Esther's 2nd Feast (Esther 7)
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Introduction
Introduction
Fearlessness of Esther
She appeared before the King as she promised to do. When the King saw Esther, He looked at her with favor and wanted to be generous to her request. Esther responds with an invitation to a feast she set up for him and Haman. Both the King and Haman were very pleased with Esther's feast. The King asks Esther what her request is.
Esther invites the King and Haman to another feast the next day.
Set the Stage
Haman left the feast of Queen Esther happy until he walked by Mordecai, who did not rise or show fear. Haman went home and was given counsel to have Mordecai killed on the gallows. Haman likes the idea and has the gallows built. He is planning on talking to the King about it in the morning to have Mordecai killed before the feast. Little did he know that God is going to work to honor Mordecai. The king was reminded of the thwarted assassination attempt by Mordecai and decides to honor him. Haman ends up being the official of the King to honor Mordecai. Haman goes home mourning and humiliated.
Haman’s demise
Esther 6:13 (ESV)
13 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”
Haman’s wife and friends take the event of Mordecai’s honor instead of death as a sign of Haman’s downfall.
Esther 6:14 (ESV)
14 While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.
Haman is hurried away by the King’s eunuch to the second feast of Queen Esther.
The treachery of Haman revealed. (7:1–6)
The treachery of Haman revealed. (7:1–6)
King’s Question (1-2)
Esther 7:1–2 (ESV)
1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”
Second day
“the second day A reference to the second banquet, not a day passing. The first day was the initial feast that Esther prepared for the king and Haman (5:4–5).” (Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)
They enjoyed the meal and are now enjoying drinking wine.
Third time the King asks Esther for her request.
Wish - šĕʾēlâ - “request (object of) n., the object of a person’s request.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Request - bǎq·qā·šā(h) - “request (message) n., a formal message submitted to an authority which asks for something.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
This will be important to notice because of the response of Esther to the question of the King.
King is expressing to Queen Esther that he will give her a favorable response.
Esther’s Request (3-5)
Personal understanding
One of the fearful part of conversations, witnessing, dealing with difficult situations, and difficult confrontation is, “What do I say?”
Biblical examples
Jesus - Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), Answering questions from religious leaders (Matt 22), before Pilot (Matt 27)
Peter - Pentecost (Acts 2), Before Sanhedrin (Acts 4)
Stephen - Sanhedrin (Acts 7)
Paul - Areopagus (Acts 17), People and Felix (Acts 21-24), Agrippa (Acts 25-26)
Luke 12:11–12 (ESV)
11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Do we seek the Lord in what to say when we know we need to confront, witness, or communicate truth with unknown outcome?
Esther fasted and prayed before going before the King. I suspect she was praying the night between the feast for God’s guidance in what to do and say.
Esther’s response
Climax of the Story. What will be the King’s response to the request of Esther? What will be the response of Haman? Will Esther’s message be said rightly and received well?
Esther 7:3–4 (ESV)
3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.”
Shows respect to the King - “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king.”
Repeats the Kings question in her response - “let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request.”
šĕʾēlâ - “request (object of) n., the object of a person’s request.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
bǎq·qā·šā(h) - “request (message) n., a formal message submitted to an authority which asks for something.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Esther explains that her “wish…request” is her life and the life of her people.
She quotes from the Edict - “For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.” (Esther 3:13 “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.”)
Humbles herself and the Jews before the King - “If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.”
She understands the standing of herself and the Jews as people in Exile under the King.
If the edict was about enslaving the Jews instead of Execution, she would not say anything.
King’s response (5)
Esther 7:5 (ESV)
5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?”
The King does not know who is trying to kill her. He is seeking more information about what she is talking about.
To this point, I do not know if the King is connecting the pieces of the Edict and what Esther is addressing.
Does the King know that the Edict from Haman is targeting the Jews? (Haman did not mention the Jews in the discussion with the King)
Has the King read the edict that Haman wrote? (the kind gave Haman the signet ring and Haman called the King’s scribes and sent out the edict)
Does the King know Esther is a Jew? (Esther has been keeping it a secret the whole time. from the King?)
Haman’s Fear (6)
Esther 7:6 (ESV)
6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Esther indicates Haman as the one.
A foe and enemy!
Exclamation point in all translations I use except 1 paraphrase translation.
foe - adversary n., someone who offers opposition (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Enemy - enemy (personal) n., a personal enemy (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
This wicked Haman!
Wicked - evil adj., morally bad or wrong (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Esther points to Haman as the person that is doing these things. She addresses him as a morally evil person who is an enemy of her and her people.
Haman’s fear
to be terrified v., to be filled with terror; be frightened greatly. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
of the King and Queen
The demise of Haman fulfilled (7:7–10)
The demise of Haman fulfilled (7:7–10)
King’s Wrath (7-8)
King leaves (7)
Esther 7:7 (ESV)
7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king.
King leaves to the garden to process the situation.
Wrath - fury n., a feeling of intense anger (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
Haman begs for his life from Esther.
Begs - Haman is begging Esther to spare his life. This the same thing Mordecai commanded Esther to do before the King (Esther 4:8) God’s complete shift of Esther coming before the King and Haman. Esther never begged the King, but Haman is begging Her.
Harm was determined - calamity (event) n., an event resulting in great loss and misfortune (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
King returns (8)
Esther 7:8 (ESV)
8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face.
Haman was begging the Queen when the King returned
Falling on Esther’s couch - “If the king was still undecided about Haman’s fate as he returned from the garden, his decision was made certain as he caught Haman fawning over the queen. Court documents from the Assyrian period state that a man must not come closer than seven steps to one of the women in the palace (D. J. A. Clines).” (Anderson, Carl R. “Esther.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 756. Print.)
Falling - “The author of the story skillfully used the concept of falling (Hb naphal). Haman was furious at Mordecai because he would not bow down to him (3:1–4). This resulted in the casting (Hb naphal) of the Pur to set the date for the extermination of the Jews (3:7). Then Haman’s wife and friends warned him that “since Mordecai is Jewish, and you have begun to fall (Hb naphal) before him, you won’t overcome him, because your downfall (Hb naphal) is certain” (6:13). Only hours later Haman was falling (Hb naphal) on Esther’s couch. With this final fall his fate was sealed.” (Anderson, Carl R. “Esther.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 756. Print.)
King accuses Haman (8b)
Assault
General idea - kbš, v., subjugate; violate. 15× (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)
In this verse - to molest v. — to harass or assault sexually. (Biblical Sense)
“Xerxes returns to the banquet hall to find Haman in a compromising position, and immediately jumps to conclusions and accuses Haman of attempting to molest the queen. Whether the author intends that Xerxes sees this as a good excuse to get rid of Haman without implicating himself, or whether he intends to stress that trust has totally broken down between Haman and Xerxes, Haman’s action here is explained as an attempt to save his life rather than an attempt to assault Esther. So the final blow to Haman’s life comes by way of a false accusation, not dissimilar to the injustice of false accusation that the Jewish people themselves have suffered at Haman’s hands.” (Reid, Debra. Esther: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 13. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)
“They covered Haman’s face”
“The precise purpose of covering the face of a condemned man is not known, though it has been conjectured that it was intended to signify that the person was no longer worthy to look on the face of the king. Obviously, however, many other meanings could be tied to it. The custom was observed in other nations as well as among the Persians.” (Freeman, James M., and Harold J. Chadwick. Manners & Customs of the Bible. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998. Print.)
He was now seen as an enemy of the King and was not able to leave. Arrested.
Haman’s Demise (9-10)
Esther 7:9–10 (ESV)
9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.
Harbona said (9a)
Haman prepared gallows 75 ft high to hang Mordecai.
Mentioning Mordecai would have reminded the King of the reading of Mordecai saving him and His honoring Mordecai that morning.
King’s order (9b)
He orders that Haman be hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. 75 ft Gallows has the intent of dishonoring the person and being visible at a distance. Now the dishonoring Haman wanted for Mordecai is what he will be known for.
Lessons from Esther and Haman
Lessons from Esther and Haman
Esther - Humbly seek the Lord about what to do and say in a difficult situation.
Esther lived a life of integrity and God honored her choices and accomplished His will through her.
She sought the Lord through fasting and prayer for guidance in what to do and say to the King. She trusted the Lord in the moment for what to say and do.
We need to continue to seek the Lord and trust him to accomplish His will in our lives.
Luke 12:11–12 (ESV)
11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Haman - We should not think that we can live dishonestly or sinfully and get away with it.
Haman thought that he would get away with whatever he wanted to do. He never thought he would be punished for his deception.
The Scriptures show many examples of people living or trying to hide sinful choices or actions that were made known.
Achan - items from Jericho
David - hiding affair and killing Uriah
Judas Iscariot - hiding his betrayal of Jesus
Do we have sin in our lives that we are trying to hide?
Pornography on our computers? (Delete history)
Are we having a relationship that we hide from our spouse? (Text or meeting)
Are we being dishonest in our work dealings that we hope our boss does not find out? (financially or ethically)
Are we doing things that we don’t want our teachers to know? (cheating)
Our sin will become known. If not to the person you are hiding it from, it is known completely by God.
Choose and seek the Lord to live in a way that honors Him each day (Word and Deeds).
Do not toy with Sin. May we pray that the littlest sins bother us as we seek to Live for Jesus.
May we seek to deal quickly with sin and not hide it.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
May we seek to honor God with our daily choices and actions.
Sleep easy at night
“I hope i deleted everything I was looking at tonight.”
“I hope my boss does not find out what I did.”
“I hope my teacher does not find out that I cheated.”
“I hope my husband does not find out about him.”
“I am at peace because I know I sought to honor Jesus with my actions today and confessed my sins. I can sleep easy knowing I am loved, forgiven and cleansed in God’s love and grace.”
Galatians 6:7–9 (ESV)
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.