Esther 5 Haman and Esther

Esther’s Risk, Favor, and the King’s Invitation

We're gonna dive back into the book of Esther this morning. Last week in the pages of Scripture We saw Queen Esther make a decision to lay her life on the line for her people. She literally had a massive decision to make that was in front of her.

You see through a wicked plot of a guy named Haman who was raised up to be the prime minister of the entire Empire of Persia. The entire Jewish race was set to be extinguished on the 13th day of the 12th month.

Basically genocide was going to take place in December is kind of the notion of what was going on in the text and when Esther finds out about the plot she has a decision to make a Massive decision. She can do nothing and hope that nobody finds out that she herself is a Jew and hopefully survive.

That's one option for her. The other option is that she could enter the king's presence Unannounced and plead for mercy for her people. But entering the king's presence unannounced was equally dangerous for her.

If she Proclaimed to everybody that she was a Jew she could be in jeopardy. And we also saw that it was Persian law that to enter into the presence of the king was to take your life in your own hands because he could.

Have you killed immediately on site as a matter of fact the default was that you would be killed entering his presence Without his asking you to come to him and that was the default unless he granted your life back so last week Esther asked all of the Jews in the capital city of Susa to pray and fast for her for three days and That's where we're gonna pick up the text this morning and see what's the result of that praying and fasting what happens on that third day.

We're also going to get a chance to see a contrast between two individuals this morning. We're gonna see a contrast very clearly in the text between Esther and Haman their character. What made them tick what was going on in their hearts?

And I think we will find by the end that inside of all of us There's a little bit of Esther and there's a little bit of Haman as well. But without the cross of Christ We're gonna see through the text that Haman will always prevail within us that Arrogance and pride will always have its way in our hearts.

Has that been your life? Has that been your experience that pride and arrogance kind of follows you where you go? It has a tendency to coat and cover often our interpersonal relationships with others that it's kind of knocking at the door.

Has that been your experience? Am I the only one this is going to be a short sermon if nobody needs it.

So.

But I have the ink I have just kind of this this notion in the back of my mind that all of us to some degree or another struggle with pride at various levels and at various stages of our lives and Without the cross of Christ, there is no remedy.

There is no solution and for that reason we've selected songs for our worship set this morning that focus our attention on the cross. And it's my desire that this morning as we come to worship I'm gonna read this text and then the band is going to come and and play some songs that we actually focus intentionally on the cross of Jesus Christ that that becomes the focus of our of our worship and our attention is the Crucified Christ that he died for us and what that implies for our humility and for this problem of arrogance that we have in our Hearts, so I want us to focus in on that.

Esther Approaches the King in Faith and Fear

But I want you to open your Bibles, please to Esther chapter 5 and you will find that on page 355 in the Bible that that's in the seat back in front of you. So if you turn in that Bible, you'll find it on 355 so you can follow along and if you don't own a Bible We want you to take that one with you.

We want everybody to have a copy of God's Holy Word, but follow along as I read Esther 5. Let's jump in. On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's quarters.

While the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room Opposite the entrance to the palace and when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court She won favor in his sight and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand.

Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter and the king said to her. What is it Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of my kingdom and Esther said if it pleased the king let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I prepared for the king.

Then the king said bring Haman quickly. So we may do as Esther has asked. So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared and as they were drinking wine after the feast the king said To Esther, what is your wish?

It shall be granted you and what is your request even to the half of my kingdom? It shall be fulfilled then Esther answered my wish and my request is if I found favor in the sight of the king and if it pleased the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them and Tomorrow I will do as the king has said and Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart.

But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate that he neither rose nor trembled before him. He was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home and he sent and brought his friends and his wife's Zorash and Haman recounted them to them the splendor of his riches the number of his sons all the promotions with which the king had honored him and how he advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king.

Then Haman said even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast. She prepared and tomorrow also I am invited by her to together with the king. Yet all this is worth Nothing to me. So long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

Then his wife's Zorash and all his friends said to him Let a gallows 50 cubits high be made and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast and this idea pleased Haman and he had the gallows made.

Prayer, Providence, and the Wisdom of Esther

Let's pray father as we come to this text this morning. We see echoes and of our own life hopefully we see some of the character of Esther in us of some of the things that you are working in our lives of of Humility and a desire to be used by you and a willingness to turn to others in our time of need.

But equally if we're honest with ourselves We see echoes of Haman in our hearts of ultimately where Haman is echoing Satan in his pride. And father I am Become convinced in my life as I've struggled and wrestled with pride and arrogance that it is only through your cross.

It is only as we come to the place of sacrifice for our sins. That true head that we can make any headway against pride and arrogance. That it is only at the foot of the cross that your spirit transforms and changes us to recognize who we really are.

How much you have loved us, but equally how much our sin cost you? So father I pray that as we sing these songs that we would be able to do so with hearts. Kneeling at your cross kneeling there at the place where we have been made whole and made right.

Because of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on our behalf. I pray that this worship would be acceptable in your sight. I thank you for the band and the work that they've put into this. I pray that you'd be honored and glorified by everything.

The author doesn't pull any punches here. So he's gonna just dive right in in chapter 5 with the what we're looking at narrative scripture. So this is a story. This is real history that he's talking about here.

And he jumps right into the third day of fasting for it's fasting in prayer. And so right away we see at the text in verse 1 on the third day Esther put on her royal robes in other words She gets all prompt up.

Okay. She's she's. I'm ready and she puts on her royal robes and she enters into the king's.

Court.

The king is sitting on his throne. He's there and he's presiding and it's likely that the guards take notice of her presence immediately now I mentioned last week that the guards there actually had there there's relief cuts in stone of Xerxes on his throne and standing behind him in these in these stone carvings are two guys holding Axes those axes are not there for display.

They are not there for fun. They are not kind of like the the the guards around Buckingham Palace that kind of have this changing of the guard and everybody comes and takes pictures and it's cool. They are there to be used if somebody comes in to attack and it's understood that if you come into the king's presence You mean him some form of harm and so they were ready and I'm sure that they noticed that she walked in Immediately and and yet I'm not sure if they knew exactly what to do about that.

The author does take a moment and kind of like a little pause like I think it's for dramatic effect he goes through in depth and in detail exactly where she stops and stands in the courtroom and This this all happens really quickly so she enters and stops in a very strategic place where she is most likely to get the attention of the king as quickly as Possible without rushing him.

Okay, if she rushes the throne She's probably not gonna make it there. Okay, so she walks in and stops and stands and like I said, she's all primed up in her royal garb and the tension in the air is Unsure.

It's unsettled. I wonder if she was trembling. How many of you in reality if you were to put yourself in that Situation where you knew that the king's law was to enter his presence without being welcomed was immediate death.

How many of you would be a little bit nervous a little bit scared? I can't imagine I mean, I'm sure just in her resolve. She said if I if I perish I perish. But how many of you have ever made a decision and you you make it with?

Steadfast courage and you're still Trembling still a little nervous still like okay, and I'm not sure and you might even think about wavering back and forth at times in That process I it's unclear if the guards made any move to her notice in the narrative.

We don't even see the guards make any motion. And I I'm I'm I wonder put yourself in the guards shoes. The Queen walks in and her royal purple robe and she's standing there. You you carry it out you be the one you know, I mean the guards are having this conversation.

I'm picturing it in my mind like I'm would you take the axe to the Queen in the presence of the king? Like I mean, it's like I imagine there's some hesitancy now I don't want to minimize the fact that she really believes she could die in this situation.

Do you see I mean you saw that in a text last week? She really believes if I perish I perish that he might just let her get the axe, but I Mean would you be the guard to do it? To kill the Queen in the presence of the can I mean that's that's that's dicey.

That's weird, and that's that's not gonna go real. Well. I'd imagine the guards gonna I mean the guards thinking am I gonna die for killing the Queen. I mean for just following the protocol. But verse 2 gets rid of the tension very quickly, so this is build up.

There's this tension and it's released very fast. I'm when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court she won favor in his sight. She won favor in his sight. We had been told back at the end of chapter 2.

If you were to go over there, you don't need to go there, but if you read this entire story. It's awesome if you read it in one sitting by the way I'd encourage that sometime while we're going through this series in Esther go ahead and read the whole thing in one sitting take the Whatever 15 20 minutes that it takes at a casual reading level and and read it.

It's it's amazing you see these insights and stuff, but at the end of chapter 2 it said the king Loved Esther, and it wasn't like it's not an infatuation kind of love. It's not some kind of you know like oh, she was hot or something.

He loved her, and it's the it's a good word for love and. So we saw that back there that the king fell in love with Esther. And she had in that text in chapter 2 it said she had won grace and favor. In the king's eyes two things that would be beneficial to have in the sight of the king in the sight of her husband.

Yeah.

I think those would be good things to have and Hear that favor is renewed, and it's very fortunate for Esther and her people that that favor is renewed. He extends the scepter and she approached and touched the scepter as a sign of receiving his clemency.

She was as good as dead when she broke the law and therefore she is dead. If she does not touch the scepter, and it's the imagery the protocol the the the picture. Is that he is literally giving her her life back by extending the scepter?

And she receives it by touching the scepter, and that's what's going on there, and it's all this customs and formality. But on a real-life emotional level Esther believed that she could have been killed.

And if you're anything like me you spent plenty of your mental energy worrying about things that never actually take place. And anybody relate to that. You you're you worry about anybody else worry have a tendency to worry about things from time to time.

Okay, and how often does your mind turn to the worst-case scenario? Can you can you relate to that I? Would guess that we have all wasted a lot of time worrying? About what might go wrong and even if you are a glass-half-full kind of people how many would just raise your hand right away.

I'm a glass-half-full. I kind of just am I'm more of an optimist at my coil. I'd still dare say that you've wasted a lot of time worrying even if you're in that category. Right how much more so those of us who would tend towards the glass-half-empty kind of thing like I mean.

Just just sharing a little bit of my struggle with this as God is pointing this out as I'm walking through this as your pastor.

I.

Have a tendency to jump to the worst-case scenario. And then what I do because I'm at least at least a little bit reasonable. I'll dial it back a click or two. Okay, dial it down. Just a little and then run with that and it's had that is the expectation.

Anybody relate to that because you're not. I mean what's the chances that the worst that could happen is gonna happen. It's still gonna be bad, right? III wonder if those aren't. Is that nervous laughter or is that good?

I think probably a lot of people can relate to me on that level though, right? Do we have a tendency to think about what could and we can waste a lot of time? Thinking through bad things and Jesus told us very clearly don't be anxious for tomorrow.

You know, don't don't worry about those things. Pursue God love God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind with all your strength and just let all these other things filter out and let them work out and then he makes a kind of a funny comment in That today has enough trouble of its own.

So there are there are troubles right? He acknowledges that. But in this case God is working things together for the preservation of his people. He is orchestrating events and we've been seeing his sovereign hand through the book of Esther and it's been awesome.

And Esther has been raised up to a high position people are praying and fasting on her behalf in this text and she gains Super mega favor from the king. I mean Exorbitant favor from the king and that what we're gonna see here in just a verse is that he offers her up to half of the kingdom.

But I want to point out. I really don't think it's anything that she's done to gain this favor. She she has not has she been in control in this situation. Sure. She prettied herself up. She put on a royal robe.

She went and stood in the right place and she's got a plan, right? But is she she can you say Esther worked this plan and it all came to fruition because I mean then she gained the king's Favor because she wore the right perfume or she did the right thing or is that what the text says?

Listen to this verse. This isn't probably if you're taking notes, write this write this proverb down proverb 21 verse 1. I think that and by the way that this what we're reading was written about three or four hundred years before the life of Esther.

I believe that she had contact with this With the Proverbs that she had access to it whether she was able to read it or had heard it read in the synagogues or whatever. But this is what proverb 21 one says the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord.

He directs it Like a water course wherever he pleases. The king's hand. I mean the king's heart is in the Lord's hand and he directs it wherever he wants. And he has directed King Xerxes heart to fall back in love with Esther once again in this moment God is working behind the scenes guiding the heart of the king.

In verse 3 we find that the king assumes that she has a request because she's obviously broken the court protocol right like Okay, you're here. What do you need Esther? Is there anything I can do for you?

There's an assumption that there's a request and he asks her what he can do and offers even up to half of his kingdom. Pretty amazing offer wouldn't you say up to half the kingdom is yours if you would ask.

Now, I want to point out though that most scholars see this as a token gesture of his greatness like it was actually kind of a boasting in essence to Offer grandiose things as a king was an expectation and we see that here and we were gonna see him say it again later in this chapter.

We actually find it in other places in Scripture where Kings said up to half of my kingdom is yours for example King Herod in the New Testament in the Gospel of Mark would offer up half of his kingdom to his niece who did a seductive dance at a party for him and he says you can have up to half of my kingdom and She asked for something kind of trivial instead.

She asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And that's how that great prophet in the New Testament comes to his end is by an offer to half of your kingdom. No, I don't need half your kingdom.

I just want his head. That's how that all comes down. Now what happens next in our text seems like it's there for dramatic effect and in a sense it is this is all Intentionally built up with with reason now We're going to see the plot the plan the skill the wisdom that Esther Executes from here moving forward God given wisdom God given skill.

In understanding her culture and things like that. But at the same time she's going to work a plan in Persian culture, it was not proper protocol to spring a massive decision on the king. Therefore creating or causing some kind of a conflict in him if he couldn't say yes to your request.

So he's offered half of the kingdom but how many of you know there are things that she could ask for that he would not grant and He would lose face in front of his advisors and everybody and so in essence it was it was improper For her to then throw herself immediately at him in his royal court and say this is what I need from you.

Does that make sense? So there's some there's some things that she does here that really are Working and understanding of her culture a delay in the request for example showed importance. That she wouldn't just say it outright, but that she's kind of hemming and hawing and saying Let's let's do this at a different time.

And the more delayed the request the more serious and Delaying also served another purpose to pique the king's interest. To get him curious and thinking about what is it that Esther wants and there's value in that if you could get the king.

Thinking about your request without knowing what that request is all the better you were winning. Okay, are you getting that? So the more she could get him have any of you had that have any of you been in a situation?

Maybe several of you have been in a situation where somebody's gonna ask you for something. They said that I'm gonna ask you for something, but I they don't tell you right away. What it is would you be curious?

How many of you might lose a little bit of sleep wondering especially if you had to sleep on it, right? And don't don't worry the next day tomorrow at lunch. I'll let you know. Okay, where is this going?

I mean you'd have my attention if you brought something to me that way. So instead of falling at the king's feet and begging for the salvation of her people. She wisely and politely invites the king to a feast and notice in the text.

She's already prepared it. She's working a plan. This is not like she got cold feet and kind of was like, oh, I don't know. Okay, maybe I won't ask him right now. No, she's already prepared the meal. This is with intention.

This is a plan.

To.

To get him roped in. She proves that she is wise. The food is already prepared and she invites Haman to come along. She wants him to be part of the process and boy is he gonna get to be part of the process along the way.

Now I want to remind you that all the Jews in Susa have been praying and fasting for Esther and God has been responding to their prayers. By granting her great favor and great wisdom. She's enlisted others to pray and we would do well to ask for the prayers of others for decisions that we face.

We've been asking for your prayers as a church as we continue to make decisions for the future as as we Contemplate the candidacy of Kyle. As an associate pastor as we contemplate and consider the potential to go to two services, which is in the works.

Most of you have responded to the survey that we sent out and it's been a very I want to want to use this Just as a moment to say. It was a very favorable response that about 50 of you said we would come at 9 o 'clock and 50 of you said we'd come At 11 o 'clock.

That's exactly what we were hoping to see that it wasn't going to be five people at 9 o 'clock and You know the hundred and twenty of you at the 11 o 'clock. Then we wouldn't. Obviously two services wouldn't work for us but it's appearing like it will and so we are asking for you to pray and to help us in these decisions as we as we consider the growth and the way that we're moving forward as a church and.

And then on a personal level we need to stand in the gap for one another and boldly Come before the throne on each other's behalf as we know that people are struggling and hurting. But for us to do that for one another on a personal level.

We need to know what's going on in each other's lives, don't we? And I fear that some here might be going it alone that you're here and you're struggling with things that you just haven't even shared and and there's a wrestling with decisions and a wrestling with sin and feeling like you're going it alone and and that it you know with authenticity on this wall we desire to be Open with one another obviously maybe Standing in this in this meeting place and sharing what's going on in the deepest recesses of your heart is not the place but that this place becomes a primary a Primary outlet for relationships that are authentic and real where we're genuinely praying for one another and genuinely lifting each other up.

And although the elders here at recast pray and although I pray I'm not sure that recast church here would be categorized as a church of prayer and it's my heart's desire to see that change and so The elders are going to be talking about this.

Are there things that we can be doing to foster an atmosphere of prayer an opportunity to gather together and pray? And I know we're doing that in our small group. So we're just going to be trying to think through what that might look like in the future here.

But I don't feel like we've done a great job with that and I'm just being transparent and honest with you. I don't feel like we've done a fabulous job of bringing people together and a lot of churches have a Wednesday night prayer meeting and What I've seen it a lot and not to not to criticize.

But what I've seen it a lot of Wednesday night prayer meetings as they started out as a Wednesday night prayer meeting and they ended Up being a Wednesday night Bible study. They ended up being a Wednesday night second sermon and service and kids programs and everything gets rolled up into that and I would love To we're gonna be brainstorming and thinking through ways that we can actually be gathering together to Pray and that would be the point so that's something I just came out in this passage and it was a conviction on my part as I was looking through and just thinking about our church and the fact that Esther humbled herself and asked others to pray and included others in the process and so I think that that's something that we would like to do more of as a church, but Back into the text the King responds positively to the request.

He even rushes. It's obvious that she's gained such favor with him and in such a good way that he actually Hurries, he says quickly to a servant go get Haman so that we can get to this feast that Esther has prepared.

He's eager. I Think he's eager to get to the food. But he is I'm well aware that that is not the extent of her request. He knows that she didn't come and break the protocol so that she could invite him to a feast.

He knows that there's something else going on here and it's shown because he's gonna ask again. He is quite intrigued by what she really wants and it was obviously important enough to risk her life it's important enough that she wants to ask in the right atmosphere and She even went through the extent of preparing a feast for him.

So he knows all these things. So they get to the customary wine after the meal. It was like there were different courses and there was actually a wine course to conclude the meal. And I'm the king is itching to know her request.

It's obvious that he's eager. He's intrigued. She's she's got him right where she wants him. She says what is your he says, what is your wish? It shall be granted to you. And again, what is your request?

The the cat-and-mouse game is a good way of keeping the king's attention and she's she's doing it. Once again, he emphasizes that up to half of the kingdom is hers. So she plays the intrigue. And invites him back to another banquet and in verse in verse 8 It promises to let she promises to let him know the true request if he and Haman come to the feast the next day.

She says I promise. Okay King. I will I will give you the answer that you're looking for. I will tell you what it what my request is if you come again tomorrow. Now some have assumed have any of you ever thought like being guilty of maybe thinking that Esther got cold feet here.

Like she invited him to one banquet and then she was like, oh, I don't really I can't bring it up. And so she's like, oh, how about another banquet tomorrow? I mean, I've actually heard it taught that way.

But I don't I really don't see that when you actually begin to understand the culture and take that into account. What she's doing is very wise and she's working a system. She's heightening the seriousness of her request to the king and by the time the second banquet rolls around the king is really concerned and really Wanted to know what's going on.

And now he's had to sleep on it. Now. He's had to spend a night actually thinking through. She risked her life. She's preparing food. What in the world could Esther want what could this be. And he is concerned for her.

Haman’s Pride, Boasting, and Murderous Plot

So, let's look at Esther for a moment before we jump into the text on Haman the second part. Esther has laid her life on the line for her people. She has humbled herself to ask others to pray for her and In that request she has demonstrated that she needs others in her life.

Even as a dignitary even as a person in holding high office in the Empire of Persia. She said I still need others. She follows the direction of her adopted father. Esther has exuded humility self-sacrifice and wisdom so far in this book.

And I think all of us would like to relate to her in one way or another. Right. She is being used by God and his plan is being revealed through her. How many of you would like to be in that situation of humility willing to say if I perish I perish.

But I will do what is right and I will I will Do my part that God has called me to do raise your hand if you think I mean you'd like that notion of being that Person who said I will do okay, and then some of you know, some of you are not there yet.

You don't want to do it. Alright, I'll be praying for you guys, too, but she's being used by God. But now we come to Haman in verse 9. He is joyful and glad of heart when he leaves the feast the text tells us He's just left a feast that would be great in and of itself.

Just just being able to take part of this awesome food and wine and all that stuff. And it was good and fun and all that but it was not just an ordinary feast, right? He was invited and included in a feast with one of the most powerful couples on the face of the planet.

Pretty cool. How many of you how many of you think that would be kind of cool? I got one of you, you know getting autographs and stuff and red carpet event and all that stuff. But all that joy ends the text tells us the moment he sees Mordecai.

The minute that he sees Mordecai all the joy all the happiness all the gladness in his heart is completely drained away. And he's immediately bitter again he's got vengeance on his heart and He's got murder on his mind.

But he doesn't act immediately. He knows that he will have the last laugh and we see that Mordecai once again refused to Worship Haman. He didn't tremble before him. The text tells us I would assume that many Jews at this time would tremble before Haman.

Right. Haman who is responsible for the edict that is going to basically destroy all of your people. He refuses to tremble. And Haman doesn't act right away. He knows ultimately like I said, he's gonna have the last laugh and it's gonna be done legally and properly.

He if he takes his vengeance out right away. He himself might be guilty of murder and get in trouble and he's like Mordecai's as good as dead anyways with the edict that I've signed. So he heads on home and calls up some friends and his wife and and calls him together for a little party and a little Get-together to talk about the thing that matters most to him his own awesomeness.

Okay, do you see that right in the text there? He called him together and Everyone I think has a friend like this or an acquaintance friend acquaintance who? Mysteriously the conversation or magically when you're talking with them.

It's somehow works its way around to their awesomeness. Their accomplishments their promotions the great things that are happening in their life. Does anybody know? I mean anybody have a friend like that.

Pray for those people if you don't have a friend like that. Be careful because it might be you like you. I mean if you're kind of like I don't I don't know what he's talking about. Just think through that one.

Okay, I'll leave that one with you, but uh. But from this point in the story on Haman really it serves as an illustration of another proverb. So again, if you're taking notes jot this one down and you can look it up a great one to memorize.

Proverbs 16 18 pride goes before destruction and a haughty or arrogant spirit before a fall. Pride goes before destruction or an arrogant spirit before the fall. Haman highlights his immense riches with his friends.