Esther had come up with a plan to invite the king and Haman to a feast that she had prepared for them. We may wonder why she didn’t ask the king straight away for the Jews to be spared and just leave the outcome to the Lord. The Lord has given his people the ability to be able to think, and he wants us to act wisely in all that we do. Just like you would use medicine from a doctor when you are sick and not just say, “I’m not going to take any medicine and I will leave it up to the Lord if I get better or not,” so Esther could come up with a plan to try and save her people. And God used Esther’s courage and plan. He was at work through her.

And so, when Esther went before the king and was accepted by him, she asked him and Haman to come to a feast that she had prepared for them. She does this twice.

Wicked Haman was very happy to have been invited together with the King to Esther’s feast. He walked out of the palace very proud and joyful. He felt like an important man. But then when he saw Mordecai at the gate and Mordecai didn’t bow down to him, proud Haman was filled with rage and anger. Trying to control his anger, he invited his friends and wife to come to him. He told them that even though he was very rich and very important, the fact that Mordecai didn’t bow down to him made him very mad.

His wife suggested that Haman build gallows that could be used to hang Mordecai. Haman liked this suggestion and had the gallows built.

So again in this chapter we see the antithesis, the fight between God and his children, and Satan and his children. We see Esther acting wisely in trying to save her people, and Haman acting foolishly in trying to destroy God’s people. But God was behind all these events, saving his people so that Christ could be born.

Reflection with your child:

Who is fighting in this chapter?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema