Trinity Evangel Church

I chose to preach through Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther for such a time as this. We started thirteen months ago, just two months more time than the Jews had between when the lots were cast for their destruction until that very day when, by God’s providence, the reverse happened. It’s time to finish the book of Esther, and to wrap up our study of all three books.

The main character, the “hero,” of all three of these books is God. It’s the greatest irony of Esther in particular that God’s name isn’t used even once, but there’s no way all these things just happened without a divine author, one with a great sense of justice and faithfulness to His people and of humor. All these books center on God fulfilling His promise to the covenant people, that He would protect them in exile and bring (many of) them back to the promised land.

The whole of the Esther story happens between Ezra 6-7. Esther herself is living in the capital city with Ahasuerus, also called Xerxes. Around 40k Jews already returned under Ahasuerus’ grandfather, Cyrus. Another 12k are still to return with Ezra and then Nehemiah.

We’ve met big Bible names in these books: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, as well as Mordecai. All of them were committed to lose it all, at least at crucial times. It was “for such a time as this.” God gave the people “a mind to work,” and they worked. They gathered to hear the Law and then they committed to doing it. In Esther’s case she gradually realized that she had to be willing to give up her life for sake of more lives. And the blessing of God brought them joy on schedule.

In verses 1-20 the Jews were in a fight for their lives. In the last parts of the book the Jews establish a feast as part of their annual liturgy.

The last long chapter explains why the story of Esther was written. The Jews had been holding an annual feast called Purim, and the author has been in the process of telling us why.

Mordecai was the prime minister. He was the second most powerful official in Persia, and he makes the remembrance official. He recorded these things, put them in some sort of journal, and then sent letters…both near and far, covering around 1500 miles both east and west from Susa. He wrote down Haman’s rise and fall and the Jew’s dangers and deliverance. There was to be a yearly two-day feast, days to remind them all of when the Jews got relief from their enemies. These were to be days of feasting and gladness, for sharing food and gifts. Those who did not have resources were to be provided for.

Mordecai formalized what the Jews had already started to do. They called the holiday Purim. That’s the Hebrew plural ending added to the Persian loan word, pur, meaning lot or dice. This story started with a lottery. Hamam meant the purim for evil but God meant it for good (think of Joseph’s comment to his brothers in Genesis 50:20). The day the gods of fortune destined for destruction became the very day the evil plan of Haman was returned on his own head.

Naming is always interesting. What would be equivalent for us, Lotto Ball Day? Card Day? Dart Board Day? Chicken Bone Day? What didn’t kill them made them stronger.

This holiday was to be recognized without fail (verse 27). They firmly obligated, parents with their kids, to be remember these days throughout every generation, in every clan, province and city. The Feast of Purim is still observed among Jews to this day (and like our Easter, the exact day changes year to year. In 2025 it was March 14, in 2026 it will be March 3. They read the entire book of Esther. They also give kids noisemakers called groggers, a kind of rattle, so that whenever Haman’s name is mentioned the kids make a lot of noise "blot out" his name and signify his defeat).

There is a lot of work in this sort of scheduled joy. Did families have rules that you couldn’t sing Purim (observed in March) songs before Hanukkah (observed in December) was over? Did they have budgets for Purim gifts? Are you tired just thinking about advent? Advent?! We’re still eating Reformation Day candy!

The Queen adds her stamp of approval in words of peace and truth. This suggests that there was perhaps some disagreement and even division among the people about the propriety of the Purim partying. If she adds anything other than her affirmation it’s the part about their fasts and their lamenting (verse 31). Of course her own consecrated agency began with three days without food for sake of praying for God’s help.

The bookend finishes with reference to Ahasuerus again, who was the first character we met in chapter 1. In God’s providence good came to the king because of the good done by his wife and his new top man. His kingdom stretched from sea to shining sea, out to the coastlands. As for the subjects, even with the imposed taxes, better is a living tax-payer than a dead one.

The final comment is about Mordecai, who sought the welfare of his people. And the people loved him.

Let’s do three levels of wrap up: 1) to this section we’ve just studied, 2) to the Esther story overall, and then 3) to the Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther trifecta.

First, it’s good to set reminders to trust in the Lord. Scheduled joy works not just because we decide we just want to have joy on a particular day, but because we have reasons to rejoice. Dice that determined the when of destruction turns out, by God’s providence, to be the very day of deliverance? It’s true history and theology.

So, second, the whole book of Esther, without mentioning God’s name once, helps us to fight the temptation to live as if God’s existence is irrelevant. Not only do we look for God’s “invisible hand” turning events how He wants, we trust Him. The crazy cultural context of this story remind us that unfavorable conditions aren’t new and that reversals of evil plans are a frequent because it’s one of our God’s favorite plot points.

For that matter, if there is no Esther there’s no eschatology. Haman’s aim was the end of all Israel. Without Mordecai there is no Messiah. No feast of Purim no propitiation for our sins (John 4:22).

What good does it do for a modern Jew to celebrate Purim apart from faith in Jesus as the Christ? It does the good of increasing their accountability, similar to having the promises and the patriarchs (Romans 9:4-5). But remembering this great story of deliverance won’t save them. It should, by God’s grace, point them to God’s grace and salvation in His Son. But apart from Christ they are looking at destruction worse than anything Haman had planned.

And third, for final “tips” from the three books together, I have none. But if I wanted to give the big idea: God rules, so His people should trust Him. And when His people trust Him, His people risk.

Remember, as Augustus Strong defined it: “Providence is God’s attention concentrated everywhere.” We see it especially in some of these bigger examples:

Particularly for the Jews, Ezra and Nehemiah show God’s providential rule to bring the many Jews back to the land of Israel, and Esther shows God’s providential rule to care for those still outside the land.

But God’s providence encourages, and uses, the consecrated agency of persons. Just some of the bigger examples:

Putting it all together, God’s people set joyful reminders of God’s faithful rule to stimulate and sustain their risks of faith.

As Christians reading all this, we aren’t trying to rebuild Jerusalem, we aren’t sending our daughters to sleep with kings to gain political power, we haven’t given our kids rattles to drown out Haman’s name. But, we are trying to build a culture that honors Christ as Lord, we are praying for kings/presidents that we could live godly lives, and we do schedule feasts for our kids that they would enjoy the blessings of those who fear the Lord. Advent/Christmas, Reformation Day, the Lord’s Table, are part of our routine for sake of remembering, rejoicing, and risking.

Trust in the Lord, down to the roll of the dice.

These stories have set a foundation for some messages that are

God has blessed us, and we pray for Him to bless us even more. These books have set us up for taking individual risks by faith, and they have, Lord willing, set us up to consider as a church what some of our opportunities and responsibilities are for blessing His name in these days.

The “omnipotent faithfulness” (Jobes) of God works for our good, but the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). As those who confess that Jesus is Lord, and anticipate His return as King, He put us here for such a time as this.

Remember that Jesus is building His church. He has given You His Word and His Spirit, the truth of the gospel, that you would learn to observe everything He commanded. Remember His providence and His promise to fill the earth with His glory. Give yourself to the same purpose.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12–13 ESV)

It's been nine years since the first chapter of Esther and the feast thrown by King Ahasuerus. It's been five years since Esther became Queen to Ahasuerus. It's been eleven months since Haman lobbied the king for the lives of all Jews, and eight months since Esther and Mordecai sent out a second decree. Now we come to "the twelfth month...on the thirteenth day...the very day" that the whole book of Esther is written to explain.

In Esther 9:1-19 the Jews are in a fight for their lives. From verse 20 through the short chapter 10, the Jews add a feast into their yearly liturgy, an annual holiday of food and gifts to remember the deliverance on "the very day."

That day did not go according to the expectations of the Persians in two ways. First, the Persians who attacked the Jews expected that they were going to (finally?) get "mastery" over the Jews. Yeah, it’s easier to control a whole group of people when you kill them. The key verse of the chapter is verse 1, which says that "the reverse occurred," or "it was turned to the contrary" (KJV, NASB). The second contrary from the Persian perspective was that the Jews did not take any plunder. That's stated three times in the three different scenes through verse 19. You didn't think the Jews would win, but if they did win, you didn't think they'd just leave the goods.

They fight for their lives, and also, that's all they won.

Adar is the name of the last month of the year, though the Jewish year ended in our March. In the first month (Esther 3:7), the administration cast lots to determine the key dates for the upcoming year, and the lots fell on Adar 13 for the annihilation of all the Israelites living in the Persian Empire. This is what Haman paid for.

But as truly wise men know, “every decision” of lots are from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). This also means that Haman’s hatred rose and fell according to God’s schedule.

Haman wasn't the only one with animosity toward the Jews. Even though the second decree had gone out authorizing the Jews to defend themselves to death, there were still those who hated them (verses 1, 5, 16). The Jews identified those who sought their harm (verse 2).

Yet no one could stand against them. A kind of dread came over many of their enemies. Even many of the local magistrates, all the officials of the provinces and the royal agents offered help. Mordecai was now the prime minister, and he was more reasonable than the king and also more consistent. Mordecai said what he meant and meant what he sent. Even the art of the decree could have included some reminders of who had authority in the palace to pay for the butter for their bread, so to speak. Mordecai grew more and more powerful as a major political player (verse 4).

So the Jews fought for their lives and were successful. When the story says that they did as they pleased, that's not unleashed cruelty, but rather a way to say that they didn’t have a hands tied behind their back from doing what they needed to do to defend themselves.

In the capital city alone 500 men were killed, and added to that were the ten sons of Haman. They are named. Sort of an interesting fact, in the Hebrew manuscripts the names of the sons are off to the side of the main column, giving the impression as if the sons are hanging in the margin. Some traditions also said that when the book of Esther is read during Purim all ten names should be said in one breath because, as the Talmud explains, “their souls all departed together.”

The first section ends with, but they laid no hand on the plunder. They could have, but whether or not it affected their reputation before their remaining neighbors, it was right before God. It stands out because the people of Israel had failed this test many times in their history.

The chapter moves from an overall report to the scene inside the palace. That very day the king heard about those killed in Susa, and he talks with Esther about it. All four commentaries I read questioned Esther's morals in her requests, and called it conduct “unbecoming a woman” (Jobes). My only questions are for the questioners.

Ahasuerus asks about her wish and request again (though, whether or not it’s a big difference, he does not offer up to half the kingdom). She asks for two things. First, she asks for an extension of the same decree for the capital-city Jews. Second, she asks for Haman's already-dead sons to be hung up on gallows.

Has power gone to Esther's head? Is she just being vindictive, brutal?

What we don't know is what intelligence she had, as in, what she was hearing from word on the street. In light of 500 guys dying because they hated the Jews, it's not ridiculous to suppose that more hatred was out there. What we do know is that 300 more guys did attack on the second day (verse 15). More of what we don't know is, how many more might have attacked if Haman's sons hadn't been hanged. It was a deterrent, not a desecration. This was not Achilles dragging Hector’s dead body behind his chariot around the walls of Troy.

Esther's request was still for defense, not attack. And this second section also ends with, but they laid no hands on the plunder. All of this demonstrates restraint more than revenge.

Now we find out the answer to the king's question about how many fools in their hatred struck out against the Jews: 75,000 enemies were killed in self-defense (verse 16).

Again, they laid no hands on the plunder (verse 16), they were fighting for their lives.

The very day is repeated: the thirteenth day of Adar, and then on the fourteenth day they rested and made that day a day of feasting and gladness (verse 17).

But there ended up being two different days of feasting, because the Jews in Susa didn't have rest until the fifteenth day (verse 18). So the country Jews started their Purim party a day ahead. We'll see the formal declaration of this feast as part of their annual liturgy in the next part of chapter 9, but it is a welcome time of eating and giving in the middle of spring.

What do we learn from Esther 9?

That God protects His people. The Lord is a fortress, a stronghold, a shield, a refuge (Psalm 144:2).

That God in His providence often brings about the very opposite of what those who hate Him and hate His people expect. To the contrary, the Lord uses all things to work together for good to those who love Him. Isn’t the book of Esther sort of the story form of Romans 8:28? And who questions if good things work together for good? The emphasis for our faith is that the Lord uses what appears to us to be not good things for His glory and our blessing. In the last chapters of Esther God’s people go from being scheduled for destruction to being delivered by a great reversal on that very day.

That life is worth defending. Murder, and murder to scale in genocide, violates God’s will (Exodus 20:13). Our religion depends on the willing sacrifice of God's own Son to death. We know that God uses martyrs to magnify His message (think even recently of Charlie Kirk). But also, the same Lord says that it is wrong to hate and to kill and it is right for government to explicitly affirm the right to self-defense. Of course this isn’t about abortion, but there is application of the principle. It is a godly thing to use our energy and resources to seek to protect others from death. The Jews in Esther 9 were able to avoid even more bloodshed, their own or their enemies, because God gave favor to Esther and Mordecai.

And when the Lord does deliver our lives, it’s a good time to feast. The story and the remembrances are part of God’s means to increase our durability. Here are helps to “withstand in the evil day, to having done all, to stand firm.”

As the Lord enabled the Jews in Esther to fight for and win their lives on the very day they were scheduled to be destroyed, so you consider the very day of the Lord’s return and give yourself unto willing and working and winning glory for the name of the Lord.

[May God] make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 ESV)

In order of testimonies:

Is Esther 8 the climax of the story? The change in emotional tone from the beginning of the chapter to the end argues: YES.

The slaughter of every Jew is still in the Persian empire's development plans for later in the year. But by the end of Esther 8 the Jews have "light and gladness and joy and honor." Previously the people fasted for three days at Esther's request, now they feast because God has worked through Esther. Their sorrow is turned to joy and their mourning is turned to a holiday.

The story has fallen hard, as if to the low point on a trampoline, but that potential energy is about to launch the story back higher than before, and Esther puts her force into it. God’s providence loves to store up the pressure of difficulties like a kind of energy until it’s time for deliverance. In the long run the wicked’s worst works for the better of consecrated agents.

It was common Persian practice to really make a point about how bad it would be to do something stupid. It wasn't just enough for Ahasuerus to kill Haman, then he went to work on his house posthumously.

The king gave Esther the house of Haman. This is everything belonging to Haman; it’s his estate, his assets, not just his roof and four walls. It was a transfer of wealth, and, one would suppose, a major problem for Haman's wife and sons.

Esther also brought Mordecai before the king and explained that, not only were they related as Jews, they were related as cousins.

Then Ahasuerus gave his signet ring to Mordecai. The king had given it to Haman (Esther 3:10); Haman had been the vizier, the second in power after the king's throne. Now the queen and the prime minister are Jews.

Esther gave Mordecai Haman's estate. Haman was consumed with taking away everything that was important to Mordecai, his life included. It is about as ironic as it could be that now Mordecai takes possession of everything that made up Haman's life. This is quite a reversal of fortune.

All of this is good for Esther and Mordecai, but all is not good. The genocidal decree is still the standing order.

Rather than sit back, satisfied that Haman has been hung, Esther pushes harder into the next jump. Her interaction with the king is a large part of the chapter. It's not necessarily what we would call the principle of pursuit, but it’s still more consecrated agency.

She fell at [the king's] feet and wept and pleaded. In chapter 5, when she entered the king's throne-room without his request, she gave no signs of emotional distress. Her invite to dinner had no drama. No longer does she hide her troubles, and she realizes that what she’s about to ask is almost impossible.

The king was disposed to listen. Holding out the golden scepter to her this time probably wasn't to spare her life but as a symbol of his ready ear.

She shows great deference, or even we could say, her respect bestows an expectation for a respectable response. There's four diplomatic conditions: If it please the king...if I have found favor...if the thing seems right...[if] I am pleasing in his eyes. Two are about the principle of the thing, two are about her person.

To all intents and purposes there was no way to undo or reverse a written law. And actually, that would make the king look bad anyway. But Esther—with wisdom and tact—puts the blame on Haman. They were the letters devised by Haman (verse 5), which is accurate, though not complete. Maybe that is a way around it.

But the decree that went out almost three months ago was for calamity and destruction.

Esther did the asking, the king answers both Esther and Mordecai that, if they will do the work, they have his permission to write another decree and see what will happen.

The amount of detail in this part of the chapter stands out. The bottom line is that they wrote a decree that Jews could defend themselves and distributed the decree. But again, so many specifics argue not only for the accuracy but for the significance.

One reason is to show the fulness of reversal. It's not as if the second decree only turned over 60% of the table. All the official scribes get out their pens. All the fastest royal horses are saddled. All 127 provinces will get the message. The signet ring stamps the highest level of authority. And the permissions are exactly opposite from what Haman wanted.

In chapter 3 the letters had "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" (3:13).

Now the letters allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar (8:11-12).

They did not have authority to stop the first decree, but they did have authority to counteract it. The terms are meant to match in most ways.

The Jews did not have to turn the other cheek, so to speak. It’s likely that they would have tried to defend themselves anyway, but it would have been without any kind of permission. Also, this is not a command for the Jews to attack, it allows them to defend their lives. It is explicit power for self-defense against those who might attack them. It is also limited to only the one day, the same day as the purge was scheduled.

Adding the women and children and plunder (verse 11) in has caused quite a Christian conniption. It's okay to fight the guy swinging his sword at you, but then to go after that guy's family?

I wonder if we shouldn't see this as an ancient art of the decree. Say something extreme, but not because that's really what you want, in order to make the eventual agreement seem like a win to the other party. The language of this second decree does not require massacre of civilians or the plunder of property, but 1) it does match the previous decree, and 2) it does plant a mental-seed; it gets the would-be attackers on their heels. We know this happened per the last comment in the chapter: fear of the Jews had fallen on them. And also, we know that the Jews did not plunder (9:10, 15-16).

The decree gets distributed, “hastened and impelled by the king’s command” (NASB). And still some 75,000 men tried to kill the Jews anyway.

They are still eight and a half months away from the 13th of Adar, but when news gets out, the party breaks out. (We might wonder if this provoked at least some more anti-Jew attitude than otherwise, but we don’t know for sure.)

In Susa they are rejoicing at a new prime minister. They apparently don't care where he's from, Mordecai has shown himself a man of character.

As for the Jews themselves they had light and gladness and joy and honor. It's not frequent, but, here and probably in Psalm 97:11, light is used to describe a sense of feeling not in the sense of illumination. It's not contrasted with darkness, it's contrasted with heaviness.

When the first decree came out there was "great mourning...with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes" (4:3). Now it is a feast and a holiday.

Many non-Jews declared themselves Jews. It's a word for conversion, and it's only used here in the OT. Seems more political than spiritual, but very rare for non-Jews to identify as Jews. If you can’t beat them, join them.

Haman went too far. If he’d only tried to sell the Jews as slaves, Esther says she might not have even said anything. But the depth of the pit led to the height of reversal. Salvation and elevation, from possible genocide to governing authority.

A few years ago I was talking with a lawyer about how to get private schools out from underneath any state requirements. He said that such change likely won’t happen until the state overreaches so blatantly at some point, not just that results in push back but a complete push off. Sort of similar with the murder of Charlie Kirk, the forces of spiritual darkness magnified Charlie’s testimony by overplaying their turn.

Know that threats and pressure are never wasted, but stored up; the lowest point holds great potential. Feel God’s providential attention at every point of your arc. Do not despair at the low point on the trampoline, ready your consecrated energy to maximize on the rebound. It’s all for such a time as this.

If you lay down on the metaphorical trampoline of life you’re wasting your advantage. Of course there will be low points, but the springs of Providence don’t break. So don't lose heart. Watch for the right time, and then put your consecrated legs into it.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)

When it rains it pours, but the proud have a hard time realizing when they are all wet.

A quick recap. We’re probably in the late afternoon of the day that started in chapter 6. It just so happened that Ahasuerus had some insomnia, and it just so happened that he had the book of remembrances read to him, and it just so happened that he realized Mordecai the Jew had not been honored for stopping the assassination attempt five years earlier. At the same time Haman's inner circle had convinced him—and it didn't take much—to execute Mordecai. Haman spent the night getting the gallows up.

When Haman arrived early at the palace to ask the king to rubber stamp his execution of Mordecai, the king asked first about an idea for honoring a guy, and Haman had no doubt that he was that guy. Haman had ideas! Then Haman got to put his ideas into play personally: Haman led Mordecai around town on the king's horse while wearing the king's robes. Haman had just gotten home to sit down for a nice cup of self-pity when the king's servants arrived and hustled Haman off to the second dinner.

Esther 7 is downhill with no brakes.

Of the three characters on stage here, Ahasuerus is the only one who's doing just fine. We know that nothing so far that day has gone Haman's way; is he feeling like at least this part has to be better? Esther is probably feeling better than the previous day, having no doubt heard about her cousin's day, but there's no guarantee that the king will appreciate her request. He's implicated in her accusation. She does not know how it's going to play out, and she's got to be in the room with that guy again.

During after dinner drinks the king returns to the reason for their meeting. Esther wants something. “Come on, woman, spit it out.” He's feeling curious, and generous.

But this is an elimination game. Someone is not making it to the next round.

Queen Esther answers according to the king’s terms, with a wish and a request. What neither her husband nor Haman know is that her very life is in danger, because neither of them know where she’s from. She is part of the “certain people" that Haman conveniently never named when he got Ahasuerus' to sign off on the genocide (Esther 3:8). Esther identifies with her people.

We have been sold. This description would work figuratively, but in this case it is fact. Haman bought the extermination rights with 10k talents of silver. Esther uses the same vocabulary as in the decree (Esther 3:13), a lethal trifecta: to be destroyed, to be killed, to be annihilated. She and her people would be wiped out.

By comparison, if they'd have been sold as slaves, she claims she wouldn't have even bothered with it. That would have certainly been an affliction. The last phrase of verse 4 has been translated and interpreted different ways, but she seems to say that the money spent to make slaves is one thing, but money spent to kill a slew of the king's subjects is another.

The king has not put it together yet. He assumes something else had happened that he didn't know about.

“Then King Ahasuerus [said and said to] Queen Esther,” though only one “said” made it into the ESV; it heightens the action. Then what he said sounds aggressive. In Hebrew it would sound like Mi hu zeh ve-ei-zeh hu. One commentator observed that the cadence might remind us of a machine gun. “Who is he, this one, and where is this one?” He wants immediate answer. Who has dared to do this? Or, “whose heart has filled him” with arrogance like this? How dare you!

Esther points across the table: it’s that guy, a foe and enemy!

Not so surprising, and quite understated, Haman is terrified.

The king is MAD. He left the table and stormed out of the room and went into the palace garden. He needs a minute. Is he angry only at Haman, or is he angry with Haman for tricking him? Ahasuerus is not faultless. The decree is in his name and stamped with his signet ring and has gone out to all his empire (Esther 3:12). He's not supposed to change his own law, but he didn't realize that he was signing his own wife's death warrant.

Haman also got that at least a couple things were really wrong. He was smart enough to realize that only one person could persuade the king to go easy on him, as in, spare his life. But staying in the room as he did, alone with the king's wife, was against all the Persian protocol. Just by remaining he put himself into more trouble.

However long Haman and Esther were alone, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. They were likely reclined, Haman was likely showing respect by bowing down at her feet, but she was likely giving him no sympathy. It is ironic that he couldn’t get Mordecai, the Jew, to fall before him in respect, and now he’s bowed before Esther, a Jew, and a woman. He had no other choice. But it really was a bad look.

The king came back into the room at the precise time to have a clear reason for judging Haman. Haman wasn't assaulting the queen, but it appeared that way, and Ahasuerus was irate. “He would assault my wife in my house?!”

Pause: should Esther have interceded for Haman? No. She is the Queen of Persia, and defends her people with royal privilege. Haman’s genocidal intentions need more than empathy, his wickedness warrants execution.

This is great story-telling here: As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face. Were “face covering bags” part of a guard’s every day carry?

The impression is that these eunuchs were not the effeminate type, and they are not on Team Haman. One of them named Harbona gives no counsel to the king but he does provide some pertinent information. "There is an instrument of death just waiting to be used, and it's over at Haman's house." "And, oh yeah, Haman built it for Mordecai, the one who saved your life.” That it was gargantuan. At fifty cubits high this thing meant it was for show. The only thing more absurd than this 75 foot tall gallows was Haman’s pride.

As usual, Ahasuerus listens to whomever the last person to talk to him was, and thinks that it sounds like an excellent end to Haman's day. Hang him on that. The tides of wrath come in verse 7 and leave verse 10: Then the wrath of the king abated.

It just so happened, again and again in chapter 6, and then just like that in chapter 7, Haman is gone. I still love this definition from Augustus Strong, “Providence is God’s attention concentrated everywhere.” Justice is served, and it is poetic.

Haman’s pride dug the pit (Psalm 7:14–16). He hung himself. Was there ever a possibility that a seven-story gallows, visible across town, wouldn’t come back to bite Haman? God resists the proud; proud foes fall hard because the arrogant are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 16:5). You can know that this is how the story of proud characters always ends.

Pride goes before destruction,

It’s proverbial and archetypal. Shakespeare has Hamlet explain his plan to outwit the enemies, “For ’tis the sport to have the engineer Hoist with his own petard” (Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 4 Lines 208-209). A petard was a small bomb, dangerous and unreliable. The engineer/bomb-maker could be easily hoisted, that is blown into the air, as his destructive plan backfired.

As for Esther, there’s one foe down and the decree to go, which we’ll see in chapters 8-9.

As for you, do not give way before the wicked.

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

We do not make the rules. Because God is God, if you seek to lift yourself up, God will bring you down. But this does not mean there is no way to be exalted. Humble yourself so that God will lift you up. He’s better at it. He’s working at it. He gives grace all the way to glory.

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5b–7 ESV)

Is there a more ironic series of reversals anywhere in the Bible than with Haman in Esther 6? Haman hardly slept as he worked on, or at least oversaw the work on, his 75 foot tall gallows. He already expected a great day. He was going to get Mordecai killed and then he was going to enjoy dinner with the king and queen again. He arrived early at the palace for a quick meeting with the king, and it seems that his day is going to be even better. The king asks for ideas on how to honor a “guy,” and this makes Haman’s trifecta. Haman is going to get honor, get revenge, and get feasted. Little did he know.

This is the turning point of Esther. Between some of the previous chapters years have passed. This chapter focuses on hours.

It's also interesting that Esther herself isn't in this chapter. There's no doubt, Esther is the human heroine of the book. Mordecai is a close second, but it's her risk and influence that is key. That said, she can take zero credit for the most critical parts in the story. No way could she know that Haman would plan to kill Mordecai the same day she was planning a second dinner. No way she could have anticipated the king's sleepless night or how he would choose to deal with his sleeplessness. No way could she have planned on an event from five years earlier being remembered now. No way could she have planned for Haman's presence in the morning.

The point is, God's providence keeps His promises to protect His people.

There's the third person omniscient phrase, "little did he know." The author knows, the reader knows, but the character can't. Little does Haman know how differently his special day will turn out.

All of this is completely believable, and also, the way it lines up has to be more than coincidental.

Verse 1 is the turning point of the chapter. The king could not sleep. It’s more poetic than that. “Sleep fled” from him (Jacob used the same language in Genesis 31:40). Sleep doesn’t obey kings, only God.

Is insomnia typical for the king? Doesn't matter; he's up in the middle of the night. As king he had a variety of options to choose from. A good argument can be made that he wanted to go back to sleep and so he had an attendant come in to read some government documents. The "book of remembrances” was probably more interesting than a phone book, but by how much? The king could have called for music, for a woman, but he just so happens to call for a book.

And how many volumes was the book of memorable deeds? Ahasuerus had been king now for at least 12 years. Even just the good parts of your life for a dozen times around the sun would fill up a lot of pages. It just so happens that the part that this reader opened to included the assassination plot from five years ago that Mordecai helped to stop (Esther 2:19-23). It also just so happens that nothing was done to reward Mordecai. The Persian kings prided themselves on good rewards, which also secured loyalty for possible future trouble. It would be rare that a life-saving act such as Mordecai’s would not have been recognized.

Why sleepless? Why a book? Why this book? Why this part of the book? Why not rewarded before? It just so happens.

On top of that it just so happens that the king is in such good spirits that when he hears some noise outside his chambers he figures he'll get a second opinion on how to honor Mordecai.

It's Haman. He's there at this moment to get the king to have Mordecai hung. But it just so happens that the king talks first. And, in light of line of conversation, Haman has no reason to interrupt.

Ahasuerus did want to hear what Haman's idea of great honor would be. Haman answered exactly like the king expected. Little did he know that Ahasuerus had someone else in mind. And no way would Haman have anticipated who, and no way Haman would have anticipated that he’d be told to make it happen. The king said, ”Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.”

Haman didn’t ask for money or power. He wanted public status. He wanted to play dress up in a parade. Riding the king’s horse might be compared to riding in Air Force One, honor by association. Little did he know what kind of pride parade he was in for.

The king apparently has zero idea of the conflict between Haman and Mordecai. It's not just that Haman will hear about Mordecai getting the honor he put on his wish list, Haman gets to watch every minute of it. At least he was on the right end of the horse.

As soon as the parade of honor is done, Haman heads home. He had his head covered; we might call it the hoodie of protection. He’s humiliated. Even the people that liked Haman, which has to be a very small number, would have known that Mordecai was his enemy. What was he going to do, yell out but then try to whisper that he didn’t mean it?

He gets to his house and tells Zeresh and his buddies what's happened. He didn't even get to mention to Ahasuerus the gallows. It's all moving so quickly.

Their sort of prophetic distancing is not good either. The condition of if/then is odd. What do they mean,if Mordecai…is of the Jewish people? How could they be friends with Haman and not know that Mordecai was a Jew? Haman had said, “all this is worth nothing to me so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate” (5:13). Destroying Jews has been the whole point of Haman's project.

You will surely fall is quite a flip-flop.

The last verse in the chapter obviously transitions to the next scene, but is the right sort of chaotic note that pauses before the next measure. It's probably not that Haman forgot about the dinner, but that he's been too busy dealing with his special day that's gone a lot different than he thought. He is reeling. He's not ready, in any way, for what's next.

Chapter 5 is about providence and nerve. Here in chapter 6 it's providence and pride. Esther 5 was consecrated agency, Esther 6 is providential reversal.

Everything changes in chapter 6, and Esther isn’t even mentioned. Her obedience mattered, but it wasn’t determinative. Esther could not have put all this together no matter how much nerve she had. For all Esther knew, she was just trying to stop Haman. God was doing a real number on Haman.

When God is for you, who can be against you? When God is against you, great is your fall. This isn’t Athena against Ares or Aphrodite or Apollo going back and forth in the Illiad, this is the Triune God keeping covenant with His people. God does what He wants, and wise men know where steps lead.

Pride goes before destruction,

The righteous is delivered from trouble,

God gives the proud shovels that are just their size. Haman was about ready to fall into the pit he dug, and he wouldn’t even enjoy his last meal. Little did he know.

If God was not in control, human agency would mean squat—mere striving after wind. Because God is sovereign, our responsibility means something—sowing seeds bear fruit.

Apart from Him, who can eat or have enjoyment? With Him, who can be against you?

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV)

Do you have enough nerve to let God let your enemy dig his own pit?

How many problems could you have with that question? I'd say it could easily be three. 1) "Nerve" isn't a Bible word. 2) As a Christian, you don't really have any enemies, do you? 3) Could this possibly be the point of Esther 5? There are no pits here, right?

This part of Esther’s story raises the tension 75 feet into the air. One critical problem is resolved, but that is just the door into a room full of problems. By the end we've still got to wait at least another day, and that leaves more time for things to get worse, which they do.

It's enjoyable to the degree that we know what happens, and that we identify with the winning side. But is there edification? Is there example? Yes. It's having enough nerve to let God let our enemies dig their pits deeper. Let's see the plot in the chapter, make sure we’re clear on some definitions, and then press it into our own context.

Two significant scenes in chapter 5: Esther's first feast (verses 1-8) and Haman's fleshly fury (verses 9-14), but we’ll look at it in light of three observations about God’s providence and human nerve.

Mordecai made it clear to Esther: she was in an inescapable conflict. She could risk death by trying to get her king-husband's attention without his invite or she would risk death by trying to hide her Jewish identity from her king-husband's decree. She agreed that she had to act, and she prayed and had Mordecai muster the prayer warriors on her behalf.

Esther was a beautiful woman. She had won the king's favor. She's been the Queen of Persia for five years. Based on her previous behavior, we can assume that many in the palace esteemed her, but we can also assume that at least some others hated her because she was so esteemed. But Ahasuerus hasn't called for her in thirty days. Vashti lost her throne when the king called for her and she didn’t come, what would happen to Esther if she came when the king didn’t call?

She put on royal robes. Was she making some last minute "arrow prayers" on her way to the throne room? Ahasuerus is in place, probably near the end of his workday. She stepped into the arena. Would he be glad to see her?

She won favor in his sight, and he held out the golden scepter. And if we were hearing this for the first time, we could let out the breath we'd been holding. But this is only the step one, maybe even the easiest one. She touched the tip of the scepter which was protocol before the king. Now we find out what sort of mood he's in.

G.K. Chesterton on this kind of nerve: “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.” By God’s providence, Esther had nerve to take the first risk.

The king is in a good mood. He also knows that she's there because she wants something. The Persian Times never nicknamed him Mr. Empathy, yet he appreciated her risk. Before she even says anything he offers even to the half of my kingdom, which probably wasn't a formal contract, but an exaggerated expression of ready generosity.

It's a bit surprising that Esther isn't more urgent, right? This is life or death. Should she ask for Haman’s head on a platter? Instead she invites the king to dinner. And it's more than surprising that Esther includes Haman for dinner. He's the enemy, evil but in the uninteresting way; he’s not even any fun.

A couple more things to observe here. She had already prepared the feast (verse 5). Without the scepter, the meal was moot; with the scepter, she needed a set table. Though her husband asked what she wanted, she holds off. She's about to entertain a man who hasn't wanted to talk to her in a month, along with a man who has already set up the machinery to massacre her people. Even during the after dinner drinks when the king asks again, she postpones. Why? And how? And when did she plan for the second dinner?

The text doesn't give her reasoning. It makes sense that she'd ask in private rather than in front of however many attendants were in the throne room. But another 24 hours? Did she think that Ahasuerus wasn’t ready to denounce Haman? Did she sneak in any stink eyes toward Haman when he wasn't looking? How could she handle being in the same room? But her patience works out better than she could have planned. She had nerve. God's providence gave her restraint and really lets Haman get his shovel out of the shed.

Haman never told a story he couldn't be the hero of. Dinner, with only him and the king and queen, and doing it all again? He is IMPORTANT. But Mordecai, again, won’t acknowledge that he is IMPORTANT. Mordecai has nerve. Haman reacts, he was filled with wrath. For a minute he doesn’t lash out but his emotional reactivity is ready to boil over.

When he got home he collected an audience, his wife and some friends, and Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons (ten according to 9:10), all the promotions, and to top it off, his exclusive dining experience. Yet Haman was so proud it made him pouty. That one stinking Jew. All this is worth nothing to me so long as Mordecai is walking around.

Flattering/syncophantic chatbots aren't new. Zeresh encourages Haman to run with his reactivity. Don't wait for months for the Purim purge. Make up a charge and get Mordecai executed. She's a new Jezebel, with ideas for 75 foot tall stake. Of course Haman was pleased; his reactivity was affirmed.

Nerve is a sort of courage with edge. It’s hard to find one definition that has it all. Let me offer this for now: nerve is a combination of God-fearing disagreeability and determination. This means nerve isn't fearing man, nerve doesn't fear being outside of consensus, nerve doesn't fear the overwhelming odds. Nerve is the opposite of comfort at the cost of conviction.

Esther realized that she couldn't just go-along, and she couldn't just accept that she was useless. She also was not hysterical, not anxious; would Ahasuerus have acted so receptive if she’d come in shrieking?

Pit-digging is Bible talk for trying to hurt others, and God loves to let pit-diggers dig pits...to fall into. It's poetic justice. God told Abram that those who cursed Abram's offspring would be cursed. How? Haman is a great case. God elevated Haman for a bigger fall. There are a bunch of pit-digging verses (e.g., Psalm 9:15; 57:6; 119:85; Proverbs 26:27; 28:10; Ecclesiastes 10:8), including Psalm 7.

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil

As for enemies, yes, we Christ-following believers have them. Some of them are actually still Haman-ic, hating Jews just because they are Jews. Some of our enemies just hate the righteous (Psalm 34:21), they’re doing the devil’s work, lying and murdering.

The gospel does convert elect enemies into brothers. Jesus died for those who need saving. Enemies of the cross (a label used in Philippians 3:18) can become friends by the Spirit’s sovereign application of the Son’s atonement.

And yet, enemies may not be broken or humbled until after they’ve killed and seen our response. Think Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, think Charlie Kirk. And still other enemies are storing up more wrath for themselves in the day of wrath (Romans 2:5). We’re not fixing anything by refusing to recognize enemies. We can’t love our enemies (Matthew 5:43) if we can’t identity them. “Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright” (Proverbs 29:10).

This is the point of Esther 5. Consecrated agents have nerve, for risk and with restraint, not auto-reactivity. They have nerve that lets God let enemies dig deeper pits.

Overcome evil with good. Good includes nerve in uncertain times. Good includes nerve while waiting for God’s time. Good includes praising God for His providence. Good includes thanking God for shovels.

Esther and agency: she did not take matters into her own hands, but she did consciously put her life in God's hands.

Do you need to take a risk by faith this week, in a conversation, for a decision? Do you need to show restraint by faith this week, even as you see the pit meant for you getting deeper? You cannot just go-along with the wicked, and you should not freak out. Fear God, show nerve.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Romans 16:20 ESV)

There has never been a better time to act. God made us as characters who live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He created us to think and to do. We have brains and bodies, heads and hands. We live in a day when so many problems are visible, when so many resources are available, and who knows, maybe God has us here for such a time as this.

We are agents, as in, beings with agency. Agents have the capacity to see how something could or should be, and they have the capacity to interrupt the status quo and initiate steps to an alternative quo. Agents don’t just solve problems like a calculator—with someone else pushing our buttons, we set goals and fear God and get going.

When men decide what they want according to their own standards let alone lusts, or when men will do whatever it takes to get the result without any regard for what’s right, they make trouble. Because we are image-bearers, that sort of independent agency is rebellious.

For that matter, inactivity is a different kind of rebellion. Note: prayer and fasting and waiting on the Lord are not inactivity. But laziness is. Dereliction is. Not showing up is.

What do we need? We need consecrated agency. That is, we devote our plans and our energy to the Lord. We trust Him, and trust looks like taking steps. As we’re walking God is working.

Commit your way to the LORD;

I've been signing off my emails "for such a time as this" for over a year. When we started Ezra, the plan was to cover Ezra Nehemiah and Esther, and the key phrase is finally here in Esther 4:14. In fact, that first message from Ezra 1 on September 29 last year was titled “For Such a Time as This.” When God gives a mind to work, He makes us consecrated agents.

In Esther 3, Mordecai refused to bow before Haman. Haman was so petty that he turned the personal affront into a plan for an empire-wide genocide of the Jews. He got the king to authorize it and then announced the date of destruction far and wide. The city of Susa was in confusion, and the Jews were in commiseration.

Mordecai himself opened the door for this. Maybe Haman already had anti-semitic feelings. Maybe as an Agagite Haman hated the Israelites as much as they had contempt for the Amalekites. But there's no way Mordecai could have imagined that his behavior would put his entire people at risk. Maybe Mordecai was willing to lose his own life, but not all the Jews.

Mordecai does what a lot of Jews did, except that he did it in public, through the streets of Susa, and up to the king's gate. He put on sackcloth and ashes, the typical mourning outfit. He cried out, loudly, so that everyone could hear him. That he kept it up all the way to the palace means that he was trying to get attention. Not only was it unhidden, it was unacceptable to the administration. No one was allowed to be upset like this in the gates. You didn't complain about the king or his decisions. It was not a place for free speech.

And all throughout the empire there was weeping and fasting and lamenting. The Jews were in great trouble, and Mordecai was getting himself into great trouble.

Her cousin’s behavior was not good. Everyone was seeing and hearing Mordecai. Esther's servants told her what was happening, but Esther apparently didn't know all that was happening. She doesn't ask any questions, she sends clothes. She's trying to cover it up, physically. But Mordecai won't take them, and this must mean that something is really wrong.

Esther sends a particular attendant to talk to Mordecai. And Mordecai spills the beans. He tells all that had happened to him, which seems to mean that he knows that he is the starting point. He's got the receipts, that is, a copy of the decree of destruction. And he tells Hathach to tell Esther that she needs to get the king to change it and now.

But Esther replies with what Mordecai already knew: you don't interrupt the king. This was standard Persian practice. There were seven guys who had access, but anyone else who wanted an audience with the king had to be asked for. There was one other option. It's not obvious how this would happen, but some could get to the throne room and if the king held up the golden scepter then you got to plead your case. But if he did not hold up the scepter, you got to go to your death.

We feel bad about putting our phone on Airplane Mode for a couple hours to get some deep work done. Ahasuerus' policy against interruptions took it up a notch.

Esther hadn't been called for a month, so not even the queen had anytime access. This means Ahasuerus was also busy elsewhere during the evenings. Husband and wife weren't sharing meals or a bed, let alone catching up on how their days were going. She must have sensed a vibe that things weren't great. Even for her this was a matter of life or death.

Mordecai agrees that she’s in trouble, except that he points out it is not whether but which. It is a matter of life or death if she does not go. There is no escape. She is a Jew. This is not just the inescapable concept but an inescapable conflict.

Mordecai trusts Hathach with this info. Esther had been keeping her identity secret, as Mordecai had told her to do. But at this point even the queen’s throne wasn't a hiding place, it actually made her an obvious target. So far, Ahasuerus is easily steered by plans to please him. Does Esther still have his favor so that he'd protect her?

She needs to act no matter. Verse 14 is the key. Mordecai says a couple things, which are dead serious, whether taken as threat or as exhortation. First he says that he trusts that God will protect the covenant people. Relief and deliverance will rise, count on it. But if Esther remains quiet, Mordecai anticipates that she and her family--which, that is only himself?--will still die.

Then he says, And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? All of the things that have happened have happened to get her to this moment. This is it. Providence has brought her to this exact point.

She accepts the mission, but she asks Mordecai to get the community to pray for her and pray that God would give her success. She and her maidservants will also fast, day and night, for three days. Then she'll go, and If I perish, I perish.

One qualification and then a few exhortations about agency from Esther 4.

As we look for our own application from Esther—which we should do—we should remember that the retelling of a story focuses on the action, not the waiting. Nine years have passed since the beginning of this narrative, and at least five years have passed since Esther became queen. Our stories include down time.

That said, we do see what consecrated agency looks like.

Agency is doing something. Something is greater than nothing. And consecrated agency is not trying to do everything either. Fleshly agency is a great agency burden, when you try to make it happen from and through and to yourself. You were not made to be god. But it is wrong to say, “There is nothing I can do.” Agency says, “I am going to do something.”

Consecrated agency is doing something by faith. Do we fear that we won’t get the golden scepter of public approval? Will we be embarrassed, proven wrong, criticized? Assassinated? Esther, and Mordecai and Hathach for that matter, all risked death. So they fasted. They looked to God to bless their words.

What seat are you in? Mordecai, Esther, and Hathach are all active, but Mordecai in public mourning, Hathach as a faithful messenger, and Esther as queen of prayer. Can you point out the problems that could cost your comfort? Can you make connections between people? Do you have access to the person that can fix it?

Ladies, does this apply to you as well? Well, yes, of course it does, the story is titled “Esther.”

God purposes human agency in His providence, and so all our agency should be consecrated. Commit your way to the Lord, for such a time as this.

God does not need to use human agents to accomplish His purposes. God also says His purposes will be accomplished as He uses human agents. Christian, consecrate your God-given agency to Him for His purposes. He has consecrated and BLESSED you for such a time as this.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV)

When we open God’s Word together we are not looking away from the world, we are looking to get wisdom for our life in the world. A good grasp of the context of any given passage in God’s Word should help give us a better grasp of the context of any given problem in our weeks. Scripture provides perspective, not distraction. We don’t bury our heads in the Bible like an ostrich, the Bible elevates our viewpoint like that of an eagle (Isaiah 40:31). Being still before the Lord (Psalm 46:10) isn’t quietism, it’s consecrated agency to get to work by faith not the flesh.

So we come back to the story of Esther. It is a story of God’s providence—that is, God’s attention and activity concentrated everywhere—for His people that is providentially relevant again.

When we look around, and certainly when we hear of events such as are dominating our news cycle, hatred appears to run the world. Titus 3:3 describes the life of unbelievers as “passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” Hatred results in anger, anger energizes attention, and this is why hatred on news channels sells advertising. Those who fear the Lord know that hatred really just attempts to run the world, but even hatred can't avoid being under God's control and accomplishing God's purposes.

Not all hatred is unlawful. In fact, “the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). We sing, “O you who love the LORD, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10). The object of hatred determines whether the hatred is right or whether hatred is evil. In this part of Esther, hatred is not of the good kind. Though foiled for a moment, hatred is incited and inflated until it becomes an extinction-level threat to God's people.

And also in this part of Esther, the divine Author uses foreshadowing, irony, generational conflict, tension, and dice to keep our attention, and to build our faith.

Chapter 2 began with a plan to please the king. Hundreds of women had a turn to please the king, and Hadassah/Esther won grace and favor in the king’s sight. The king was pleased, but not everyone was pleased with the king.

There's a new queen in town, and Esther seems to have arranged an official position for her cousin Mordecai. For Mordecai to be sitting at the king's gate meant he had some authoritative role in the city administration. The men at the gate might not have been in the king’s inner circle, but they heard disputes, they made decisions.

The virgins were gathered together the second time, is this the group of ladies that didn’t get a turn because the king chose Esther?

Then in verse 20 the human author repeats that Esther had not make known her Jewish identity. Esther followed her cousin's counsel, just as she had done when he was raising her.

While Mordecai was in the gate he learned of assassination plan. Bigthan and Terish were two of the king's security team (verse 21). They guarded the threshold, meaning that they protected his private bedroom. They became angry, though we're not told exactly why. It made them mad enough to want to kill the king.

Mordecai apparently did not have access to Ahasuerus directly, but he did tell Esther, and she told Ahasuerus on behalf of Mordecai. The conspiracy was investigated and confirmed (verse 22). The penalty was death. To be hanged on the gallows does not mean hanged as with a rope with a noose around the neck, but impaled—the typical Persian punishment, with a stake through the body, lifted up for all to see.

All this was captured in the official records, but no thanks or honor of any kind is given to Mordecai. Alright. But it does sort of stink compared with what happens next in the story. And those who knew the story knew that it was a part to be resolved in chapter 6. (For what it’s worth, Ahasuerus was assassinated in his bedroom in 465 BC, about 12 or so years after this foiled attempt.)

In a plot surprise, a different man than the man who saved the king's life gets honored by the king. It was After these things, so we're supposed to appreciate these episodes next to each other, though this happens two or three years later.

Haman is the last main character for us to meet in the book. He is Haman, the Agagite, which turns out to be important. The king gave Haman the second seat in the empire, the vizier, and all the king's horses and all the king's men bowed down to Haman for the king had so commanded (verse 2). This detail, along with the lack of any details about why Haman was to be honored, suggests that Haman himself was not easy to honor. It required a mandate from the monarch.

But Mordecai did not bow down. Why not? While the text doesn't spell it out, enough clues make the answer clear. How Haman is introduced as the Agagaite, along with the repeated keeping their ethnicity concealed, the fact that Mordecai does reveal it now, along with the target of Haman’s hatred. This is a longstanding conflict.

King Agag ruled the Amalekites. The Lord told King Saul to destroy all the Amalekites, in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 25:17-19. But in 1 Samuel 15 Saul took the best, made up an excuse, and when Samuel arrived he "hacked Agag to pieces." That happened over five centuries before Haman and Mordecai, but the enmity remained.

The other guys in the gate urged Mordecai to keep himself out of trouble. But apparently Mordecai explained himself, he had told them that he was a Jew.

Initially Haman didn't even notice. But when it was so helpfully brought to his attention, along with the reason for it, Haman was filled with fury. It wasn't enough for him to destroy one Jew, he wanted to get rid of them all.

Nine years have passed since the initial feast in chapter 1, and five have passed since Esther took on the royal crown in chapter 2. Now in the first month of Ahasuerus' twelfth year, the fortune tellers and astrologers and event planners get together.

It was apparently a thing to get together at the beginning of the year and throw dice to determine when certain things should be done. The Persian name of the clay cubes is Pur, and purim is the plural form, which we know from the end of the book is part of the reason for the book (Esther 9:26-31), that is, to explain the Feast of Purim.

Haman casts lots to determine when it would be best to kill all the Jews. What good news would his gods give him? It wasn’t so great, he’d have to wait almost a year. Turns out, a lot can happen in a year.

Then he went to Ahasuerus to get official permission. Note that he does not even say who he's lobbying against, there is a certain people (verse 8), and the king doesn't ask. Haman dances around the truth, occasionally stepping on it, but mostly spinning up accusations to make his case. He also offers to pay 10k worth of silver talents into the king's treasuries. Herodotus notes that the typically annual tribute was 15k, so Haman is offering 2/3rds of a year of income for the privilege of getting what he wants; it was about 300 tons. He is his own one-man lobby for genocide.

Now Haman, the Agagite, is called the enemy of the Jews (verse 10). He's got full palace authority for this intended genocide.

The exact dating of when the scribes were called to write the decree of destruction is not just a demonstration of historical accuracy, it is historical irony. The thirteenth day of the first month is one day before the Jews celebrate Passover. Passover is the feast the reminded them of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. They had been sold again, not to slavery, but to slaughter.

The Persian post office was back in action, and the announcement went throughout all the empire with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day.

The final sentence of the chapter is the most chilling, at least in terms of the gleeful and yet callous hatred. The king and Haman pour themselves a drink to celebrate their impressive work. The city, though, was in confusion. What in the world?

How specifically should this passage change how we respond to threats, hatred, or seemingly hopeless situations?

Remember that Haman’s type of hatred still exists, not only in forms of anti-semitism, but in the desire to destroy others. And remember more than that, God is sovereign. Even “every decision of the lot is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33). The Lord is at work in the story.

Do the right thing even if there is no immediate reward. Don’t be distressed by evil men (Psalm 37:1). Even when the laws of the land decree lots of destruction, “the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He sees that his day is coming” (Psalm 37:13).

God governs the lots. God rules over lobbies, including those that lobby for death. God remembers the lowly, and lifts up their heads with wisdom for our life in a world of hate.

You are a clay pot filled with the treasure of the gospel. Jesus Christ is Lord, that is your message, He is your model. Some clay pots are broken in a moment, others are used up and worn out. When grace sloshes out from our pots the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

We are still in the setup part of this story. The theme of the book is the covenant people protected by Providence, but we’re through chapter 1 and we haven't heard about any Jews yet or about any threats against them. We will meet two of the three remaining key characters in this chapter, who both happen to be Jews, though, at least in this chapter, they keep that part of their identity hidden.

Esther 2 is like a mule wearing mascara: it carries a lot of weight but the closer you look the less pretty it is. This part of the story is not fun, though of course it's no less providential. It's not romantic, nor is it a comedy for most involved. The only way to view anything here as glamorous is through part-egesis, that is, only looking at parts of the text.

Two comments on the context. The last paragraph of chapter 2 concerns a different episode than the first 18 verses. It's a bridge not just to the next chapter, but another providential brick in the wall for the main conflict in the book. We'll let verses 19-23 introduce the next message. And also for context, we should note the references to time. The chapter opens with "after these things,” and those “things” took place in the third year of Ahasuerus' reign (1:3). The climax of this little plot takes place in the tenth month of the seventh year of his reign (2:16). Plus part of the action includes twelve months of beautification for a whole harem. The point being, the royal crown had no queen for four years.

A lot happened in those four years that this book does not include. We know from Herodotus and other histories that Ahasuerus, a.k.a. Xerxes, did muster the army of the Medes and Persians and crossed the Hellespont and attacked Greece and lost. Most of his money was gone and his reputation caked with mud.

To one extent or another, Ahasuerus is licking his wounds like a dog after being neutered. Whatever contempt he earned from banishing Vashti and broadcasting it throughout the empire, his military losses didn’t help. He's humbled, and he's lonely.

We can see two parts in verses 1-18, the plan in general and then how it affected two people in particular (1-11), followed by the process and also how it affected one person in particular (12-18).

If you were a king, how difficult would it be to find a queen? It could be harder than you think, though it probably also doesn’t need to be as expensive and time consuming as the plan to please the king is here.

We note that Ahasuerus seems almost regretful. He wasn't angry anymore, but now he looks around and realizes he's lonely. Maybe there were political motivations, a benefit to having a queen, though no motivation like that is mentioned. It would be hard to argue that the plan he agrees to is for sake of the empire's good.

He misses Vashti, but he made a law that she couldn't see him again. And the guys around him make sure that he doesn't try to figure out a way to get Vashti back, because who would she have taken it out on? So they propose something that the king could do, though they don't stop to consider if he should.

They will create a new government office, the Department of Beautification. Officials throughout the empire (in all the provinces) will search and then secure and then send any good-looking single ladies to Susa (verse 3). This will not be a volunteer opportunity. The women will be sought out and gathered and brought under custody.

The desired demographic is beautiful young virgins, unmarried females, not sure how young would be too young. How much of a head's up did families have? Could they successfully hide their pretty daughters somewhere? Were there some fast weddings with less prudent marriages? Did some of the young women think of it as a possible rags to riches upward social climb? How many realized what the stakes would be if they weren't selected by the king?

Herodotus wrote that 500 young boys were gathered every year and castrated. As one commentator observed (Jones), maybe it would be better to be a girl after all.

Let their cosmetics be given them. A smearing with oil or ointment as an aid to beauty, skin treatments, facials, also called “beauty treatments” (NASB).

The plan was fit to please a king.

We finally meet the crucial cousins.

Mordecai had relatives who had been taken captive under Nebuchadnezzar, and this is a Babylonian name (similar to those given in Daniel 1:7). He was living in the capital city, so to be clear, he had not returned to Israel.

Perhaps one reason for staying was because he was taking care of his uncle's daughter. We know her as Esther, the Babylonian version of her name, perhaps related to their goddess Ishtar. Her name in Hebrew is Hadassah, which means “myrtle.” There are prophecies of myrtle — with their green leaves and white flowers and dark berries — that replace brier as a sign of the Lord’s giving life and joy (Isaiah 55:13, Baldwin). That she is given two names in the story suggests that she was caught between two cultures.

Whatever other qualities she had, she was “lovely in form and features” (NIV). She was more than just a pretty face.

So she was taken along with many other young women into custody. All the women were taken care of, but they were not free. As we'll see, they would never be free again.

Once inside the palace Esther stood out. She gained favor with the man in charge of the women, a man named Hegai (verses 8-9). He even gave her a team of (more homely?) young women to serve her.

And following her cousin's counsel she did not reveal that she was a Jew (verse 10). Not only do we want to know why, we probably should ask if it was okay. Was she even trying to follow the Jewish laws, including what she ate and what she did on the Sabbath?

This is an ugly part after the process of beautification.

There are estimates on how many women we're talking about. If you calculated one woman per night over four years, you'd have 1460. The Jewish historian Josephus gave a number closer to 400, but he didn’t reveal his source.

The women were given The Treatment™. It was a twelve month program, half a year with oil of myrrh and half of year with spices and ointments for women (verse 12). Even though the middle east has been known for its perfumes and such, this would be expensive: twelve months of perfume for one night of performance.

There were two groups: the Already's and the Not-Yets. You got one shot, one night with the king. We can easily speculate that some days the king was busy, some days he was bored, some days he was more drunk, some days he was distracted. Were there some women that he had taken away as soon as he saw them?

And what does it mean that she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem? What kinds of things could she take with her?

Did they talk? Flirt? Play games? Just get in bed?

But in the morning she would be moved to the second group, under the custody of Shaashgaz (verse 14), still belonging to the king but likely to never seek the king again. Were there any he asked for a second or third time? We're not told. They could not leave, they could not get married to someone else, they lived with all the other leftover ladies, and whatever children came about.

Then the turn came for Esther (verse 15). What did she take with her? Nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch…advised.

What about her did the king fall in love with? Was this love at first night?

It is a problem that Hadassah spent the night with the king; isn't fornication sin? It is a problem that Hadassah married the king; isn’t a Jew marrying a Gentile sin?

The fact is that the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. (verse 17)

Ahasuerus throws another great feast (verse 18). The ESV translates that he “granted a remission of taxes” while the NASB understands that he “made a holiday.” He relieved some sort of burden for sake of a banquet.

We know that the heart of the king is in the hands of God and that God turns it wherever He wants (Proverbs 21:1). This is an example of why people say that God draws straight lines with crooked sticks. Even if Esther was reluctant, she still compromised, and yet God was at work.

This is a story of pretty people that is not pretty, of powerful people ruled by their passions not principles.

“The author is carefully stacking the odds against the success of Esther and Mordecai” (Jones).

The moral of the story is that God uses characters who aren’t obviously full of morals. Esther was fit — by God — to please a king, and He got her into position.

By God's grace you are being filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him (Colossians 1:9-10).

As a Christian YOU are being FIT to please the King of kings. Align all your conduct with His cares.

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Ephesians 6:23–24 ESV)