Procrastinator or Strategic Planner?(Esther 5:1-14)

Introduction

The book of Esther is a story of wonderful storytelling. It has drama and characters that operate in the grey. The assurance is that even when God sends his B team, his promises do not fall flat.

As we enter chapter 5, we meet Esther in a position of desperate urgency: the Jewish people face annihilation, and the queen herself has called a three-day fast on her behalf. We were left hanging with a question. Was Esther seeking to save her own life, or was she genuinely turning to God for wisdom and divine direction?

Esther has been rather passive. She has been instructed and silent. When she speaks, she seems conflicted. How is the Lord going to win his cosmic battle against the serpent with these people? We need the precision of the Navy Seals at this point, and not indifferent people who have compromised their moral integrity.

Esther’s Banquet: A Plan Put Into Motion (vv. 1–2)

Notice how deliberately the narrative slows as Esther prepares to act. The text does not simply say, "On the third day, Esther went to the king." Instead, every detail is described with weight and intention: Esther puts on her royal garments, walks to the inner court, and positions herself where the king can see her. This pacing is intentional. The intention is to slow down the action. It makes the reader feel the weight of the moment. It also builds suspense. Will the king let her speak, or will she be the first to be executed?

Her dawning the royal garb pays off. The king has not called for her in 30 days, but the king still cares for her. He does not simply ask what she wants, but he asks, “What seems to be troubling you?” There is compassion and concern for Esther’s well-being. This is only after the king invites her into his presence and extends the scepter to grant her audience. She is addressed as Queen Esther. Now she has the chance to act as queen.

Esther's Request: The Banquet and the Strategy (vv. 3–8)

When the king offers Esther up to half his kingdom, her request is surprisingly modest. In fact, it is dangerous. She does not ask for the Jews to be saved, nor seek a place of refuge for the Jewish people. Instead, she invites the king to a banquet with Haman.

This seems like a missed opportunity to the pragmatic observer. Why not act now, while the iron is hot? But this is precisely where Esther's wisdom shines. She is not rushing. She is calculating. The invitation demonstrates that Esther is moving the king where she wants him. She is also able to size up Haman. Esther might perceive something in Haman that we did not perceive.

Most likely, Esther is using this occasion to study him. She needs to see him face-to-face. When the king again offers her up to half his kingdom at the banquet, and she asks for a second banquet, she is not stalling out of fear. She is pumping up Haman’s ego. She also knows that in this kingdom, the king is easily manipulated by his advisers. Persia prides itself on the fact that its decrees are never overturned. Esther is thinking on a deeper level. She is an instrument God is using, and we need to see the wisdom God has brought to her attention after three days of fasting.

Esther’s Challenge: Haman's Pride and the Cosmic Battle

The scene shifts to Haman, who leaves the first banquet elated. He has everything: wealth, sons, prestige, the king's signet ring. He is on top of the world because not only did he have an exclusive banquet today, but another one tomorrow. This man has it all.

It is rather funny that he is threatened by a man who cannot meet with the king and has to send secret messages to his cousin, who is currently the queen. Haman cannot deal with Mordaci showing him such disrespect. He calls his advisors together and his wife. His wife hatches a plan in the midst of his advisors. Her plan for Haman is to build a pole 50 cubits high (roughly 70 feet, an exaggerated height) and impale Mordecai on it before the next banquet. The exaggeration in the text is not careless hyperbole. We need to clearly see that this is a literary device that communicates the depth of Haman's hatred and the grotesque extremity of his anger. Clearly, this is not a personal grudge, but a cosmic battle that is taking shape.

We might be overwhelmed. However, the dark humor of the narrative is impossible to miss. A kingdom that issued a decree declaring that no woman would dominate its men is now being led around by a queen who is dictating two banquets. Haman, the second most powerful man in the empire, receives his orders from his wife. The decrees of Persia, written in stone, are not being followed. Remember how this decree went out to every man in their own language? Well, the seed of the serpent might declare it victory, but clearly the Lord is subtly communicating that the serpent seed might say check, but it cannot say checkmate. The Lord’s decrees stand. Where are Persia’s decrees today?

Conclusion

The deeper question driving the Book of Esther is not merely whether the Jewish people will survive. It is whether the Lord will triumph over the seed of the serpent. It is not enough that God's people simply live, but they need to triumph.

If Esther had acted purely out of pragmatism at the first banquet, the people might have been preserved, but the Lord would have lost the cosmic war. The story, at this stage, is assuring us: God is still at work. He is silent, but his decree will stand. How clearly we see this as Christ has been raised from the dead. Let us proceed with confidence that our Lord is a shield and defender. He will finish what he started because His decrees stand. Let that be our confidence as we walk in Christ.