The Good and Sovereign Rule of God a. God places us in time and space for His good purposes. b. Even when we cannot see him, God works for the good of his people. c. God moves sovereignly to keep his covenant promises. d. God humbles the proud and exalts the humble.

Esther 7:1-6 V. 1. Haman was depressed; a feast with the king & queen would feed his pride. The king at this point does not know of Esther’s Jewish heritage.

V. 3. The king is shocked to hear his own queen ask for her own life. Not just her own life, Esther intercedes for the lives of all the Jewish people.

The king must have expected Esther to ask for material things, but Esther asks for something far more precious, far more than what a king’s riches could afford.

We live in a world that tries to place human value on only sexuality or what political party you support or how much money you have in the bank or whether you’re born or unborn or old or young.

Our faith is one that speaks of the value and sacredness of human life itself. We believe that all people, young and old, rich and poor, male and female, strong and weak, people who agree with us and people who would oppose us – all of them, everyone was made in the image of God. Every human life in every stage is precious.

Esther prays, for life: “let my life be granted for my wish, and my people for my request.”

We must pray for life and salvation. We must intercede against wickedness that would destroy life. We must give our money, our time, our prayers that lives might be saved, suffering relieved, and souls saved from the destruction of sin.

Intercession for Life and Salvation  Pray for the perishing  As Elijah for the widow’s son (1 Ki 17)  Pray for the righteous among the wicked  As Abraham for Sodom (Gen 18)  Pray for your children and grandchildren  As Job for his children (Job 1:5)  Pray for your friends  As Job for his friends (Job 42:8)  Pray for those guilty of sin  As Jesus for those who crucified him (Lk 23:34)

Vv. 5-6. Who? A foe, enemy, This wicked Haman. Minces no words: this was evil.

Esther 7:7-10 V 7. Irony: Haman was angry that Mordecai would not bow before him. Now Haman bowed begging before Esther.

Vv. 9-10. Irony: Mordecai was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Haman sowed pride, arrogance, death, conspiracy. He reaped self-destruction. Sowing and Reaping. Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Haman had been warned by his friends and his wife, “you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

The Lord is good to give warnings of his coming judgment. 2 Peter 2:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

The Lord is not wishing that any should perish, but all to repent. The wicked, the proud, those who refuse to put their faith in Christ will perish. God calls his people to intercede for the perishing.