When Queen Esther hosted her second banquet for the king and Haman, the time had come for her to reveal her Jewish heritage and confront the enemy of her people. As Alistair Begg explains, this dramatic climax to the story illustrates how God uses both the circumstances and the choices of His people to bring about His sovereign will.
1So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2And 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.” 3Then 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. 4For 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.” 5Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared1 to do this?” 6And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Haman Is Hanged
7And 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. 8And 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. 9Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows2 that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits3 high.” 10And 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.
Series: The Unseen God, Volume 2
Other messages in: The Unseen God, Volume 1
Though God is never mentioned in the book of Esther, this series by Alistair Begg helps us discover that while unseen, God is sovereignly directing the intricate events of this historic drama. The unlikely selection of a young Jewish girl to become Queen of Persia and gain influence with a powerful king is one of many improbable turns in a story that now, over 2,000 years later, is still memorialized by the Jewish people.
In Volume 1 of The Unseen God we meet Esther, her uncle Mordecai, and King Ahasuerus. We rejoice with her as she is crowned queen and watch her trust God when her people faced great danger.
The book of Esther teaches us that God is at work in the details. He directs the actions of every person for His greater purpose. This study challenges us to trust in God’s guiding hand over the smallest of details in our everyday lives and to rest safely in His Providence. For the Unseen God, no circumstance is too insignificant to go unnoticed and no situation is beyond His sovereign power.
Other messages in: The Unseen God, Volume 2
Though God is never mentioned in the book of Esther, this series by Alistair Begg helps us discover that while unseen, God is sovereignly directing the intricate events of this historic drama. The unlikely selection of a young Jewish girl to become Queen of Persia and gain influence with a powerful king is one of many improbable turns in a story that now, over 2,000 years later, is still memorialized by the Jewish people.
In Volume 2 of The Unseen God, we see His hand of Providence at work as Esther and Mordecai use wisdom and truth to deliver the Jews from danger. As they trust Him in an impossible situation, He uses their obedience to bring about His will.
The book of Esther teaches us that God is at work in the details. He directs the actions of every person for His greater purpose. This study challenges us to trust in God’s guiding hand over the smallest of details in our everyday lives and to rest safely in His Providence. For the Unseen God, no circumstance is too insignificant to go unnoticed and no situation is beyond His sovereign power.
