The book of Esther has various narratives that end up tying together into a great example of God’s plan, and how God was working in ways that were far more strategic than even the participants in His plan knew about at the time.
In Esther 3, we meet a proud man named Haman. Haman was so offended when a Jewish man (who was named Mordecai) wouldn’t bow down to him that Haman wanted to kill all of the Jewish people. So Haman devised a plan to get King Xerxes to destroy the entire Jewish nation within the king’s empire, and Haman got King Xerxes to authorize a decree that anyone could kill and pillage Jewish people within the kingdom on a future date.
What Haman didn’t know, though, was that Mordecai was also the cousin of King Xerxes’s queen, named Esther. Before her ascension to “royalty”, Esther was an orphan who had been taken in by Mordecai. So, upon finding out about Haman’s evil plan, Mordecai asked Esther to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people (more about that in Esther 4).
Esther was reluctant, since she wasn’t allowed to visit the king unannounced unless he chose to spare her life when she arrived, so she would be putting her life on the line by even coming to see him. However, she agreed to do the right thing for her people, after asking Mordecai to organize a fast for three days.
By the way, you might know this already, but the name of God doesn’t appear in the book of Esther. However, His presence and influence shows up in it. I’m pretty sure that those fasting for three days here were expected to be praying to Him.
Per Esther 5:1-8, Esther did indeed approach the king in his palace, and he was happy to welcome her. He offered her pretty much whatever she wanted. Rather than jumping straight to the point, though, she invited the king, along with Haman, to a banquet. Then, while the three of them were at the banquet, the king asked again what he could give her. She asked him and Haman to return to another banquet the next day.
Here, I’m not sure if Esther was working up the courage to ask the king for what she really wanted (sparing her people), if she was trying to gauge his mood, or if she was just making sure that he was ready and willing to say yes. Whether she was cautious, strategic, or something else, God used this two-day “banquet series” to work together an even more elaborate sequence of events. Let’s continue…
In Esther 5:9-14, we find that, as Haman headed home from this first banquet, he saw Mordecai, who still didn’t show Haman the homage that Haman thought he deserved, so Haman got angry. Haman’s wife and friends suggested that he build a seven-story structure – whether a gallows or an impaling pole – to kill Mordecai on. Apparently, waiting for Mordecai to be killed with the rest of the Jewish people was no longer good enough.
However, things got worse for Haman overnight, when the king couldn’t sleep and had people read to him from the records of his own rule. (See Esther 6) Maybe the king like to hear stories about himself, or maybe these records were so boring that they would help him sleep.
From one of these records, though, upon finding that Mordecai had helped save the king from a hostile plot and hadn’t been recognized for it, the king wanted to take some action. So, when Haman showed up to ask for permission to execute Mordecai, the king asked Haman how he could recognize someone. Thinking that the king meant him, Haman came up with an idea, but was horrified to learn that he was responsible for carrying out the recognition of Mordecai through the streets of Susa.
Needless to say, Haman was pretty hot under the collar when he got home from that, but it was time for him to attend Esther’s second banquet.
We pick up in verse 7 at this second banquet that Esther has put on for King Xerxes and Haman.
So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”
Esther 7:1-2 NIV
Remember, King Xerxes wasn’t a particularly righteous person by God’s standards. In fact, some of the king’s behaviors probably wouldn’t fly with most people today, regardless of their background. However, he really liked Queen Esther, and even if it was the wine or his “googly eyes” for her, the king reiterates his offer to her for whatever she wants.
Think about that: Esther could theoretically rule half of the kingdom of Persia. Surely that would be enough to save her from Haman’s decree (i.e., that other citizens could kill the Jewish people on a certain day) later that year. In fact, she could probably save even more of her people in her half of the kingdom, if that’s what she asked for. She’s not interested in saving only half of the Jewish people, though. Let’s continue in the next article (or, you can always read ahead)…
From Sunday School lesson prepared for July 21, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, July 21, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The Bible and Archaeology, by J.A. Thompson, © 1962, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., p.166-171.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 