Esther’s High Stakes Invitation: Esther 5 Commentary

In this Esther 5 commentary, we watch Queen Esther courageously step before King Xerxes uninvited, risking death to save her people. The king extends his scepter, sparing her life and granting her request. She invites him and Haman to two private banquets, and while they dine, God is quietly rearranging the chessboard between her two dinners.

Previously on Bible Book Club

In the last chapter, we discovered why Esther had come to the position of queen for such a time as this. Mordecai challenged her to take action, and after calling for three days of fasting, she makes her decision: “If I perish, I perish.”

 

Subscribe to BBC on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon.

---

Everything was against Esther.

When we left Esther, she had accepted a seemingly impossible mission to save her people. So many things are against her:

• The law is against her because she can’t approach the king without an invitation.
• Her sex is against her because the king sees women as disposable and has not used her in 30 days.
• Her nationality is against her because Haman’s death decree included her.
• Time is against her.
• The king’s volatile temperament is against her.
• Even the fatigue from fasting will work against her physically.

Esther never mentions God, and we don’t know how much access she had to the Scriptures. But we have access, and we also have the New Testament. When faced with difficult situations like Esther, we have the Scripture behind the spirit of Esther’s actions:

Romans 8:31 and 37 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

As you read Esther’s story and feel that you do not have her kind of strength, think about these verses.

What was the penalty for approaching a Persian king without an invitation?

Under the scepter protocol, anyone who approaches the king without an invitation is subject to immediate death unless the king extends his scepter to them. So without the scepter, you get the ax.

In our last episode of Bible Book Club, I mentioned this scepter protocol and that this detailed protocol is unique to Esther’s story. Since then, I’ve done some more digging. While the protocol is not written anywhere, there is archaeological evidence that supports it. 

What archaeological evidence supports the “scepter and ax” protocol in Esther?

Two sculptures excavated from the Persepolis palace depict a Persian King thought to be Darius, King Xerxes’ father, seated on a throne with a long scepter in his right hand. Standing directly behind the throne is a soldier holding a large ax. The sculptures are thought to be of Darius because they were excavated from a palace he built. 

All that to say, the protocol could have been as harsh as the Book of Esther proclaims. These sculptures are in museums, but Persepolis is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and if you go to its website, there are pictures of what remains, which are impressive.

---

Scene 1: Esther courageously steps out with a curious invitation.

Esther 5:1-8

The First Irony in this Lesson of Ironic Reversals

Queen Vashti risked her life by not appearing before King Xerxes when summoned. Queen Esther risks her life by appearing before the same King Xerxes unsummoned. Both risk their lives to do what they do. Yet, in the divine providence of God, both receive very different outcomes. The first queen loses favor to make way for the second queen. The second queen finds favor to save God’s people.

The Second Irony

For the first time, Esther is stepping out of her hidden identity as a Jew. Yet the irony is that the author explicitly states she puts on her royal robes, thereby asserting her identity as a Persian Queen. She asserts herself as queen, but she reveals herself as a Jew. This reveal is for the king who needs to know his queen.

The king sees his queen waiting for his attention and is pleased. Esther finds favor once again and receives the life-saving scepter. The golden scepter foreshadows the deliverance of God’s people. And Esther approaches the king on the third day, which is an interesting extra biblical fact.

Why did Queen Esther wait three days before approaching King Xerxes?

The third day isn’t about Esther’s courage; it’s about God’s perfect timing revealing itself after three days of hidden preparation. The people fast, pray, and wait, seemingly doing nothing. But God is working behind the scenes making sure the players in the game are getting into position.

By the time Esther walks into that throne room on day three, God has already arranged the chessboard. She just has to make her move. And all Esther asks for is that the king and Haman dine with her, like now, and away they go.

The Midrash pattern of the third day

The Midrash is the Jewish rabbinic interpretation or commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures, which of course is the Old Testament. It offers an interesting interpretation of three-day periods in Scripture. They have identified a pattern that salvation comes after three days. The pattern can be found in:

• Jonah chapter 2 — he was released from the belly of the fish on the third day
• Joseph’s brothers Genesis 42 — were imprisoned and released by Joseph on the third day
• The Israelites at Sinai Exodus 19 — God descended on the third day
• The Promised Land in Joshua 1 — the Israelites crossed the Jordan on the third day
• King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20 — was healed on the third day

The pattern is that God moves on the third day, and God saves on the third day. The concept is taken by the Midrash from Hosea:

Hosea 6:2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

The same pattern is evident in the New Testament. Jesus is raised on the third day.

Esther may have been aware of Hosea’s words and chosen three days hoping God would spare her life on the third day when she approaches the king. But what happens during those three days should not be discounted.

A lesson from Esther on stillness

Esther is a great lesson for us! Our culture has conditioned us to be impatient. Information is acquired in seconds. Products are delivered in hours. We don’t have to wait for much. Our decisions are driven by the impulse to do something. When what God may want is for us to be still.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Would our decisions be different if, like Esther, we prayed for three days? Are we rushing into life without waiting for God to go ahead of us? This is a hard question that requires much thought because the last thing we want is to get to heaven and see our highlight reel was missing a lot of light.

In other words, we zoomed ahead in darkness, rather than letting God shed some light on our path. And without intending, we ran right by opportunities because we couldn’t even see them in the dark. We make our own decisions instead of waiting on God’s. We want God’s will for our lives, but we are not good at waiting for it.

Stillness is where the plan forms

Over 30 years ago, my husband and I left our jobs to start Family First. We were asked to leave the security of the careers familiar to us to start a ministry. We went from the known to the unknown.

The mission build was often unclear. And we learned something that we try very hard to adhere to today. When a situation is unclear, we must be still. When there is confusion, uncertainty, or fear, we must be still and wait for God. And God has been faithful to that. He always shifts a situation, or reveals something we didn’t know, or sends someone to advise, or changes our hearts, or gives us a new idea.

I have no doubt that somewhere in the stillness of Esther’s fasting and prayer the idea for two banquets alone with just the king and Haman came to her from God. God’s movement does not come in audible voices as it did to the prophets long ago. But when I am still, when I wait, thoughts occur, emotions change. Meanwhile, God moves things around and more light is shed on the decision. And finally, after time, conviction comes for what God would have.

The process can be painful, because many times the situation is dire. Or the process can be exciting, because the opportunity is great. In either case, there has never been a time when I regretted being still and waiting on the Lord. Perhaps this is what happens to Esther in her prayer and fasting. A plan forms for two banquets.

Why did Esther invite Haman to her private banquets with the king?

The Bible does not say! All we know is that it was divine; it must have been a strong inclination from the Holy Spirit. For there is no way Esther could have known what would unfold between this dinner and the next. From a strategic angle, she did create suspense with the two dinners, and she got the king’s undivided attention.

Stop to ponder what this must have done to Haman’s already inflated pride. In his mind, even the queen recognizes his importance and wants to spend time with him. It is very unlikely that any official in the entire empire has ever been so honored as to be invited to dine alone with the king and queen in her private apartments.

Knowing what we know about the story, it almost appears as if God is taunting Haman. Like, let’s see how high his inflated pride can carry him. Haman should surely be in the top three Bible Characters to study if you would like a lesson on pride.

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Disgrace is on the way, but Haman doesn’t see it.

At the first banquet, Xerxes again offers up to half the kingdom. This is another one of his idioms, similar to the one he said to Haman when he told him to keep all that silver. The king does not mean it. He is just expressing his pleasure with her. It does, however, bode well for Esther. The king is feeling generous. 

Mysteriously, Esther asks only for another dinner. King Xerxes’ pride is probably now being inflated along with Haman’s. The king most likely thinks his lovely queen just misses him. Otherwise, he would have become impatient and demanded she answer rather than continue playing this game.

How does King Xerxes’ offer of “half the kingdom” compare to King Herod?

The king asks Esther what she would like up to half the kingdom. Centuries later, in Mark chapter 6, another king, King Herod, makes the same offer at a banquet to the daughter of Herodias, Salome.

Mark 6:21-25 On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. At once the girl hurried into the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

Salome’s request led to the beheading of God’s prophet. Esther’s request will lead to the saving of God’s people. I have to wonder if the King of Kings asks us the same question: “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” And we get to choose, good or evil. Because we have two clear examples in the Bible of one who chose good and one who chose evil.

What is the “Chiastic structure” of the banquets in the Book of Esther?

The Book of Esther is woven around a series of feasts, or banquets, which form an ABCD, reverse, DCBA Chiastic structure. We have talked about chiasms in the past. They are simply a literary structure where the second half mirrors the first half with a center that is the pivotal point.

In Esther, there are four banquets, God moves in the middle, then four more banquets that mirror the first in reverse order:

• Banquet A — the king’s party for the nobles throughout the empire
• Banquet B — the king’s party for all the men in Susa
• Banquet C — Esther’s coronation
• Banquet D — Esther’s first dinner with Haman

Then we have the pivotal turn in the story: what God does between Esther’s two dinners. And the reversal begins:

• Banquet D — Esther’s second dinner with Haman
• Banquet C — the celebration of Mordecai’s promotion
• Banquet B — the first day of Purim feasting throughout the empire
• Banquet A — the second day of Purim feasting in Susa

And there is more. The first two banquets are for Persians, first the empire then in Susa. The last two banquets are for the Jews, first the empire then in Susa. The third and sixth are celebrations of promotions, first Esther then Mordecai. And of course, the middle two banquets are so small, just the same three people: the king, the queen, and the villain. But between those two banquets God reversed the evil for good.

There are more chiasms in the book of Esther, which is appropriate for a book filled with ironic reversals. God loves a complex and intriguing story; the Bible is proof of that!

---

Scene 2: Haman’s pride hits a high.

Esther 5:9-14

Why was Haman filled with rage despite being invited to the Queen’s banquet?

Haman walks out of the palace floating, but he falls hard into a pit of rage when Mordecai won’t rise or show fear in his presence. 

Haman leaves the first banquet happy and in high spirits. Who else in the kingdom is allowed such an intimate privilege as dining alone with the king and the queen not once but two nights in a row? He thinks he is at the zenith of his career. Why? Because that dinner was all about him, so he thinks. And it really was about him, but not for the same reasons he thinks.

Psalm 7:14-16 Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.

Haman is about to fall into a pit of his own digging. Although in this case it is not a pit but gallows.

What did Haman’s wife Zeresh advise him to do to Mordecai?

Haman’s wife Zeresh and some of their friends advise him to just kill Mordecai and to do it tomorrow so he can enjoy dinner with the King and Queen. Their recommendation is not merely a covert “let’s get rid of Mordecai” murder. They advise a murder that is a grotesque public display.

Why should Haman bother being bothered? He can do whatever he wants with the King’s signet ring.

How tall were Haman’s gallows and how were they used for execution?

Haman’s gallows were 75 feet tall. To explain this instrument of death, first let’s redefine gallows. We think of them as a contraption for hanging a person. However, the Persians used gallows, which mean tree or wood in Hebrew, to impale people. These were sharpened poles or a huge stake, and in this case the pole is 75 feet.

The process of killing is a massive human spectacle. Based on historical Persian practices and biblical scholars’ insights, here is how a person would have been placed on such a high stake:

• The execution would begin with the 75-foot timber lying flat on the ground
• The victim was laid face-down or on their back, often with their hands tied
• A separate, smaller “impaling rod” — about the size of a man’s arm and sharpened at the point — was driven into the body using heavy mallets
• To prolong the suffering, executioners were skilled at placing the stake around vital organs so the victim wouldn’t die immediately
• The victim, now pinned to the smaller rod, would be securely lashed or bolted to the top section of the 75-foot pole while it was still horizontal
• Once the victim was attached to the top, the entire 75-foot structure was raised upright by a large crew using ropes
• As it was raised, the stake would drop into a large hole in the ground — all of this movement would be agony for the victim if still alive

Haman grossly planned for Mordecai’s death to be the most visible landmark in Susa. And he delighted in it. With all of his wealth, he sets the builders to work overtime. It must have been all night, because he wants this murder to happen tomorrow morning so he can enjoy his next dinner with the king and queen.

No one outmaneuvers God

Little did Haman know, no matter how hard he worked, no matter how extensive his resources, no one can outmaneuver God, because God never sleeps. And on this night, God’s plan is to keep the king awake, too. In our next episode of Bible Book Club, we find out just how divine God’s timing can be.

Because what takes place in the next 24 hours of Esther’s story is the start of the epic reversal.

• The proud will be humbled.
• The humble will be elevated.
• The villain will die.
• The victims will live.

---

Group Discussion Questions for Esther Chapter 5

1. Esther prayed and fasted for three days before acting. Is there a situation in your life right now where God might be asking you to be still and wait rather than act immediately?
2. Have you ever experienced a moment, like Esther stepping into that throne room, when you had to move forward in faith even though everything seemed stacked against you? What happened?
3. Haman had enormous wealth, honor, and privilege, yet all of it gave him no satisfaction as long as Mordecai refused to bow. What does Haman’s story reveal about the danger of letting one person’s opinion define your peace?

🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Listen to the Bible Book Club Podcast here:

• Apple Podcast

• Spotify

• YouTube