Esther 5:1-14
5:1-2 After her three-day fast, Esther changed into her royal robes and walked into the king's inner court. From his throne, the king noticed Esther and was glad to see her. By law, a person could only speak if the king offered them the golden scepter. The king offered to Esther. God orchestrated Esther's chance to speak.
5:3 The king was generous with Esther, before she even said half a work he offered to grant her request. The king implied that she could made a grand request and he would sanction it. So often, the things which intimidate us are reduced to dust by God before we even arrive at their doorstep.
5:4-5 Esther asked the king to come to dinner with her, and to bring Haman with him. Haman was the force behind the malicious decree and was therefore connected to God's plan. The king agreed and called for Haman.
5:6-8 At the dinner, Esther chose to postpone her request. We are not privy to her reasoning but because we know she followed the instruction of God, we know that it was not the right time to speak it.
5:9-11 Haman was clueless, of course. He perceived Esther's invite as a compliment. He was an arrogant man. Yet as soon as Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate, his mood soured. Haman's anger and insecurity soared up from his depths. Haman went home and bragged to his friends about his prominence within the king's court.
5:12-13 Haman boasted about being invited to a second banquet with the king and queen. The irony is that Haman had everything he thought he wanted. He loved to show off his power and wealth and yet it was not enough to satisfy his soul. All his new power and wealth were not able to quench the anger and discontent with him.
Learn from people who received everything they wanted and realized it was not actually what they needed. Sometimes what we want is not what is good for us. Rarely does what we think will make us happy actually make us happy. Only God knows how to fill our life and heart with the substance and nourishment that will truly satisfy us.
5:14 Haman's wife and friends were also malicious. They decided to build the structure they intended for Mordecai's death. Does someone else's destruction or demotion please you? God wants us to pray for people, not curse them, not plot against them. Haman did not have a legitimate complaint against Mordecai but even if he did, plotting his demise was not the productive or righteous thing to do. We should always seek justice and resolution, God's advice above all else.
Mordecai constructed the gallows, but Mordecai would not be the one to hang from it. Haman's evil decisions tied his own noose.
