Est 5:8 | KingComments | STEP | The king agrees to Esther’s request and even makes the matter urgent ( ). 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 ( ; ). 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 ( ). 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” ( ). 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: …” ( ). 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 ( ); 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 ( ). 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.

‏ Esther 5:8

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.