Esther 7:1-10
Please read your Bible text: Esther 7:1-10
‘…my petition is that my life and the lives of my people be spared’ 7:2, (NLT)
As Esther stood in the presence of the king and interceded, God set things right! You may be a victim of unfairness or mistreatment and seemingly there isn’t any vindictive action. The wicked seem to prosper but you seem to suffer. Where is God when it hurts? Let the story of Esther here in this chapter encourages you. God set things right for Esther and He is still setting things right for you today.
Today’s text reminds me of Esther’s patience and the passion in which she made intercession for her people to be saved. How do we make intercession for our unsaved loved ones – our friends and relatives who are bounded to a lost eternity without Christ?
The Faithful Plead of Esther – vv.1-6
Esther pleaded with patience for her people to be saved. She wasn’t hasty. Esther had prayed (4:16) but she also acted. It took her two banquets set up for the king and Haman before she finally voiced her petition. Had she been hasty in her petition she would run ahead of God’s timing in that twist of an event in favor of Mordecai (chapter 6). Her passionate plead for her people are seen in her considerate and sensitive approach to king Xerxes. She was sensitive to king Xerxes’ needs and chose the right time to make her petition (v.2).
She took such measures as were possible to gain the king’s favor, to awaken his curiosity. She spelled out the facts calmly, fearlessly without any anger (v.4). Notice that it was at the king’s request, she voiced her petition and it was at the king’s prompting, she exposed the evil schemer. She said, “This evil man, Haman” without fear. For all the troubles or efforts Esther put in – we can only conclude that it was a passion to see her people saved.
Often, our plea for the salvation of our loved ones is for Heaven (the gift). But do we care about the King’s heart, the King’s feeling? Do we plead passionately for our loved ones to be saved for Him (the Giver)?
The Fateful Ending of Haman – vv.7-10
All the money that Haman could pour into the royal treasury could not compensate for the loss of an entire people. In his anguish of soul, Haman adopted an attitude of entreaty at the couch on which Esther was inclined. That seems to the king, a gross insolence, and this sealed his fate. His face was covered as though he were no longer worthy to behold the king. The Eunuch sent to summon Haman had probably seen the gallows on that errand, and thus it happened that the wicked Haman was taken in his own trap. Haman fell into the pit he dug for Mordecai. Psalm 7:15, “They dig a pit to trap others and then fall into it themselves.” God is just and He set things right! Even if you see the wicked seemingly flourish like weeds and blossom with successes – there is only eternal destruction ahead of them (Psalm 92:7).
Touch Not the Lord’s People
The story of Esther reminds us that if anyone plots evil against God’s Children, evil will recoil on him as God fights for His Children. It may be that on a national scale in the world today, this extraordinary reversal as in the book of Esther is possible. Any nations that rise against God’s people, God will punish the nations that take offense against Israel because Israel is God’s chosen people (Isaiah 29:7; Zechariah 12:9, 14:12).
THINK: Undeserved success will not last forever; the one who wins, in the end, is the one who plays the game by God’s rules.
PRAYER: Help me Lord, to be calm and composed, trusting that You will fight for Your people. Amen.
David Quek
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