The day finally came for the feast in which Esther was going to tell the king that her people were going to be destroyed. The feast must have gone on for a while because we are told that on the second day of the feast, the king again asked Esther what she wanted.

Esther could have just accused the king and said something like, “You and Haman have agreed to kill me and all of my people.” But if she had accused the king like that, he might have become angry at her. Instead she wisely told the king that her people had been sold and would be destroyed. She didn’t blame the king at all, even though he had agreed to this decree.

When the king realized that Esther was a Jew and knew what Haman had done, he became very angry. He was probably so angry because he realized that it was also partly his fault. He had agreed to let Haman make this decree, and so he was part of the plan. That wouldn’t look very good for the king.

And so, when he found Haman on the same couch as Esther, begging to have his life spared, the king used this to accuse Haman of attacking the queen. He demanded that Haman be hanged on the gallows that he had made for Mordecai.

God was at work here as well. He was the one using the king and queen to destroy Haman. God showed that he is always faithful to his covenant promises. Satan was using Haman to try and destroy all of God’s people. Satan didn’t want Jesus to be born. But God never leaves his children alone or forgets his promises. He had promised in Genesis already that he would send Jesus to save his people, and so God made sure that happened. He destroyed wicked Haman, the seed of the devil. And through Jesus Christ, God has destroyed all our enemies: Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh.

Reflection with your child:

How can you see God working in this chapter?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema