Esther 7:1

Esther 7:1 says, So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.  Haman had to go and escort Mordecai to receive honor from the king instead of hanging him, but now he was on his way to the banquet with the king and Esther.  Haman had also been told that if Mordecai was born a Jew that he would not prevail against him.  I have to wonder how he was feeling at this time.  Those who oppose God and His people will never prevail against them, no matter how much they may plot nor how powerful they may be in the eyes of the world. 

Verse two adds, And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.  On the second day of the banquet, which is referred to as a banquet of wine, King Ahasuerus asked Esther once again what her request was and said once more that he would give her whatever she wanted, even up to half the kingdom.  I am not sure how much the wine had to do with his asking Esther for the third time what she wanted, but Matthew Henry points out that if he hadn’t asked her, she might have been hard pressed to bring it up again herself.  God will always give us the opportunity to do what He has called us to do if we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Verse three continues, Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:  Instead of asking for riches, Esther simply asked that her life and the lives of her people be spared.  She was not concerned just for herself but for all of her people, who were God’s chosen people.  As followers of Christ, we should not just be concerned with our own welfare but with the welfare of all God’s people.  I would go even further and say that we should be concerned with spiritual welfare of all people everywhere. 

Verse four concludes, For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.  Esther then told the king that she had her people had been sold to be killed, and though she didn’t say it that we know of, this was because of the pride of one man.  She also said if they had just been sold into bondage that she would not have said anything because redemption would always be possible.  They had done nothing to deserve this death sentence but were actually a benefit to the kingdom.  Everyone in the world is under a spiritual death sentence and it is because they have earned it, but there is hope.  If anyone accepts the gift of salvation by putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, this death sentence is lifted.  Of course, we cannot save all our family and friends, but we should intercede for them.  After we accept Jesus Christ, we should willingly be His servants and not make demands for riches in this world. 

Verse five states, Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?  King Ahasuerus then asked Esther who the person was that would presume to destroy her people and her.  He evidently hadn’t connected this to Haman’s getting him to issue a decree to kill all the Jews.  It may be that people in power today make laws without considering what effect they may have on Christians.  This doesn’t excuse them from the responsibility but may explain why they are often so willing to make such laws.

Verse six adds, And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.  Esther didn’t have to go far to point out the enemy of God’s people since he was standing there in a position of honor.  She boldly referred to him as the wicked Haman, and that he was.  Haman then became very afraid.  He thought he had outsmarted the king by getting him to issue the decree, but now his motive was being revealed.   People may think they have outsmarted God today, but one day they are going to find out how wrong they were.   

 

Esther 6:4

Esther 6:4 says, And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.  Ahasuerus asked who was in the courtyard to bring Mordecai to him and it was Haman.  He was there to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had built specifically to hang Mordecai on.  He thought his desire to kill Mordecai was finally going to be fulfilled.  People who are trying to destroy God’s people will ultimately see their plans fail, no matter how close they may believe themselves to be to success. 

Verse five adds, And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.  The king was told that Haman was in the court, and he said have him come in.  I am sure Haman really believed his plan was that much closer to success.  He had become overconfident, and anyone thinking that they are going to defeat God today is definitely overconfident. 

Verse six continues, So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?  Ahasuerus asked Haman what he should do to a man that he wanted to honor.  Still being self-conceited, Haman thought the king was talking about him.  Self-centered people still think everything good should apply to them.  They never consider that when someone is to be honored that it would be anyone but themselves, particularly if they are in a position of power.

Verse seven states, And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, 

Verse eight adds, Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:  Haman listed several things that would show the man that the king honored had about as much power as the king himself, still believing that he was the man the king was speaking about.  The man should be given royal apparel, the king’s horse, and have a crown set on his head.  He had to have thought he was about to be exalted by others.  There are still people today who believe that they alone should be exalted, many times even more than those who are actually in power. 

Verse nine continues, And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.  Haman then said that the man to be honored should be brought to him by one of his most noble princes so that everyone could see how important the man was.  He thought he was finally going to be recognized as being more powerful than anyone but the king himself.  His plan was about to go off the rails.  People who do not acknowledge God as the only source of real power may often believe that they are about to defeat us as His people, but our victory is already assured. 

Verse ten says, Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.  I am sure that it was to Haman’s surprise that he turned out to be the loyal servant and Mordecai was the man to be honored.  Ahasuerus was going to do exactly what Haman had said, but he was doing it to Mordecai instead of Haman.  God will one day honor those who are His people, and those who believe themselves to be important in the eyes of the world but who do not put their faith in Him will be cast down.  Haman was told to make sure that nothing he had said should be done for this person be left undone.  I must believe that Haman was furious by this time, but he could do nothing about it, just as those who believe themselves to be powerful in the world but who do not put their faith in God will one day be surprised by how wrong they were. 

Verse eleven adds, Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.  Haman then had to bring Mordecai through the streets past the gallows he had built to hang him on and declare that this was what happened to one that the king honored.  I believe that Haman was both angry and humiliated by this time.  He was having to honor Mordecai whom he intended to hang that day because he wouldn't bow down to Haman. 

Verse twelve continues, And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.  After the king honored him, Mordecai didn’t become full of pride but returned to where had been and to doing what he was before.  He had never sought his own glory but was praying that Esther would be in a position to get the king’s death sentence lifted from the Jews, and Matthew Henry says he would have seen this as a positive step.  Haman then covered his head and returned to his house mourning.  As Christians, we should never do anything for God because we believe we will be honored if we do.  It all should be done for God’s glory.  Also, one day all those who do not put their faith in God will go away in shame to their everlasting punishment, no matter how important they may believe themselves to be.

Verse thirteen says, And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.  Haman told his wife and the wise men around him what had happened.  They then told him that if Mordecai as a Jew had been honored by the king that his plan to get rid of them would fail.  Though they may never acknowledge it in this lifetime, one day all of those who attempt to destroy God's people will fail. 

Verse fourteen adds, And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.  While he was still talking, Haman was summoned to the banquet that Esther had prepared, though I doubt he really wanted to go by then.  He had thought he would be honored at the banquet as well but had discovered that he wasn’t as important as he thought.  There is coming a day when all of God’s enemies will come before His judgment seat and then find out how wrong they were, and it won’t matter how important they thought themselves to be. 

 

Esther 6:1

Esther 6:1 says, On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.  The night before the banquet that Esther was preparing, Ahasuerus could not sleep.  Matthew Henry says that God kept him awake to put His plan in Ahasuerus’s mind.  It may be that if we cannot sleep at night that God is keeping us awake to give us His plan for the next day, especially if we are facing a situation in which someone is plotting against Him.  He had the book of the records of his reign, according to Matthew Henry, brought and read to him.  He also says that this was not to put him to sleep since it would fill his thoughts with things concerning the kingdom, but that God put it in his mind to do this.  Satan was working to have Mordecai and all the Jews done away with, but God was working against him to save them, and God will always prevail over Satan.  As followers of Christ, the victory is already ours because of what he did on the cross.  Satan may win some battles in the world because of the lack of faith in God on the part of people, but he is already defeated forever in the end. 

Verse two adds, And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.  It was read to the king about when the two chamberlains had attempted to lay hands on him.  Matthew Henry says it isn’t clear if they started reading at this point or just came to it at length, but either way that God was behind the reading of the event.  He also says that if King David had been unable to sleep that he would have spent the time meditating on and praising God, whereas Ahasuerus was spending the time reflecting on his accomplishments.  If we are having trouble sleeping, we are better of mediating on the things God has done for us and worshipping Him than we are in thinking about our accomplishments or even the challenges that the next day may bring.

Verse three continues, And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.  Ahasuerus then asked what honor had been done for Mordecai for bringing this plot to his attention and thereby preventing it from being carried out, and his servants said that nothing had been done.  I would think that the king should have known what he had done to honor Mordecai for his bringing this plot to light, but he didn’t remember evidently.  He was now aware of this, and it would change the course of events the next day and for years to come.  Haman had planned to hang Mordecai the next day, but God planned to work through the king to save him.  We as Christians may never know how often God has worked to save us from harm in the world, but we can rely on the fact that He has forever spiritually defeated those who would destroy us, even Satan himself.