Esther Part 4: A dream, another banquet, Haman's end, and a battle

Esther Part 4 - Chapters 6-10

Esther is the only book in the bible where the LORD God is not mentioned by name, but His guidance and intervention is seen throughout the book.

In my previous posts of the book of Esther, we saw how Esther was chosen by king Ahasuerus to be the new queen after the previous queen, Vashti, was dethroned. We met Haman, who hated Esther’s uncle Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down before him. We learned about how Haman got the king to make a decree to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed because he hated Mordecai who was Jewish. We learned that Mordecai asked Esther to go before the king to plead for the Jews, and of Esther’s agreement to do so knowing that she could be killed if she wasn’t summoned by the king. Esther appeared before the king, and he welcomed her. At Esther’s request, a banquet was held with Haman the only invited guest. When Haman went home he was happy because of the banquet, but angry because of Mordecai so, at his wife’s and friend’s suggestion, a gallows was built.

To read these posts for the full story go here:  Esther 1  Esther 2   Esther 3

In this final study of the book of Esther, everything is resolved, and the LORD's intervention is seen.  Chapter 6:1, after the first banquet, the king could not sleep and so he asked for “books of the Chronicles and they were read before the king.”  Here the king learned about the plan to kill him, and how Mordecai intervened to stop the plan (Chp 2:21-23) There is divine intervention here, as the king learns of Mordecai’s loyalty and wishes to honour him. Right after this, V4 “Haman was come …to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows…” But the king asks Haman what can be done “unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour” V6 and of course, the vain heart of Haman thinks that the king wants to honour him. And so V7-9 Haman asks for “royal apparel…a horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal…set upon his head and that this person being so honoured should be brought on horseback through the city.” But then,V11 to Haman’s shock the king told Haman to take the apparel and horse and have Mordecai be the one that is honoured. V12 Haman was so upset he was “mourning and having his head covered.” V13 while Haman is telling his wife and friends of all these things, he was summoned “unto the banquet that Esther had prepared” This is the second banquet.

 

Once again Chp 7:1 “the king and Haman came to the banquet with Esther the queen.” And we see how God intervenes to save the Jews. V2 the king again asks Esther “what is thy petition..it shall be granted” and “what is thy request?..it shall be performed.” And then Esther, in a humble manner, answered V3-4 “If I have found favour…and if it please the kng…let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request” and the truth comes out V4 “we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish…” The king now knows that Esther is Jewish and the LORD’s intervention is in his response, V5-6 “Who is he and where is he..and Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.” V7 Haman saw that “there was evil determined against him bythe king.” And then V10 “they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.  Then was the king’s wrath pacified.”

In chapter 8:2 the king gives Mordecai Haman’s ring, and sets Mordecai over the house of Haman.  V3 Esther shows submission as she “fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews."  She is again interceding for her people, to have the king reverse the commandment.  And so V8 the king draws up a new order for the Jews to "gather together and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them..."(V11) This is an amazing order, for the king has done a complete reversal, and in the Jews protecting themselves, the people of the kingdom who come against them will be destroyed.  The writing went to every province so the Jews would be ready to avenge themselves.  Here is God's plan again.  Instead of being fearful of what was to befall them, our Bible tell us that V16-17 "the Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor, and in every province..whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them" (V16-17)  The people who were to be destroyed, now are become the powerful.

Chp 9:2-3 says “the Jews gathered themselves together….and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people…and all the rulers…the deputies..and officers of the king, helped the Jews because the far of Mordecai fell upon them.” This is surely the intervention of the LORD to save his people. And so the Jews were victorious "to those who hated them" (9:5), including 500 men in the palace, and the king asks Esther if she has a further request. Esther desires that Haman's ten sons be hanged also less they cause more problems. (9:12,13).

And so to this day the feast of Purim is celebrated, as a remembrance of the day of their great victory, and Esther, the Jewish girl who became Queen is remembered for her intervention to save the lives of her people.

vcg/July 2015