ESTHER 5...
Esther’s Bold Request…The FIRST Banquet
Verses 1-5 tells us Esther invites both king Xerxes AND Haman to this banquet.
“Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you; up to half the kingdom!” So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.”
Esther showed COURAGE in her willingness to appear before the king without being summoned by him. This took special courage because King Xerxes did NOT have a good reputation for treating his queens WELL.
Esther also showed TACT by not blurting out her ultimate request right away. She wanted to first WIN the king’s confidence in her - and she wanted Haman at the banquet to ultimately expose his wickedness.
Verses 6-8 tells us Esther’s request at the first banquet.
“At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!” Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
King Xerxes REPEATED this offer to Queen Esther. It was more of a proverbial expression than a literal offer for anything up to half of the kingdom. But Esther put off the request for one more day, promising to reveal her petition at a second banquet on the next day.
Verses 9-13 tells us Haman’s frustration with Mordecai.
“So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
MISERABLE HAMAN, who had just been honored by King & Queen of Persia, but the disapproval of ONE MAN makes him feel worthless. This is an accurate description of how empty the rewards of this world are.
Almighty God MEANT this HUNGER FOR ACCEPTANCE in each of us to be ultimately FULFILLED IN HIS PRECIOUS SON JESUS CHRIST - “because we are accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), accepted before God because of who we are in Jesus.
Haman restrained himself, which PROVES the hand of God WAS/IS in control. God would not allow the fury of Haman to take action until all the proper pieces were set in place to ultimately defeat his plan.
Verses 14 tells us Haman happily receives counsel to ask for Mordecai’s execution the next day at the second feast.
“Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.”
For these FRIENDS of Haman, it wasn’t enough to just punish Mordecai’s people (remember the genocide against the Jews is already set in motion), or merely to kill Mordecai. They wanted Haman to ask for a PUBLIC, humiliating execution of Mordecai on gallows 75 feet high.
We should NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the destructive and distorting power of HATRED. The same irrational, violent hatred that made Haman want to see Mordecai hang to his death is the same irrational, violent hatred that made man want to hang Jesus on a cross.