Perfect Timing

“And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.” (Es 6:5 AV)

Timing is everything.  Context tells us just how close Haman came to dying that day and that in His sovereignty, Haman was extended an opportunity of grace to which he was completely unaware.  Prior to this event, two significant events occurred.  First, Haman moved his king against the Jews because Mordechai would not worship Haman.  Haman was given funds and an opportunity to exterminate the Jews.  The second event happened the night prior to this meeting.  Haman’s family convinced him to build gallows upon which Mordechai was to be hanged.  At the same time, God causes Ahasuerus to stay awake all night and have the chronical of the kings read before him by which he discovered Mordechai’s faithfulness in exposing a conspiracy against the king.  Now we pick is up at the above event.  Haman had come to the court to petition the king for Mordechai’s life, and the king was about to honor Mordechai for his heroism.  If Haman petitions the king before the king assigns honor to Mordechai, Haman could have lost his life.  The timing of this was God’s extension of grace to his enemy.  But His enemy never saw it.  Rather, the grace of God is despised, and the enemy of God doubles down in his hatred toward Him.

What I can’t seem to get past is the incredible timing of events and the benefit one man had but never realized.  At the exact time that Haman was conniving the death of his nemesis, the LORD struck Ahasuerus with insomnia.  Of all the things the king could have done, he chose to read the record of the kings.  Then, to have Haman in the court at the exact time that the king was looking for an administrator to honor Mordechai.  And to have Haman lose and the opportunity to petition the king before the king called him is not coincidental.  This was all by the hand of God.  God is never mentioned by name in the book of Esther.  Not once.  But the timing of all the events was so specific and perfect that God cannot be ignored.  Haman will eventually lose his life on the very gallows he built for Mordechai.  Ether, the queen, would see to that.  Before that happened, he has a chance to repent and change the course of his envy.  But he missed it.

Today’s devotion is necessarily about missed opportunities or unseen grace.  Rather, how impressive God’s timing truly is.  The planning and orchestration of God’s plan with men is just, if not more, impressive than the creation of it all.  In six days, God created the spiritual and material universe.  He created spiritual beings and material worlds.  He set it all in place, and by Him it all continues to function.  To me, what is more impressive is the perfect order of events.  In particular, the perfect order of events while using the free will choices of the very beings He created.  He does not force His will on anyone.  We are free to make right or wrong choices.  It is all in His control.  It all works out exactly as He wishes.  This is the wonder of who and what God is.  What does that mean for us?  It means we must learn to trust the plan and timing of God.  He has it all in perfect balance.  Hi way is not obscured to the point of fatal ignorance.  Yes, it takes faith to see it.  But it can and is seen.  We have to learn to trust it.  God’s ways and timing are perfect!  Glory!