the king has said.

Delaying tactics. She delays. Now, the second time she requests a second banquet and promises that she won't do it. Delay her repetition after that. At that time I. I will tell you.

Now, what's the advantage of this?

I think it's twofold. One, that her tensions and anxieties might be released and. And smoothed off, that she might feel more relaxed. Right now she's all tensed up. She's getting more relaxed, but it's still tense.

And that the king and Haman might be more anxious. The more you postpone it, the more they think it's a great big thing and very important.

I think there's another thing involved in the Holy Spirit's work and the. In the man, Haman. There's no doubt as you reread the rest of the text, what happens to Haman shows you that the spirit of God, Ham in mind. Haman is so proud of being included in just the king in him that he loses good sense.

Well, Haman develops a sense of false security over consciousness, overconfidence. It inverted suspicion even though she was setting a trap for him.

Now the Holy Spirit has orchestrated all this. He has been the answer to their prayers and he's leading in all that takes place.

I love to sing Pat Boone's song of years ago. He's got the whole world in his hands he's got the whole wide world in his hands. Can you sing it? You don't want to? Enough's enough.

But God has the whole world in his hands and he's certainly got this situation right in his hands. Humanly speaking, she took a great risk in stringing out these two banquets. Before these two powerful men, anything could have happened. The kingdom could have broke out into war.

Something could have happened that night and the king would be in a bad mood and take away half of the kingdom promises. Anything could have happened. His benevolence could have turned into wrath.

But if God was leading Esther and God was controlling the heart of the king, she must follow and take whatever risks were there.

Esther's delaying taxis was a result, I believe, of the Holy Spirit's leading. Can you imagine now as they go to the second banquet, how anxious they are to hear what it is? This is such a big deal. It's just building and building. And can you imagine how more relaxed Esther is now feeling?

She's got it off her chest. She's had time to breathe and get more relaxed about it all. Well, verse 9 so Haman went out that day joyfully with a glad heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai the king in the king's gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh.

Haman's a proud man, And we want to look in this section and see Haman's pride and God's providence.

Proverbs 26:12 says, do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than him. 165 says, Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.

Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. And 1819 says, Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be humble, to be a humble spirit with low with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Haman's a very proud man. You're going to see just how proud he is.

In these verses 9 and 10 we sense that Haman's gladness is soon turned to madness. His ego has been greatly expanded by the banquet with the king and Esther and Haman, a banquet for just him. He was the sole guest, and being invited a second time made him doubly important in his own eyes. Won't my wife and friends be important when I tell him?

And so he leaves the palace, heading for home, walking on air.

But soon his ego that had been greatly expanded is seriously injured.

There's a fly in the ointment.

Just one thing could spoil Haman's happiness, and that was the mere sight of Mordecai.

He did not stand or bow or stir. He did not show respect. He just continued on as if Haman wasn't around.

And his high flying ego dropped to the pit in a fit of anger.

He was filled with indignation against Mordecai. He restrained himself, but he was ready to blow. If anybody was there that day, they would have saw the look on his face, and they would have predicted this is going to hit the fan one of these days.

And he went home, having left the palace in gladness. He went home in madness, fuming all the way.

Haman's madness or gladness has turned to madness, and his madness is now turned to revenge.

Verse 11 Then Haman told him of his great riches. He's asked. He called all his friends and his wife, and Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Moreover, Haman said, besides all this, Queen Esther invited me and no invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she has prepared. And tomorrow I am again invited by her along with the king.

Yet all this avails me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting in the king's gate. Then his wife, Jairus said, then his wife and his friends, all his friends said to him, let a Gallow be built 75ft high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it. Then go merrily to the king, to the banquet. And the thing pleased Hammond, and he had the gallows built.

Haman's madness has now turned to revenge.

Haman's pride seemed to be his greatest source of happiness.

He bragged about his boundless wealth, bragged about his many children. Chapter nine. We learn he had ten sons, let alone all daughters.

In much of the world today, your wealth is measured by your children. Except America. America. It's almost bragging, better thought of if you don't have very many children. But that's not true with most of the world.

Most of the world believe that their great wealth is shown in their many children. And especially they would say, there are many sons. Sorry for that, girls, but. But that's the way it is. I don't think their sons are any better than the daughters.

It's just the world we live in.

He bragged about his promotions by the by the king over all the other administrators of all the providence of all of Persia. A great display of arrogance. He seemed to be totally preoccupied with what this present world had to offer, and he was very only satisfied with that.

And we stop there a minute and we ask, what about us? If we're bragging about something, what are we bragging about?

Paul said he would boast, Only in the Lord.

And the things we have do we realize they're all a gift from God. Every good and perfect gift, James says, comes from above, from the Father of lights and whom no variable nor shadow of turning. Every good gift comes from God. Do we get all puffed up about that which we have, as if we got it. It's our possessions, it's our wisdom, it's our or do we see it as a gift from God?

Pride robs God. Pride robs God of his gifts, of his good.

And our tongue sets aflame all those things that he had so graciously given us.

Haman's pride brought him his greatest happiness. But you'll notice it also brought him his greatest misery. When Mordecai wouldn't bow to him and show respect to him, he was miserable, wasn't he? Left the palace smiling and no more than got to the gate and there's Mordecai.

And when he was out of the sight of Mordecai, was he smiling again? Nope, he was still angry. It wrecked his day, He says. But all this gives me no satisfaction at all. All these great things that I have accomplished in life don't satisfy me at all until we get rid of Mordecai.

Fallen humanity is never satisfied with things. Did you know that pride is like a always hungry tiger? It just hungers and hungers for more pats. People talk about their self image problem today, and all it is is pride. Most of the time, people just want more and more to feed their self image because they're proud.

Beware.

The Bible says the wicked will prosper, but evil pursues him. Evil pursues the sinners. Proverbs 13:21. But the righteous. But to the righteous good shall be repaid.

You notice in this text. To allow pride to fill our heart will always make us mad when we don't get what we think we ought to have, and always brings out revenge.

We can't wait for a way to get even or to get rid.

Haman's pride was also his greatest misery. And out of Haman's pride came great vengeance. He calls together his wife and his friends, tells them all these wonderful things. But then there's Haman. And so, I mean, then there's Mordecai.

And so they say, well, why don't you get rid of him if you're so big and powerful in the king, in the king's eyes, just build a gallows 70ft tall so that everybody in all of Shushan can see him. Hang on. Why don't you just get rid of that so you don't have that kind of pain?

And then you can go to the banquet with a smile.

You can enjoy your time with the king and with the queen, and you can enjoy being one of the big shots and not have to worry about facing this Mordecai that bugs you so much. We don't want you to have your sad face. We're your friends. We want you to enjoy being famous.

Boy, you guys are my friends. That is a great suggestion. Was it a good suggestion? No, it was a bummer. What they should have said is, now Haman, there's always birds in the saddle.

There's always things that come along that cause us grief. We grow by those things. They make us stronger. Everything won't always be a sweet road to follow. That would have been the words of a friend.

Why don't you just pray about it? Why don't you just go home another way? You see what I mean? No. Build a gallow and hang him.

And that really pleased him.

And he built the gallow 75ft tall.

And next Sunday morning we'll see him going to the banquet, his last banquet.

You see, God opposes the proud and gives peace to the humble. Pride always comes before the fall. And Haman will fall in the next chapter and he will fall all the way.

Pride gives us false views of ourself. Not what God sees, not even what our fellow men see about us. Pride's a dangerous thing. It's the down ones that God lifts up, and it's the up ones that God brings down. Always been that way.

So Jesus humbled himself even to death on the cross as a common criminal. The worst possible death of the worst criminals was across death. He humbled himself to become a man. He humbled himself to die on a cross. And God raised him up and seated him at his own right hand and said, now every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

See? But Haman was proud. And the opposite goes, for the proud God brings him down.

Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God, and he'll lift you up.

Blinded by pride, fallen through pride.

Esther's prayers were answered beautifully and wonderfully answered.

She was able to walk in the place of the valley in the shadow of death.

And God, whose hand had the king's heart, caused him to hold out his scepter and say, up to half of the kingdom matures.

The Holy Spirit is wise, and he leads Esther in such a marvelous way we call it delaying tactics. To build up the thirst for what she has to ask and to calm her down to where she's able to say it without stuttering or stammering or running out of the room. A marvelous picture of the mercies and wonders of God. If there was ever a book that shows the providence of God, it's Esther. And just because God's name is not in the Book of Esther, It means nothing because God is everywhere.

The Book of Esther. And I suggest to you that if we're looking for him, he's everywhere in our lives too. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss to read through the book of Esther and not see the hand of God so everywhere in here?

It would be a shame. But how much more maybe the shame to go through our life and not see the hand of God? God in our lives.

Blinded to mundane things, not seeing, lifting our eyes above the earth enough to see what God in his divine providence is doing in the affairs of the world. Oh, we can get all frustrated about abortion. We get all frustrated about homosexuals. We get all frustrated about everything. But did you forget God's here?

Did you go out in the field and scream, God, where are you? And hear a little whisper saying, I'm right here beside you? Yeah, he's right here. What a joy to live the Christian life and experience the living God. Father, thank you so much for this passage.

Again, this wonderful book of Esther and the blessings we're receiving. Continue to bless us with your providential hand in the life. May we see it more on our own. In Jesus name, amen.