Esther 5-7
Whereas chapter 1 & 2 ended with 2 Jews in good situations...
1) Esther as queen
2) Mordecai as yet unrewarded for revealing a conspiracy against the King
Whereas chapter 3 & 4 ended with 2 Jews in bad situations...
1) Mordecai being the primary target of a decree to wipe out all Jews
2) Esther having to approach the King without being summoned
What comes next, in chapter 5-7, is surely the climax
Which set of situations will win out? Good or Bad?
The fate of Post-Exilic Israel lies in the balance
The problem of approaching the King without being summoned is quickly resolved, in chapter 5, when the King extends his golden scepter to Esther and asks what her request is. Esther, though, delays in telling him her motivations opting, instead, to invite he & Haman to a banquet. But even at the banquet, Esther again delays communicating her intentions, and invites them to yet another banquet the following day. We are not told Esther's reasoning for delaying. Some of the possible explanations are as follows:
1) Delaying communicated the gravity of the situation
2) Delaying expanded the time for prayer & fasting among the Jews
3) Delaying was due to fear, nervousness, etc
4) Delaying was the result of a leading from God
Whatever the reason, the delay has powerful results so far as the story is concerned. In the interim of the 2 banquets, Haman brags to family & friends about his wealth, sons, honor, position & prestige. Despite all of these worldly riches, though, Haman admits his misery of the fact that a lone Jew (Mordecai) still refuses to kneel before him (5:10, 13). His wife Zeresh suggests that a prominent gallows be built (and permission be asked) to hang Mordecai. Haman, believing that the elimination of Mordecai would deliver him from misery so that he could fully enjoy the banquet, liked the idea and couldn't wait to seek permission from the King.
That same night, the King could not sleep and requested a servant to read to him from the chronicles of his reign. In the course of the night, the reader read the event in which Mordecai had saved the Kings life. The king asked and discovered that Mordecai had never been rewarded for this great service to the king. Wanting to reward Mordecai, King Xerxes asked if any of his officials were in the palace court. Haman, having arrived to ask permission to hang Mordecai, was summoned to the King's presence.
Xerxes asked Haman how a man in whom the King delights should be honored. Haman, of course, imagines that the King must be talking about him and so shares his ideal vision for the reward he himself would like to receive. But when the King reveals that it is Mordecai that is to be honored, a shamed Haman is forced to parade Mordecai through the city streets, praising him for a job well done. Subsequently, Haman returns to his home with his head covered in grief. His advisers and wife were convinced that this turn of events was just the beginning of Haman's downfall, but before long Haman was summoned the the banquet.
At this point, Esther is finally ready to share her reason for initially seeking the King's presence. She informs the King of a plot to kill all her people. The King is enraged and demands to know who is behind such a scheme. Esther reveals that it is, indeed, their dining partner, Haman! (Neither Haman or the King had previously known that Esther was Jewish). As the King deliberated on what to do next, Haman begged the Queen for mercy. But the King, upon returning, interpreted his begging as a further attempt to harm the queen. Haman's fate was sealed. As fate would have it, a Eunuch recommended that Haman be hanged on a newly built gallows (the one Haman himself had made for Mordecai). The King agreed. Haman was hanged. The King's fury subsided.
From these 3 chapters I see 3 key truths of God
1) Prayer produces providence
The unmentioned collective character of these 3 chapters is the body of Israel, fasting and praying for the situation. Who knows how many hundreds or thousands of Jews were intensely fasting (no food OR water, fasting day AND night) during this time. Whatever the number, their prayers seem to have been met with various instances of the provinces of God.
More than mere Coincidence
~ The King was pleased with Esther, even though she hadn't been summoned
~ Esther's delay provides time for Haman to, basically, set himself up (Ps. 7:15)
~ The King could not sleep that night
~ The specific story of Mordecai being unrewarded was read to him
~ Haman was the official present to imagine up a reward
~ Haman was the official selected to parade Mordecai through the streets
~ Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had had built
2) Worldy Wealth Won't Satisfy
Haman had an incredible amount of worldly wealth, but the fact the 1 lone Jew wouldn't kneel before him made him miserable.
3) Justice eventually Reigns
Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. In a sense, this was the reverse situation of the cross. The cross had been prepared for a wicked man (Barabbas), but ended up being the means of death for an innocent man (Jesus). This gallows was prepared for an innocent man (Mordecai), but ended up being the means of death for a wicked man (Haman). Whereas the cross was the great injustice of all-time, the story of Haman's death is one of the greatest cases of divine and ironic justice in history.
1) Esther as queen
2) Mordecai as yet unrewarded for revealing a conspiracy against the King
Whereas chapter 3 & 4 ended with 2 Jews in bad situations...
1) Mordecai being the primary target of a decree to wipe out all Jews
2) Esther having to approach the King without being summoned
What comes next, in chapter 5-7, is surely the climax
Which set of situations will win out? Good or Bad?
The fate of Post-Exilic Israel lies in the balance
The problem of approaching the King without being summoned is quickly resolved, in chapter 5, when the King extends his golden scepter to Esther and asks what her request is. Esther, though, delays in telling him her motivations opting, instead, to invite he & Haman to a banquet. But even at the banquet, Esther again delays communicating her intentions, and invites them to yet another banquet the following day. We are not told Esther's reasoning for delaying. Some of the possible explanations are as follows:
1) Delaying communicated the gravity of the situation
2) Delaying expanded the time for prayer & fasting among the Jews
3) Delaying was due to fear, nervousness, etc
4) Delaying was the result of a leading from God
Whatever the reason, the delay has powerful results so far as the story is concerned. In the interim of the 2 banquets, Haman brags to family & friends about his wealth, sons, honor, position & prestige. Despite all of these worldly riches, though, Haman admits his misery of the fact that a lone Jew (Mordecai) still refuses to kneel before him (5:10, 13). His wife Zeresh suggests that a prominent gallows be built (and permission be asked) to hang Mordecai. Haman, believing that the elimination of Mordecai would deliver him from misery so that he could fully enjoy the banquet, liked the idea and couldn't wait to seek permission from the King.
That same night, the King could not sleep and requested a servant to read to him from the chronicles of his reign. In the course of the night, the reader read the event in which Mordecai had saved the Kings life. The king asked and discovered that Mordecai had never been rewarded for this great service to the king. Wanting to reward Mordecai, King Xerxes asked if any of his officials were in the palace court. Haman, having arrived to ask permission to hang Mordecai, was summoned to the King's presence.
Xerxes asked Haman how a man in whom the King delights should be honored. Haman, of course, imagines that the King must be talking about him and so shares his ideal vision for the reward he himself would like to receive. But when the King reveals that it is Mordecai that is to be honored, a shamed Haman is forced to parade Mordecai through the city streets, praising him for a job well done. Subsequently, Haman returns to his home with his head covered in grief. His advisers and wife were convinced that this turn of events was just the beginning of Haman's downfall, but before long Haman was summoned the the banquet.
At this point, Esther is finally ready to share her reason for initially seeking the King's presence. She informs the King of a plot to kill all her people. The King is enraged and demands to know who is behind such a scheme. Esther reveals that it is, indeed, their dining partner, Haman! (Neither Haman or the King had previously known that Esther was Jewish). As the King deliberated on what to do next, Haman begged the Queen for mercy. But the King, upon returning, interpreted his begging as a further attempt to harm the queen. Haman's fate was sealed. As fate would have it, a Eunuch recommended that Haman be hanged on a newly built gallows (the one Haman himself had made for Mordecai). The King agreed. Haman was hanged. The King's fury subsided.
From these 3 chapters I see 3 key truths of God
1) Prayer produces providence
The unmentioned collective character of these 3 chapters is the body of Israel, fasting and praying for the situation. Who knows how many hundreds or thousands of Jews were intensely fasting (no food OR water, fasting day AND night) during this time. Whatever the number, their prayers seem to have been met with various instances of the provinces of God.
More than mere Coincidence
~ The King was pleased with Esther, even though she hadn't been summoned
~ Esther's delay provides time for Haman to, basically, set himself up (Ps. 7:15)
~ The King could not sleep that night
~ The specific story of Mordecai being unrewarded was read to him
~ Haman was the official present to imagine up a reward
~ Haman was the official selected to parade Mordecai through the streets
~ Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had had built
2) Worldy Wealth Won't Satisfy
Haman had an incredible amount of worldly wealth, but the fact the 1 lone Jew wouldn't kneel before him made him miserable.
3) Justice eventually Reigns
Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. In a sense, this was the reverse situation of the cross. The cross had been prepared for a wicked man (Barabbas), but ended up being the means of death for an innocent man (Jesus). This gallows was prepared for an innocent man (Mordecai), but ended up being the means of death for a wicked man (Haman). Whereas the cross was the great injustice of all-time, the story of Haman's death is one of the greatest cases of divine and ironic justice in history.
posted by matthew at 12:57 PM
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