Scripture to Read: Esther 7
We read in Esther 7 that when the king and Haman arrived at Esther’s second banquet, the king again asked Esther a third time what her desires were. Again, he offered Esther anything she wanted up to half the kingdom. Esther then knew that it was the right time to make her request. Esther laid out her desires carefully and courageously. She asked for her life and her people’s lives. She made a request on behalf of the entire Jewish population in all the provinces. She informed the king that all of the Jews had been sold out for destruction. Esther also shared with the king that slavery would have been a heavy enough price to pay but that annihilation was the worst. The king asked Esther who was responsible for such a decree, and Esther responded in Esther 7:6, “A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” Haman had been exposed before the king and was terrified of what would happen next. The king stormed out in anger, but Haman stayed and begged Esther for his life. When the king came back in, he saw Haman lying on Esther’s couch and he assumed Haman was assaulting the queen. That was all the king needed to seal Haman’s fate. Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who served before the king, mentioned the gallows Haman had built for Mordecai. The king ordered Haman to be hanged there instead. Esther’s courage brought Haman’s plot to light (Ephesians 5:11–13). Haman reaped the consequences of the evil plot which he had meant for Mordecai (Proverbs 21:7).
Challenge & Application
How do you see God’s hand of protection on Esther and also on the nation of Israel?
How have you seen God’s intervention on your behalf when the situation seemed hopeless?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!