The Unanswered Question

Esther 5: 1 – 14

The unanswered question

1 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. 2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” 4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So, the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!” 7 Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.” 9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. 12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. 13 Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so, he had the gallows made.

Are you curious about today’s title or have you already contemplated what the topic refers to? Let me give you my thoughts and see if they match yours.

In today’s scripture we are going to learn about Esther’s plan to deal with the major edict to kill every Jew in the known world. I do not think anyone of us would have come up with the same plan.

The biggest obstacle facing Esther was the fact that no one could come and see the king unless officially requested. If you just showed up without an invite you would be executed on site. There was only one way to avoid the executioner and that is from the king giving special absolution. He would hold out his scepter. If he did so you could approach him and touch the end of the scepter and all would be okay.

Now, if she got through this major obstacle what would be the course to request the cancellation of the order to murder every Jew because the king official seal was on the edict and that could not be changed.

Would your request be like Esther’s? Have a nice intimate dinner between you and your husband the king? Well some of you might say well that is one way. But the unanswered question that the king never asked her was as to why she wanted a third person at this special intimate dinner?

Today we will see how this invite plays out, but it is only part one of her plan. We will find out that there is a part two where she again has another intimate dinner with additionally inviting the third person – Haman.

Let me give you my thoughts as to what I see in her thoughts after fasting and praying. So, instead of there being three, there were four. In the background was the God of Israel, our Holy Father Yahweh, directing all of Esther’s ideas. Esther had planned her campaign carefully and she commenced by asking the king to a private banquet along with Haman. This was to be the first banquet to which the two were invited, and this one ended with Haman feeling exalted. The second would end in a very different way. We may surmise that Esther had two ends in view in these banquets. First to once more arouse in Ahasuerus the previous feelings that he had had for her, thus making him more willing to consider her request, and second to discourage any attempts by Haman to undermine her influence. Had he not been present he may well have had suspicions of what Esther intended to do. He would no doubt have learned from his spies that Mordecai was a relative of Esther’s.