Esther 5 – Our Fiery Trial

[Study Posted August 10, 2020]

Est 5:1  Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 
Est 5:2  And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 
Est 5:3  Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. 
Est 5:4  And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. 
Est 5:5  Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 
Est 5:6  And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. 
Est 5:7  Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; 
Est 5:8  If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said. 
Est 5:9  Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. 
Est 5:10  Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 
Est 5:11  And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 
Est 5:12  Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king. 
Est 5:13  Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. 
Est 5:14  Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made. 

Esther Chapter 4 reminds us of our mourning in the city and at the King’s gate and what we need to do as we go through the fiery trials marked out for us. The reason why we go through trials is to put to death our old man in order to give birth to the new man within who is after the image of Jesus. That is what will bring about the righteousness of Christ in our lives.  We also came to understand in Chapter 4 that during our time of trials, one of the actions we have to take is to make our request known to God so that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep our heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Another way of saying this is that God will make a way of escape in our trials so that we may be able to bear them.

Chapter 5 has to do with the making of our request to God during our trials as seen in Esther appearing before the King to make a request.  Let’s see what we can glean from this encounter.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Est 5:1  Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 

The third day signifies the day we are perfected. Jesus alluded to this when He said that He shall be perfected on the third day. Thus, Esther’s appearance in royal apparel as she stood in the inner court of the King is to show us what we shall be when we are adorned as the bride of Christ (New Jerusalem) coming down from God out of heaven. That is the redemption of our purchased possession on that day. Again, God is showing us how the end of our journey will look like to motivate and prepare us for what we are going through. In the case of our Lord Jesus, because he knew the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross.  For Esther, she was staring at the face of death (walking through the shadow of death) as she appeared before the King not knowing how it would play out. Our trials bring us to our wits’ end, and just when we think we are finished, that is when salvation comes!!

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Est 5:2  And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 

When we come to God in our trials, He is able to show mercy to us. Showing mercy is one of the key attributes of God. In this age, he is showing mercy to only a few and then, using Christ and the few He has chosen, He will show mercy to the whole world. Esther was at her wits’ end, but the King granted her favor. It was like Esther coming out of death to life (resurrected in Christ).

According to Strong, the sceptre is a rod for punishing and is also for rulership.  Thus, the King holding out the sceptre and Esther touching the sceptre shows that being shown mercy is accompanied by rulership which God has promised those who overcome (those who are shown mercy).  They will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Est 5:3  Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. 

Our God is always ready to attend to our request. The King’s willingness to give Esther half of his kingdom means that our God is always ready to give us the kingdom, and that is what we shall inherit as His little flock. However, there is a limitation to our request. We can only get as much as “half” of the kingdom. That is, whenever we come to him, we should ask according to His will. Any request outside of God’s will for us will not be answered, as the scriptures makes us aware in 1 John 5:14.

Joh 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (NIV)

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Est 5:4  And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. 
Est 5:5  Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Est 5:6  And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. 
Est 5:7  Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is; 
Est 5:8  If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said. 

Esther’s response to the King is very insightful. She did not ask for anything but a banquet with the King and Haman. This banquet is not the marriage supper of the lamb, which is strictly for those who overcome (Haman will not be there). It is the supper of the great God as revealed in Revelation 19:17-18 where all the fowls that fly in the midst of our heavens, represented by Haman, are invited to come and eat our flesh (our old man), which will consequently result in the death of our old man and the birth of a new man created after the image of Christ.

As indicated in Chapter 1 of Esther, our feasting or banqueting is the opening of our eyes to understand the word of God. Thus, this banquet is when the truth of God’s words destroy our attachment to the things of the world signified by the flesh. The fowls of heaven are all the false doctrines of Babylon which causes us to focus on the things of this world.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Est 5:9  Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. 
Est 5:10  Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 
Est 5:11  And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 
Est 5:12  Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king. 

The old man within, represented by Haman, feels his works are what has brought him to a position of being invited by the Lord to feast on our flesh. In our time in Babylon, we put much premium on our works which we think are the result of our own initiatives or will. We therefore glory in our own works of righteousness as Haman (the beast) within us likes to do. I remember during those times, I was leading a team to evangelize in the villages of my country, Ghana, with mighty signs and wonders (the sick got healed, demons were cast out, etc.) and I thought, like Haman, that God has promoted me above the princes and servants of the king. We thought that the fact that we are performing signs and wonders is a testimony of God’s approval (promotion) that we are doing the right thing.  But miracles, signs of wonders, gifts, etc, are all part of the ways God uses to blind us when we were in Babylon (Deu 16:19). Like Job, our works or our righteousness are like filthy rags. Knowing God is not about what we are doing for him but about what we are becoming. If we lose this point, then we will definitely miss the boat, and when the time comes, we will be like those who said to God, “have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils, etc.”

Deu 16:19  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow to him, he became furious but restrained himself. We know from the scriptures that everything that is happening to us or the world is according to the counsel of God’s will. Even the preparation of our hearts and the answer of the tongue comes from God. Thus, Haman (the beast within) restraining himself is not by his own initiative, but it is God who restrains the beast within us at certain points in our lives for His own purpose. Ultimately, the death of Haman, represented by the death of our old man, will result in a prolonged restraint of the flesh even as Satan is being restrained in our flesh (bottomless pit) for a period in our lives here on earth, signified by the thousand years.

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Est 5:13  Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. 
Est 5:14  Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

Zeresh, the wife of Haman, represents the woman who sits on the beast (Haman) whose name is Babylon. Zeresh, representing the Babylonian church, therefore hates the elect just as Ishmael, who was born after the flesh, persecuted Isaac who was born after the spirit. The suggestion by Zeresh for Haman to prepare gallows for Mordecai to be hanged shows how, to the church, the elect is spiritually dead lying on the street of Jerusalem. The teachings of the harlot woman pleases or promotes or strengthens the beast within. No wonder the beast within (Haman) is pleased with the advice (teaching) of Zeresh. Peter talked about this when he said that the teachings of the church are like great swelling words of vanity that promote the lusts of the flesh.

Remember that Haman has been invited to a banquet, which is the feasting of the flesh. The preparation of the gallows is all part of the eating of our flesh, which will eventually result in the death of our old man, represented by Haman. We will learn more of God’s provision for our escape in our time of trial in the next chapter.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 

Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.