Esther 5
5:1-8
Esther’s Plan: Phase 1
When the designated time for fasting was over, Esther put on her royal robes and went to see the king in the inner court, where no one was allowed to go without permission from the king. She did this knowing, if the king did not receive her, she would be put to death for her audacity.
Archeologists have found Persian art from this time period that shows the king on this throne with his scepter, flanked by his officials, and by a soldier bearing an axe. So, anyone who did not receive the favor of the king could be beheaded in a few seconds.
But the king did receive her. In fact, verse 1 says she “won favor in his sight”. We can take that to mean she had God’s favor and he gave her favor with the king. He was so glad to see her, he offered to give her anything she asked, even up to half of his kingdom. (3)
Since his kingdom was huge, half of it would be an unbelievably extravagant gift. Not to mention, it is unlikely a king jealous of his power would relinquish half of it. So, we can take this to be hyperbole. He would not expect her to be bold enough to ask for half of his kingdom. But, he was offering to giver her whatever she asked, even if it was a big thing.
This speaking in hyperbole seems to be a Middle Eastern thing. We can see King Herod make the same offer to his wife’s daughter after she danced for him. She asked for the head of John the Baptist and he gave it to her. (Mark 6:22)
Despite it appearing that the time was right, Esther did not use the king’s favor to eliminate Haman and to save the Jews at that time. Instead she invited the king and Haman to a feast she had prepared in advance. She had to find a way to undo a law that was not supposed to be reversed and which might cost the king 10,000 talents of silver.
After the king had eaten, and was enjoying an after dinner glass of wine, he made his offer to Esther again. And again, Esther declined to say what her wish was and, instead, invited the king and Haman to another feat to be held the same day. At that time, she would make her request known. (8)
Despite the king making a decree that every man be the head of his household, Esther is clearly orchestrating the events and the king is clearly anxious to please her. She is, however, doing so with a display of meekness, which the king valued. She said “if I have found favor in the sight of the king” and “if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request’.
She had, as well, maneuvered the king into a situation where it would be difficult for him to refuse her request. He had stated publicly twice that he would do so. Plus, by accepting her invitation to the second feast, he was practically saying he would give her whatever she wanted.
5:9-14
Haman’s Bubble Burst
Haman left the feast feeling important and happy. But that bubble burst when he saw Mordecai at the gate, because Mordecai still refused to bow to him. It is funny how the most honored advisor to the king could be so upset over one man who did not honor him. Yet, we see that Haman’s ego is so large it cannot tolerate any slight. Today, we would call him a narcissist.
Haman became very angry. He went home and summoned his wife and close friends. He told them of all his riches and honors, and his special invitation to the queen’s feast, but that Mordecai’s refusal to honor him took all away all of his pleasure in these things. It is interesting how we can lose perspective so easily, forgetting all of our blessings and focusing on one thing that does not go our way.
Haman’ humor was restored, however, when his wife and friends came up with a solution: build a huge gallows, 75 feet high, and make a spectacle of hanging Mordecai in from of the whole city. Then, go enjoy yourself at the feast.
This was actually very bad advice. Hanging Mordecai on a giant gallows would signify he was a giant of a man, of great importance. It would have been a greater humiliation to execute him quietly with no fanfare, as if he were totally insignificant. But for Haman, a giant wound to his ego could only be healed by a giant display of power.
Esther 6
6:1-11
Meanwhile, Back At The Castle
While Haman had the giant gallows made, the king was restless and could not sleep. He got up and had the book of memorable deeds read to him. The book contained the account of Mordecai saving the kings’s life by telling him the plot against him.
Since it was traditional to honor any man who rendered great service to the king, he asked what had been done for Mordecai, only to find out that nothing had been done.
Seeking to remedy this situation, the king asked who was in the court. He was looking for someone to advise him on what to do. It must have been morning by this time, for Haman had just entered to tell the king he wanted to hang Mordecai on the gallows Haman had built overnight.
Since Haman was the king’s advisor, the king asked him what should be done for a man the king delighted to honor. In his arrogance, Haman believed the king must have been talking about him, so he came up with this lavish honor, to wear robes worn by the king, to be put on the king’s horse, to wear a kingly crown, and to be paraded through the streets as the man the king wanted to honor. Haman could picture himself looking every bit like the king as he paraded through the city. He would look very important, even regal. Everyone in the capital city would see him and honor him.
Of course, the honor was not for Haman but for Mordecai. And the king had Haman do these things for Mordecai. All that Haman desired was bestowed upon his greatest enemy! to make matters worse, Haman had to lead the procession, experiencing every moment of Mordecai’s honor. You can imagine Haman’s humiliation, his seething anger, and embarassment.
6:12-14
The Tide Turns
Haman was so upset, he covered his head like a mourner and hurried to home to talk to his wife and friends about what to do. Haman had caused the Jews to mourn, but now he was the mourner.
When Haman did this before, his wife and friends were consoling and helpful. But not this time. This time they seem to have figured out that God protected the Jewish people. Maybe they saw the turn of events as an omen of Haman’s destruction. They told him, if Mordecai is a Jew, you will not overcome him. You will fall before him. That was certainly not what Haman wanted to hear.
To make matters worse, just as he was told this, the king’s eunuchs arrive to take him to Esther’s feast. You can see the drama of the writing here. It signals us that a great confrontation is about to occur.
Takeaways
Haman had a great amount of pride. It was, however, a needy pride. He not only had to be important, he had to be seen as important and acknowledged by all. Mordecai’s refusal to honor him, therefore, hit at Haman’s very core.
The Bible is clear that God hates pride. Pride is all about what is good for me, not what glorifies the Lord. Proverbs 8:13 tells us God hates pride. Proverbs 16:18 is relevant to Haman’s situation. It says “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”.
Finally, we see God working in the simplest of things to accomplish his will. He would not let the king sleep. He led him to read a book. Everything else fell into place. Psalm 2 asks why the peoples plot in vain agains the Lord and his Anointed. The Lord purposed to bring the Messiah through the Jews. He would not let anything stop that.
It is the same today. What God has said in his Word, he will do.
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