The Victory of the Jews.  God will preserve His chosen people.

Esther 9:1-19 NLT
The Victory of the Jews
9 So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies. ² The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them. But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them. ³ And all the nobles of the provinces, the highest officers, the governors, and the royal officials helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai. ⁴ For Mordecai had been promoted in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
⁵ So the Jews went ahead on the appointed day and struck down their enemies with the sword. They killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them. ⁶ In the fortress of Susa itself, the Jews killed 500 men. ⁷ They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha— ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not take any plunder.
¹¹ That very day, when the king was informed of the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa, ¹² he called for Queen Esther. He said, “The Jews have killed 500 men in the fortress of Susa alone, as well as Haman’s ten sons. If they have done that here, what has happened in the rest of the provinces? But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to you; tell me and I will do it.”
¹³ Esther responded, “If it please the king, give the Jews in Susa permission to do again tomorrow as they have done today, and let the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be impaled on a pole.”
¹⁴ So the king agreed, and the decree was announced in Susa. And they impaled the bodies of Haman’s ten sons. ¹⁵ Then the Jews at Susa gathered together on March 8 and killed 300 more men, and again they took no plunder.
¹⁶ Meanwhile, the other Jews throughout the king’s provinces had gathered together to defend their lives. They gained relief from all their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them. But they did not take any plunder. ¹⁷ This was done throughout the provinces on March 7, and on March 8 they rested, celebrating their victory with a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁸ (The Jews at Susa killed their enemies on March 7 and again on March 8, then rested on March 9, making that their day of feasting and gladness.) ¹⁹ So to this day, rural Jews living in remote villages celebrate an annual festival and holiday on the appointed day in late winter, when they rejoice and send gifts of food to each other.

Examine the Scriptures
Esther 9:1-19 NLT
The Victory of the Jews

^9:1 So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect.

Esther 3:13 NLT
¹³ Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. 

Esther 8:10-11 NLT
Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service.
¹¹ The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies. ¹² The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7 of the next year. 

• On March 7^th Haman’s decree and Mordecai’s decree were put into effect.

Two opposing forces will come face to face.

Many thought it was the enemies of the Jews vs. the Jews.

In reality it was the enemy of the Jews vs. God. 

On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them,

According to verse 16 we know that there were at least 75,000 enemies of the Jews.

• The enemies of the Jews hoped to overpower the Jews. 

but quite the opposite happened.

The tables are turned.

It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies. 

God was preserving the Jewish race.

Genesis 17:1-8 NLT
^17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. ² I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
³ At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ⁴ “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! ⁵ What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
⁷ “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” 

² The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the king’s provinces to attack anyone who tried to harm them. 

But no one could make a stand against them, for everyone was afraid of them. 

The enemies of the Jews were now afraid of the Jews.

The opportunity to get rich at someone else’s expense lost its appeal.

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

• The enemies of the Jews could not make a stand against the Jews, for everyone was afraid of them.

³ And all the nobles of the provinces, the highest officers, the governors, and the royal officials helped the Jews for fear of Mordecai. 

The government authorities helped the Jews.

To be pro-Jewish would put one in favor with the king and his court.

Numbers 24:9 NLT (Genesis 12:3)
 Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down;
like a lioness, who dares to arouse her?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.” 

• The nobles of the provinces, the highest officers, the governors, and the royal officials helped the Jews. 

⁴ For Mordecai had been promoted in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

• By God’s sovereign intervention, Mordecai was now in a position of authority.

The popular phrase found in Esther chapter 4:14, “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”  could easily be adapted to apply to Mordecai by saying, “Who knows if perhaps you, Mordecai, have “been promoted in the king’s palace” for just such a time as this?”

This principle also applies to us:

Ephesians 2:10 NLT
¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

1 Corinthians 12:18 NLT
¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.

⁵ So the Jews went ahead on the appointed day and struck down their enemies with the sword. They killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them.  

They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, (8:11) 

This was a defensive (self-defense) action. 

⁶ In the fortress of Susa itself, the Jews killed 500 men.  

⁷ They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha— ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.

Esther 5:11 NLT
¹¹ and (Haman) boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. 

• Everything Haman had boasted about was gone.

• In the fortress of Susa alone, the Jews killed 500 men plus the ten sons of Haman. 

But they did not take any plunder. 

The enemies of the Jews were motivated by “plunder”.

The king’s decree gave the Jews permission to take plunder (Esther 8:11)

The Jews were fighting to save their lives and to preserve the Jewish race.

By not taking any plunder it made their motives clear.

• The Jews killed and annihilated their enemies and did as they pleased with those who hated them. But they did not take any plunder. 

¹¹ That very day, when the king was informed of the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa, ¹² he called for Queen Esther. He said, “The Jews have killed 500 men in the fortress of Susa alone, as well as Haman’s ten sons.

If they have done that here, what has happened in the rest of the provinces?

But now, what more do you want? It will be granted to you; tell me and I will do it.”

This is the fifth time King Xerxes agreed to give Esther what she asked for.

(5:3, 5:6, 7:2, 8:8 similar, here)

¹³ Esther responded, “If it please the king, give the Jews in Susa permission to do again tomorrow as they have done today,

Probably because Esther knew that there were still armed enemies in Susa committed to carrying out Haman’s decree.

and let the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be impaled on a pole.”

A visual warning. (This was not an unusual practice in the ancient Near East.)

¹⁴ So the king agreed, and the decree was announced in Susa.

The King granted Esther’s wish, but this was also a good political move.  It was not in the king’s interest to have warring parties in the capitol city plotting to kill one another.

And they impaled the bodies of Haman’s ten sons.  

¹⁵ Then the Jews at Susa gathered together on March 8 and killed 300 more men,

300 more men were killed in Susa.

• The Jews killed an additional 300 men in the fortress of Susa. (Totaling 800 plus the ten sons of Haman.)

To allow enemies of the Jews to remain active in one of the capitols of the Persian Empire could have had long lasting negative impacts on the Jewish community.

Haman alone was a huge political threat to the Jews.

and again they took no plunder.

The Jews were not doing this for money.

¹⁶ Meanwhile, the other Jews throughout the king’s provinces had gathered together to defend their lives. They gained relief from all their enemies, killing 75,000 of those who hated them.

• Outside of Susa the Jews killed 75,000 of their enemies.

Anti-Semitism exists throughout history,

BUT

God promises to preserve His Chosen People.

Jeremiah 30 NLT
Promises of Deliverance
¹ The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, ² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Write down for the record everything I have said to you, Jeremiah. ³ For the time is coming when I will restore the fortunes of my people of Israel and Judah. I will bring them home to this land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it again. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
⁴ This is the message the Lord gave concerning Israel and Judah. ⁵ This is what the Lord says:
…
¹¹ For I am with you and will save you,”
says the Lord.
…
¹⁶ “But all who devour you will be devoured,
and all your enemies will be sent into exile.
All who plunder you will be plundered,
and all who attack you will be attacked.
^…
19 There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving,
and I will multiply my people, not diminish them;
I will honor them, not despise them.
²⁰     Their children will prosper as they did long ago.
I will establish them as a nation before me,
and I will punish anyone who hurts them.
…
²² You will be my people,
and I will be your God.”

• Anti-Semitism exists throughout history, but scripture records God promises to preserve His Chosen People.

But they did not take any plunder. 

Clearly the Jews were not in this for financial gain.  They were in this to defend their lives.

¹⁷ This was done throughout the provinces on March 7, and on March 8 they rested, celebrating their victory with a day of feasting and gladness. 

¹⁸ (The Jews at Susa killed their enemies on March 7 and again on March 8, then rested on March 9, making that their day of feasting and gladness.) 

It was only in Susa that the fighting lasted for two days.

• The Jews rested and celebrated their victory with a day of feasting and gladness.

¹⁹ So to this day, rural Jews living in remote villages celebrate an annual festival and holiday on the appointed day in late winter, when they rejoice and send gifts of food to each other.

This will be discussed in more detail in the next lesson.

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In today’s lesson:

What goes around comes around.

The tables are turned.

            But

Note the similarities.

Esther 8 NLT
A Decree to Help the Jews
^8:1 On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related. ² The king took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.
³ Then Esther went again before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop the evil plot devised by Haman the Agagite against the Jews. ⁴ Again the king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So she rose and stood before him.
⁵ Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed. ⁶ For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?”
⁷ Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Esther the property of Haman, and he has been impaled on a pole because he tried to destroy the Jews. ⁸ Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”
⁹ So on June 25 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Mordecai dictated. It was sent to the Jews and to the highest officers, the governors, and the nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including that of the Jews. ¹⁰ The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service.
¹¹ The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies. ¹² The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7 of the next year.
¹³ A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies on the appointed day. ¹⁴ So urged on by the king’s command, the messengers rode out swiftly on fast horses bred for the king’s service. The same decree was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa.
¹⁵ Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree. ¹⁶ The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. ¹⁷ In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.

Examine the Scriptures
Esther 8 NLT
A Decree to Help the Jews

Begin at Esther 7:9
⁹ Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.”
“Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. ¹⁰ So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.

Counsel for the Hamans of this world. (Really this is counsel for all of us.)

Isaiah 3:11 NLT
¹¹ But the wicked are doomed,
for they will get exactly what they deserve.

Proverbs 26:27 NLT
²⁷ If you set a trap for others,
you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
it will crush you instead.

Galatians 6:7 NLT
⁷ Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

Colossians 3:25 NLT
²⁵ But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

Proverbs 22:8 NLT
⁸ Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster,
and their reign of terror will come to an end.

Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
^7:1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Matthew 7:12 NLT
¹² “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

^8:1 On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther.

By Persian custom, King Xerxes confiscated Haman’s property.

• Just as Haman had promised the wealth of the Jews to those who would kill them, King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther.

Note the similarity:

Esther 3:13 …the property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.

Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related. ² The king took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.

Again the tables are turned.

Note the similarity:

Esther 3:10 NLT
¹⁰ The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

• The signet ring that Haman had used to seal the decree to destroy the Jewish people was now given to the Jewish person he had most wanted to destroy.

Mordecai now had the power Haman had wanted so desperately.

³ Then Esther went again before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop the evil plot devised by Haman the Agagite against the Jews. 

• Esther went again before the king begging him to stop the evil plot devised by Haman against the Jews.

Previously King Xerxes had agreed to Haman’s request to have a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of (his) empire…, who refuse to obey the laws of the king, destroyed .

Esther 3:8-11 NLT
⁸ Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. ⁹ If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”
¹⁰ The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”

• • • • • A decree to execute all of the Jews in the Persian Empire was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

• • • • • A decree sealed with the king’s signet ring was irrevocable

⁴ Again the king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So she rose and stood before him.

• Again King Xerxes welcomed Esther into his presence.

⁵ Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed. ⁶ For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?”

• Esther was asking the king to reverse a law signed with the King’s seal.
• Esther was asking the king to do something he was unable to do.

⁷ Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Esther the property of Haman, and he has been impaled on a pole because he tried to destroy the Jews. ⁸ Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”

• According to Persian law whatever has been written can never be revoked. That meant that Haman’s decree could not be reversed.

Daniel 6:8 NLT
⁸ And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

• However, Mordecai could write different or counter-decree to supersede the first decree and seal them with the king’s signet ring which would make it difficult to carry out Haman’s decree.

⁹ So on June 25 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Mordecai dictated. It was sent to the Jews and to the highest officers, the governors, and the nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including that of the Jews. ¹⁰ The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 

Note the similarity:

Esther 3:12 NLT
¹² So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 

Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service.
¹¹ The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies. ¹² The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7 of the next year.

The king’s decree did not permit the Jewish people to start a war but to defend themselves and plunder the property of those who attacked them.

Note the use of:

defend
kill, slaughter, and annihilate
take the property of their enemies

Here the king is using Haman’s words.

Esther used Haman’s words in 7:4

Again, note the similarity:

Esther 3:13 NLT
¹³ (Haman’s) Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.

• A decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring that gave the Jews authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies.

¹³ A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies on the appointed day. ¹⁴ So urged on by the king’s command, the messengers rode out swiftly on fast horses bred for the king’s service. The same decree was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa.

• The king could not reverse the orders of Haman but this decree, written by Mordecai, would allow the Jews to establish justice by correcting wrongs committed against them.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. 

• Mordecai was honored. 

And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree.  

Note the difference:

Esther 3:15 NLT
¹⁵ At the king’s command, the decree went out by swift messengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.

• The people of Susa celebrated the new decree.  Many of the Persian people did not share Haman’s hatred toward the Jews. They understood the injustice of the original decree and the justice of the new decree. 

¹⁶ The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. ¹⁷ In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday.

• The Jewish people saw that the king himself now favored them.

And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.

• The new decree gave hope to the Jewish people.

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The King Executes Haman

Esther 7 NLT
^7:1 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet. ² On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
³ Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. ⁴ For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.”
⁵ “Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?”
⁶ Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. ⁷ Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden.
Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him. ⁸ In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden.
The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?” And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom.
⁹ Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.”
“Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. ¹⁰ So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.

Examine the Scriptures

Esther 7 NLT
The King Executes Haman

^7:1 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet. 

Remember how chapter 6 ended.

^6:14 While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.

• Haman may not have known the connection between Esther and Mordecai.

Esther 5:5-9 NLT
⁵ The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.  ⁶ …
⁹ Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious.

• Haman was a happy man when he left the first banquet. 

² On this second occasion,

• King Xerxes and Haman attend Esther’s second banquet.

Five banquets are mentioned in the book of Esther.

 Two given by King Xerxes.
One given by Queen Vashti.
Two are given by Queen Esther.

while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request?

I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

• Again King Xerxes promised Esther that he would grant her wish.

Note:  Throughout the story King Xerxes treats Esther well.

³ Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request,

Esther was well “coached’.

Esther received lots of good training and council from Mordecai.

Esther received good training from the personnel in the king’s haram.

Esther was a receptive student.

Esther was respectful and her words were well chosen.

• Respectful appeals go a long way.

I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. 

This time Esther got right to the point.  She petitioned for her life and for the lives of her people.

Esther was appealing to the king to spare the Jews much like Moses had appealed to Pharaoh.

⁴ For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. 

Esther explained that all her people had been sold into extension.

Esther 3:9 NLT
⁹ If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”

Esther 4:7 NLT
⁷ Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 

Esther used Haman’s words.

Esther 3:13 NLT
¹³ Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. 

• Esther asks the king to spare her life and the lives of her people.

• It is now clear to King Xerxes that Esther is a Jew.

Esther 2:8-20 NLT
⁸ As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care. … ¹⁰ Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. ¹¹…¹⁷ And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ ….
¹⁹ Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem and Mordecai had become a palace official, ²⁰ Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai’s directions, just as she did when she lived in his home.

If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.”

• Esther humbly justifies her request because of the severity of the attack on her and her people.

Esther would have known how upset King Xerxes had gotten with Vashti when she was not submissive to the king.

⁵ “Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?” 

• The king appears to be surprised by what he was hearing.

Again King Xerxes did not get upset with Esther.

King Xerxes appeared to want to protect Esther.

He asked for more information about who was doing such a thing to Esther and her people. 

⁶ Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.”

Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. 

Haman’s honor had quickly turned to humiliation, and then to horror.

• At this point in time, Haman knew that his fate was sealed.

⁷ Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden.

He could have gone into the palace garden for any number of reasons.  Scripture does not go into detail about this action.

The king may have wanted to be alone to process all the information he had just heard.  It appears that he was hearing things for the first time. 

Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him.  

⁸ In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden.

Even under normal circumstances it would be inappropriate to touch a Persian queen, much less be on the same couch with her.

• Haman pleads for his life.

Remember:

Proverbs 16:18 NLT
¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.

Luke 14:11 NLT
¹¹ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

James 4:6 NLT
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?”

• King Xerxes interpreted Haman’s plea for mercy to be an act of violence against Esther, rather than a plea for mercy.

And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom.

Covering the head of a condemned prisoner is a well-known custom. 

⁹ Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs (and no friend of Haman), said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.”

The third of three capitol offenses charged against Haman.

1. 1. He had manipulated the king in planning to kill the queen’s people.
   2. He was perceived to accost the queen.
   3. He planned to execute a man whom the king had just honored for loyalty to the kingdom. 

“Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. ¹⁰ So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.

• Haman is impaled on the pole he had set up for Mordecai.

Psalm 9:15-16 NLT
¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
¹⁶ The Lord is known for his justice.
The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. 

The tables have now been turned, but the Jews were still in serious trouble.

The king’s edict to eradicate them was still in effect.

Review:

Esther 3:12 NLT
¹² So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 

• A decree to execute all of the Jews in the Persian Empire was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

• A decree sealed with the king’s signet ring was irrevocable

Per a Persian decree there would still be a great slaughter of many innocent people because of the wicked actions of Haman.

0

The King Honors Mordecai

Esther 6 NLT
^6:1 That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. ² In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.
³ “What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?” the king asked.
His attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”
⁴ “Who is that in the outer court?” the king inquired. As it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared.
⁵ So the attendants replied to the king, “Haman is out in the court.”
“Bring him in,” the king ordered. ⁶ So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?”
Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” ⁷ So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone, ⁸ he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. ⁹ Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’”
¹⁰ “Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!”
¹¹ So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” ¹² Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.
¹³ When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.”¹⁴ While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.

Examine the Scriptures

Esther 6 NLT
The King Honors Mordecai

^6:1 That night

The night between the first and second banquet.

the king had trouble sleeping,

• The night between the first and second banquet hosted by Esther, the king had trouble sleeping.

Coincidence?  I don’t think so!

Again, God’s sovereignty is at work.

so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him.  

Ancient kings kept recorded history of their reigns.

Reading can help put a person to sleep.

² In those records

At this point in time there would have been 12 years of recorded history for the reign of King Xerxes.

he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.

• Listening to 12 years of recorded history being read to him, the king discovered the account of how Mordecai exposed a plot to have him (King Xerxes) assassinated.

Esther 2:21-23 NLT
²¹ One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. ²² But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.  ²³ When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign.

This event took place 5 years prior to this part of the story.

What are the odds that this particular event would be read to the king?

³ “What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?” the king asked.

His attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”

Persian kings were known for their generosity to their supporters.  (Some things don’t change.)

King Xerxes was about to make this right and would recognize Mordecai for saving his life.

If the king had already recognized Mordecai, the following events would not have taken place. 

• King Xerxes is reminded of the fact that nothing has been done for Mordecai for saving the king’s life.

The story now shifts to Haman.

The tables are about to be turned. 

⁴ “Who is that in the outer court?” the king inquired. 

As it happened, 

“As it happened” 

Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared.

Haman just arrived to ask King Xerxes to allow him to kill the man who was responsible for saving the King’s life.  This is the man the king was about to reward.

Wrong time with a wrong reason.

⁵ So the attendants replied to the king, “Haman is out in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.  

• Haman arrives in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared. 

⁶ So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?”

Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” 

The egotistical Haman assumed that King Xerxes wanted to honor him.

Once again Haman would have been filled with joy and enthusiasm.

⁷ So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone, ⁸ he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. ⁹ Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’”

This was a description of a very unique honor.

Haman thought that he was describing the honor he was about to receive.

More than anything, Haman wanted respect from the people of the city.  He delighted in public acclaim and recognition.

Haman already had great wealth. (Esther 3:9)

Haman already had power.  (Esther 3:1)

Be careful what you ask for.

• When Haman responded to the king’s question, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?” he thought that he was describing an honor he was about to receive. 

¹⁰ “Excellent!” the king said to Haman.

The king liked Haman’s suggestions.

“Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew,

Haman must have been in utter shock.

Haman’s heart most likely “skipped a beat”.

Haman would have been completely dejected.

Haman had no choice, but to obey the king.

Haman had to show respect to Mordecai.  This is the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Remember the words of Joseph.

Genesis 50:19-20 NLT
¹⁹ But Joseph replied … ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

• Haman must have been completely shocked when he realized that he had to publicly show respect to Mordecai, a man he hated.

This is the first of 5 times Mordecai is called “the Jew”.

who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!”

A Jew was about to be honored in the Persian Empire.

This is the exact opposite of Haman’s wish:

Esther 3:8-10 NLT
⁸ Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. ⁹ If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”
¹⁰ The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 

¹¹ So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, 

shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” 

Mordecai was being treated like a king.

God is looking out for his people.

• Haman has no choice, but to obey the king. 

¹² Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.

The tables are turned.

• Mordecai reverts back to his normal routine while Haman hurries home dejected and completely humiliated.

¹³ When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened,
his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.”

The text does not explain why Zeresh and all his friends said what they said.

But we do know why this would be true.

The Old Testament is full of stories of God protecting and preserving His chosen people.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 NLT
¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

• The Old Testament is full of stories of God protecting and preserving His chosen people. Somehow, Zeresh and Haman’s friends must have known this was happening again at this point in time. 

¹⁴ While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.

An event Haman had once desired he now dreaded, but he most likely had no idea of just how bad things would turn out.

0

Esther’s Request to the King

Esther 5 NLT
^5:1 On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. ² When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
³ Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
⁴ And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”
⁵ The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.
⁶ And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
⁷ Esther replied, “This is my request and deepest wish. ⁸ If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.”

Haman’s Plan to Kill Mordecai
⁹ Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet! But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious. ¹⁰ However, he restrained himself and went on home.
Then Haman gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, ¹¹ and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other nobles and officials.
¹² Then Haman added, “And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!” ¹³ Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”
¹⁴ So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.

Examine the Scriptures

Esther 5 NLT
Esther’s Request to the King

^5:1 On the third day of the fast,

Review

Mordecai has asked Esther to go to the king and plead for her people, the Jews.

Esther had been very apprehensive about doing this. (We can relate to this.)

Esther 4:16 NLT
¹³ Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. ¹⁴ If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. 

• Mordecai and all the Jews of Susa, along with Esther and her maids fasted for three days.

A reminder for us.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall.

Esther had prepared, by fasting, and was ready to go to the king with her request. 

The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. ² When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her.

A reminder of God’s sovereignty.

Romans 13:1 NLT
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 

Proverbs 21:1 NLT
The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases.

• The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.

King Xerxes welcomed Esther.

So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. 

³ Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request?

• The king made it easy for Esther to make a request.

I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

This comment should not be taken literally. It simply meant that the king would be generous toward her request.

Mark 6:22-23 NLT
²¹… on Herod’s birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. ²² Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. “Ask me for anything you like,” the king said to the girl, “and I will give it to you.” ²³ He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!” 

⁴ And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”

It was an unusual honor to be invited to a banquet with the Queen.  Persian officials were protective of their wives.

• Esther shares her real wish in chapter 7.

⁵ The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.

⁶ And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

King Xerxes knew that Esther was not asking for what she really wanted. 

⁷ Esther replied, “This is my request and deepest wish. ⁸ If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.”

It may seem strange that Esther asked for a second banquet.

We don’t know Esther’s thoughts.

We don’t always know God’s thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Note: Remember, at this point in time King Xerxes had forgotten how Mordecai had heard about a plot, by two of the king’s eunuchs, to kill the king.

Without this information fresh in his mind, King Xerxes may not have looked favorably on Mordecai and the Jews.

God would providentially intervene between the two banquets.

• Remember, at this point in time King Xerxes had forgotten how Mordecai had heard about a plot, by two of the king’s eunuchs, to kill the king.

• God would providentially intervene between the two banquets.

Haman’s Plan to Kill Mordecai

⁹ Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet!

Happy

But when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious. 

Furious

• Haman was on an emotional roller coaster. He went from feeling happy to becoming furious.

It could be seen as a very special privilege to be the guest of honor at a private banquet with only the king and queen two days in a row.

¹⁰ However, he restrained himself and went on home. 

Then Haman gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, ¹¹ and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children.

Boasted

He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other nobles and officials.

Bragged

Proverbs 16:18 NLT
¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT
¹² If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

Galatians 6:3 NLT
³ If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

• Haman personified sinful pride.

• Pride goes before destruction.

¹² Then Haman added, “And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!” 

It could be seen as a very special privilege to be the guest of honor at a private banquet with only the king and queen two days in a row. 

¹³ Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”

Haman was obsessed with the idea of killing Mordecai.

As long as Mordecai was alive, Haman’s great wealth, his many children, the honors he had received from the king, and his promotions over all the other nobles and officials were worth nothing to him.

Hate destroys:

Proverbs 14:30 NLT
³⁰ A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

Hebrews 12:15 NLT
¹⁵ Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Proverbs 10:12 NLT
¹² Hatred stirs up quarrels, …

1 John 3:15 NLT
¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

• Hate destroys.

• Scripture tells us to get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Ephesians 4:31 NLT
³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Proverbs 19:11 NLT
¹¹ Sensible people control their temper;
they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

1 Corinthians 4:12 NLT
¹² We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us.

1 Peter 3:9 NLT
⁹ Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.

Luke 6:27-28 NLT
²⁷ “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

¹⁴ So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it.

75 feet tall is unusually high.

This is as tall as an eight story building.

This would tower above most, if not all, of the surrounding structures.

• Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it.

When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.

• Haman believed that he could “go on his merry way” if Mordecai was dead.

0

Mordecai Requests Esther’s Help

Introduction

Note: Nothing has been said so far in the book of Esther to suggest Esther and Mordecai were people of great faith in Yahweh.

Neither the word for God nor the name Yahweh (Lord), occurs in the book of Esther.

Even though the name of God is nowhere mentioned in the book, His sovereignty, divine guidance, and care are evident throughout the story.

Esther is a story of foreign powers vigorously trying to eliminate the Jewish race and how God sovereignly preserved His people in accordance with His covenant promise to Abraham.

Esther 4 NLT
Mordecai Requests Esther’s Help
^4:1 When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. ² He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. ³ And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.
⁴ When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it. ⁵ Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. ⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate.
⁷ Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. ⁹ So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.
¹⁰ Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” ¹² So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.
¹³ Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. ¹⁴ If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Examine the Scriptures
Esther 4 NLT
Mordecai Requests Esther’s Help

^4:1 When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. 

Mordecai’s response was dramatic.

Tearing his clothes, putting on burlap and ashes, and crying publicly signified mourning.

An outward sign of inward distress and humiliation.

Matthew 11:21 NLT
²¹ …clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.

• Mordecai’s feud with Haman had caused a great crisis for his whole nation.

Perhaps Mordecai was remorseful for having revealed his nationality and thus having endangered the lives of thousands of his people.

• Mordecai tearing his clothes, putting on burlap and ashes, and crying publicly signified that he was in mourning.

² He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. 

We know this was where official business took place.  Apparently the king did not want his officials distracted. 

³ And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes. 

• Jews throughout the provinces heard the king’s decree and responded much like Mordecai. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many lay in burlap and ashes.  Note: God’s name is not mentioned.

⁴ When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed.

As the queen of Persia, Esther had many luxuries and was waited on by maids and eunuchs.

• Esther’s unique position in the haram apparently shut her off from normal lines of communication. 

She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it. 

Wearing these garments Mordecai could then enter the king’s gate and talk to Esther directly. (See v. 2)

⁵ Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. 

She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. 

• Apparently Esther was unaware of the king’s edict to have all of the Jews executed. 

⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate. 

⁷ Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her.

• The fact that Mordecai possessed this specific knowledge and a copy of the edict further shows his prominent position in Persia.

• Esther now knew the details of the King’s edict and how it came about.

• Hathach would now know that Esther was a Jew. 

He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. ⁹ So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.

Mordecai asked Hathach to direct Esther to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people.

¹⁰ Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter.

• Esther reminded Mordecai that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter.

And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 

Esther had not been in the presence of the king for a month.

This does not mean that Esther had fallen from the king’s favor.

¹² So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.

¹³ Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 

Esther 3:12-13 NLT
¹² … a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. … The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. ¹³ … giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. 

• A decree sealed with the king’s signet ring was irrevocable. (Previous chapter.)

• Mordecai planted the idea in Esther’s mind that she would die if she did not act.

If Esther does not exercise her individual responsibility, she and her family will die.

¹⁴ If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, 

• Mordecai knew God’s promises and realized that God would not allow his chosen people to be annihilated.

Genesis 17:1-8 NLT
^17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. ² I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
³ At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ⁴ “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! ⁵ What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
⁷ “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” 

but you and your relatives will die.

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

God’s providential timing.

A hint of Mordechai’s belief in God’s providence.

• Esther’s rise to power at this precise time was not just a coincidence. Esther’s position as Xerxes’ favored wife and queen was a role God had given her to influence history for the Jewish people.

The story of Joseph.
Genesis 45:5-7 NLT
⁵ But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. ⁶ This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 

In Joseph’s story, Joseph knew God was using him to preserve Jacob’s family.

¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.

• Esther was convinced that she needed to act.

No eating or drinking for three days was a serious fast.

No mention of prayer.

An indication of Esther’s faith in God.

Daniel
Daniel 9:3 NLT
³ So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. 

My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 

• Esther was willing to die for her people.

It was a serious undertaking to go in to see the king without an invitation.

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Most translations say “ordered” or “commanded”.

• Esther and Mordecai are seen as great patriots on behalf of the Jewish nation, but are not presented as righteous people, like others in the Old Testament who fully trusted the Lord.

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