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7 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.
(ESV)
The time has come for Esther to speak up. It was not God’s timing earlier because many events had to unfold. Haman was lured into a trap by his own arrogance. He unknowingly constructed the gallows for himself.
Haman was led by the enemy. I see so many parallels between his actions and the scheme that Satan constructed to try and overcome Jesus.
Like Satan, Haman was full of pride and would not be satisfied until he was worshiped. He developed a plan to destroy Mordecai which ended up sealing his own fate. Satan’s plan to destroy the Savior of humanity backfired in a similar way as God used Jesus’ death to break the bondage of sin and death.
But let’s go back to Esther.
I love that she not only prayed and fasted but also sprung into action. She used wisdom and tact when addressing the king. Her integrity spoke volumes as the king knew her reputation was good. Though she went through the fire, she was not burned. Though she went through the waters, she did not drown. God turned everything the enemy planned for destruction into redemption for His people.
But, the point to consider is that Esther was obedient. She did not sit back and wait but stepped forward into the impossible believing that He was working. This is such a bold example of how God desires us to live in the middle of pain and suffering!