Banquet for Three Esther 7

Esther 7:2 "And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom."

The three: King Ahasuerus, Queen Esther, Haman.

Haman has just led Mordecai through the street on the kings horse and went home in shame. Then the kings men came to get him for the banquet that Esther has set up. The king has asked Esther what she wanted.

v4 "For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. ..."

v5 "Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?"

v6 "And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen."

The king rose and went to the garden. He must have been a good king, of sorts, to take time to think even now and to give his rage time to settle down. While he was in the garden Haman began pleading with Esther. It must have been custom to lie on a bed at these occasions for Esther was laying on one. Haman in his pleading fell upon her bed and the king came in at this time to find Haman on his queen's bed.

v8 "Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wind; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face."

It is a bad sign when the king stops talking directly to Haman and speaks about him as if he could not hear. He never got a chance to plead further. Esther told the king of the gallows Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Haman was hanged there forthwith.

v10 "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified."

Remember how Haman was promoted to the top position in the kingdom under the king. The people of 127 provinces bowed to him except one man, Mordecai. Haman could have ignored Mordecai as a nut case but instead he aspired to take vengeance on all the Jews instead. His ego would not let him ignore Mordecai and it cost him his life. Although, he had the ring to represent the king, he was not the king and should have remembered.

In all this, we can see the LORD's hand. Esther was placed in the palace and given favor with the king. Mordecai was there to remind Esther that the issue was larger than just one person. They were there to rescue their people. The issue was a national issue. The decree went to all the provinces to kill the Jews. But the solution was narrowed to four people: King Ahasuerus, Queen Esther, Haman and Mordecai.

Esther was obedient to Mordecai. Esther won the king's heart.

Proverbs 11:5 "The righteous of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness."

A banquet for three. Esther points out the enemy.

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