Passionate Request

Only Queen Esther knew the true purpose of her second banquet. She was awaiting the right opportunity to present her case for justice for her people. It came during pre-dinner drinks! The king reiterated both his curiosity and continued favor towards her–perhaps in exaggerated terms. Esther courteously broached her concerns, courageously petitioning that her life be saved and her people spared.

In her short but passionate plea she publicly identified her national allegiance for the first time. This let the king know that his queen, and not just her people, was in danger. She labeled the unjust plan not as outright genocide but as an act of bribery with deadly consequences. This enabled the culpability to be shifted from the king’s edict to the plan’s perpetrator. Finally, she rationalized the issue as serious enough to warrant the king’s attention and action.

Xerxes took the bait, responding with surprise, anger and a pointed question. As the queen identified the villain and the king flew into a rage, Haman was terrified. During the king’s brief absence, Haman took the humiliating course of pleading with the queen for his life, unwisely ignoring royal proximity protocols. On returning, the already angry king discovered Haman in an apparently compromising position with his queen. We have seen that Xerxes, usually an indecisive and malleable character, rarely took action without advice. True to form, he rapidly responded to his attendant’s convenient hint of a method of resolution. The swift dispatch of Haman to the fate he intended for Mordecai dealt not only with the perceived impropriety, but also with the heinous plotter. Poetic justice sometimes coincides with God’s justice!

When God is involved, “not only do important things happen, they happen just when they are needed” (David G. Firth). Recollect God’s perfect timing in your life and circumstances.