Ladies Bible Class: Esther, Lesson 20

Esther Lesson 20

Chapter 7

The book of Esther:  A study of God in action when nothing appears to be happening!

by Patsy Norwood (c) 2023 - 2024.  All Rights Reserved.

In our last lesson we left Haman being escorted to the second banquet he and the king had been exclusively invited to …

1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther.

Here it is, the climax of the story!  So much is resting on Esther and how she handles this banquet.  Is it any wonder that she asked for Mordecai and the Jews to fast and pray for three days while she and her maidens did the same?

² And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

Did this banquet last two days?

The king’s curiosity had to be really piqued by this time as once again he offered to give her up to half the kingdom to know her request.

³ Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.

“Her life?”  This was not what the king expected to hear!  Do you think the king had a puzzled look on his face?

⁴ For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”

Knowing the king’s volatile temperament, Esther treads cautiously.

⁵ So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

Hmmmm … wonder what Haman was thinking at this moment?

⁶ And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”  So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

There it is … no more dancing around the issue!  This was the moment that everything hinged on for Esther, had she done enough to secure her and her people’s lives?

Haman, on the other hand, is not wondering.  He knows his goose is cooked!  I’m sure he now knows without a doubt that he has absolutely underestimated the God of the universe, the God of the Jews.

⁷ Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. 

The king is so angry he leaves the room.  Do you think he’s putting two and two together and realizes that he has been played by Haman?

Meanwhile, Haman throws himself on the mercy of Esther and pleads for his life.

⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?”  As the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 

Upon returning to the banquet room, the king sees Haman “fallen across the couch where Esther was” … this was just too much!  Further incited, the king jumps to the conclusion that Haman means to do the queen harm in the King’s presence and his anger intensifies.

“As the word leaves the king’s mouth” refers to an immediate judgment of death against Haman.

Why didn’t Esther intercede for Haman at this point, she had the power to influence the king to give Haman another chance and or possibly give him a less severe punishment?

Coffman commentary says this:  “… as long as Haman lived, he was a deadly threat to the Jewish people.  Esther was wise enough to see that although Haman was at the moment defeated; if he had survived, he might have found a way to achieve his purpose.”

⁹ Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.” Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

That didn’t take long, did it?  The king didn’t ask for an explanation or give Haman opportunity to talk … the verdict was announced … GUILTY as charged!  Hang him on the gallows he meant to hang Mordecai on!

It seems that the king did not know about Haman having the gallows built for Mordecai up to this point.  Harbonah however, is more than willing to not only tell the king about them and who they were built for, but also to remind him that Mordecai was the one who had spoken good on the king’s behalf!

¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.

One can be sure this is not the way Haman had envisioned the second banquet ending.

“Then the king’s wrath subsided” … so far, so good, but the danger for Esther and her people was not over.  Remember the king’s decrees were irrevocable.  Remember the decree Haman manipulated the king into signing to annihilate the Jews? The death of Haman did not cancel out the decree, it was still in effect.

Next week we’ll move into chapter 8 where some big decisions have to be made if the Jews are going to be saved!  Will the king help or is he done with the situation?

I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson.  Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this study, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well.

We have three more lessons in this study, and I would love to start getting some feedback regarding its format as well as any thoughts overall you would like to share.  As a student of God’s Word, I am always looking for ways to improve upon the methods I use in writing and do take into consideration any feedback to make future writings and studies more user friendly, easier to understand and navigate.  Thank you in advance.

Links to previous lessons can be found HERE.

Until the next class ...

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine; (c) 2023 - 2024 by Patsy Norwood ~ All Rights Reserved.