DCLM Higher Everyday 11 November 2023 — Divine Exchange Dispensed
Topic: Divine Exchange Dispensed
Text: Esther 7:1-10
1So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
2And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.
3Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:
4For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.
5Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?
6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
7And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.
8Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
9And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.
10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.
Key Verse: “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified” (Esther 7:10).
Message
Esther and Mordecai were the co-protagonists in the Book of Esther while Haman was the sole antagonist. Haman was an archetype of Satan. He was proud and conceited, seeking honour and glory for himself. He was evil and malicious, plotting mischief for others. He was wicked and vengeful, seeking to eliminate not only Mordecai but also all the Jews. He pursued his wicked agenda to a logical conclusion and ended up hanging on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai.
We have many good lessons to learn from this bad character. One of which is his sad ending, showing the law of divine exchange. It is the supernatural punishment of a person or group of people by God in place of those they plan to hurt. “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him” (Proverbs 26:27). The men who plotted mischief against Daniel ended up in the lion’s den. The Bible says, “…therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life” (Isaiah 43:4). God has a policy of divine exchange. Fear Him!
Quote: God has a policy of divine exchange
Challenge: The death of the wicked is not enviable.
Prayer for today: Lord, restrain me from wicked acts.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
