When God is Working Behind the Scenes

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

When God Is Working Behind the Scenes

Text: Esther 5–6 Key Verse: Esther 4:14 Time: Approximately 30 minutes

Esther 4:14 (NKJV) — “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

INTRODUCTION — WHEN YOU CANNOT SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING

Last week we left Esther at a defining moment in her life.

Mordecai had challenged her with one of the great statements in the book:

“Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther had not chosen this crisis.

She did not create Haman.

She did not write the decree.

She did not ask to be placed in a position where the lives of her people might depend upon what she did next.

Yet suddenly she discovered:

Where she was, what she possessed, whom she knew, and the influence she had were all important in that particular moment.

That is where this story begins to intersect with our lives.

Sometimes we ask:

“Lord, why am I here?”

“Why am I dealing with this?”

“Why did this door close?”

“Why did this circumstance change?”

“Why has this person come into my life?”

“Why am I having to walk through something I never expected?”

And sometimes we simply do not know.

But Esther teaches us something:

We don’t have to understand everything God is doing in order to faithfully do what God has placed before us.

Esther said at the end of chapter 4:

“If I perish, I perish!”

Then she stepped forward.

And beginning in chapter 5, Esther is going to do what she can do.

But at the same time, God is going to do what only He can do.

That may be the great lesson of chapters 5 and 6:

Faithfully do what God has placed in your hands—and trust God with what is beyond your hands.

1. GOD OFTEN ASKS US TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP BEFORE WE KNOW THE OUTCOME

Esther 5:1–3 “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. 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 the kingdom!””

Congregational Reading: Esther 5:1–3

Notice the opening words:

“Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court…”

There is a tremendous difference between Esther 4 and Esther 5.

In chapter 4, Esther is talking about going.

In chapter 5, Esther goes.

She had fasted.

She had counted the cost.

She had made her decision.

Now she had to take the step.

There comes a point when prayer must be followed by obedience.

There comes a point when studying the situation must give way to stepping into the situation.

Illustration — Headlights at Night

Think about driving down a dark country road at night.

Your headlights don’t illuminate the entire trip.

They may show you only a few hundred feet ahead.

But you don’t stop and say:

“I refuse to drive another mile until I can see my destination.”

You drive within the light you have.

And as you move forward, the light moves forward with you.

That is often how God guides us.

Psalm 119:105 — “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

A lamp does not necessarily illuminate five miles down the road.

It gives enough light for the next step.

Esther did not know what the king would do.

She knew what she needed to do.

Application

Some of us want God to show us Step 10 before we will take Step 1.

“Lord, show me how this is going to turn out.”

“Show me how you’re going to provide.”

“Show me what happens next.”

And sometimes God’s answer is simply:

“Trust Me enough to take the next step.”

Abraham experienced that.

Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

— Abraham “went out, not knowing where he was going.”

Peter experienced it when Jesus said:

Matthew 14:29 “So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.”

- Come.”

Peter had to step out of the boat before he experienced the Lord holding him above the water.

Esther teaches us:

Faith doesn’t always know the outcome. Faith knows the One who holds the outcome.

And notice what happened.

Esther stepped into the court.

The king saw her.

And verse 2 says:

“She found favor in his sight.”

The king extended the golden scepter.

The thing Esther feared might happen didn’t happen.

How many times have we worried ourselves over something that never happened?

We imagined the conversation.

We imagined the rejection.

We imagined the catastrophe.

And then God got us there and supplied exactly what we needed.

2. GOD’S TIMING MAY REQUIRE US TO WAIT EVEN AFTER THE DOOR OPENS

Esther 5:4–8 “So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” Then 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? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!” Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.””

The king asks Esther:

“What do you wish, Queen Esther?”

Here is her opportunity!

Why doesn’t she immediately blurt out everything about Haman?

Instead, she invites the king and Haman to a banquet.

At the banquet the king asks again:

“What is your petition?”

And Esther says, in effect:

Come to another banquet tomorrow.

That is fascinating.

Esther has finally gotten the opportunity she desperately needed—and then she waits.

There is a lesson here.

An open door doesn’t mean we have to run through it recklessly.

Sometimes wisdom waits for God’s timing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 — “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

We often talk about knowing God’s will.

But there are really two questions:

What does God want me to do?

And:

When does God want me to do it?

The right thing at the wrong time can create unnecessary difficulty.

Esther shows remarkable patience.

Biblical Example — David

David had already been anointed to become king.

Then in 1 Samuel 24, Saul entered the cave where David was hiding.

David’s men essentially said:

“This is it! God has delivered Saul into your hands!”

David could have killed Saul and taken the throne.

But David refused.

Why?

Because David understood:

God’s promise did not give David permission to manipulate God’s timing.

Psalm 27:14 — “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.”

Application

There are moments when faith says:

“Move.”

And there are moments when faith says:

“Wait.”

Maturity is learning the difference.

But while Esther is waiting…

something else is happening.

3. WHILE GOD’S PEOPLE ARE WAITING, THE ENEMY MAY STILL BE WORKING

Esther 5:9–14 “So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai 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 he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she 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 at the king’s gate.” Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.”

Now the scene shifts to Haman.

He leaves Esther’s banquet feeling wonderful.

Verse 9 says he went out:

“joyful and with a glad heart.”

But then he sees Mordecai.

One man refuses to honor him—and suddenly all his happiness disappears.

Congregational Reading: Esther 5:10–13 “Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she 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 at the king’s gate.””

Listen particularly to verse 13:

“Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Think about that statement.

Haman had wealth.

Position.

Prestige.

Influence.

Access to the king.

An invitation to dine privately with the king and queen.

And yet:

“All this avails me nothing…”

Why?

Because one man would not bow to him.

Application — The Misery of an Uncontrolled Heart

There is a warning here about bitterness.

You can have a hundred blessings and allow one irritation to rob you of the enjoyment of all one hundred.

You can have twenty people who love you and become consumed with the one person who criticized you.

You can have a wonderful day and let one unpleasant encounter define the whole day.

Haman’s real problem wasn’t Mordecai.

Haman’s problem was Haman.

Hebrews 12:15 “15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;”

warns about a “root of bitterness” springing up and causing trouble.

Haman’s bitterness now produces a plan.

His wife and friends recommend constructing gallows fifty cubits high—approximately 75 feet—and asking the king to have Mordecai hanged.

Haman loves the idea.

And chapter 5 ends with something very ominous.

The gallows are being built.

If Esther knew what was happening at Haman’s house, imagine how frightened she might have been.

But Esther didn’t know.

Mordecai didn’t know.

And here is where the message turns.

Just because the enemy is working does not mean God has stopped working.

Chapter 5 ends with Haman building gallows.

Chapter 6 begins with four wonderful words:

“That night the king…”

4. GOD CAN USE THE MOST ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE TO ACCOMPLISH AN EXTRAORDINARY PURPOSE

Esther 6:1–3 “1 That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.””

This is my favorite part of these two chapters.

Congregational Reading: Esther 6:1–3

“That night the king could not sleep.”

Don’t rush past that sentence.

No angel appears.

No prophet arrives.

No sea parts.

No fire falls from heaven.

No voice thunders from heaven.

A man simply cannot sleep.

But everything is about to change because the king has insomnia.

And what does he do?

He asks for the royal records to be read.

Of all the records available, someone reads the account of Mordecai exposing the assassination plot from Esther 2.

Remember what happened?

Mordecai had saved the king’s life.

It had been recorded.

And apparently nothing had been done to honor him.

Until tonight.

Here is providence.

Why couldn’t the king sleep that night?

Why did he request those records?

Why was that particular event read?

Why did the king ask that particular question?

Why had Mordecai never been rewarded previously?

We aren’t told.

Because the book of Esther rarely tells us what God is doing.

It shows us.

There are no spectacular miracles in this chapter.

Instead there is a series of ordinary circumstances occurring at exactly the right time.

“This doesn’t make sense.”

“Why did this happen?”

“Why didn’t that happen?”

“Why hasn’t God answered?”

But God sees the other side.

Romans 8:28 — “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…”

Notice Paul doesn’t say all things are good.

They aren’t.

Haman wasn’t good.

The decree wasn’t good.

The threat wasn’t good.

But God can work through things that are not good to accomplish His purposes.

Joseph understood that years after his brothers sold him into slavery:

Genesis 50:20 — “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…”

Application

There may be circumstances in your life tonight that you cannot explain.

Don’t assume that because you cannot see God’s activity, God is inactive.

He may be doing something in another room.

He may be working through another person.

He may be arranging something you know absolutely nothing about.

Esther was probably sleeping.

Mordecai was probably sleeping.

Haman may have been admiring his newly constructed gallows.

But the king couldn’t sleep.

And God was turning the story.

5. GOD CAN TURN A SITUATION AROUND FASTER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE

Esther 6:4–11 “4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.” 11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!””

Now watch the timing.

The king discovers that Mordecai has never been honored.

He asks:

“Who is in the court?”

Guess who has just arrived?

Haman.

And why is Haman there?

He has come early to ask permission to execute Mordecai.

You almost have to smile at the irony.

Haman walks into the palace thinking:

“Today Mordecai dies.”

The king is sitting inside thinking:

“Today Mordecai needs to be honored.”

Haman has a plan.

God has another plan.

Proverbs 19:21 — “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’S counsel—that will stand.”

The king asks Haman:

Esther 6:6 — “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?”

And Haman’s pride immediately says:

“Who would the king delight to honor more than me?”

So Haman creates this magnificent public celebration.

Put the king’s robe on him.

Put him on the king’s horse.

Parade him through the city.

Have someone proclaim:

“Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”

Haman has designed his own parade.

Then comes one of the greatest reversals in the Old Testament.

The king essentially says:

“Wonderful idea, Haman.”

“Go do exactly that…”

“…for Mordecai.”

Can you imagine Haman’s face?

Yesterday:

Haman was building gallows for Mordecai.

Today:

Haman is leading Mordecai’s horse through town announcing his honor.

What changed?

From Mordecai’s perspective—nothing.

Mordecai hadn’t manipulated the situation.

He hadn’t defended himself.

He hadn’t gone to the king.

God turned it.

Psalm 37:5–6 “5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.”

— “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light…”

That doesn’t mean every difficult circumstance in our lives will reverse tomorrow morning.

We must be careful not to promise what Scripture doesn’t promise.

Sometimes God changes our circumstances.

Sometimes God carries us through our circumstances.

But in either case:

Our circumstances never move beyond God’s sovereignty.

CONCLUSION — WHAT DO ESTHER 5–6 TEACH US ABOUT “SUCH A TIME AS THIS”?

Go back to Mordecai’s challenge:

“Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther couldn’t see chapters 5 and 6 when she stood in chapter 4.

And neither can we.

We live our lives one chapter at a time.

We don’t get to turn ten pages ahead.

And that requires faith.

Tonight, perhaps you are somewhere in the story.

Maybe you’re where Esther was:

You need courage to take the next step.

You know what needs to be done, but you’re afraid.

Remember Esther walking into that courtyard.

Take the next faithful step.

Maybe you’re at the banquet:

You’ve taken the step, but now you have to wait.

Don’t mistake God’s delay for God’s absence.

Maybe you’re where Mordecai was:

Something is happening against you that you cannot control.

Remember—the gallows were being built, but God was not finished writing the story.

Or perhaps you’re somewhere between Esther 5:14 and Esther 6:1.

And those may be the hardest places in life.

Chapter 5 seems to end badly.

But chapter 6 begins:

“That night…”

Church, never judge what God is doing by the chapter you happen to be living in today.

God may be working in places you cannot see.

He may be using people you don’t know.

He may be arranging circumstances you don’t understand.

He may even be using something as ordinary as a sleepless night.

Your responsibility is not to figure out everything God is doing.

Your responsibility is to be faithful with what God has placed before you.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

FINAL ILLUSTRATION — YOU CANNOT SEE AROUND THE BEND

When you’re traveling a winding mountain road, sometimes you cannot see more than a short distance ahead.

You cannot see what is around the next bend.

But you don’t need to see around the bend if you trust the road and follow the way before you.

And spiritually, we have something much greater.

We know the One who can see around the bend.

Esther couldn’t see the king’s sleepless night.

Mordecai couldn’t see his coming honor.

Haman couldn’t see his coming humiliation.

Nobody could see what was coming.

Except God.

And the God who was sovereign over Esther’s story is still sovereign over ours.

So when you encounter circumstances you did not choose…

When you face decisions you never expected…

When you don’t understand what God is doing…

Remember Esther.

Do what you can do.

Obey what you know.

Take the next step.

Wait when God says wait.

And trust God with what you cannot control.

Because perhaps even where you are tonight—

God has placed you there “for such a time as this.”

INVITATION

Maybe the greatest step of faith someone needs to take tonight isn’t understanding your circumstances.

It’s trusting Christ in the middle of them.

You don’t need to know everything tomorrow holds.

You need to know the One who holds tomorrow.

And for the believer who is walking through a chapter you don’t understand:

Don’t quit in chapter 5.

God is still writing chapter 6.