Providence

“Providence”

God has an incredible way of taking what Satan means for evil in our lives and turning it around for good. 

v  Chance and circumstance are fully within God’s providence

v  Reversal and irony are evidence of God’s hand in a book where He is never mentioned by name

v  God can deliver his people even if he chooses to work behind the scenes

v  God’s means of deliverance are never exhausted

v  God’s plans cannot be thwarted

• Impale Haman on it! The king orders that Haman be hung on the very gallows he had erected for Mordecai. This great reversal of fortunes demonstrates the guiding hand of God.

All the reversals point us to the greatest reversal of all: Christ came to undo the fall. He took Adam’s disaster – our disaster – and in a most unexpected way, He turned death on its head and gave us life (Romans 5:17).  

No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17 NASB)

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him. (Psalm 37:7)

I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. (Psalm 37:35, 36)

“Do not be deceived,” Paul writes. “What a man sows, that shall he reap” (Galatians 6:7)

Haman is hung on the very gallows he had constructed for Mordecai.

God’s control cannot be calculated, God’s solution cannot be anticipated, and God’s plan cannot be thwarted, because no one has all the information. God is still in the business of miracles, but more often than not, they are “miracles of circumstance,” occurring behind the scenes in ways could never be anticipated. Theologians call this “Providence”.

John C. Maxwell is one of my favorite authors and I have read many of his books. Here’s his commentary on chapter 7 of The Book of Esther.

The Law of Solid Ground: God, Esther & Haman

 “The Maxwell Leadership Bible,” Esther 7:1-10, p. 625

These three - God, Esther & Haman each play a leading role in the Book of Esther: God is the leader in control; Esther is the leader under control; and Haman is the leader out of control. Consider each one:

God:  The Leader in Control

He took Queen Vashti off the throne

He gave Esther the throne

He used Mordecai to supply information

He put everyone in place before the crisis

Esther: The Leader Under Control

 Her position didn’t steal her compassion

She felt limited in what she could do

She knew her place in the organization 

She felt the need to fast and pray

She depended on the prayers of others

She was willing to take a risk and obey

She didn’t take advantage of generosity

She recognized the importance of timing

Haman: The Leader Out of Control

He misunderstood the times 

His lost joy over little problems

He needed friends to build his self-image

His greed and ambition made him unhappy 

He listened to the wrong people

He thought too highly of himself

He set himself up for a fall

He reaped what he sowed

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Cheryl