Although God isn’t explicitly mentioned in the book of Esther, the story (like everything else in the Bible) is really about Him.  On the surface, the story revolves around the plot of Haman, a key advisor to King Ahasuerus, to have all of the Jews in the kingdom of Persia killed.  Haman was probably already an antisemite, but his fury was inflamed when Mordecai, a Jew, refused to bow down to him.  Before the plot to kill all Jews was able to unfold, we read this in Esther 6:1 –

“On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.”

What the king read there caused him to favor Mordecai and Esther and write a proclamation that saved the Jews from Haman’s plot.  But was this all mere chance, or was there something, or Someone, else behind it?  Here are some interesting “coincidences” that assure us that God was in control of this situation:

First, King Ahasuerus’ insomnia.  One would think that a king, secure in his position, would be able to sleep well.  But while we don’t know how often he couldn’t sleep, we know that he couldn’t on this specific night, right before Esther was going to make her plea for the Jews.

Also, there are many things the king could have requested to do while remaining awake.  On this occasion, he asked for a specific thing: “the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles.”  We don’t know how much time the king wanted to spend having someone read this book, and how big the book was, but we do know that “it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.” (Esther 6:2).  What are the chances that the king would be guided to this exact information?

In addition, the event found in the book happened 5 years earlier, yet the king had not done anything to recognize Mordecai for saving his life (verse 3).  If Mordecai had been rewarded earlier, the king would not feel compelled to do anything at this time.  He might have just moved on to the next part of the “chronicles.”  Instead, the king went into the court to find someone who could help him celebrate Mordecai.  Who should he find but Haman, who intended to tell the king that he had gallows ready to hang Mordecai immediately.  Haman “happened” to be in court at a time when the king would ordinarily been asleep.  Before Haman could deliver his intended message, he instead received God’s intended message.  The king ordered him to parade Mordecai through the city, proclaiming “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”  Haman, instead of being triumphant over Mordecai, who he hated, was humiliated.

So, we have this set of circumstances: Ahasuerus’ sleeplessness, his choice of what to do while awake, his servant finding the passage about Mordecai, his delay in rewarding Mordecai, and Haman’s presence in the court.  All of this led to Mordecai’s redemption from the gallows but also set up Esther’s plea to the king the very next day to act to save her people, the Jews.

In this whole story of Esther, God is not mentioned, but could these events have just happened right on time, “at random”?  Earlier in Esther, Mordecai says to her, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b). Had it not been for the chain of events I’ve laid out, Esther’s purpose might have failed.  Instead of addressing the king, she could have been mourning her uncle Mordecai’s death on the gallows.  Instead of the Jews being saved, they could have been massacred.  Instead of memorializing these events in the annual festival of Purim, Jews could be mourning the deaths of their people under the Persian empire to this very day.

While He sometimes operates in the background (“the Lord works in mysterious ways” they say), He is operating.  He is intervening for the good of His people.  He is sovereign over all, even the minute details of the lives of those who rule us.  When you doubt this, think of Esther 6:1 –

“On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.”