Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Esther 6 and Psalm 31

As the king lay rolling around unable to sleep in the early hours of the morning, the strange thought happened to pop into his mind that listening to the recent records of events in the Empire might help him to pass the time. When he ordered this to be done for him, it just so happened that the section they read aloud related to Mordecai’s role in foiling the assassination plot (see Esther 2:19-23). The king decided to grant a public honour to Mordecai as a reward for his service, and at the very moment he needed an important official to do so on his behalf it just so happened that Haman was hurrying to the king to ask for Mordecai to be put to death. This resulted in the sweetest twist in the tale.

The king asked Haman for an idea of how to honour someone very highly. Thinking that he was the “someone”, Haman came up with an elaborate form of public honour (see v.7-9). Then, to his shock and horror, he discovered that the “someone” was, in fact, Mordecai, and that he, Haman, would have to be the one to dress Mordecai in royal robes, mount him on the king’s own horse and lead him through the city square proclaiming the king’s favour over Mordecai.

In a single moment Haman went from believing he was about to receive great honour and have his nemesis Mordecai put to death, to being ordered to personally give Mordecai the honour which he (Haman) so desperately craved for himself. And notice that all of this happened because of a night when it just so happened that the king was unable to sleep, and a thought just so happened to occur to him, and the right section of the history books just so happened to be read aloud to the king, and Haman just so happened to be in the palace courtyard at the moment the king needed an official to honour Mordecai.

It seems that the hidden hand of God just so happens to work through things that just so happen to happen. Thanks be to God!

Heavenly Father, thank You for so often guiding the course of my life by Your unseen hand in ways that often go entirely unnoticed, in order to work everything together for my good and Your glory. I worship and praise You for Your gracious and good providence in my life. May it be so today! And please open my eyes to observe Your goodness and grace in that which happens to me today. Amen.