Esther - Lesson 7

• Review time:

• Chapter 1 of Esther introduces King Ahasuerus as a king over the Persian empire around 484-481 BCE ruling from the capital city of Susa.

  • This was a time the empire was preparing to go to war with the Greeks.

  • The second part of Chapter 1 unveils Queen Vashti’s refusal of the command from King Ahasuerus to come display her royal crown and her beauty, and how an edict was brought by the 7 advisors to the King for the disgrace brought upon the King and kingdom.

• In Chapter 2 we were introduced to Esther and Mordecai as the search for a new queen was carried out.

  • Esther is crowned queen and Mordecai saves the life of the king.

• Chapter 3 introduces Haman, who is elevated by king Ahasuerus, and shunned by Mordecai, and displays he is the enemy of the Jews with intensions to exterminate them from the kingdom.

• Chapter 4 displays the response to Haman’s edict of Jewish extermination by Mordecai; the Jews’ mourning, and Esther’s decision to approach the king.

• Chapter 5 The king receives Esther to his court and desires to honor her wishes while Haman is focused on Mordecai’s death.

• Chapter 6 Is the beginning turning point in the narrative. Human’s plot is reversed as Mordecai is honored and not eliminated.

Esth. 7:1 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen.
Esth. 7:2 And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine at the banquet, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.”
Esth. 7:3 Then Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request;
Esth. 7:4 for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king.”
Esth. 7:5 Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do thus?”
Esth. 7:6 Esther said, “A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.
Esth. 7:7 The king arose in his anger from drinking wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king.

• Verse 1 demonstrates the beginning of the second banquet starts with the guests drinking wine together as was the case in the first banquet.

• In verse 2 the king again addresses Esther early on in the second banquet as the timing is identified being as they drank their wine at the banquet.

  • The king repeats the words to Esther he had spoken to her the day before desiring to know what her petition was and assuring her he would grant her request up to half of the kingdom it shall be done.

    • This was studied in the previous chapter on how this phrase was used when the king is making a promise to the person he is speaking to and that what they request even before they make their request known will be granted.

• Now in verse 3 Queen Esther is ready to make her request known.

  • She begins with an address of respect to the king, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king”.

  • This was the proper way to address the king in a public setting.

    • The servants are in attendance at this banquet and Haman is present as well.

• Now the shocking request is finally revealed as Esther continues, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request;”

• What is the difference between a petition and a request in the Persian court?

• Esther says, “let my life be given me as my petition,”

• Secondly, “and my people as my request;”

  • Esther desires to link her life with the life of her people.

• Esther begins with words it would appear to bring shock to the king in the moment.

• She is asking for her life.

  • Then she continues with connecting her survival with the survival of her people.

  • These words would of course generate a question as to why Esther needs to make a petition for her life.

• In verse 4 Esther continues to with the explosive language that she and her people have been sold and that is why she is coming before the king with this request, “for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated.”

  • Esther clearly identifies she and her people have been sold.

  • Then Esther quotes the same words that Haman had used in the written edict.

    • Imagine what is going through Haman’s mind as he hears his carefully crafted words from his edict being repeated by the queen to the king.

• Esther continues demonstrating her humble position before the king as she says, “Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king.”

• Esther says if she and her people were to be relegated as slaves to the king she would accept  this.

  • She explains she would not bring such a small matter before the king for his consideration.

• The money that Haman had promised the king to purchase the Jews was not insignificant.

  • The large sums of money could have easily been given to the king and the Jews made into slaves to serve Haman.

  • If that had been the case Esther says she would not have brought the situation before the king for his consideration.

• Esther does not yet identify herself as a Jew.

  • Esther does not put the blame on the king for this treachery even though it was the king that agreed to the proposal put forth by Haman.

  • Esther is giving King Ahasuerus the clear path for him to draw that someone has done something very wrong.

• Verse 5 demonstrates the king makes exactly the connection he should as the scriptures record the words of a concerned King Ahasuerus and husband as he demands to know who is the person who would do such and thing and then desiring to know where this person is.

  • We know the king is constantly aware he had enemies.

    • His life was always in danger as he had just been reminded the night before when having the chronicles reviewed and remembering two of his own eunuchs had conspired to kill him.

    • Threats could come from within the palace as before.

• The king is shocked anyone would threatened the queen and he wants to know who would do such a thing.

• The king has made no connection to the edict Haman brought to him even with the exact wording repeated by Esther.

• The king asks who would presume to do such a thing to indicate it would take real treachery to propose such a deed.

• Haman is listening to these words for the first time and it is news to him that his edict would include harm to Esther as he had no idea she was a Jew.

  • This would also mean Haman had no idea of the relationship Esther had to Mordecai.    

• In verse 6 the gig is up as Esther answers quickly that the person who has made this threat to her is considered a foe and an enemy ending with her assessment that he is wicked before finally divulging the name of Haman. (what was her tone of voice, sweet or accusing)

• Notice the quickness of the narrative.

• Esther identifies Haman, the man in the banquet room with them, as the enemy desiring to kill her.

  • This is a brave revelation in this moment as Esther has no idea how the king will respond nor does she know how the powerful and rich man Haman will respond.

• Esther has nothing to offer the king that can compare to what Haman has offered the king in regards to this request.

  • Esther has relied on God to direct her every action and probably her words.

• Esther is good example of what Christ later spoke to His disciples to be like.

Matt. 10:16  “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
Matt. 10:17 “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;
Matt. 10:18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
Matt. 10:19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.
Matt. 10:20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

• We can take comfort and also speak boldly when we know we are trusting in the Father to speak through us.

  • We do not need to have a plan ahead of time if we are walking in the Spirit and seeking His direction. However we are to shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

• The enemy does not need to have advanced knowledge of how we are going to move out for God.

  • We are to move in innocence without room for sin.

  • This is the balance needed as Christians walk in a world that is hostile to our views and at times to our very existence.

• This was the world Esther walked in and now in this moment Haman understands why he has been invited to this banquet as he was set up by the queen.

• It is clear from all the words spoken by Esther she has uncovered the details of his plot.

  • Haman had been witness to the king speaking his words of promise to Esther before she made her request known.

  • Now that all the events of this day come to a crescendo Haman realizes his exposure and he becomes terrified before the king and queen.

• In verse 7 it is clear Haman has valid reasons to be terrified as the king stands up in his anger and leaves the banquet to go into the place garden.

• The mood has changed in the banquet room.

• The detail of the king standing should be seen as him rising up from a reclining position as this is the custom in this part of the world and during this time in history.

  • This is the same imagery seen in the gospels as the disciples reclined at the table with Christ.

• The banquet was a place to relax and enter into conversation and the mood was set with the drinking of the wine as well.

  • The king goes from this movement of relaxed enjoyment to being perplexed and leaving the room to gather his thoughts.

• He is processing all the information Esther has just given to him. How did this happen and what is he going to do now.

• He is shocked the man he saw as his second in command and trusted as a most noble prince would want to destroy his queen.

• There is no doubt the king had not just left for some silent contemplation as Haman knows the king is determined to harm him.

• This fear of harm is not just of injury but he knows his life is in danger as he does not run after the king but stays in the banquet room to beg for his life from Queen Esther.

  • The edict still stands but that does not protect Haman from the anger of the king.

  • There will be consequences for the deception carried out on the king by Haman.

• Haman could have tried to deflect the blame away from himself by pointing out the king was the one that gave his blessing to Haman to carry out the edict.

• The fact that Haman does not speak a word in that direction might suggest the level of deceit Haman had used to get the edict signed was significant.

• It might suggest he does not think well on his feet or without input from his advisors.

• Haman must direct his attention to queen Esther as she was the one with the open invitation to ask anything of the king and it will be granted.

Esth. 7:8 Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
Esth. 7:9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, “Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.”
Esth. 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.

• In verse 8 there is no detail on how long the king is in the palace garden but when he returns to the palace where he had previously been reclining and drinking wine he sees Haman falling on the couch where Esther is.

• The fact that Haman is ‘falling’ on Esther, a Jew, in an attempt to request mercy from her when his intentions were to ‘fall’ on all Jews for their destruction is an interesting twist to the narrative.

• Secondly the word used here for falling is the same as in Esth. 6:13:

Esth. 6:13 Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”

• The king sees the events taking place in the room he returns to and his assessment was it appeared Haman was assaulting the queen.

  • It would appear Haman was not on his knees begging for mercy from Esther.

• The king rises to new heights of anger as he accuses Haman not only of inappropriate behavior, seen as assault towards the queen but his indignation is magnified as the action against the queen takes place while the king was in the house.

  • Modern vernacular might be ‘are you kidding me’

• The scriptures indicate as the king spoke they covered Haman’s face.

  • First note the use of ‘word’ is in the singular but then the action is taken by a the plural ‘they’.

• There would be attendants to the king and queen at all times.

  • The attendants to the king and queen take action at the king’s word and subdue Haman and cover his face or head.

    • This was done to protect Esther and the king from further potential danger from Haman.

• Verse 9 identifies one of the attendants present was Harbonah and identify him as one of the 7 eunuchs who serve the king.

Esth. 1:10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,

• Harbonah has served the king for a long time and now Harbonah enlightens the king about information he had that there were gallows standing at Haman’s house that were fifty cubits high.

  • Harbonah adds these gallows had been made for Mordecai.

• The same Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king as had been brought to the attention of the king just the night before.

  • The Mordecai the king had desired to honor in the morning.

  • The Mordecai the king had instructed Haman to honor.

  • This Mordecai Haman had made fifty foot gallows to hang him on.

• Harbonah would have been aware of the important happens in the citadel and especially thing involving those who had access to the king.

  • It would be hard to keep the building of a fifty cubits high gallows a secret.

  • Haman had not felt he needed to keep anything secret as he was wealthy and had the authority to do as he pleased.

• The servant does his job of only relaying information to the king then he waits as the king takes the information and declares to hang Haman on these gallows.

• The final verse is short but has significant impact as in verse 10 the statement is simply made that Haman is hanged on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai.

• The last words are that the king’s anger subsided.

  • The death of Haman brought relief to the king of this overwhelming anger.

• In literature there are three forms of irony:

  • Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the story’s characters do not.

  • Situational irony describes plot events with unexpected or contradictory outcomes.

  • Verbal irony refers to the use of dialogue where one thing is spoken, but a contrasting meaning is intended.

• In the book of Esther we see the dramatic irony in several places:

  • Haman not knowing Esther is Jewish

  • Haman not knowing the king desired to honor Mordecai

  • Haman not knowing Mordecai and Esther are related

  • Haman not knowing Esther knows the details of his edict

  • Haman not knowing Harbona knows about the gallows and their intended purpose

• Situational irony is seen:

  • Mordecai honored not Haman

  • Haman hanged not Mordecai

  • Haman demanding others to fall down in homage finds himself falling down before Esther.

  • Haman determined harm to the Jews the king then determined harm to Haman

• Verbal irony seen:

  • Falling down

  • Covered face

• In spiritual terms we see the sovereignty of God at work:

  • The timing of Esther’s request of a second banquet.

    • The total surprise to Haman of what Esther was going to request.

  • The knowledge of Habonah about what Haman had done by building the gallows as well as knowing the gallows were built to hand Mordecai on.

• The verses read before deserve repeating here from Psalm 10:1-3:

Psa. 10:1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD?
Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
Psa. 10:2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
Psa. 10:3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire,
And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.

• Many wicked men will accuse others of doing exactly what they themselves are doing or contemplating.

  • They think other process life the way they process life.

• When we become believers we have the Holy Spirit that allows us to break that sinful process by repenting and becoming more Christ like.

  • We can be more Christ like:

Rom. 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
Rom. 8:10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Rom. 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Rom. 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Rom. 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

• Do you see the events in your life where God has been sovereign in the details?

  • Often these jewels of insight do not become clear until some time after the events have unfolded.

• Do you praise God when He delights to reveal these things to you?

• Do you share these events with others?