| 當時的情景不難想像：在華麗的宮中，王身著朝服王冠坐在寶座，周圍站滿了朝臣。王后以斯帖也穿著朝服，悄悄進到房中時仍躊躇不前，她不知道前面等著她的是死是活。她還記得王后瓦實提的遭遇，她等待著。王看見王后，就施恩於她，對她說：「妳怎麼來了？王后以斯帖啊，你一定有所求？告訴我。」 以斯帖開口說：「王與哈曼可否今日來與我共進午餐？」兩人都欣然應允。在席間，王再問以斯帖實在想要甚麼。看上去有點奇怪，以斯帖只是重復邀請他們第二天再赴她的筵席，兩人也再次欣然應允。哈曼尤其快樂，他回到家中，當天就不住向家人吹噓自己的財富、在王朝中的地位，甚至得到皇家的邀請，與王和王后同席。 不過，如同以前一樣，「只是我一見到猶太人末底改，對我不跪不拜，這一切都與我無益。他完全敗壞我的興致！」他的妻子聽完他的抱怨，就向他提出一個激烈的建議：「不如立一個高木架，約20米，求王准許將末底改掛在其上？」木架為何要造那麼高，好像沒甚麼道理，除非她希望所有人都一目了然。似乎他們在自己官邸旁邊一個顯眼的地方，豎起這個木架。 古語有云：「人計劃謀算，神將其處置。」神仍然在掌管一切，祂不會讓祂的忠心僕人如此慘死。有時我們會看不見出路，神卻早已看見。聖經說神甚至能讓「人的憤怒成就神的榮美」。倘若你正面對困境，只管告訴神，相信神成就祂的計劃；而不是你去告訴祂應該怎麼做。箴言三章5至6節是人自古至今的金石良言。現在就翻到那裡，按照經文所說的去行。試試看，神仍掌管一切。 |
| The scene is easily imagined. The king in his royal robes is seated on his throne, surrounded by his officials in the elaborate palace hall. Queen Esther, also in royal robes, hesitates as she quietly enters the room. She does not know whether death or life awaits her. She remembers what happened to Queen Vashti. She waits. The king sees her and acknowledges her in a kindly way. "Why have you come, Queen Esther? You must have some request? Tell me." Esther speaks out, "Would you and Haman be willing to come and have lunch with me today?" Both men readily agree. Then at the banquet table, the king asks Esther again what she really wants. It seems a little strange that Esther simply repeats her invitation, this time for a banquet the next day. Again both men readily agree, especially Haman. He goes home and spends the rest of the day bragging to his family about his wealth, his position in the royal court, and his invitation to a royal banquet with the king and queen. But then it comes out once more. "All this means nothing to me. So long as that Jew, Mordecai, will not bow down before me, it spoils everything." His wife listens to his complaint, and then makes a drastic suggestion. "Why not build a set of gallows about 20 meters high, and then ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on them?" There seems no reason for the extreme height of the gallows; only that she wanted everyone to see it all. It seems it wad erected in a prominent position next to Haman's house. . There is an old saying, "Man proposes, God disposes." God was still in control and would not allow His faithful servant to die in this way. Sometimes we cannot see the way out of a situation but God can. TheBible says that God can make even "the wrath of man to praise Him". If you are facing a difficult situation just now, tell the Lord about it and then trust Him to bring about His plan, rather than telling Him what to do. Proverbs 3:5-6 was written for us today as well as for men and women in the past. Turn to them now and do exactly what those verses say for you to do. Try it. Your God is still in control. |
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