And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”
Esther has risked her life by entering the throne room uninvited. The king has not only spared her. He has offered her anything up to half his kingdom. With that offer open in front of her, she asks for a dinner — and she asks for Haman, the man who wants her people dead, to be at the table.
An answer that asks for almost nothing
The size of the king's offer makes the smallness of her reply startling. One writer hears in it an echo of a strange answer Jesus once gave.
J. G. BellettShe does not ask for half the kingdom. She does not ask straight away for the head of the great Amalekite. She asks that the king and Haman come to a banquet of wine that she had prepared for them. Strange indeed! Who could have expected such an answer to such an unlimited promise? It brings to mind how the divine Master — He who is "the wisdom of God" — answered the Samaritan woman. She asked for the living water, and He told her to go and call her husband! That seemed strange beyond all explanation. But it was a ray of the purest light shining out from the Fountain of light. And so here. But it proves to be nothing less than the witness of the perfect wisdom of the Spirit who was now leading her.
Faith does not hurry
The request that mattered most to her was the one she held back. That silence took more than nerve.
William KellyGod gave her wisdom. She does not at once bring out what was so heavy a burden on her heart. "Whoever believes will not be in haste." The unseen God who was the object of her trust enabled her soul to wait. She asks not only the king to the banquet, but the king and Haman. How constantly this is the case. So with the Lord when He gives Judas the piece of bread even before that terrible betrayal which led to the cross. Little did Haman know what the God who did not appear was preparing for him.
The delay gains a promise she can hold
Waiting also won her something solid.
H. L. RossierBut as long as the Enemy is powerful, the caution of a serpent must go together with the innocence of a dove. Esther puts off her request to a later time and invites the king and Haman to her feast. In this way she gives the king the occasion to confirm his promise. And a confirmed promise, which bound the king alone, could not be cancelled.
Why Haman had to be at the table
Inviting the enemy to dinner looks reckless. One writer sees a purpose in the timing.
H. L. RossierFor judgment to fall on Haman, his pride and hatred must reach their full measure. He must also stand in the presence of the people he wants to wipe out — the people whose defence God Himself has taken up. The first meal offered by Esther only exalts his pride.
Patience learned from God Himself
Esther could have spent the king's offer at once. One writer traces her restraint back to its source.
The Christian's FriendShe has the golden sceptre on her side, and with it the king's promise to give her whatever she might ask, even to half of his kingdom. But she is patient. She invites the king and Haman to her banquet of wine. They come; and again the king puts half the kingdom within her grasp. But she is still patient, and invites them a second time. Is this, I ask, mere patience? ... It was the way of one who knew and imitated God's way in such cases. The Lord holds all power, yet He is patient. He could bear with the Amorites for 400 years, until the measure of their sin was full.
The guest who misreads his invitation
Haman leaves this dinner sure that he is rising in the world.
Michael HardtThis invitation brings out more of Haman's pride: he boasts about it to his family. It also brings out his delusion. He thinks he is about to rise to ever greater favour and importance.
Summary
- Grace first. The sceptre and the offer of half the kingdom come before Esther says a word about her people. Everything that follows rests on favour already given.
- Grace held. She does not spend the offer at once: "whoever believes will not be in haste." Her waiting grew out of trust in the God who did not appear.
- Grace secured. The delay makes the king repeat his promise. A king's confirmed word could not be cancelled.
- Grace patient. Her restraint copies God's own way of bearing with evil until its measure is full.
- Grace victorious. Haman walks in as an honoured guest and walks out doomed. The invitation that flattered his pride placed him within reach of judgment.