“Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, ‘Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?’” — Esther 7:8 NIV
As King Xerxes walked back into the banquet hall, I believe he was determined to protect his wife, Queen Esther, and ultimately stop the order for the annihilation of her people the Jews. What he saw next was the final straw! As Haman realized that his plan was falling apart, he began to completely unravel, and fell onto Esther’s couch. How he got there really doesn’t matter. What does matter was the timing. Take a moment, as I did, to review this whole story and see for yourself how often God’s timing was “right on time.” This time was no different. God’s timing is always perfect.
When we as Christians look back on our lives we can see the Lord’s perfect timing, often even in the bad times. Many years ago, my husband, Steve, needed to transfer with his job from Georgia to California. I did not want to move! We had two young daughters and were foster parents of two boys. California seemed halfway around the world from our families in Florida and Indiana. So as Steve tells the story, I went “kicking and screaming all the way.” In spite of that being a very hard move for me, God knew what was best for me and His timing was perfect. Through a co-worker of Steve’s, we got established in a strong Bible teaching church and we spiritually grew by leaps and bounds. When I look back, I’m so grateful for His perfect timing.
“As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, ‘A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.’ The king said, ‘Hang him on it!’ So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.” — Esther 7:8b-10
Haman’s head was covered, an act many times used when someone is being taken to their execution. It is also a way to prevent one from making eye contact with an authority or an accuser. Covering one’s face can be an act prompted by shame. Children will duck their heads when they’ve done something wrong, and some adults will put their hands over their face when they are admitting a wrong.
When our Lord and Savior Jesus was arrested, beaten, and hanged on the Cross, He did not cover His face. Why? Because He wasn’t guilty of anything…He was sinless. Isaiah 50:6-7, “…I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps Me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set My face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” He took our sins to the Cross and died as payment for our transgressions; but He, personally, had nothing for which to be ashamed.
Because of what Jesus did for us, we can say with the Psalmist, “But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head” (Psalm 3:3). We have nothing to be ashamed of once we have submitted our life completely to Christ Jesus, because He has taken our guilt and shame for us. “Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us. You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18, 19).
Satan had Haman believing that he could get away with his sinister plan to kill off all the Jews. But look at these verses:
…He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts….
I Corinthians 4:5
You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
Psalm 90:8
Haman wasn’t going to get away with a thing! What Haman didn’t know was Who God Is! “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5). God, the Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent One, was and is the God of the Jews, and of all people who have now submitted their life to His Son, Jesus. It is vital that we know Who God Is in our own lives.
It is also important to know Who We Are in God through Christ. We are His children (Galatians 3:26), we are His ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20), we are His hands and feet (I Corinthians 12:27, Matthew 28:19). Therefore, “it is important for us to live an authentic life that is grounded in Christ” (Darlene Schacht). We need to fill our lives with God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, so there is no room for sin and shame. And when we sin (and we will), God is ready to forgive us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord,
We thank You that Your timing is always perfect. Holy Spirit, please help us to be patient when it seems that You aren’t answering a prayer or providing a way. Remind us that Your ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). We thank You, Jesus, that You took our sin and shame to the Cross. May we “live an authentic life that is grounded” in our maturing relationship with You, The Great I AM. For, in You, we want to “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
