Esther 5: 1 – 8
On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favour and he held out to her the golden sceptre that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the sceptre. The king said to her, ‘What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.’ Then Esther said, ‘If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the king.’ Then the king said, ‘Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires.’ So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, ‘What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.’ Then Esther said, ‘This is my petition and request: If I have won the king’s favour, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfil my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and then I will do as the king has said.’
Reflection
This part of Esther’s story reminds me of Scheherazade and The Thousand and One Nights – a king with the power of life and death over his subjects, with no exceptions, and an apparently helpless woman who uses her intelligence.
But Esther has called for spiritual help and support before she steps out of the shadows of the harem, and now she dresses in her royal robes. (This is familiar! Make-up and clothes can be armour – as well as Ephesians 6: 10-18!) Then she stands and waits.
She has risked all and now has the courage to put the rest of her plan into action – and it is a pretty sneaky one. Like Sheherazade, she uses the king’s curiosity (and maybe boredom – a man who can have anything he wants may have discovered nothing much really interests him). In fact, Esther plays this great powerful king like a little fish.
Deftly she sidesteps his agenda – the bribery of ‘half my kingdom, anything you want’ – and insteads offers him a surprise gift. I have a friend who is a professional chef. He is seldom invited by anyone for a meal because they fear they won’t come up to his standards – but my friend longs for home cooking and table fellowship. Maybe the king hadn’t been offered a present like this before?
Esther takes her time, playing her fish steadily, one step at a time. And I remember 2 Corinthians 12:9: ‘My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Maybe we don’t have to fight back, rush in all guns blazing to sort out situations we don’t like? Maybe there are gentler ways, ways of grace that will allow the Lord to do things His way?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, you give us brains to use and limitless wisdom if we will only ask you for it. Help us not to rush into difficult situations and make them worse! Help us trust you to create the solutions that you want, that will honour you. In your name, Amen