Esther s Request to the King. Haman s Rage Against Mordecai. Esther 5:1-14

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1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell Esther s Request to the King Haman s Rage Against Mordecai Esther 5:1-14

2 2 Text: Esther 5:1-14, Esther s Request to the King Haman s Rage Against Mordecai 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; 8. 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.

3 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. 10. Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 11. 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. 12. 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. 13. Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. 14. 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. Introduction: I. This chapter is the beginning of the end for Haman (though he is unaware of it). A. No one can tell the future, except God and His prophets. B. Haman was unable to understand and, as he looked forward, he had no reason to think of the disastrous consequences awaiting him. C. This goes to illustrate a most important point: we, too, do not know what is awaiting us, but we do know whom we serve.

4 4 II. If we serve Almighty God, who can be against us and succeed? Commentary: Esther 5:1-8, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; 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. I. Esther s Request for the King s and Haman s Presence. 5:1-8 A. After Esther s fasting and prayer, she went to the king, not knowing what would result. 5: Keil & Delitzsch think Esther s fast actually lasted only about hours.

5 Esther, evidently, dressed down for her prayer and fasting because we learn in 5:1 that she now put on her royal clothing. a. This says much about the way one was to dress before entering into the presence of royalty, does it not? 3. Esther, dressed in her royal apparel, stood in the inner court, waiting for the king to recognize and/or do something according to the law of the Persians. 4. Though Esther had not seen the king for a number of days, whatever thinking he might have had, he certainly was pleased when he saw her on this occasion. a. Which no doubt was of God, who has the hearts of kings in his hand, and turns them as he pleases; the king had not called her for thirty days past, or more, which showed coolness of affection to her, and now she transgressed a law by coming uncalled for, which might have provoked his wrath; and for a lesser matter than this was Vashti divorced; but yet his mind was inclined to her, and she appeared very amiable and pleasing to him (John Gill, E-Sword). b. Huey commented that the king surely understood that Esther would only break the law if there were a pressing need on her heart (p. 819). 5. Esther, having been received by the king, is now asked by the king what it is she desires. B. Esther s request. 5:4-6

6 Recognizing she now had the king s favor, she made her request for his and Haman s presence at a feast. 2. It is interesting to note that when Esther went to the king, the feast was already prepared (or in the process of being prepared). a. This suggests that part of Esther s time in prayer was formulating a plan of attack (perhaps not the best phrase to use). 3. Another interesting point is the king s response. a. It was not a matter of, Why do you want us Esther to dine with you? It was simply a matter of, OK, we will come. 4. By this time, Esther had been Ahasuerus (Xerxes ) queen for about five years (cf. 2:16; 3:7). 5. At the end of the meal, the king asked his queen again what she wanted. C. Esther s feast on the following day. 5: She received the king s favor. Was she now tempting trouble? a. She must not have thought she was for she made her request and, again, he accepted. 2. Bush makes an interesting point about the redundancy of Esther s request: we conclude that Esther began as if she were going to state her petition, but then broke off and

7 7 instead invited the king and Haman to another banquet on the morrow (p. 405). a. Looking at the JSB rendering of the verse, this sounds plausible. Esther 5:9-14, 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. Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 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 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. Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. 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. I. Haman s Emotional Extremes and the Counsel He Receives. 5:9-14 A. Haman s response to circumstances swings rather quickly. 5: The joy he had was quickly washed away when he saw Mordecai. a. Mordecai did not pay him the homage he thought was due, and it irked him greatly.

8 However, he restrained himself because he knew a day was coming when Mordecai would pay for his crime. a. The joy that was quickly washed away came back again as he spent time with his family and friends. 3. Haman spoke of his fortunate circumstances and his special invitation from the queen. a. On Haman s ten sons (9:7-10), Barnes notes, Herodotus tells us that, next to prowess in arms, it was regarded as the greatest proof of manly excellence in Persia to be the father of many sons (E-Sword). 4. No matter the greatness of his joy, it was tempered because of Mordecai s response to him. a. This illustrates, in a great way, what occurs when one is consumed by something. b. Mordecai consumed Haman; this consumption destroyed him! B. Haman received counsel. 5:14 1. Reading this verse sounds so cavalier, doesn t it? feet! 2. Gallows 50 cubits high? If a cubit was 18 inches, that is After the death of Mordecai, Haman planned to go on his merry way. a. Someone s death is treated with such disrespect!

9 9 Questions Esther 5:1-14 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. On the third day Esther put on her royal robes. The third day after what? 2. On the put on her and stood in the of the, in front of the s. 3. The was on his in the, the. 4. What was the king s reaction when he saw Esther? What was Esther s response? 5. What did Xerxes ask Esther? What did he promise her? Was this a rash promise?

10 How does Mark 6:14-29 compare with Esther 5:3? In what ways are the passages different? 7. What did Esther ask? What was the King s response? 8. At the banquet the king asked again what request Esther wished to ask of him. Xerxes knew Esther had more in mind than hosting dinner guests. How did Xerxes feel about this delay? Was he frustrated? 9. What was Esther s reply? What did she promise? Why didn t Esther tell the king what was troubling her the first time she had the chance? See Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

11 How did Haman feel when he left the banquet? (see verse 9) Did this feeling last? If not, why not? 11. What accounted for Mordecai s behavior? Wouldn t it have been wise for Modecai to do honor to Haman? 12. Is Haman to be commended for restraining himself and going home? If not, why not? 13. When Haman got home he called for his wife and his. What did he tell them? What emotions was he feeling?

12 What advice did Haman s wife and friends give him? What was Haman s response to this advice? 15. How important is it to weigh carefully the advice we receive? Do you know people who constantly give advice to everybody about everything whether they know what they are talking about or not?

A. Depression TEXT: 5:9-13

s VI, The Petulance of Haman, 5:9-14 A. Depression TEXT: 5:9-13 9 Then went Haman forth that day joyful and glad of heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king s gate, that he stood not up nor moved