Esther: Overcoming an adversary and an enemy

The height of the story of Esther begins on the second banquet. Esther, the queen of Persia had invited the King and Haman to a banquet she had prepared for them. On the first banquet, the king asked Esther for her request and the queen replied that  “My petition and my request is this: If the king regards me with favour and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question” (Esther 5:7‭-‬8). Between the first and second banquet was just a night and a day. But, a lot happened to change the lives of the different people in the book of Esther. The king honoured Mordecai and Haman built a pole to hang Mordecai on it. The king’s honour was urgent that Haman’s pole was not used that day. Instead, Haman shamefully paraded Mordecai through the city proclaiming: “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!” (Esther 6:11b). Haman attended the second banquet as a broken man. Before he left for the banquet, his wife and friends told him this: “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” (Esther 6:13b). On the contrary, the king attended the banquet with a good cheer. King Xerxes looked forward to hearing Esther’s request. 

Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. (Esther 7:6)

The second evening would have been quite intense for Esther. It was time to tell the king to save her life and that of her people. Haman thought that he was just so lucky to be the only guest the queen invited together with the king. As they were drinking wine, the king asked again, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted” (Esther 7:2). Esther replied to the king: “If I have found favour with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” (Esther 7:3‭-‬4). Imagine the look on the face of the king to know this terrifying truth. Who in his right wisdom will sell the queen and her people to be destroyed, massacred and eliminated? Haman didn’t know the queen was Jewish and in his zeal to destroy Mordecai had issued a death sentence for even the queen of the king. King Xerxes was furious. “King Xerxes exploded, “Who? Where is he? This is monstrous!” (Esther 7:5 MSG). Esther replied, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen (Esther 7:6). Haman would have been shaking and panicking. He didn’t know that Queen Esther was a Jew. Haman knew that his life was hanging on a hook. Xerxes got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life (Esther 7:7).

Haman, the vile man who wanted to eliminate a whole people group was scared for his only life. He begged for his life while he had cunningly condemned thousands if not millions of people to death. When the king returned, he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face (Esther 7:8). Haman had been condemned already. Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king” (Esther 7:9a). When the king heard this, he said, “Impale him on it!” (Esther 7:9b). Haman raised a pole for Mordecai but he ended up being hung on the same pole. Proverbs 26:27 reiterates this, “whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.” Haman’s evil schemes backfired and he became the victim of his own imagination. That same evening, they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided (Esther 7:10).

This story teaches valuable life lessons. First, you do unto others what you want them to do to you. Second, when you plot evil for others, you might end up as a victim of your own wickedness.  Again, don’t look down on people. Even if they do not have big titles, they have a big God! Haman saw Mordecai as a rebellious Jew but he didn’t know the higher powers behind Mordecai. 

Haman entered the banquet as the king’s favourite noble, he left as the king’s worst noble. Haman saw it an honour to be the guest of the Queen. But, in reality, it was to expose his vile intentions. When you wish the downfall of others, remember that you are likely to go down before them. Love people genuinely, don’t raise emotional poles for people. You can’t please everyone and neither will all be pleased with you. 

Esther: For such a time as this!

The new Queen of Persia seemed to have an uninterrupted years of bliss until one man was promoted. Prior to the event that shook the whole Persian kingdom, “King Xerxes honoured Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honour higher than that of all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honour to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour” (Esther 3:1‭-‬2). Even after persuasion from the royal officials at the king’s gate, Mordecai still refused to kneel and pay honour to Haman. The matter was reported to Haman. Esther 3:5-6 states that, “When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” Why would Mordecai’s impudence be punishable to all Jews? Haman was a vile man who hated the idea of being disrespected by a Jew. Some scholars believe that Haman might have been a descendant of King Agag, the Amalekite king (1 Samuel 15) and as such Haman was avenging for the way King Saul destroyed their nation. The Bible does not specifically state that so we shall consider Haman as a vile person with no compassion. How can Mordecai’s refusal to bow become a national sin?

Mordecai, being Jew knew that bowing to anything other than God was sinful (see Exodus 2: 4-5). All this while, Esther was enjoying life in the Palace without the slightest idea of what was happening. Haman went ahead and chose a day to destroy the Jews through lot casting (the pur). Thus, in the twelfth year of King Xerxes, Haman decided the fate of the Jews (Esther 3:7). After choosing the date, he told the king how the Jewish people are a threat to his kingdom and the king gave Haman the nod to do to the Jewish people what he pleases. The edict was sent throughout the kingdom with a set date for the destruction of the Jews. All the Jews in the whole kingdom were in shock and afraid for their lives. Mordecai after hearing all these tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly (Esther 4:1). Queen Esther had no idea of the plight of her people. Her eunuchs and female attendants told her about Mordecai and how he was dressed. Esther even sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then Esther sent someone to find out why Mordecai was acting that way (Esther 4:4‭-‬5). After Esther heard the fate of her people and the evil plans of Haman, her response was that she cannot help because if she goes to the king uninvited, she would be killed unless the king extends her his golden scepter. Esther hadn’t been called in the last thirty days. 

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Literally, Esther said, I CAN’T HELP OR ELSE I WILL DIE. The truth is, she had been condemned for death anyway. When Mordecai heard Esther’s reply, he sent this answer to her: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13‭-‬14). Mordecai revealed to Esther that her ascension as the Queen of Persia was for such a troubling time as this. Esther’s whole life was in preparation for this assignment, the salvation of the Jews. All the people God placed in Esther’s life, was to help her fulfill this task. From Mordecai, to Hagai, and King Xerxes himself, Esther was just preparing for her big day. Esther might have been overwhelmed with the idea of going to the king uninvited but after the words of Mordecai,  Esther gained strength. If God brought her up for a time such as this, then only God could help her. Esther understood the dynamics of authourity. God is the ruler of King Xerxes. Therefore, before she talks to Xerxes, she must talk to God, the ruler of Xerxes. Esther didn’t just take matters into her hands. Although the book of Esther doesn’t explicitly mention God, we see God working through different people for His glory.

Esther told Mordecai to “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Esther declared a national fast to intercede for her. Thus, Xerxes was so powerful that his own Queen could not just walk up to him as and when she wanted. Esther trusted that when the Jewish people fast for her, she will gain favour with the king.

This story teaches us valuable lessons. First, we need to understand that our communion with Christ is not just a Palace lifestyle,  it is an everyday, everywhere lifestyle. We don’t suddenly become obscured to the enemy because we are in Christ. In fact Paul reminded the Ephesians church to daily put on the Armour of Christ (Ephesians 6:11). We need to understand that we don’t fight the enemy with baseless words. We fight with powerful weapons. Esther understood that Haman, the king’s right man cannot easily be defeated. She knew that fighting the spiritual side of the battle before the physical one, guarantees victory. Fight on your knees in your secret place before you appear before the king in the public place. The assignment of your life cannot just be accomplished with degrees and qualifications. You need to be aligned with God and understand the spiritual needs of your call. Heaven is watching and the earth is waiting. Haman is plotting and you have to make a choice because God made you for a specific assignment. Don’t disappoint God and humanity.