Summary of Esther 6-7
Esther 6:
The King was reminded that Mordecai had saved his life from an assassination plot, but was never rewarded. He asks Haman what reward should be given to someone like this. Haman (thinking this was for him) said the person should be paraded through the streets wearing the king’s robes and riding the king’s horse and honored. The king tells him to do this for Mordecai. Haman obeys and is in anguish when the second banquet is about to begin.
Esther 7:
Esther finally asks the king to spare her and her people, who were to be killed. He asks who has done such a thin,g and she says Haman. The king leaves, but Haman begs Esther for his life. The king takes offense to this and orders Haman impaled on the pole that had been meant for Mordecai.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 14, Day 5: Esther 6-7
12a) Just before Haman can ask for Mordecai to be impaled, the king remembers about Mordecai foiling an assassination plot and never being rewarded for it. Then Haman comes up with a splendid reward. The banquet happens, and Haman’s evil is exposed. Perfect God timing. God’s sovereignty is seen in the “coincidences.” The king’s sleeplessness, the exact chronicle read about Mordecai’s unrewarded deed, and Haman’s arrival at that precise moment all align perfectly. This shows God’s ironic timing, orchestrating Haman’s downfall and Mordecai’s exaltation before the banquet.
b) That everything happens in God’s timing. These events show that God is sovereignly working, even when He seems silent. They give profound hope that He protects His people and that justice will prevail, often in ironic and unexpected ways, turning the enemy’s own plots against them.
13a) She admits that she is a Jew, finally, and stands for her people. She accuses Haman with no fear. Esther’s courage grew from a fearful “if I perish” to a strategic confrontation. At the second banquet, she bravely revealed her Jewish identity, fully identifying with her people. She then boldly accused Haman directly, moving from a position of desperation to one of confident, decisive action.
b) God used a sleepless king to honor Mordecai, forcing Haman to lead the parade. At Esther’s banquet, Haman’s plot was exposed. He was then executed on the very gallows he built for Mordecai, a perfect reversal of his plan, turning his own pride against him.
c) God’s people experience reversals now through Christ: He reverses death to life (John 11), wrath to life (John 3), and our curse to a blessing (Gal 3). We also anticipate future reversals where God will turn our sorrow to joy (Rev 21) and make the last first (Luke 22).
14) My novel. My job. My dreams. My life’s purpose.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 14, Day 5: Esther 6-7
I love how God is just and those who plot against His people will face His judgment. And, evil plots can lead to nothing but evil.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 14, Day 5: Esther 6-7
Esther 6:
The exact page in a book of hundreds of pages was probably read to the king about Mordecai. Only God can do that.
There are no coincidences here; God is in control of everything and everyone. God arranges all things.
God allowed Mordecai to fall to his pride.
Haman lived for human praise. The only praise that matters is God’s praise.
Haman was humiliated.
Esther 7:
Haman had ultimately asked the king to kill his wife since she was a Jew.
The king left, realizing he had been fooled. He was very angry at this.
Satan’s evil attempts to thwart God never prevail. Using Mordecai backfired terribly. You think the Devil would learn. Satan can cause evil, but He won’t win.
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
Esther 6-7 details the story’s dramatic climax and sudden reversal, where Haman’s plot is exposed, and he is destroyed by his own pride.
Interpretation
- Chapter 6 (The Reversal): This chapter is a masterpiece of irony, driven by divine providence. On a sleepless night, King Ahasuerus has the royal chronicles read and is reminded that Mordecai once saved his life and was never rewarded. At that exact moment, Haman arrives, intending to ask for Mordecai’s execution. In a state of blinding pride, Haman accidentally designs a royal parade for Mordecai, which the king then forces Haman to lead, resulting in his total public humiliation.
- Chapter 7 (The Execution): The reversal is completed at Esther’s second banquet. Esther courageously reveals her Jewish identity and pleads for her life, exposing Haman as the one who plotted to annihilate her people. The king is enraged, and Haman panics, falling on Esther’s couch to beg for his life. The king returns, misinterprets this as an assault, and seals Haman’s fate. Haman is then swiftly executed on the very 75-foot gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Conclusion
These two chapters are the pivotal turning point of the book. They demonstrate that the very moment of Haman’s greatest arrogance was the eve of his destruction. Through a series of seemingly “coincidental” events—a sleepless night, a timely arrival, and a strategic banquet—God orchestrates the complete downfall of the enemy and the vindication of His people, turning the instrument of death into the means of justice.
Best Christmas Gifts for Him!
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