A Day in the Life of the Prime Minister (Esther 5)

The words of Psalm 7:14–16 make me think of Haman:

14 Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. 15 He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. There is a law of retribution in this world declaring that the person who maliciously seeks to destroy others ends up destroying himself. Haman didn’t realize it, but four forces had already begun to work together to destroy him.

I. Divine sovereignty (Es. 5:1–5)

1 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. 2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” 4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

A. Esther was concerned whether the king would acknowledge her.

What Esther did ranks among the great deeds of faith in Scripture and could have been recorded in Hebrews 11. It wasn’t enough for the Jews to pray and have faith that God would work. Somebody had to act, for “faith without works is dead”. She knew that the God of Israel was a forgiving God who would hear His people when they humbled themselves and prayed.

Unlike Esther, when we come to the throne of grace, we don’t have to wonder what our Father thinks about us because He always loves His people and welcomes them into His presence. One of the greatest needs in the church today is for intercessors who will pray faithfully for a lost world and for a church that desperately needs revival.

B. Esther prepared herself to meet the king.

If you knew you were going to meet the President of the United States at the White House, or royalty at Buckingham Palace, you would prepare for the meeting. The king officially recognized his queen and invited her to share her petition.

Esther’s banquet was already prepared. Thus, Haman and the king had to hurry to attend. In answer to prayer, God so worked in the king’s heart that he not only cooperated willingly with his queen but he also made Haman cooperate. Such is the wonder of the providence of God.

II. False confidence (Es. 5:6–9a)

6 At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!” 7 Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.” 9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart;

A. What an honor for Haman.

Haman was invited to attend a special banquet with the king and queen alone and in the queen’s private apartment at that! It’s unlikely that any official in the empire had ever been so honored. As Haman ate and drank with Ahasuerus and Esther, his confidence grew. He was indeed an important man in the kingdom, and his future was secure.

When the king asked Esther to state her petition, it gave the prime minister even more confidence; for here were the king and queen discussing a personal matter in his presence! Haman was not only the king’s confidant, but now he was sharing in the intimate concerns of the queen as well. Since the queen had invited him to the banquet, she must certainly value his counsel.

B. At the banquet, we see evidences of the sovereignty of God.

The Lord restrained Esther from telling Ahasuerus the truth about Haman. While there may have been fear in her heart, I don’t think that’s what held her back. The Lord was working in her life and directing what she said, even though she wasn’t aware of it. God was delaying the great exposure until after the king had honored Mordecai.

We also see the sovereign hand of God at work in the way the king accepted the delay and agreed to come to the second banquet. Whatever plans Ahasuerus had made for the next evening were canceled to make time for the queen’s second feast. None of Esther’s attendants who knew that she was a Jewess tried to convey this important information to Haman. Had Haman known the queen’s nationality, he would have immediately devised some plan to prevent her from interfering.

III. Pride (Es. 5:10–12)

10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. 12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king.

A. Haman left the palace and returned home with a joyful heart.

Fresh from an intimate dinner with the king and queen, and anticipating a second banquet the next evening, Haman launched himself on an ego trip that disgusts me each time I read it. Didn’t Haman know that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”? (Prov. 16:18, NKJV) Or that “a man’s pride will bring him low”? (29:23, NKJV).

Haman’s boasting indicates a proud person whose priorities consisted of riches and power. What an honor to be the only one invited with the king to Esther’s banquet! The author was bringing out the contrast between Haman’s present honor and his soon coming downfall.

B. Pride is the very essence of sin.

What does a sinful person have to be proud of? Someone has said that pride is the only known disease that makes everybody sick except the person who has it. Unless cured, pride is a sickness unto death.

With his place of power and all of his riches, he was still unhappy and dissatisfied because one person refused to honor him. His pride was the source of his sin.

IV. Malice (Es. 5:9b, 13–14)

9b but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. 13 Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.

A. When Haman left he was walking on air.

The sight of Mordecai immediately brought him down to earth again. On previous occasions, Mordecai had refused to bow down to Haman, but now the courageous Jew even refused to stand up and acknowledge the presence of the illustrious prime minister. Haman was “filled with rage against Mordecai”. His hatred of the Jews in general and Mordecai in particular had so poisoned his system that he couldn’t even enjoy talking about his greatness!

Malice is that deep-seated hatred that brings delight if our enemy suffers and pain if our enemy succeeds. Malice can never forgive; it must always take revenge. Malice has a good memory for hurts and a bad memory for kindnesses. Paul compared malice to yeast, because, like yeast, malice begins very small but gradually grows and finally permeates the whole of life. Malice in the Christian’s heart grieves the Holy Spirit and must be put out of our lives.

B. Haman had infected his wife and friends with his sinful hatred of the Jews.

Not one to waste time, Haman ordered that the gallows be made. We’re not sure whether the gallows itself was seventy-five feet high or whether it was put in a prominent place that lifted it to that height, such as the city wall or the roof of a building. But Haman’s plan was obvious: He wanted to use Mordecai’s execution to frighten the Jews and convince them that the king meant business when he approved the edict. The execution of a prominent Jew such as Mordecai would paralyze the wills of the Jewish people in the empire, and Haman would have them at his mercy.

It turned out to be the instrument of Haman’s own execution. God was standing in the shadows, keeping watch over His own.

“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray” (Prov. 5:21–23, NKJV).