In the book of Esther, the Jews are in grave danger. A very thorough plot to kill them all is put into effect and their doom is imminent. In the book of Esther a queen risks not only her marriage and her status, but her life. In the book of Esther the enemies of the Jews, who believed they were entirely safe and victorious, had the script completely switched and were slaughtered.
One little moment, one exciting idea, one foolish mistake essentially pushed this entire dramatic story into existence. Let me show you what i'm talking about. Haman, at this point in the story, has been honored to a point in which everyone bows to him as he passes. Mordecai, being a Jew, obviously refused to bow to anyone besides God, even when members of the royal staff repeatedly told him he must do so anyway. We get a little peek into this pivotal moment that brought on this suspenseful story in Esther 3:4 where it tells us "When they had warned him day after day and he still would not listen to them, they told Haman to see if Mordecai’s actions would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew."
Did you catch that? " They told Haman to see if Mordecai's actions would be tolerated", Haman would have had no reason to be angry without the royal staff bringing it to his attention. Right here, they kicked off the chain of events that most likely resulted in their death along with the 75,000 people that died. This book would have been three short chapters if these men had not decided to bring this frustration to Haman.
So why did they do it? Why could they not handle it on their own? What was the reward in taking it to Haman as opposed to their next door neighbor? One little word was all the difference: Power.
No amount of ranting or scheming by the royal guards could have brought about the effect Haman could bring. So, they did the obvious, "They told Haman to see if Mordecai's actions would be tolerated".
Can you imagine their amazement as Haman went to the king and successfully got a decree signed that would not only end Mordecai's life, but the lives of all the Jews under Xerxes' reign?! They must have been so proud of themselves for being the brilliant people who told Haman this exciting news!
Of course, we know the story did not end there, but let's focus on a quality these royal officials possess that should be a daily part of our lives. They could not possibly have done what Haman did, and they knew it. So they took action and talked to someone with real power. You see, they did not stay up all night worried about the effect Mordecai's actions could possibly have, or spend their every waking moment ranting to whoever would listen about how angry he made them. They spoke to someone with power.
What would it look like in your life, if you brought every frustration, worry, stumbling block, and sorrow to the One who has power over it all? He can make so much of a difference in these things than we ever could. So, lets bring these things to our God to see if they will be tolerated.
