Esther: God's Perfect Work Through Imperfect PeopleSample

God Treats Us Better Than We Deserve

In chapter 6, we saw the tables begin to turn for Haman and Mordecai, and now Haman’s downfall will be complete. In chapter 7, Esther finally makes her request to the king that he spare her life and the life of her people. Until now, the king and Haman did not know she was Jewish, and once Haman realizes this, he knows his fate is sealed.

As Esther presents her request to the king, it’s also an invitation for us to consider our own prayers. She and her people had been fasting and praying for God’s protection. Will God come through?

Here’s an interesting thought experiment: if God answered all your prayers, would the world look any different, or just your life? Think of all you have prayed for in the past week. Was it primarily for God to help with things you were facing? Did you pray for the needs of others or the salvation of others? Does our prayer life display a love for God or a love for self? In this story, Esther’s prayers were focused on the needs of her people.

When it comes to Haman, we are also reminded of the power of sin. Sin deceives us into thinking we won’t be found out. There is no world in which Haman thought his plan to kill Mordecai and then all the Jewish people would end in his own death.

In the same way, it is easy for us to forget the power sin can have over us. We often don’t feel its effects until later, which gives us a false sense that sin isn’t that bad after all. But a righteous God despises evil, and he despises sin. In fact, the story of Esther and Haman’s downfall is a reminder to all of us that we all will face the judgment of God. We have all fallen short. We have all sinned.

It begs us to ask the question then, how does God relate to people who disobey him? Will we all, like Haman, face destruction? Yet while we reflect on the weightiness of sin, Scripture points us towards the hope we have in Jesus.

The good news of the Gospel is that while God is a righteous God, he is also a loving God. He doesn’t minimize or dismiss our sin, but takes it upon himself for our sake. The judgment we deserved was taken by him.

In the end, Scripture shows us that God treats us better than we deserve. We might not be as evil as Haman, but we have all disobeyed God and hurt others. In fact, Jesus treats us like Mordecai in this chapter when we all can be like Haman in our selfishness and pride.

Our sin is heavy, God’s grace is more.

Today’s reflection

How does it make you feel to know that God treats us better than we deserve? What would it look like to extend that same grace to someone else today?