Commentary - Esther 7:1-6

Bird's-eye view

The book of Esther is a masterclass in divine providence, where the name of God is never mentioned, but His hand is everywhere seen. This particular scene, the second banquet Esther holds for the king and Haman, is the dramatic turning point of the entire story. All the tension that has been building comes to a head. The courage of Esther, the arrogance of Haman, and the cluelessness of the king are all on full display. This is not just palace intrigue; it is a collision between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Haman, the Agagite, is the ancient enemy of God's people, and Esther, the hidden jewel, is God's chosen instrument of deliverance. The scene is set with wine and feasting, but what is about to be served is a course of pure, unadulterated justice.

What we are witnessing here is the great reversal. Haman, who just hours before was boasting of his promotion and plotting Mordecai's death on a gallows seventy-five feet high, is about to have his world turned completely upside down. Esther, who risked her life by approaching the king uninvited, now holds the life of her enemy in her hands. The entire conflict boils down to this moment. It is a stark reminder that God sets the proud against the humble, and that He delights in using the weak things of the world to shame the strong. The feast is the stage, but the drama is cosmic.

Outline

Context In Esther

This passage is the pivot point upon which the whole book of Esther turns. Up to this point, Haman has been ascending in power, culminating in the decree to annihilate the Jews. Mordecai has been in mourning, and Esther has been in a precarious position, her Jewish identity a secret. But after the king's sleepless night in chapter 6, where he was reminded of Mordecai's past loyalty, the tide began to turn. Haman was forced to honor the very man he intended to hang. This second banquet is the culmination of Esther's risky, two-step plan. She has masterfully created the perfect setting to expose Haman's wickedness. The personal, intimate nature of the banquet ensures the king cannot easily dismiss her plea, and it isolates Haman, leaving him with no allies and no escape.

Key Issues

Commentary

1 Then the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen.

The scene opens with an air of festivity, but it is thick with dramatic irony. The king is oblivious, Haman is puffed up with pride, and only Esther knows what is about to unfold. They come to "drink wine." The Bible is not a teetotaling book, but it frequently uses wine and feasts as a setting for judgment and revelation. Think of Belshazzar's feast. Here, the wine that gladdens the heart of man is the prelude to the terror that will grip the heart of Haman. Haman thinks he has arrived, being singled out for this exclusive banquet with the royalty. He is blind to the fact that he is the fatted calf, and this is the feast before his slaughter.

2 And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine at the feast, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be given you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.”

This is the third time Ahasuerus has made this extravagant offer. He is a man of immense power and, like many such men, prone to grand, sweeping statements. "Half of the kingdom" is hyperbolic, of course, a stock phrase to show his magnanimity and his favor toward Esther. But God, in His providence, is using this pagan king's casual grandiosity to set the stage. The king has now publicly, before a witness, committed himself three times over to grant Esther's request. He cannot back down without losing face. Esther's wisdom in waiting for the second banquet has paid off. She has piqued his curiosity to the highest point and secured his promise in the most binding way possible, short of a written decree.

3 Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it seems good to the king, let my life be given to me as my petition, and my people as my request;

Here is the masterstroke. Esther begins with the customary courtly deference, "If I have found favor..." But then she drops the bomb. Her petition is not for jewels or provinces or "half the kingdom." It is for her life. This immediately transforms the situation from a pleasant banquet into a matter of life and death. By framing it this way, she makes the issue intensely personal to the king. His favorite queen's life is in danger. And then she broadens the scope: "and my people as my request." She identifies herself with her people, the Jews. The secret is out. She is not just some courtier with a grievance; she is the representative of a people marked for death, and she is their queen.

4 for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be caused to perish. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the adversity would not be worth the annoyance to the king.”

Esther uses the very language of Haman's decree: "to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be caused to perish." This shows she is fully aware of the details of the plot. The word "sold" is a dagger aimed at both Haman and the king. Haman had offered ten thousand talents of silver for the job, effectively buying the Jews for slaughter. The king, by accepting the deal, was complicit in the transaction. Esther then employs a brilliant rhetorical move. She says that if it were merely a matter of slavery, she would not have bothered the king. This does two things. First, it highlights the extreme gravity of the situation, this is not about money or status, but total annihilation. Second, it subtly flatters the king while also rebuking him. She presents herself as one who would not want to "annoy" the king with lesser troubles, even one as significant as the enslavement of her entire race. This makes the king's prior ignorance and carelessness in signing the decree seem all the more foolish.

5 Then King Ahasuerus said, he said to Esther the Queen, “Who is this one, and where is this one, who fills his heart to do thus?”

The king's reaction is one of sputtering, incredulous rage. The repetition, "he said, he said", captures his shock and fury. Who would dare to threaten his queen? Who would dare to orchestrate a plot that would, by extension, bereave him? The phrasing "who fills his heart to do thus" is literally "who has filled his heart." It speaks of an audacious, presumptuous evil. The king, in his self-absorbed world, had no idea that his right-hand man was the source of this treachery. He sees it as a personal affront, an attack on his property and his peace. He is not yet angry about the injustice to the Jews, but about the audacity of someone perpetrating such a scheme under his nose and against his queen.

6 So Esther said, “An adversary and an enemy is this evil Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.

The moment of revelation. Esther does not mince words. She points the finger directly. "An adversary and an enemy..." These are strong, legal, and military terms. This is not a personal squabble; this is treason. And then she adds the moral indictment: "...this evil Haman!" The mask is ripped off. The man who sat at the king's table, the man honored above all other princes, is exposed as a wicked traitor. And Haman's reaction is instantaneous: terror. The Hebrew says he was "dumbfounded" or "thrown into confusion." All his pride, all his scheming, all his arrogance evaporates in a moment of sheer, cold dread. He is trapped. He is before the enraged king and the queen he has wronged. There is nowhere to run. The great reversal is complete. The hunter has become the prey, and the stage is set for his execution on the very gallows he built for Mordecai. This is the providence of God, a providence that is always working, even when unmentioned, to protect His people and to bring the wicked schemes of proud men to nothing.

Application

This passage is a profound encouragement for Christians living in a hostile world. Like Esther, we often find ourselves in situations where the enemies of God seem to have all the power. They sit in high places, they issue decrees, and they are filled with a venomous hatred for God's people. The temptation is to despair, to think that all is lost. But the story of Esther reminds us that our God is sovereign over the Ahasueruses and the Hamans of this world. He works through the faithful courage of His people, people willing to say, "If I perish, I perish."

Esther's wisdom is also a model for us. She did not act rashly. She prayed, she fasted, and she planned. She used the means available to her with skill and prudence. She understood the man she was dealing with and crafted her appeal perfectly. We too are called to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. We must speak the truth, but we must also speak it at the right time and in the right way. We confront evil not with carnal rage, but with calculated, courageous, and faith-filled wisdom.

Finally, we see the end of all who set themselves against the Lord and His anointed. Haman is a picture of all the proud who hate God and His people. His end is terror and destruction. This is a foretaste of the final judgment, when every enemy of Christ will be exposed and brought to nothing. Therefore, we should not fear those who can kill the body. We should fear God, trust in His unseen providence, and walk in the faithful courage of Queen Esther, knowing that the King of kings will ultimately grant our petition, not for half the kingdom, but for the whole one, for the sake of His Son.