Pride before the fall…
Esther – Chapter 5
Review
- History Review
- When : Time – Some say 486-465 B.C or 464-415 B.C. Few say 135-104 B.C., during Maccabean period, but that disclaims/discredits the historical value of the story and assumes it’s a allegorical story.
- When : Relative to Daniel – After. Daniel was Babylonian to the start of Persian Empires. Esther is entirely within Persian Empire.
- Who : about – Esther. A Jewish girl.
- Who: wrote it – Unknown. A palace slave? Mordacai? Nehemiah? Jew or Gentile? Probably Jewish. Probably Nehemiah.
- Chapter 1
- Potential sympathy for Vashti
- No deep OBVIOUS theological message in Chapter 1 (yet).
- Chapter 2
- More character traits of King X. See Esther move into the scene.
- No deep OBVIOUS theological message in Chapter 2 (yet). But maybe there’s a lesson about God works even when it’s not obvious to us that He’s working – like in Esther.
- Chapter 3
- Mort rebels against bowing to Haman and the other gate-visitors turn Mort in.
- Death sentence for Jews
- King X still a dope.
- Chapter 4
- Mort mourning is a concern for Esther.
- Mort scolds Esther.
- Esther is reluctant, but agrees with Mort’s request.
Introduction
- How did you all do this week reading Esther?
- What’s your opinion of Esther (thus far)? Easy, hard, straightforward, confusing, basic, advanced, etc? Compare it to Daniel or Romans, etc as well as your impression of it on its own.
- Chapter 4 is a more intricate chapter than we’ve seen thus far.
- What is your opinion of this chapter? Easy or lots of questions, difficult and convoluted?
- As above.
- Can you group any of these chapters together?
Lesson
- vv. 1-3 [READ – Est 5:1-3] “Persian” (Russian) roulette
- V 1 – Do you think there’s anything special about Esther dressing up in her royal robes?
i. Probably not. She likely didn’t dare go before the king without the utmost preparation.
ii. She’s at enough risk by going before the king uninvited. She certainly didn’t want to make matters worse by not putting her best “foot” forward.
- V 1 – There’s no hiding. The entrance is directly in front of the king’s throne. You open the door, and you wait to learn your fate. For that split-second (or longer), Esther’s heart was in her throat. But what had she just gone through?
i. Remember, the previous 3 days, she (and others) fasted and prayed to God.
- V 2 – The King extended his scepter to Esther indicating his acceptance of her presence. Whew.
- V 3 – Apparently, Esther had little to fear. Esther had up to half the kingdom at her disposal, had she wanted it. That’s quite an impact she has on the king.
- vv. 4-8 [READ – Est 5:4-8] Esther’s requests…
- V 4 – “If it pleases the king” – Esther is obviously addressing the king however, she says “banquet I have prepared for him”. Who is “him”? Why does Haman get invited?
- V 5 – The timing of this event was the same evening Esther asked. I get the feeling that the king jumps through hoops to have dinner with her. Almost a “Quick, get Haman if that’s what I have to do to have dinner with her”. Yes, he’s king, but this is the impression I get.
- V 6 – Again, the king suggests to Esther that she can have up to half of the kingdom if she wants it.
- V 7-8 – Esther asks again, but differently – the King and Haman get invited (again, why?), but this time, she says “them”, almost like she’s asking a 3rd person.
- V 8 – She says she’ll do what the king wants (answer the question) tomorrow. Why is she waiting?
i. I think she’s still nervous, personally. Maybe she’s looking to grease the wheels a little more.
- vv. 9-13 [READ – Est 5:9-13] The mind of Haman
- V 9 – Haman strolls down the lane, whistling a happy tune then, [insert dramatic Dum, Dum, Duhm music here], he sees Mort.
i. This is personal, no? Yes, each probably knew that their families had been enemies for generations, but this is between Haman and Mort.
ii. But…
- V 10 – “Haman controlled himself” – this means outwardly, in my opinion. He didn’t outwardly show the anger that filled him (as described in v 9).
- V 10 – Haman sent for his friends to visit him at his house (with his family). Do you think this was to cheer him up, support him in his hatred of Mort, or to brag about his royal dinner (and royal dinner date for the next evening)?
i. They certainly support Haman’s views (see v 14), but with Haman being so powerful, maybe they just agree with him on everything.
- V 11-12 – Haman “counts his blessings” so to speak. Well, actually, he probably thinks HE did all of those things and is patting himself on the back – but it doesn’t work…
- V 13 – Even the stuff Haman has isn’t enough to comfort him in his rage against Mort. It never is.
- vv. 14 [READ – Est 5:14] Wise counsel – NOT!
- V 14 – Haman’s friends do agree with him in his hatred of Mort (or Jews).
i. Sometimes, our best friends are the ones that disagree with us
- V 14 – The plan was to hang Mort, then have his royal dinner.
Summary
- What’s your key verse? V 13
- Try keeping a list of where God is acting in this story. What can you add to that list? Where do you see God in Ch. 5?
- Perhaps Esther’s beauty is the ticket that keeps the king from killing her when she shows up uninvited.
- Perhaps the king’s smitten heart is from God that keeps Esther safe
i. (regardless of whether it’s A or B, God is keeping Esther safe)
- What do you do to bring yourself closer to God? Esther fasted and prayed and God granted her the courage to appear before a king that could have destroyed her. God also rewarded her with the king’s acceptance.
- Daily devotion – this is a sacrifice of time.
- Tithing – this is a sacrifice of money
- Faith – this is a sacrifice of self-sufficiency
- Obedience – this is a sacrifice of self-will
- Prejudice is NOT a new concept. It’s an ignorance that has been practiced for centuries.
- Friends and family are important influences on us. While we can’t choose our family, we can definitely choose our friends. Choose wisely. A Bible study on friendship is very interesting. A friend like the Bible describes is truly a gift from God.