King
Ahasuerus was restless and could not sleep, so he requested for the
chronicles to be read to him. In chapter six and verse two of the
book of Esther we see the king discover the good deed of Mordecai
which saved his life. We read:
And it was found
written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the
king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand
on the king Ahasuerus.
The
verse begins, “And it was found written, that Mordecai had told
of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains,...” As
the servant of King Ahasuerus was reading to him, they discovered a
record of when Mordecai spoiled a plot to assassinate him by
“Bigthana” which means “in their wine-press” and
“Teresh” which means “strictness”. We might imagine
that among all the many records of the Persian Empire this one fact
was simply overlooked until this reading. Nonetheless we knew from
reading chapter two of Esther that these men were caught in their
evil intentions.
The
verse goes on to say, “the keepers of the door”. These men
were close to the king at any given time, and their proximity to him
made their venture seem very possible. What they did not anticipate
is that Mordecai was just outside the gate and could spoil their
plot. Though they were close enough to the king to do him harm, they
were not far enough away from Mordecai to not be exposed.
Finally
we read, “who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.” As
we use our imaginations to see this scene, we might picture the king
reclining upon his bed and listening to this servant read when he
hears this line about a plot against his life. Perhaps he leaned
forward and began to listen more intently as he heard that Mordecai
intervened and his life was spared. Bigthana and Teresh desired to
lay their hands upon the king, and their desire failed because
Mordecai told on them.
As we
consider and meditate upon this verse, let us be reminded that God
Almighty was actively involved in all these circumstances. God knew
the king would have insomnia, and He led him to have the chronicles
read. God knew the king would discover this assassination plot and
the spoiling of it by Mordecai. God knew the entire time-line of
these events before Mordecai told of them in the first place. Could
it be that well in advance God almighty is using people, events,
circumstances and situations in our lives as well? If we think about
this long enough, maybe we will begin to fully trust and rely upon
the One who has everything under His command and control, and even
the small things are being used to fulfill His purpose in our lives.
Next
time we will see King Ahasuerus' inquiry about Mordecai's reward for
his revelation, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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