What would be the right time and place for Esther to reveal Haman’s dastardly plot to kill the Jews to the king? Yesterday, we saw that the throne room wasn’t the right time or place, so Esther invited the king and Haman to dinner. But wouldn’t it have been risky to wait? What if the king or Haman didn’t want to come to dinner? It seems that was a risk Esther was willing to take.
Haman’s Pride
Esther seems to want only Haman and the king to be present when she exposes the evil plot to kill the Jews. Some might say it was womanly intuition, but I would say it was God who told Esther that pride would cause Haman to do something foolish to incriminate himself.
Esther and the Jews had humbled themselves before the Lord for three days before her audience with the king. She and the Jews would have known the proverbs of Solomon. Proverbs 16: 3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. 4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. 5 The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. [1]
A Second Dinner Invitation
Haman is extremely proud to be the only one invited to Esther’s dinner with the king. But Esther doesn’t reveal the plan to kill the Jews at the first dinner. Instead, she invited the king and Haman to another dinner the next day. Did Esther lose her nerve? Why another delay?
I don’t think Esther even knew at this point, but she was following the guidance of the Lord. There was one more incident that needed to take place. This would honor Mordecai, humiliate Haman, and open the king to give Esther a favorable ruling. This would happen that very night and the following day.
Answer to Prayer
God had answered Esther’s prayer to be able to get an audience with the king. Haman had come to her dinner and planned to come to the second dinner. Esther may not have known why the process took so long, but she trusted God. Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases. [2]
Esther is a good model of trusting God when you don’t understand. We often don’t know why God does what He does, but we must move forward in trust. Proverbs 3: 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. [3]
To learn more about the right time and place, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/esthers-request
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.