The Delayed Honor and Recognition

Hi, good morning everyone. My name is Mordecai. I believe many of you do not know who I am, as a character who comes all the way from the mid of 6th century BC.

In 586 BC, my nation, the southern kingdom of Judah was defeated by the Babylonians (modern day Iraq) and the inhabitants were forced to leave our homeland. we were exiled to Babylon.

If this sounds unfamiliar to you, you may recall Daniel and his friends who were well-known of being casted into fire and lion dens. They were the early exilve living lives that honored God in Babylon during that time period.

Almost fifty years later, in 539 BC, the Babylonians were defeated by the Persian, which is Iran today. That was actually beneficial for us, the Jewish people living in exile, because unlike the Babylonians, the Persians allowed us, the Jews to return to Israel, and to rebuild our Temple and fortify the walls surrounding Jerusalem.

But not everyone returned. Many people stayed in the lands in which we were exiled for different reasons. one of the main reasons is actually that we were still given freedom to worship our God. we were called the diaspora. I am one of them who chose to stay back, together with Esther, my adopted daughter from my uncle.

God has been good and kind to us. in the yaer of King Xerxes, who also has the name Ahasuerus, my daughter won the favour of the King and was made as the queen.

There was one day after this, i sat at the King’s gate and overheard a secret. THere were two of the king’s officers who were angry with the King and they planned to kill the king. immediately as I realized the conspiracy, I told Queen Esther and she in turn reported to the King. The King’s life was secured because of me. I have saved the king from the planned assassination.

I thought I would be rewarded by King, but he did not. I thought I would be recognized publicly for my great contribution and be honoured, but it did not happen. I do not know how you would feel if you were in my position.

In lives, there are so many moments which we hope to be recognized and rewarded but it just does not happen. As a wife or husband, we want to be recognized for what we have done. As a parent, we hope our children appreciate what we have contributed for them. As an employee, we want our employer to recognize our hard work with promotion and increment. As a church leader, we wait for people to applause our effort in ministries. As a pastor, we look forward for word of appreciation.

However, too often, all these hope and expectation comes to nothing. what make the failed expectation worse is that someone else have received the honour and recognition which is supposed to be ours.

in my case, after I have disclosed the conspiracy, instead of honouring me, the King in turn honoured Haman, elevated him and gave him a seat of honour higher than that of all the onther nobles (v3).

Obviously, the King thought it was Haman who has found out the plan. i dont know what made the King to think so. Perhaps, Haman has used some trick to deceive the King, as that is what he would do.

The elevation and the honour is mine. I have the right and could have chosen to fight them back with the the help of Queen Esther, since she was then the King’s most favourite. The King would defenitely listen to her, but I chose not to. I chose to remain silent, as I know that God would right the wrong eventually. and indeed, it happened, though it was after going through some unpleasant process.

As Haman was elevated, he required all royal officials to kneel and bow to pay honour to him. Everyone has done so, except for me because it is not right for us Jews to bow anyone else, other than God himself. Furthermore, Haman is an Agagite, the descendents of the Amalekite, one of Israel’s traditional enemies. To bow before him is a great humiliation. becuase of that, I got myself and my people into trouble. He plotted to kill all the Jews by making a false witness against us before the King.

At that point of time, I was so desparate. i felt like it is the end of my life and the Jews. However, it was under such a hopeless situation, God turns the table. our lives are preserved, but Haman was killed.

My delayed honour and recognition is fulfilled. if it was not because of God’s hidden hands behind the scene, all these would not have happened.

As I ponder upon it, there are at least three ways which I am convinced that the delayed honour and recognition is God-intended.

First, the delayed honour comes with an unexpected timing

there are so many coincidences for the whole reversal to happen, which i belive that they wouldnt have happened so coincidentally if it is not because of God.

First coincidence started with the King’s insomnia. It is quite unexplainable why King Xerxes would have insomnia in such a time on the night before the genocide of the Jews. God must have caused him to have a sleepless night that he ordered to have the record of his reign to be read. he would not have read the record on the realization of the conspiracy if it is not because of his insomnia.

However, it is another further concidence for the King to heard the record with some many past events recorded in the book.

King Xerxes has been on his throne for twelve years, there are some many things happened in those years time and have been recorded, yet the guard who read the record for him has brought up what has happened more than four years ago whereby I found out the consipary to kill the King. Again, if it was not because of God’s hidden hands, the King would be have been reminded of this incident, and asked for the people who has reported to Him. Who am I that the King would bother to be disturbed with whether i am rewarded?

For me, all these God-intended coincidence just happen right in time to save me and all the Jews from Haman’s plan of genocide. God has revealed the history to Haman at the perfect timing. if the honour and recognition for what i have done came way before this, we might not have chance to be saved in such a way.

because of the delay, it comes as a turning point in a perfect time as the deliverance of Haman’s plan to kill my people.

Second, the delayed honour comes with a unexpected way

I have never expect to receive such a great honour with the royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Not only i was given with these, but one of the most noble princes is assigned to put on the royal robe for me, and lead the horse I am riding in a grand parade. This was the highest mark of honour that could be shown to a subject.

i dont see any possibility to be honoured in such a way, if i were to receive my honour and recognition earlier. but now, because of what Haman who has suggested to the King, thinking of the honour for himself, ended up granted to me. This is beyond expectation.

something that my enemy proposed for his own good fall on me. For me, God has humiliated my enemy, Haman, and lifted me up through the hands of my enemy himself. God makes Haman to reap what he has sowed for me.

I do not only received the robe, the horse and the glorious recognition by the whole city in the parade, I am also granted the second in rank to King Xerxes and is even written in the book of the annals of the Kings of Media and Persia, a record which is only to record Kings normally.

Third, the delayed honour comes with a unexpected result

My delayed honour and recognition is not only eventually come in greater timing and greater way, but also bring a greater result.

It is not just a personal honour and recognition towards me, Mordecai, but a honour for greater public, the whole nation of Jews.

first, all people of Jews are preserved and saved from the planned genocide because of this delayed honour. the genocide is in fact replaced by the destroy of all our enemies. Haman was hanged on the seventy five feet high galows which he had buiilt for me. his ten sons and all of his men were also killed

Second, the position of Jews in this nation is also elevated. we got our our festive celebration, Purim, being recognized in the official records in Persia. the festive is even recognized as a holiday in the nation.

A new edict issued by the King allows the Jews to protect themselves and to kill, destroy, or annihilate any armed force that might wage battle against them

Conclusion

Do you feel unfairly treated by someone whom we have been contributing a lot to them, and looking for recognition and honur, but always being neglected? Are you waiting to be recognized for what your have done?

Sometimes, we might think that we are forgotten, but God has never forgotten. Do not give, but continue to do good even when we are not recognized.

The honour is not from man, but from God. God always work behind the scenes, though he appears to be silent throughout the journey.

Even if we are not recognized in this life, do not be discouraged, for we know that the greatest honour and recognized would come on the final day, when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. On that day, He will make all things right and just. He will reward those who are mistreated.