Sovereign in the silence, VII

Have you ever been in the right place at the right time? A couple of years ago, I was at my house when I received a phone call saying my neighbor had fallen in the driveway. I was the only one home at the time, so I quickly went next door and assisted. But in that moment, I realized that I was in the right place at the right time. After all, if I hadn’t been home, my neighbor might’ve been on the ground much longer.

I’m sure you can think of instances in your life when either you or someone else was in the right place at the right time.

As we continue our study of Esther, we find Mordecai in the right place at the right time.

God’s Word says, “Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus” (Esth. 2:19-21 ESV).

Mordecai is sitting at the king’s gate. He’s a respected citizen. And while he’s sitting there one day, he hears a conversation between two eunuchs. Talk about eavesdropping! One of them is Bigthan. The other is Teresh. And these guys guard the threshold. In other words, they guard the king’s living quarters. But as Mordecai listens to their conversation, he hears about their plan to kill the king.

“And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king” (v. 22-23 ESV).

Not only is Mordecai in just the right place at just the right time, he also shares the information with just the right person. And after Esther tells her husband about the plot to end his life, Bigthan and Teresh are killed.

That’s the story. Now, I want to draw your attention to something.

In this passage, there’s a plot against the king. Men seek to lay hands on their king. And I’m reminded of a plot against another King.

“When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.’ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him” (Matt. 26:1-4 ESV).

Like Ahasuerus, Christ’s own people plot His death. But unlike Ahasuerus, Christ is fully aware of the plot to end His life. And rather than escaping death, He is crucified by sinful men who put nails through His hands and feet—even though He had done nothing wrong. Jesus Christ died for my sin. For your sin. And that’s what we celebrate during this Easter season.

But King Ahasuerus doesn’t take notice of Mordecai’s favor. Notice that King Ahasuerus doesn’t give Mordecai any reward or recognition for saving his life. But we serve a better King who takes notice of our every good and evil deed.

Jesus says, “‘Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end’” (Rev. 22:12-13 ESV).

King Ahasuerus might overlook Mordecai’s obedience, but Christ doesn’t overlook the obedience of His people. But the opposite is also true. Christ doesn’t overlook our disobedience. He doesn’t look past our sin. And unless we repent of our sin and turn to Him for salvation, we will receive the judgment we deserve. Through the blood of Christ alone, we find right standing with God.

You see, we serve a better King who deserves our loyalty and surrender. He deserves our worship. After all, we find life through His death. A death executed by sinful men. But as we continue through the pages of Esther, we learn that God isn’t surprised by Ahasuerus’s ignorance of Mordecai. In fact, we eventually see how God uses it for the good of His people.

After all, He is sovereign in the silence.