If we have had power with God in prayer we shall find favor with men in the time of need,
for God can turn the hearts of men which way He pleases.
Esther 5
1 Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.
2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.
4 And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.
5 Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
6 ¶ And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.
7 Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;
8 If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.
9 ¶ Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.
10 Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.
11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
12 Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king.
13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.
14 ¶ Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
Esther 5:1-3 – J. Vernon McGee
Esther 5:4 – J. Vernon McGee
Esther 5:5-11 – J. Vernon McGee
Esther 5:12-14 – J. Vernon McGee
Esther 5 – Hatred Breeds Crime
Thus the soul clad in the royal garments of Christ’s righteousness stands in the throne-room with its request. It has already obtained favor, for has it not been accepted in the beloved? The Lord waits that He may be gracious. Delay is not denial, and in the meanwhile there are things to be seen and heard, which fill the soul with rapture. Have you touched the top of the sceptre? Have you claimed unto the half of the Kingdom? Have you invited the King Himself to your banqueting table? For the King Himself is willing to be your guest. We feast at His table, but He comes and sups with us at ours. In all earthly joy there is alloy, something which detracts from full gratification; a Mordecai for Haman, because of whom all else availed nothing. The joy that this world gives is at the mercy of the least untoward circumstances, but “whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14). —Through the Bible Day by Day
Esther 5:2—The King held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand.
What a beautiful type this is for each of us in our approaches to God!
For the repentant sinner.—You may have said with Esther, “So will I go in unto the king…and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). But it is impossible for you to perish. None ever perished at the footstool of mercy. God is faithful to His promises, and just to His Son; and He can do no other—He wants to do no other—than forgive. As you stand amid the throng that surrounds His throne, He will espy you, and accept you graciously, because of the God-Man who sits at His right hand, and ever lives to intercede. In His name you may come boldly and obtain mercy.
For the suppliant.—You have a great boon to ask for yourself, or another. The King’s court stands open; enter and lodge your petition. He will be very gracious at the voice of your cry: the golden scepter extended, His word passed, that He will answer with the whole resources of His kingdom. The answer may not come at once, or in the way you expected; but no true suppliant was ever turned away without his complaint or cause being graciously considered, and in the best way met and adjusted.
For the Christian worker.—Surely Esther represents a Paul prepared to be himself accursed, a Luther, a Brainerd. It is a lovely sight when the child of God is so oppressed with the burden of other souls as to sacrifice all else in order to plead their cause. Surely such find favor with God; they are kindred spirits with His own, and He bids them share His throne. God will do anything for those who are consumed by His own redemptive purpose. —Our Daily Homily
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6 ¶ And the king said unto Esther at the ______________ of wine, What is thy ________________? and it shall be ______________ thee: and what is thy ______________? even to the ________ of the kingdom it shall be __________________.
7 Then ________________ Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;
8 If I have found ____________ in the sight of the king, and if it ____________ the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the ________ and __________ come to the banquet that I shall ______________ for them, and I will do to ____________ as the king hath said.