“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 scepter that was in his hand.  So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.”  Esther 5:2

When the fasting ended on the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and made her way to the inner court which was just before the throne room of king Ahasuerus.  She must have been extremely anxious not knowing how the king would react to her uninvited presence, but she was determined to take a stand for her people even if it meant death for her.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  She knew that God would be with her, and whatever happened would be His will.  Perhaps, as a hope for success, she thought back a few years to how Ahasuerus chose her over countless other women and favored her above them all.  Perhaps this would give her an advantage over anyone else who appeared before the king without being called by him.  On the other hand, this could be her last few moments on earth.

From his throne, Ahasuerus could see Esther standing in the inner court.  Her beauty and grace were two attributes that attracted him to her, and that had not likely diminished.  He hadn’t seen her in a month, and maybe he had missed her and was glad to see her.  We wonder, since he had been so infatuated with her, why had he not called her before now, but him being an idolater and not one who possessed godly love for others, was apparently not a doting husband.  He held out his scepter to Esther, and she touched the tip of it, a sign that she humbly thanked him for this privilege.  Ahasuerus asked Esther the reason for her visit and promised to give her half of the kingdom if that’s what she wanted.  (I doubt he was serious.  That may have been a common phrase folks used in ancient times to indicate a willingness to grant requests).

Esther had been working on a plan to expose Haman so that his plan to kill all the Jews could be stopped.  Considering how fond that the king was of Haman, she obviously couldn’t blurt out an accusation of evil against the king’s right-hand man.  Her plan began with a banquet to which both the king and Haman were invited.  Haman probably thought that he was in the “catbird seat”, being invited to join the king and the queen in a private banquet.  It was held, and the king again asked Esther what it was that she desired.  She answered by inviting the two of them to another banquet the next day.  She likely did not take the occasion of this first banquet to accuse Haman, even though she had the king’s decree in writing that he had agreed to, but in all likelihood, the king really didn’t know the extent of Haman’s plan.  In my opinion, Ahasuerus was a man who relished his position of king over a very large kingdom, being more of a figurehead, but was not really aware of everything that happened from day to day.  He probably depended on his staff to keep everything in order.

In delaying Esther’s accusation of Haman, the LORD had apparently cautioned her spirit to wait for He knew that some things were going to happen on the following day which would help to convince the king that Haman was indeed a very evil man.  Esther promised to give the king her request at the next banquet.  Perhaps the king thought, “What’s up with all of these banquets?”  It seemed a little mysterious to Ahasuerus, but to Haman, it was a sign that he must have been the most important man in the kingdom besides the king.  He was becoming overconfident of himself and his ability to have influence over the king and the queen.  And you know what happens when folks become overconfident of themselves, their abilities, and their importance–the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

After the first banquet, Haman went home and, on the way, saw Mordecai, who did not bow to him, making Haman furious, but he calmed himself down and continued home.  When he arrived, he called for his friends to gather and bragged to them and his wife about how important he was to the king and queen.  He told them that he was invited to another banquet the next day.  However, seeing Mordecai on the way home took the wind out of his sails.  He couldn’t be happy because of his hatred of Mordecai.  His wife and friends told him that he should have gallows built and hang Mordecai thereon.  Hatred eats away at people.  Those who hate usually overreact.  They have that “don’t get mad, get even” attitude.  These gallows were to be 75 feet tall enabling everyone in Shushan to watch Mordecai hanged by the neck until dead.

Haman was pleased with their suggestion and ordered the gallows built that same day.  Apparently, the first banquet had been held in the daytime, perhaps noon in order for there to be time to build the gallows and have it ready by the next day.  Once Mordecai was dead, Haman could go to the second banquet a happy man, at least that is what he planned, but plans don’t always work out as he will soon discover.

Next time:  Haman’s Surprise