Esther 5:9

Esther 5:9 says, Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.  Haman was full of happiness that day until he saw Mordecai at the gate and he still wouldn’t bow down to him.  If we stand up for God today and refuse to bow to the demands of the world, we may cause those who oppose God to lose their happiness.  They may even want to destroy us, but we still need to stand for God no matter what. 

Verse ten adds, Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.  Still, Haman refrained from saying anything to Mordecai and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh instead.  He still thought it was going to be a great day for him and a bad day for Mordecai, and he wanted those closest to him to be there.  If people of the world think that they have defeated or are about to defeat God and His people today, they may gather to celebrate not realizing that they are the ones who have already been defeated.

Verse eleven continues, And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.  Haman basically bragged to the people about how rich, powerful and important he was.  There are people today who like to brag about their riches and success.  Personally, I think we as Christians should never do that, since we are all unworthy of the mercy of God because of our own status in the world.  We are all but sinners saved by grace.

Verse twelve states, Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king.  He said that Queen Esther had only allowed him to come with the king to the banquet that she had prepared for the king and that the next day he was invited to another banquet with them as well.  He was feeling very honored by Esther and the king, though he likely wasn’t too worried about how Esther felt about him.  I believe he only wanted to be important in the opinion of the king.  People today will sacrifice a lot of their own beliefs to be viewed as important in the opinion of those in power, especially if someone has declared themself to be the only hope of success in a nation or even the world.  We as followers of Christ must still follow only Him though. 

Verse thirteen adds, Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.  Haman then said that no matter how honored he might feel, none of this honor would satisfy him as long as he saw Mordecai the Jew sitting at the gate and not bowing down to him.  People who feel powerful and important in the world will never be happy if Christians refuse to bow down to their power.

Verse fourteen continues, Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.  Zeresh and Haman’s friends with her had a solution.  She said build high gallows and the next day ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it and then he could go in and enjoy the banquet.  Often today, people of the world think they have solution for defeating Christians so that they can then enjoy their earthly riches and power, but it will never be a lasting victory. 

Esther 5:1

Esther 5:1 says, Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.  The third day after the fast was over, Esther dressed in her royal robes and went and stood in the king's inner court but outside his house.  Matthew Henry says the three days may have just been one day and two nights, but whether that is true or not, Esther took action as soon as she morally could.  We need to act as soon as we morally can when we know that God has called us to do something.  He was on his royal throne, which was his place of authority. 

Verse two adds, And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.  When the king saw Esther standing in the court, he was pleased and held out the golden scepter to her, inviting her into his presence.  She went in and touched the top of the scepter, showing her obedience to him.  God offers us much more than a golden scepter when He sees us standing outside His kingdom.  He offers us everlasting salvation and the right to come into His presence at any time if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, which is the only way to salvation.  Esther didn’t just barge into the throne room making demands but waited to be invited in.  We must come in to God in obedience and can never just barge in on Him making demands about what we want. 

Verse three continues, Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.  Ahasuerus then asked Esther what she wanted and said he would give it to her, even half the kingdom.  His last wife had been killed for not coming when he called, and Esther could have been killed for coming when he hadn’t called her, but God had changed Ahasuerus’s heart.  God can still bring about His will by working through those who aren’t Christians, but He expects those who are to be obedient to His call even if it might seem dangerous at the time. 

Verse four concludes, And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.  Though Ahasuerus had offered Esther half the kingdom, all she asked was that Haman and he come to a banquet that she had prepared for them.  She wasn’t making demands but was offering to honor and serve the king.  God doesn’t promise us half His kingdom if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but He does give us an everlasting place in His kingdom if we do, and if we accept this gift of salvation, we must then serve and honor Him. 

Verse five states, Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.  The king told one of his servants to hurry and tell Haman to come and they went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.  We need to hurry to Jesus as lost sinners and come to the everlasting banquet He has prepared for us by putting our faith in Him.  It is good if we can bring others with us, but though Haman went, he wasn’t there to honor the king.  He was still looking for what he wanted. 

Verse six adds, And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.  Once more Ahasuerus told Esther to make her petition known and he would give her up to half the kingdom.  He was pleased by her actions.  When we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, our only desire should be the forgiveness of our sins and an everlasting relationship with Him. 

Verse seven continues, Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; 

Verse eight concludes, If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.  Esther told Ahasuerus that if she had found favor in his sight to come to the banquet that she had prepared for him the next day and bring Haman with him.  Again, she made no demands but only made a request.  We cannot make demands on God but can only make requests once we have become a Christian. 

 

Esther 4:9

Esther 4:9 says, And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.  When Hatach returned to Esther, he told her what Mordecai had said.  He was simply a faithful go-between.  We are also to be simply obedient go-betweens when we share God’s message to with the world today.  We cannot change what it says, any more than Hatach could have changed what Mordecai said and been a faithful servant to Esther. 

Verse ten adds, Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;  Esther then gave Hatach another message for Mordecai.  He was still a go-between, and he might have been putting his life in danger by being one.  I am sure Esther didn’t want harm to come to him, but she needed his service.  We may put our life in danger by doing what God calls us to do, but we cannot allow that to keep us from doing it. 

Verse eleven continues, All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.  Esther reminded Mordecai of the decree that anyone who came to the king without being called would be put to death, and that she had not been called for thirty days.  There was an exception for when the king held out the golden scepter to them if they came uninvited.   Matthew Henry said this was a bad law for both the king and his subjects, since it put limitations on both, but that it was especially bad for the wives, who could only come when called.  He said this gave the king time to enjoy his concubines without worry about the wife finding him doing so.  We could say that Jesus Christ is our golden scepter with the Heavenly Father, giving us access to Him at any time.  We can also be certain that God never limits mankind's ability to come to Him because He is doing something wrong. 

Verse twelve concludes, And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.  It says they told Mordecai Esther’s words, so I assume Hatach had others accompanying him when he went to Mordecai.  I do know that it is always good to have someone else with us if we are doing something for God that might be dangerous, but only to give us moral support and not to put them in danger. 

Verse thirteen states, Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.  Mordecai sent word back to Esther that she should not think since she was also a Jew that she would be spared from the decree.  We can also be certain that as sinners ourselves that we will never be spared from the penalty of sin if we do not accept God’s gift of salvation by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Just as Esther wasn’t exempt then without the king’s intervention, neither are we exempt from the penalty of sin, which is everlasting separation from God, without His intervention, which He supplies to all who will accept it. 

Verse fourteen adds, For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?  Mordecai said that if Esther didn’t go to the king and appeal to him to lift the decree that the Jews would be saved by another deliverer.  He still had faith in God’s promise to the people of Israel.  We will never have another deliverer than Jesus Christ, but if we don’t share the gospel with others, God will send another to do so.  Mordecai then asked if it was possible that she had come into the kingdom for a time such as this.  In other words, maybe God had placed her in this position of being the queen in order to work through her to save the Jews.  If we are confronted with danger in sharing the gospel today, we need to ask if God might have put us in this position at this time so that we can help others be delivered from the penalty of sin by calling on them to put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Verse fifteen continues, Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 

Verse sixteen says, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.  Esther sent word back to Mordecai asking that he gather all the Jews in Shushan to fast and pray for her for three days and that she and her maidens would do the same thing.  She then said that at the end of those three days that she would go to the king even though it was against the law of the kingdom and that if she perished, she would perish trying to make a difference for her people.  We need to ask for the prayers of others if we find ourselves confronted with a situation that could put us in danger under the laws of man as we share the gospel, but we need to obey God no matter what.  We will one day perish no matter what, but it is better to perish doing God’s will than to perish being afraid to do so. 

Verse seventeen adds, So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.  Mordecai then went on his way and did as Esther asked.  He was placing himself and other Jews in an open position where they could be easily rounded up and killed, but he was willing to do so, just as we must openly stand with Jesus Christ and our fellow believers today.  We must do what God commands us to do.