Esther 5

CHAPTER Esther 5:1-8

REVIEW QUESTIONS

How would Esther know where to position herself to be seen by the king?

How might she guess the king would grant her an audience in spite of the Persian law?

Why was Xerxes in such a benevolent mood?

What kind of banquet did Esther hold for the king?

Why didn-’t Esther state her request immediately?

CHAPTER Esther 5:9-14

REVIEW QUESTIONS

Why did Haman leave the queen’s banquet with a glad heart?

Why do you think Haman refrained from having Mordecai slain or arrested on the spot when Mordecai refused to acknowledge him?

What is your opinion of a man who would invite you to his home and then tell you how important he is?

If he told you the story Haman told and asked your advice, what would you advise?

What was the gallows Haman built?

Esther 5:1-4

V. The Plan of Esther, Esther 5:1-8

A. Coquetry

TEXT: Esther 5:1-4

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 entrance of the house.

2

And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor 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 given thee even to the half of the kingdom.

4

And Esther said, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.

Today’s English Version, Esther 5:1-4

On the third day of her fast Esther put on her royal robes and went and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace, facing the throne room. The king was inside, seated on the royal throne, facing the entrance. When the king saw Queen Esther standing outside, she won his favor, and he held out to her the gold scepter. She then came up and touched the tip of it. What is it, Queen Esther? the king asked. Tell me what you want, and you shall have iteven if it is half my empire. Esther replied, If it please Your Majesty, I would like you and Haman to be my guests tonight at a banquet I am preparing for you.

COMMENTS

Esther 5:1-2 Reception: On the third day after Esther and Mordecai had communicated, Esther dressed herself in her royal finery and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace. The author of the account has described perfectly the arrangement of the Persian palace. The king’s throne is opposite an open doorway leading into the inner court of the palace. Esther was using all her womanly intuition in simply standing so she might be seen by the emperor instead of sending word that she wished an audience with him. Esther was well aware of the fact that no one gained audience with the emperor unless he invited them! Besides, Vashti had recently been deposed because of her precociousness. Oriental men (and especially potentates) did not look favorably upon precocious wives.

But Esther also knew that the emperor had fallen to her beauty before and it had been over thirty days since he had feasted upon her beauty. Knowing male vulnerability as practically all women do, Esther prettied herself up and played the coquet. The emperor saw this vision of loveliness. She was irresistible! Immediately he held out the golden sceptre and beckoned her to enter the royal throne room and approach his royal presence and touch the sceptre. Esther has her audience. Now she must tread even more carefully. She must be wise; she must keep her wits; she must not rush or be rash. On the other hand, her task is not one for the weak or the vacillating.

Esther 5:3-4 Request: Esther’s beauty coupled with the fact that the emperor had not enjoyed her conjugal presence for more than a month, put him in a magnanimous mood. Actually, it was a customary thing with rulers of eastern empires to take pride in their generosity. Many Oriental emperors vied with one another in giving fabulous gifts to those who pleased them. It was a status symbol. To refuse the generosity of such a potentate was a serious insult not usually forgotten or forgiven. Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, 450 years after Xerxes, made a serious mistake promising the sensuous Salome half of his kingdom, (see Mark 6:21-28). Herod’s motivation for magnanimity is plainly indicated to be pride (cf. Mark 6:26); we suspect that Xerxes-’ motive was similar. It is interesting to note also that the emperor offered to grant Esther’s request before she made it. That, too, was the custom of the Oriental ruler. Herodotus (Esther 9:3) indicates there was one day in the year on which the Persian emperor was bound by custom to grant any request made by a guest at his table.

Knowing the extreme crisis facing the Jewish people, one would expect Esther to immediately and imploringly present her request that the order put forth to slaughter the Jews be rescinded. But amazingly, Esther simply extends an invitation to the emperor and his chief of state, Haman, to a merry-making feast (a mishetteh; see Esther 1:7-8). Esther is keeping her wits. She will wait, gain time, be sure that she has fully won her way into the emperor’s affections before she springs her trap. Her invitation was very unusual. Ordinarily the emperor and the queen feasted separately (cf. Esther 1:3; Esther 1:9) each in their own section of the palace. For the queen to invite not only the emperor but another male guest was also highly irregular. Esther sets out to disarm Haman by her cordiality. It worked! Haman was very pleased (cf. Esther 5:9). The Septuagint version of Est 5:1-4 differs so widely from the Hebrew text we have chosen to give an unbroken translation of. the LXX text rather than include the variations as comments.

And it came to pass on the third day, when she had ceased praying, that she put off her domestic apparel, and put on the glorious things she had. An

d being splendidly arrayed, and having called upon God the Observer and Savior of all things, she took her two maidens, and she leaned upon one of them, in all her delicate femininity, while the other maiden followed holding the train of her royal robe. She radiated the perfect beauty of youth-fulness and cheerfulness and grace, but her heart shrank with fear. And having passed through all the doors, she stood before the king: and he was sitting upon his royal throne, and he had put on all his glorious apparel, covered all over with gold and precious Stones, and was very awesome and frightening. And having raised his face to look at Esther with all his majestic mien, he looked with intense anger: and the queen fell, and grew pale and fainted; and she leaned her head against the head of the maiden that accompanied her. But God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in intense feeling he sprang from off his throne, and took her into his arms, until she recovered: and he comforted her with words of peace, and said to her. What is the matter, Esther? I am your brother; be of good cheer, you shall not die for our command is openly declared to you, Draw near. And having raised the golden sceptre he laid it upon her neck, and embraced her and said, Speak to me. And she said to him, I saw you, my lord as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled for fear of your glory; for you, my lord, are to be wondered at, and your face is full of grace. And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. Then the king said, What do you wish Esther? and what is your request? ask even to the half of my kingdom, and it shall be yours. And Esther said, Today is my great day: if then it seem good to the king, let both him and Aman come to the feast which I will prepare this day.

A sizeable portion of the Hebrew original of Ecclesiasticus (an apocryphal book) has been discovered. This original Hebrew text, compared with the later Greek version of the LXX, shows that the LXX translator had dealt very freely with his original and had, in the interests of a more Hellenistic viewpoint, taken considerable liberties with the original Hebrew. The Septuagint shows a tendency to be more of a paraphrase of the Hebrew original in many placesespecially in the Latter Prophets and Poetic Books. The Jews had an especial charitableness toward the Persians since they freed the Jews, returned them to their homeland and restrained those (Samaritans) who tried to thwart the rebuilding of the Temple. The authors of the LXX would wish to put Xerxes in the best possible light even if they must paraphrase here.

Esther 5:5-8

B. Curiosity

TEXT: Esther 5:5-8

5

Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that it may be done 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 favor 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.

Today’s English Version, Esther 5:5-8

The king then ordered Haman to come quickly, so that they could be Esther’s guests. So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet. Over the wine the king asked her, Tell me what you want, and you shall have it. I will grant your request, even if you ask for half my empire. Esther replied, If your Majesty is kind enough to grant my request, I would like you and Haman to be my guests tomorrow at another banquet that I will prepare for you. At that time I will tell you what I want.

COMMENTS

Esther 5:5-6 Piqued: It is evident from the emperor’s immediate reaction that his curiosity is aroused. He knew that Esther had not risked her life just to invite him to a banquet! Xerxes insists that Haman hurry to the banquet. Esther has again used her female wiles to good advantage. Xerxes can hardly wait to find out Esther’s real reason for approaching him. The Hebrew text uses not only the word mishetteh (drinking bout, see Esther 1:8-9) but also uses the word yayin (wine) to describe Esther’s feast. It was a party! Xerxes repeats his grandiose promise of half his kingdom if Esther shall request it.

Esther 5:7-8 Postponed: Dangerous as it must have been to keep this impetuous monarch hanging on the hooks of curiosity, Esther postpones a second time the revelation of her real reason for violating the sacred law of the Persians about approaching the emperor uninvited. Esther begins as if she is about to divulge her secret request and then cleverly holds the king in suspense. Some think Esther hesitated to state her request because she was afraid. However, as Mordecai has already convinced her, she has little to lose by pleading with the king since she will perish with all her kinsmen once it is know that she too is a Jew. Esther seems already to have committed herself to making the pleas. She knows that, if she succeeds, one more postponement of her real request will only intensify the desire of the king to please his queen by granting what must be a very spectacular request from her. He may even be thinking about the glory that will be his once this magnificent request Esther has is fulfilled in his emperial name,

We may learn the following lessons from this chapter:

God’s providential assistance does not preclude Esther’s (and our) best use of human capabilities.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Although the urgency of some situations might seem to call for haste, if time permits one’s first reaction should be postponed,

There is nothing like piqued curiosity as a tool for manipulation.

Esther 5:9-13

VI. The Petulance of Haman, Esther 5:9-14

A. Depression

TEXT: Esther 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 for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

10

Nevertheless Haman refrained himself, and went home; and he sent and fetched his friends and Zeresh his wife.

11

And Haman recounted unto them 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 also am I invited by her together with the king.

13

Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.

Today’s English Version, Esther 5:9-13

When Haman left the banquet he was happy and in a good mood. But then he saw Mordecai at the entrance of the palace, and when Mordecai did not rise or show any sign of respect as he passed, Haman was furious with him. But he controlled himself and went on home. Then he invited his friends to his house and asked his wife Zeresh to join them. He boasted to them about how rich he was, how many sons he had, how the king had promoted him to high office, and how much more important he was than any of the king’s other officials. What is more, Haman went on, Queen Esther gave a banquet for no one but the king and me, and we are invited back tomorrow. But none of this means a thing to me as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the entrance of the palace.

Esther 5:9-10 Disregarded: The Hebrew text says Haman left Esther’s banquet samecha vevtov lev, i.e., joyful and good of heart. He was exhilarated that he had been singled out by the queen for special favor this day and tomorrow also. The Jewish Haggadah also theorizes that Haman thought Esther prepared the banquet in his honor, little realizing that she had set a trap for him. According to the Haggadah, Esther’s motive in inviting Haman to the banquet was that he should not discover that she was Jewish, and that the Jews should not say, We have a sister in the king’s palace, and so neglect to pray for God’s mercy. Furthermore, says Jewish tradition, Esther thought that by being friendly to Haman she would arouse the king’s jealousy to such an extent that he would kill both of them.

But when Haman came out of the queen’s chambers he evidently went directly past Mordecai at the king’s gate. Mordecai made no move whatever to acknowledge Haman. Remaining in either a sitting or squatting position, Mordecai ignored the presence of the second most important man in the entire kingdom of Persia. There is nothing more galling than such utter contempt shown openly in the presence of others (Pulpit Commentary). The Hebrew word translated wrath is chemah and is more accurately fury. Anger raged within Haman’s heart. The interesting thing to observe here is Haman’s physical restraint. He must have recognized some danger in precipitous and public revenge or he would have seized Mordecai and executed him on the spot. He dared not do anything to jeopardize his new promotion to such high rank. He cunningly held his fury in check until he was on surer grounds. Then he would be prepared to fulfill his hidden wrath on this Jew, Mordecai. Rage, wounded pride and desire for revenge is psychological dynamite. It must explodeeither internally or externally. All that is needed is a spark of self-justification and that is often supplied by sympathetic friends or Yes men. That is where Haman went. He called in his friends and his wife for supportive rationalizations to justify what he had already made up his mind to do.

Esther 5:11-13 Discontentment: There is nothing more boring than to have to attend a party given by a man who uses the evening to brag and boast about all that he has. Of course, if the braggart has the power Haman had, attendance is compulsory.

To be the father of many sons was counted an honor by the Persians (Herodotous 1:136) as with most cultures of the ancient world. We know already that Haman was rich enough to offer to Xerxes an amount of money equal to one year’s tax revenue for the whole Persian empire (cf. Esther 3:9). Haman also had been promoted to chief of all princes. He probably went into great detail as he recounted all these honors. The more he embellished them the more he was sure of his own self-importance. To put the icing on the cake, Haman was even convinced that the queen herself was impressed with his importance. He alone had been invited to accompany the emperor to a place of honor at the queen’s banquet. Not once, but twice had the queen invited him.

But Haman was bitter. He could not enjoy any of this. The Hebrew word translated availeth is shoveh and means satisfy or suffice. In other words, all the fame and fortune Haman had was not sufficient to satisfy his soul so long as there was one Jewish gate-keeper who ignored his importance! Today we would say Haman had an identity problem. He suffered from a poor self-image. No matter how much he bragged about his own importance, he really didn-’t feel important so long as there was one person who did not agree with his own estimate of himself. Haman just could not handle that. It destroyed him. He did not understand that self-respect and respect from others does not accrue from titles but from character! One would come centuries after Haman and teach that the greatest among men would be the servant of all.

Esther 5:14

B. Depravity

TEXT: Esther 5:14

14

Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning 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.

Today’s English Version, Esther 5:14

So his wife and all his friends suggested, Why don-’t you have a gallows built, seventy-five feet tall? Tomorrow morning you can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then you can go to the banquet happy. Haman thought this was a good idea, so he had the gallows built.

COMMENTS

Esther 5:14 The name Zeresh (Haman’s wife) according to BDB Lexicon is comparable to the name for an Elamite goddess Kirisa. One commentator says the name Zeresh is probably connected with the Zend word zara which means gold. Another Hebrew lexicon indicates poor as the meaning of Zeresh. The Hebrew phrase Ya-‘asu-etz means literally, make a wooden tree, and is translated, let a gallows be made. But the suggestion is not for a gallows upon which a person is hanged by a rope because hanging was not a Persian form of execution. What is meant is either crucifixion or impalement. Fifty cubits high for the impaling stake or cross seems excessive to us. If the cubit Isaiah 18 inches, it would make the tree 75 feet high; if the cubit Isaiah 21 inches it would be 88 feet high. These were not real friends to Hamanthey were mere Yes people indulging him because of his position. How depraved the heart of those who would suggest taking a life to satisfy the lust for pride and recognition. It is serious enough to consider the taking of human life when a capital crime has been committed, but what reasoning is able to justify Haman’s counselors! Lest we think such depravity applies only to those without access to the word of God, let us remember Joseph’s brethren, Ahab who allowed Naboth to be slain for a vineyard, David who allowed Uriah to be slain for a woman, and many others who, even in the name of Christ and His Church, have murdered thousands for pride and pleasure.

There seems to be no doubt in the minds of Haman’s friends and wife that Xerxes will grant the petition for the execution of Mordecai. They may have expected Haman to present the petition on the pretense of some accusation of sedition or political rebellion by Mordecai. He might plead with the emperor that such open contempt for his prime minister could only lead to contempt for the emperor himself.

Except for the providential insomnia of Xerxes that night and his attempt to put himself to sleep by reading the dry and dusty official state records (Esther 6:1) Mordecai would probably have been executed the next day.

We may learn the following lessons from this chapter:

We should not be impressed when others do us some honor lest we are tempted to believe everyone should do us the same honor.

Respect from one’s peers is a result of character, not title or position.

Human glory is a hunger that can never be satisfied.

Real friends will not suggest actions that are injust or immoral.