Esther 5:1 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.
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. That may be true for some but probably not for all. Haman was a vain man. He was all about himself. He had already managed to get quite high up the political ladder with the king. He was not a very intelligent man, but neither was the king. “Birds of a feather flock together.”
In the last chapter, Esther had asked Mordecai to instruct all the Jews in Shushan to fast for three days and three nights. Now we read we are in the third day. She got dressed in her royal apparel and then stood in the inner court of the king’s house. The king had been impressed with her at one time. He chose her to be his queen. He took her as a substitute for his wife Vashti. Vashti was a beautiful woman, but she offended the king’s pride. He wanted to be seen as superior.
We read that Esther positioned herself so that the king would see her from his royal throne. He would see this well dressed young woman and any thought of anger left him.
In verse 2 we read that when the king saw Esther, she obtained favour in his sight. She had not said anything to him. She was just there in her natural beauty. The king held out his golden sceptre to her and invited her to come into his presence. Again, we know that God was working behind the scenes here. He was going to bring an end to wicked Haman’s plot very soon. Esther and the king would have a role to play in this matter. God has many ways He does things. He is never backed into a corner with no way out. He uses the ungodly for His purposes and He also uses the godly for His purposes. He is God.
In verse 3 the king asked Esther what her request was. He understood that she was there for a purpose. He was broken by her beauty and her mannerisms. He was willing to give her up to half of his kingdom. Most men appreciate a woman who is not aggressive. They don’t mind a woman that finds a way to influence her husband, but they don’t want a pushy woman. Esther was not a pushy woman. She knew the weakness of a man without being immodest. It is not a bad thing for a husband to want a good relationship with his wife. It is not a bad thing when the woman knows how to “bend” her husband in a good way.
In verse 4 Esther took this invitation to make her request. She did not want half the kingdom. She just wanted for her and her people to survive. She would work subtly to accomplish her goal. She invited the king and Haman to come to a banquet that she would prepare for them. The king liked banquets. He had already demonstrated that.
In verse 5 we read that the king accepted her request immediately. He did not have a busy schedule. He sent out orders to get Haman to get ready immediately for this banquet. They both showed up for the banquet that evening.
Notice in verse 6 that this is called a banquet of wine. Again we see that God is not in the picture. God warns against drunkenness. Esther was accustomed to having liquor around. She already knew what liquor did to the king, but she was willing to risk that here. She had some good character traits but this was not one of them.
The king did not waste any time trying to find out what Esther was up to. He again reminded her that he was willing to grant her request up to half the kingdom. That was quite an offer he was making.
In verse 7 Esther proceeded with caution. She based her request on whether she had gained the favour of the king. She wanted the king and Haman to come to another banquet she would prepare for the next day. She was going to let the king think about this for a little while. His curiosity would be growing as Esther worked on his fleshly desires. Of course Haman’s head and chest are about to explode. To think that only he and the king were invited to these banquets with the queen. Only he was drawn into the inner circle with them. What a prize, so he thought.
Again we see the contrast between a pagan king and the Righteous King — God. We do not need to use subtlety to get to God. In fact subtlety will not work. God knows our thoughts before we think them.
Psalms 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
We also do not need to be fearful of coming into God’s presence. Even a lost sinner can come to God and cry out for mercy and salvation. God is willing to hear the cry of a repentant sinner. We, as people, are good at digging holes for ourselves. We are not good at finding the way to fix the hole. However, when we finally turn to God and seek His face, He is able to fix the need of our heart. He has demonstrated that throughout the Bible. Those who are saved, know this to be true.
This does not mean God is a pushover, like the New Evangelical crowd thinks He is. He is righteous and He is holy. We need to be humble and holy in His presence. Those who are saved are encouraged to:
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Be sure you know the true God, not some imaginary god.
Pastor Bartel