Esther Chapter 5
Esther 5:1 When the third day arrived, Esther put on her
royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s
rooms. The king was sitting on his throne facing the palace entrance. 2 He was
pleased when he noticed Queen Esther waiting in the court. He extended his gold
scepter with his hand, inviting her in. Esther walked toward him, and when she
was close enough, she reached out and touched the king’s scepter.
After fasting for three days, Esther prepared to do as she
had promised Mordecai. Obedience to Mordecai
put her in the precarious position of disobedience to the law. She dressed in
all her queenly finery. I don’t know if this was protocol for a visit to the
king’s room or if she was dressing for confidence or if she felt the king needed
a reminder that she wasn’t just any member of his harem but his chosen wife and
queen. The king was facing the entry hall and saw Queen Esther standing there
waiting. She had already advanced to the place of danger, being inside the
court even though the king had not summoned
her. The king was pleased when he saw her: the King James Version says, “she
obtained favor in his sight.” According to Proverbs 21:1 (ESV), “The king’s
heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he
will.” Even though God is not mentioned by name in the book of Esther, we can
rest assured that God orchestrated Esther’s favor with the king. He extended
the gold scepter allowing her to approach the throne unscathed.
King Ahasuerus: 5:3 What is it, Queen Esther? What is your
request? I’ll give you anything—even half of my kingdom—all you need to do is
ask.
The king was really asking something akin to “What is
troubling you?” Perhaps she looked gaunt after the fast, or maybe he just
realized she would not dare to enter his presence uninvited except under
extreme circumstances. The thought of Jewish
annihilation had to be causing her inner torment. Perhaps that showed in her
countenance. Would the king literally give Esther half of his kingdom?
Probably not, but the exaggeration expressed his desire to completely satisfy
his chosen queen. On the other hand, this
king had the bad habit of saying and doing things in haste. Maybe he would have
given her up to half the kingdom.
Queen Esther: 5:4 If it would please you, my king, I’d like
for you and Haman to come today to a banquet I have made in your honor.
Esther does not at this time present the dilemma that she
and the rest of the Jews face due to his edict. She
does not present the problem that is troubling her immediately. Instead she
makes the seemingly simple request that the king join her for a banquet and
bring his second in command, Haman, with him. She states she has prepared the
meal to honor him. She knew this would
inflate his narcissistic tendencies; and, therefore, she would be elevated in
his good graces.
King Ahasuerus (looking at his servants): Esther 5:5 Go and
find Haman this instant, so we can do as Esther desires.
Q – Why do you think the king who had so hastily punished
Vashti for disobeying by failing to appear, accepted Esther when she disobeyed
the rules and appeared unsummoned? Why is he so eager to please her? Is it
simply deep love, or do you think the truth of Proverbs 21:1 had something to
do with these events?
The king wasted no time but commanded that Haman be found
immediately. He makes it clear that he is accepting the queen’s invitation. The king instructed his servants to make whatever Esther
desired happen.
So the king and Haman came to Esther’s banquet. 6 As Haman,
the king, and Esther were enjoying the wine at the end of her banquet, the king
pressed the question.
King Ahasuerus: Now, my queen, what is your request? I
promise that half of my kingdom is not too much to ask! Don’t be afraid to ask
for whatever you want.
Nothing is said of the dinner conversation between the
royal couple and Haman during the main part of the banquet. During the final
course of a long meal, the wine course, the king gave Esther another open
opportunity to present him her wish list. The
king was anxious to hear her request, but Esther did not jump in quickly with
her demands even with the king pressing her for details. She is very cautious.
Queen Esther: 5:7 I do want something. My request is: 8 If I
have found favor before you, and if you truly desire to grant my request, would
you and Haman join me again tomorrow for another banquet I will prepare? Then I
will answer your question.
Scripture does not tell us why Esther put off her answer by
asking the king and Haman to a second banquet the next day, so we are not sure
if this was part of her original plan or if she just felt queasy about what she
needed to do and used the second banquet to stall. Maybe she used the delay of the second banquet to
bolster her confidence. However, the rest of chapter 5 and chapter 6 shed light on
the reason for the delay from the perspective of divine providence. Whatever
Esther’s reason for the 2nd banquet, God had plans for the
intervening time.
Q – Have you ever faced unexpected delays or felt it wise
to wait? Do you consider God’s control of your circumstances?
Esther 5:9 Haman left dinner in high spirits, almost
gleeful, but his joy was short lived. As he walked through the king’s gate, he
passed by Mordecai. It angered Haman to see the Jew unwilling to stand and,
worse still, seemingly unafraid. 10 But he resisted showing his anger right
then and there. Instead, he went home and spent time with friends and Zeresh,
his wife. 11 Haman spent the evening bragging to them about being rich and
having lots of sons in his family. He even boasted about his relationship with
the king, talking to his guests about his promotion above all of his fellow
nobles and the officials of the king.
Only the highest of society were
invited to dine with the king and queen, so Haman thought he had arrived beyond
all others since he was the only official invited. Therefore, he could consider
himself and intimate of the king and queen in his inflated mind. However, when
he saw Mordecai still sitting at the king’s gate, his happiness vanished into
thin air. Mordecai’s lack of fear or any
kind of response caused seething anger to billow up out of Haman as out of a
volcano. Haman squelched this anger for the moment until
he was in the privacy of his own home. He and his wife entertained friends
for the evening. Haman always needed to
stroke his ego, so he engaged in this behavior every chance he had. That night he strutted his stuff like a peacock. He
bragged on his position, his ten sons, his wealth, and his close relationship
with the king.
Haman: Esther 5:12 And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited
me today to dine with her and the king. Just the three of us! And guess what?
She’s invited me again tomorrow. What do you think about that? 13 But I must be
honest; seeing that Jew, Mordecai, as I pass through the gate makes it
difficult to celebrate any of my good fortune.
Haman is a legend in his own
mind. He is under the delusion that Queen
Esther prefers him over all the other
officials of the court. He brags about the
invitation to dine with the king and queen not only once, but again the next
day. Then he confessed that there was something robbing him of his happiness. His hatred for Mordecai outweighed his pleasure and
enjoyment of all the good that had happened to him that day.
14 Then his wife Zeresh and all of his friends came up with
an idea.
Zeresh and His Friends: You should make a wood pole 75 feet
high! Tomorrow morning, have the king sentence Mordecai to be executed on it.
Then you’ll be able to have a good time at the banquet with the king.
Haman thought the idea was brilliant. So he had the pole
made.
Zeresh actually strategized the
plot to have Mordecai executed by impalement on a pole. The proposed height of this pole would have been about
the same as an eight story building, perhaps even constructed on top of a
building to allow for this height. Since Jews were taught that being hung on a
tree symbolized being under a curse from the Lord (Galatians 3:13), this would
be particularly humiliating. This was
exactly what Haman wanted to do at all times, humiliate Jews, especially
Mordecai. Zeresh then put forth the idea that after the grizzly demise of his enemy,
Haman would be able to eat, drink, and be merry with the king and queen! This shows that Zeresh knew that Haman would have no
remorse and, therefore, could party with the king with no thought of what he
had just orchestrated. Since this fed
Haman’s hatred, he thought it was an excellent plan. However, chapter six will
prove that God was still in control and had other ideas for Mordecai.
APPLY THIS TO YOUR LIFE:
1. 1. God had a
purpose for Esther to fulfill and gave her favor with the king. If God has
called you to a task, He will enable you to accomplish it. Rely on His power
and not your own.
2. 2. When delays and
even dilemmas arise in your life, trust that our sovereign Lord is still in
control and is using circumstances to mold you into the image of Christ. Read
Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:33, Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:28-29.
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