Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

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Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

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After Haman paraded Mordecai around the city, he ran home to pout. His plans to have Mordecai put to death that day had gone very poorly, to say the least. The man he had gone to ask to kill, he was forced to honor in front of the entire city. 

When he told his wife what had happened, she wasn’t terribly comforting, but she was smart. She knew that everything was upside down now and that because he had built the pike (like she had recommended), things were probably going to get much worse for him. 

Haman barely had time to process what she was saying when the king’s servants showed up to remind Haman that it was time to attend Queen Esther’s banquet right then. 

Whatever excitement Haman had felt just 18 hours prior about this banquet was probably all gone now. He must have been nervous that the king would find out exactly what this giant structure was on his property and who it was for. This was all the worst timing, in a very biblical sense. 

How would you have felt if you were in Haman’s shoes?

__________________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

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Haman had just finished telling the king all the most presumptuous ways he would want to be honored, assuming the king was planning to honor him. Haman probably found it impossible to hide the smug smile on his face, sure of what was coming next from the king. I imagine the world went into slow motion for Haman as the name Mordecai came out of his mouth.

M    -    O    -    R    -    D    -    E    -    C    -    A    -    I

One can only imagine Haman’s face as he heard the words the king said. We are only left to conjecture what Haman must have looked and sounded like as he heralded the phrase, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor,” throughout the city. 

This obviously must have taken Mordecai completely by surprise. The text gives us the impression that years had passed since Mordecai had uncovered the assassination plot, so it was probably the last thing on his mind, especially given the current crisis he and the Jews were in. To have Haman be the very man parading him around the city was probably just plain confusing, but not without a sense that the Lord was up to something really big. 

He had presented the entire situation to Esther in a way that caused her to think of her situation like Joseph in Egypt. Now, the Lord was turning the tables in almost the same way He had done centuries before, and Mordecai was at the center of it all!

If you had been Mordecai, what would you have thought and felt that day?

_______________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

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When the king asked Haman what should be done for someone the king really likes, he probably knew he would get an honest answer out of him. My guess is that he asked it in such a way that he knew Haman would assume it was to honor him, and being the narcissist that he was, he would find out exactly what Haman would have done for him if he were the one being honored.

Haman didn’t disappoint the king. He expected that he was the one being honored, because why wouldn’t it be him? He came up with his bucket list of things he’d love to have done for him and told them to the king in detail. 

What Haman asked for was essentially a parade for the champion king after returning with the spoils of war from some unfortunate kingdom that had fallen before him. The king must have made Haman’s day with this question. He was there to have Mordecai put to death and now this! It couldn’t get any better for Haman!

I like to think that the king paused at least five seconds before verse 10, giving Haman the world’s shortest amount of revelry before realizing just how bad things were about to get for him.

What would your bucket list have been if you were in Haman’s shoes?

__________________

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To say that this is a reversal of fates is a biblical understatement. The Lord has orchestrated something truly spectacular here in the story of Esther. 

The king couldn’t sleep that night. As stated before, maybe it was because Haman’s workmen building the death device specifically for Mordecai is what kept him up. Maybe it was just the providence of the Lord. One way or another, the Lord kept him up and led him to hear a specific bed time story that he otherwise wouldn’t have heard that night.

Ahasaurus decided to have his accomplishments read to him, and the bedtime reader just happened to turn to the story about Mordecai uncovering and stopping the assassination plot against the king we read in chapter two. It’s obvious that this reading somehow extended into the wee hours of the morning, and the king was bothered until it was time to be awake anyway. 

That morning, he asked the reader to read what had been written about what was done for Mordecai. When he couldn’t find anything further written, the king decided to spring into action to rectify the situation. He wasn’t going to let Mordecai go another day without being rewarded for his loyalty. The king wanted to consult one of his advisors, so he asked his attendants if anyone was already in the court that morning.

As luck would have it, Haman just so happened to be walking in early that morning with a small request about who else but Mordecai. Not knowing what the king had been reading that night, he was there to ask if he could just go ahead and put Mordecai to death now on the pike (or gallows) he had built the previous day (and probably overnight). 

What a set up!

What do you think kept the king awake that night?

______________________________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

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After Haman had expressed how little she meant to him as long as Mordecai was still alive, she had a bright idea: just put him to death immediately!

It makes one wonder if Haman had been treating his wife more and more poorly as his hatred and contempt for Mordecai had been increasing. Maybe she had been wondering why his mood was growing considerably worse even as he was being promoted at such a rapid rate. The speech he gave in the preceding passage was probably of great comfort to her. The solution was easy. Just have Mordecai killed.

She suggested he do it in public fashion so that everyone would know that you do not refuse to bow to her husband. He really liked the idea, so Haman gave the orders for this pike (or gallows) to be built that very day. Given the size of this structure, he must have spent a lot of money on it to be built so quickly and it and they probably had to work on it all night long. I’m sure that those who lived close to Haman and the palace heard the work on this structure all night as it kept them awake. 

Maybe it’s the reason the king couldn’t sleep…

What would you have recommended if you had been Haman’s wife?

__________________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbible

The 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.com

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Up to this point, Haman has been very patient and contrived. He’s a schemer, for sure. But something about this banquet, and the prospect of the one tomorrow got him thinking. He thought of all the ways he must have been the most blessed and wealthy person in all of the Persian kingdom, and how that meant nothing to him if Mordecai wouldn’t bow. 

He had passed by Mordecai day in and day out for weeks or months at this point, and Mordecai never once bowed. It was this banquet that Queen Esther threw that got him to contemplate his life, and his patience for Mordecai came to an end. Haman could no longer contain his rage, and he decided it was time to have a confab with his closest friends and family to decide what to do about it.

He brought them together and told them just how little they all meant to him as long as this one lone Jew refused to pay him homage. The speech he gave his wife and kids wasn’t the kind that wins you husband or father of the year, but it was a moment of especially insightful clarity into the mind of this wicked man. The desire for retribution, revenge and death had finally overcome Haman, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. It was eating him alive. 

Had it not been for the events that the Lord was going to be simultaneously orchestrating this evening, things would have gone very poorly for Mordecai and the Jews within just a few short hours.

But the Lord is good at manipulating even the proudest of rulers.

What do you think it was about this one time that Mordecai refused to bow that got to Haman so bad?

______________________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbible

The 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.com

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It’s always been unclear to me whether or not Esther had the two banquets planned, or if she had only intended one and then chickened out in the moment a the first one. Here we see that everything is in place for Esther to reveal Haman as the evil man trying to destroy she and her people, but instead she tells the king that her request, equal up to half the kingdom, is for the king and Haman to show up a second time. 

Regardless of whether Esther planned this or if she chickened out, one thing is clear: the Lord God had this planned out. The series of events that are going to unfold over the next 24 hours are truly remarkable. The way the Lord is going to show His salvation, care and sovereignty over even the most despotic kings and rulers is breathtaking. 

I like to imagine that Esther didn’t have the second banquet planned, but that she got nervous when facing Haman and couldn’t bring herself to accuse him in front of the king that first night. In a moment, she told the king that her plea was for them to come to another banquet as a cover. Maybe she could buy herself some more time and work up the courage to say what needed to be said.

The reason I like to think this isn’t because I think too little of Esther, but I like to think of Esther as a very old woman looking back on this moment and thinking about how she chickened out in that moment, but if she hadn’t, none of the events of the next day would have unfolded the way they did. I like to think about her pondering the goodness and mystery of God in how He set all the coming events up, because no matter what Esther’s plans actually were, no one person but God alone could have foreseen all this and put it all together in such marvelous fashion.

Now watch, and see how the Lord will save His people.

What do you think? Did Esther plan this or did she need another day to build up courage?

_____________________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbible

The 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.com

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The king’s statement to Esther here almost defies logic. It is essentially as if he said to her, “Esther! I haven’t sent for you for over a month and I’ve instead been with my concubines and other wives. But now that you’re here, I really like you and even though I haven’t really thought about you at all lately, what is it that you want? I’ll give you up to half my kingdom!”

As preposterous as that sounds, it is what he told her. It seems like all that prayer and fasting for the past three days had come in handy.

We see this phrase in another place in scripture, so it must have been a thing people said in the ancient world. 

22When the daughter of d Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

Mark 6:22-23

It isn’t clear in either case if this was hyperbole or a colloquial phrase, but almost certainly neither of these kings (Ahaseurus or Herod) would have truly handed half their kingdom over to these two women. The meaning was clear in Esther’s case, however. The king was so pleased with her that he wanted her to know she could speak freely and ask for whatever she wanted. My guess is that he thought she wanted to ask to buy something or for some kind of “do-gooder” cause, and he was more than willing to oblige.

What do you think the king thought Esther was going to ask for?

_____________________

Esther is simultaneously a victory and a tragedy. In some ways, If you look at it through a modern lens, it should be called the Victory of Mordecai and the Tragedy of Esther. Esther loses her parents and then is taken into the harem of a despotic king to be used as he wishes. Mordecai ends up, like Daniel, a very high official and ruler in his expatriated land. 

This will be a great study of Esther as we look at the emotions, the world and the meanings of one of the most cherished, and often misunderstood books of the Bible.

-----------LINKS----------

Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbible

The 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.com

Twitter: @DarrenHibbs - https://twitter.com/DarrenHibbs

Sign up for my newsletter - http://www.darrenhibbs.com

Get a copy of the 10 Week Bible Study today - https://www.amazon.com/Darren-Hibbs/e/B00B4I47CE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=darrenhcom0a-20&linkId=401f3d79974c70929517936977e32df9

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