How You Handle the Present Setback May Determine Your Future

I still have not been able to get away from the book of Esther. Take a look with me at the difference in how three of the central characters in this story handled disappointments and setbacks - and how things turned out for them in the end.

First, let's take a look at the setback or disappointment and the response. Then we will take a look at the outcome it eventually brought.

Response to Setback or Disappointment
Mordecai

Let's start with Mordecai. Mordecai and Esther are both introduced into the story in chapter 2, verses 5-7.

Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Jeconiah, King of Judah, and most of the Jewish people had been exiled somewhere around 597 B.C. Mordecai's ancestors had been part of that exile. Most scholars believe the King Ahasuerus who is central to the story in Esther began his reign around 485 B.C. Hence, Mordecai had been born and lived his entire life in the land of their captivity. Since more than a century has passed since the Jews were sent into exile, they have somewhat adapted to their land and culture. Yet, many, like Mordecai, have remained true to their God, Jehovah (or YHWH).

We do not know how or why, but Mordecai had apparently become somewhat well known within the capital city of Susa. He sat at the gate of the palace, which was a place of prominence in the city. We do not know what he did for a living, but he apparently was able to not only support himself but also his orphaned cousin, Hadassah. We can only assume that he no children of his own, perhaps not even a wife, since there is no mention of either in the story.

Mordecai could have carried anger and anomosity against the king and the people of the land. After all, this was not his homeland. Some would say he "had reason" to be bitter or resentful. He was born in this land because his ancestors had been forced to relocate there as subjects (slaves) of those who ruled the land. Second, there was still hostility against his people (ethic group) by some of the "ruling class."

But Mordecai does not allow the "setback" of being born in a foreign land to a minority ethnic group to cause bitterness. In fact, in chapter 2 we find that he intervened to protect the life of the king.

Mordecai could have also resented being "saddled" with having to take care of and provide for his cousin. Instead of expecting "someone else" to care for her, he "took for his own daughter." As the story unfolds, we find that "Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her." (Esther 2:11) Mordecai truly cared for her as he would have his own daughter. Instead of allowing resentment, Mordecai opened his heart to love.

In spite of the"setbacks" of difficulties and prejudices to overcome and of having a child to raise that was not his own, Mordecai simply went about his daily life, living it in a manner to please God and to follow Paul's later exhortation to us in Romans 12:18 to "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." In the midst of that, he obviously had prospered within that land and considered it his home.

Esther

Now, let's look at Esther. We already know that she was orphaned. We do not know how old she was when she lost her parents, or whether she lost them both at the same time or first one and then the other. All we know is that "she had no father or mother" and Mordecai had taken her into his home to raise as "his own daughter."

Like Mordecai, Esther is in a land to which her ancestors had been forced to come as subjects and where her ethnic group is still not welcomed by some. As a young woman, likely still a teenager, she has lost both of her parents. There is no indication that she had any sibblings, so she is left essentially alone - except for an older cousin, who, graciously takes her in. She is apparently being raised in a home with no female role model (no one to teach her the ways of ladyhood). Yet, it is obvious from the story that she loves and respects Mordecai and that she "was beautiful of form and face." Now, her life is about to take yet another setback.

Some time (we're not told how long) after having deposed Vashti, King Ahasuerus misses having a royal co-regent and begins to look for someone suitable to be his queen. The beginning of chapter 2 explains the process that will be used to select from among "all the fair young virgins" throughout "all the provinces of his kingdom" to find "the maiden which pleaseth the king" for him to make his queen. Verse 8 tells us:

So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

Esther's life is once again interupted from its normal course. Having settled in with her cousin, she still have the hope of one day marrying and having a family of her own. Now, those hopes are dashed.

Esther is one of some (probably large) number of young women being "rounded up" for the king's harem. True, one of them would become queen. But that would be one and only one out of "all the fair young virgins" throughout "all the provinces of his kingdom." What were her chances of being that one? Especially since she was from a different ethnic group than the king. Though it was true that his kingdom included many ethnic groups since it contained 127 provinces extending from India to Ethiopia, her people group were those who had been brought to this region due to their captivity. They were not a natural people group within this land. And many in the land had not forgotten that.

Esther's hopes for a family and a "normal" life were over. Once she received her year's worth of beauty treatments and had her "one night with the king" she would become part of his harem. After that one night, whether or not she was ever in his presence again was entirely up to him. She might well spend the rest of her life living as part of his harem and dying without ever being able to be with "family" again.

Remember, too, that Esther is still likely a teenager. To say the least, she was still young enough to be considered a "maiden." Human nature has not changed. Teenage girls then were likely to have the same ability to be moody as teenage girls now. But Esther did not slip into that.

Esther had been trained well by her cousin. She did not allow bitterness and resentment to build in her heart. As she had submitted to and obeyed Mordecai, she now submitted to and obeyed Hegai., in whose care she found herself. And she continued to receive and abide by the counsel of her cousin, Mordecai.

Haman

Finally, let's take a look at Haman. His is a very different story. Unlike Mordecai and Esther, he is what we might consider "one of the ruling class." In Esther 3:1 we learn that he is above all the other princes of the land.

After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and established his authority over all the princes who were with him.

As the story unfolds, we realize that Haman has become essentially "the number two guy" in the kingdom. Most would consider themselves at the peak of their career and enjoy their honor, prestige, and all of the benefits it brings. But not Haman. In spite of everyone paying homage to Haman except for one person, Haman could not let the issues of that one person go. Esther 3:2 sets the stage.

All the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.

Esther 3:5 reveals Haman's reaction.

When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.

Verse 6 goes on to tell us that Haman's wrath was not simply targeted at Mordecai as an individual, but at his entire ethnic group.

But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

While the account recorded for us does not say, my belief is that Haman did not target the Jews because Mordecai wouldn't bow to him - but rather Haman used his disgruntlement with Mordecai as the excuse to destroy a people group he already hated. (For more on that issue, see my previous post entitled "The Anti-Christ Spirit ...is against You!")

But, in this study I am looking at how people respond to setbacks, so let's get back to Haman's story. So far, he seems to be advancing in the kingdom nicely. He is even granted his petition to set aside a day throughout all of kingdom (all 127 provinces) to destroy all of the Jews within the kingdom. Even his personal vendetta against the Jews would be settled once and for all. Yet, all of that does not appease Haman. Esther 5:13 records Haman's feelings:

"Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."

Haman's anger against Mordecai was so consuming he could not simply wait for the appointed day to come and Mordecai to be killed along with all his people group.

Wrath will drive you to do foolish things. Haman, following the counsel of his family and friends, decides to build a gallows especially for Mordecai. He orders it built that night and has it built 50 cubits high. That's roughly 75 feet (or nearly 23 meters). That's high! Why? This wasn't just about hanging Mordecai - it was about making a spectacle of him openly. Haman was waiting for morning to request permission to hang Mordecai publicly.

Haman's plan was to go the following morning to "suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on" the gallows he had constructed that night and "then go merrily with the king to the banquet" prepared for them - and only them - by Queen Esther. He would get that thorn, Mordecai, out of his side (or at least have permission to do so) and then go celebrate with the king and queen. Here's where Haman begins to encounter a setback.

As Haman entered the outer court of the king early the next morning in hopes of being able to make his request, his pride swells when the king asks what should be done for someone the king would like to honor. Assuming this had to be himself, Haman lays the plan out to his liking. Then he finds himself being forced to parade through the city square, leading one of the royal horses with Mordecai mounted upon it in royal robes, proclaiming to all that "'Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor." (Esther 6:6-12) Talk about having to eat your own words! Haman's day is not starting well!

After being totally humiliated by having to show honor to Mordecai, Haman rushes home. Those who had so encouraged him to kill Mordecai the night before have suddenly changed their tune. Now their words to him are of dire warning:

"If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him." (Esther 6:13)

Warning aside, it is time for his banquet with the king and queen and he must be off. At least he is still enjoying that honor. He rushes off to eat and drink with the king and his beautiful queen.

After dinner the king again queries the queen about her petition. This time, Queen Esther lays out her plea.

"If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request; for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king." (Esther 7:3-4)

The king quickly asks, "Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do thus?" to which Esther replies, "A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!" Haman's day that had already started out poorly has just taken a rapid decline! "Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen." (Esther 7:6b)

Haman realizes he better do some back-peddling - and fast! He had no idea that the queen was Jewish. Which also means he probably still has no idea of her relationship to his archenemy, Mordecai. (Sidebar: It pays to know all about your enemy before you try to take him down!) Talk about a setback!

When Haman comes to realize the people group he has targeted for annihilation include the much-loved Queen Esther, he knows he is in serious trouble. Instead of following the king out to the garden to repent and recant from what he has requested, he hopes to find mercy in Esther and stays in the banquet hall to "beg for his life from Queen Esther." However, just as he was "falling on the couch where Esther was" in his desperate plea, the king returns to the room. Seeing Haman lunging toward his queen was over the top for King Ahasuerus. He would tolerate no more from this man!

The Outcomes

So what happened to each of these? What was the result of their actions and they ways they lived their lives? We will take these in a reverse order, starting with Haman.

Haman

The warning Haman had been given just before the banquet turned out to be both accurate and swift.

"If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him." (Esther 6:13)

Esther 7:8-10 records "the rest of the story" for Haman.

Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, "Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, "Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman's house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!" And the king said, "Hang him on it." So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king's anger subsided.

Be careful what traps you lay for someone in anger. They may well become a snare for your own feet - or, in this case, your own neck!

Anger and rage eat like a cancer. The person they consume is the one allowing them to eat away!

That ends the issue between Haman and Mordecai, personally, but the decree that has been issued to kill all the Jews in the land is still in force. This still has the lives of both Mordecai and Queen Esther in jeopardy, along with all of their ethnic group within the vast kingdom of King Ahasuerus. With that still in mind, let's turn our attention back to Esther.

Esther

Not only had Esther's continual, godly submission to those whom God placed over her (Mordecai and, for a season, Hegai) ended in her finding favor with King Ahasuerus and becoming his queen, but now she had favor with him that he continually promised her "even to half of the kingdom" should she ask for it. Yet, all she sought was her life and the lives of her people. The impending destruction is still looming. Esther goes, again, to the king to make a plea for her people.

Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king. Then she said, "If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?" (Esther 8:3-6)

We know that the king granted Esther her petition. He allowed her to write a superseding decree and seal it with his signet ring that the Jews were able to assemble and defend themselves against any who would try to do them harm. The "curse was reversed" in that they were granted the same permission that had been previously granted to those who hated them - except that the Jews were defending themselves against their attackers instead of attacking an innocent, peaceful people group as the plot against them had been.

But, what of Queen Esther? In the process, she had been given Haman's estate - his house and all that was in it. And, having revealed her relationship to Mordecai, she was now able once again to have a full, open relationship with him. In fact, she placed him in charge of the estate which had belonged to Haman to manage it for her.

Which leads us back to Mordecai...

Mordecai

As mentioned above, Esther not only sets Mordecai over the estate she has been given, but she also brings him before the king and explains their relationship. When she does, we find that "The king took off his signet ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai." (Esther 8:2) Further,

Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. (Esther 8:15)

In the end,

... Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. (Esther 10:3)

Mordecai had not sought self-promotion. He did not send word to Esther to plea for herself and him, which might have been "an easier sell" to the king. Both Queen Esther and Mordecai were concerned about the good of their people over their own personal well-being. (Remember that Esther risked her own life to enter the king's presence to make the plea.) It is obvious from this last verse recorded for us that the people knew Mordecai's heart of servant hood toward them.

Takeaway Points

• Selfishness and self-promoting leads to pride, which leads to a downfall or destruction.
• Anger eats like a cancer and consumes the one who allows it to seethe.
• Godly character produces favor.
• Those who chose to serve the people rather than be served by them cause the city (or nation) to rejoice.

May we always, in every realm - be that business, politics, the Church, or in personal relationships - seek to serve rather than to be served. Then and only then are we true leaders!