Est 5:4-8 | KingComments | STEP | Now a series of dialogues are beginning between Esther and the king, with the tension rising to the top. Esther’s handling of this tension is a testimony of great wisdom. She knows how to appreciate and use grace properly. From the moment she is accepted by the king in grace, she knows how to behave. The king’s first words to her are encouraging. The king speaks to her by title and name. The king has accepted Esther in grace. He makes her feel even more at ease by asking her two questions related to her desires ( ). He realizes that she wants to ask something. In the same way, God invites His children to come to Him with their questions and desires with boldness. God is the giving God Who loves to give an answer to our prayers. He will even give us all things with Christ ( ). This is the opportunity for Esther to make her request in favor of the Jews. She does not. She still keeps that request to herself. In her answer, after the grace shown and accepted, she points tactfully first to the king’s discretion ( ). In doing so, she appeals to his kindness towards her. She wants to further stimulate this mind in the king through the meal she has prepared for him. She also wants Haman to be there, because it is about unmasking him. We see that she did not sit still during the fast, but was busy with this meeting and prepared for it. She is acting according to a plan she came up with during fast time. It also reveals that she has taken into account a benevolent reception by the king and a favorable response to her request to come to the meal she prepared.

‏ Esther 5:4-8

Esther’s First Request

Now a series of dialogues are beginning between Esther and the king, with the tension rising to the top. Esther’s handling of this tension is a testimony of great wisdom. She knows how to appreciate and use grace properly. From the moment she is accepted by the king in grace, she knows how to behave.

The king’s first words to her are encouraging. The king speaks to her by title and name. The king has accepted Esther in grace. He makes her feel even more at ease by asking her two questions related to her desires (Est 5:3). He realizes that she wants to ask something. In the same way, God invites His children to come to Him with their questions and desires with boldness. God is the giving God Who loves to give an answer to our prayers. He will even give us all things with Christ (Rom 8:32).

This is the opportunity for Esther to make her request in favor of the Jews. She does not. She still keeps that request to herself. In her answer, after the grace shown and accepted, she points tactfully first to the king’s discretion (Est 5:4). In doing so, she appeals to his kindness towards her. She wants to further stimulate this mind in the king through the meal she has prepared for him. She also wants Haman to be there, because it is about unmasking him.

We see that she did not sit still during the fast, but was busy with this meeting and prepared for it. She is acting according to a plan she came up with during fast time. It also reveals that she has taken into account a benevolent reception by the king and a favorable response to her request to come to the meal she prepared.

Esther’s Second Request

The king agrees to Esther’s request and even makes the matter urgent (Est 5:5). He wants Haman to come as soon as possible. Without any further announcements about messengers who are going to fetch Haman or where the meal will take place, we are taken directly to the meal that Esther has prepared. What the meal consists of is of no importance. What is important is what concerns the king about Esther and what concerns Esther about her people.

The king comes, with Haman, to the meal. When drinking the wine, the king asks again what Esther wishes (Est 5:6; Est 5:3). He even asks his question twice, using the word “petition” first and the word “request” the second time. He commits himself irrevocably to give her what she asks or to grant her request. The expression “even to half of the kingdom” indicates his unlimited generosity.

Here again, Ahasuerus is a picture of God. God urges us to ask of Him by telling us that we may ask Him for anything. We may do so in the confidence that He can do it. He has the ends of the earth in His possession and at His disposal. He gives them to whom He wills. It is His pleasure to give His ‘little flock’ the kingdom, not just half (Lk 12:32). The king’s offer – for us: from God – is a blank check. The Almighty says, ‘What is your request?’, and to faith He says: “It shall be done to you according to your faith” (Mt 9:29).

On Esther rests an enormous burden. The fate of the whole people depends on her. What will she say? She acts wisely, with a wisdom she must have received from God. In her answer, Esther adopts the king’s words and says, “My petition and my request is: …” (Est 5:7). We would expect her to then ask for the salvation of her life and the life of her people, but she does not. Her response to the king’s first offer is already astonishing (Est 5:4); the answer she gives now is even more astonishing: she invites the king and Haman to a new meal which she will prepare for that purpose (Est 5:8). There she wants to disclose the evil of Haman.

Because of this action there seems to be a delay for the salvation of the people. The situation becomes dire for Mordecai and his people. Even before the next meal Haman will have Mordecai hanged. However, God is above and behind all this. The wickedness of Haman must come to its apogee. That coincides with that special night we will read about in the next chapter.