A Spiritual Exposition of the Book of Esther, Chapter 7
Introduction
This post is the seventh of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) Old Testament National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).
The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 7: The Last Passover Feast and Christ’s Victory over Satan at the Cross (Esther 7:10)
Esther Chapter 7 begins with a banquet, and ends with the death of a wicked banqueter.
The Last Supper Prefigured
Esther 7:1, “¶So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.”
This was the last feast where king Ahasuerus sat down with Haman in the presence of Esther.
In looking at Esther from a spiritual perspective, we must ask the question…Did God ever sit down at a feast table with Satan in the presence of believers where wine was also present? Indeed He did! At the last Passover feast, the “last supper,” God (as Jesus Christ, John 1:1) sat next to Judas Iscariot (who we know was indwelt with Satan, Luke 22:3) in the presence of Jesus’s eleven other disciples (believers represented here by Esther) at the last Passover feast, where we know that Jesus instituted the sacrament service with wine (representing His shed blood). As Jesus said in John 13:18, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture (referring to Psalm 41:9) may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.“
For additional evidence that the devil was indwelling, and hence one-in-the-same with, Judas Iscariot, we only need to look at these four sets of verses:
- John 6:70, “¶Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot [the son] of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.“
- John 17:12, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition (ἀπώλεια (apōleia))G684; that the scripture might be fulfilled. (the last part referring to Psalm 109:8, “Let his days be few; [and] let another take his office.” which was fulfilled in Acts 1:20, “¶For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.“
- 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (ἀπώλεια (apōleia))G684; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.“
- Revelation 9:11, “And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon (from אֲבַדּוֹן (‘ăḇadôn)H11 meaning “Destruction/Destroyer“), but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon (Ἀπολλύων (apollyōn)G623 meaning “Destroyer“).
The KJV translates ἀπώλεια (apōleia)G684 in the following manner: perdition (8x), destruction (5x), waste (2x), damnable (1x), to die (with G1519) (1x), perish (with G1498) (with G1519) (1x), pernicious (1x).
Esther 7:2, “And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What [is] thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what [is] thy request? and it shall be performed, [even] to the half of the kingdom.”
It is clear that the king is greatly entreating Esther to explain herself, perhaps frustratingly. This is a third reprise of the king’s twice earlier declarations that we read back in Esther 5:3, “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.” and in Esther 5:6, “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.“
Esther 7:3, ҦThen Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:
Surprisingly to the king, Esther’s answer was not to request another banquet of wine, or for wealth, or for some other gift, but rather a petition for mercy for her life and the lives of her people!
Esther 7:4, “For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.”
Note that Esther is quoting almost word for word from the decree, approved by the king, that we read about back in Esther 3:13“to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews,…” Moreover, Esther was also saying that if it had been her and her people’s lot to be made slaves, then she would have remained silent and submissive to the king’s decree, as all lives would have been spared. However, given the impending death sentence, she had no recourse but to beg for mercy from the king, and initially risked her own life in making her first request.
Esther 7:5, “¶Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart (לֵב (lēḇ))H3820 to do so?”
Note that the word “heart”, is in the original Hebrew, לֵב (lēḇ)H3820, which is a form of לֵבָב (lēḇāḇ)H3824, see below regarding Isaiah 14:13.
Esther 7:6, “¶And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.”
Yes, the adversary and enemy was wicked Haman. Please see this detailed post on “The Devil in Disguise: Haman the Agagite and Amalekite“, which explains all that this teacher has been able to put together to corroborate Esther’s assertion.
The specific words “adversary“, “enemy“, and “wicked” (when taken together) are used pointedly in the Bible to unequivocally describe the devil, Satan (e.g., 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“; Matthew 13:39, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.“; and, Matthew 13:38, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];”
One more thing should be noted however…the word that the King James translators took to mean as “adversary” in the Book of Esther is actually the Hebrew word אִישׁ (‘îš) H376, which is actually a far more benign word, translated over 1000 times in the Bible, as simply meaning “man”, which is never translated anywhere else in the Bible as “adversary”. However, when we do look up the proper Hebrew word for “adversary“… Lo and behold…the word is, most significantly, שָׂטָן (śāṭān) H7854! Yes, the adversary is the devil himself, the arch-enemy of God and of all of God’s elect! Is it possible that somehow the translators were moved by God to lead us to this interpretation, perhaps even unbeknownst to themselves? Only God knows for sure. However, one thing we can note is this reference in Isaiah 14:16, where it is referring directly to “Lucifer“, the devil himself (see Isaiah 14:12-17), “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man (אִישׁ (‘îš)) H376 that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?“
Esther 7:7, “¶And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath [went] into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.“
Proverbs 14:35, “The king’s favour [is] toward a wise servant: but his wrath is [against] him that causeth shame.“
Proverbs 16:14, “The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.” (Jesus is that wise man).
Proverbs 19:12, “The king’s wrath [is] as the roaring of a lion; but his favour [is] as dew upon the grass.“
And let us not forget that our God is indeed a “king”, just as we read in Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD [is] the true God, he [is] the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.“
Esther 7:8, “Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther [was]. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.“
Desiring to Usurp God’s Authority
We should remember what God tells us in Isaiah 14:12-15, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart (לֵבָב (lēḇāḇ))H3824, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Please see again also Obadiah 1:4.)
The devil, in his pride, sought to replace God, and to usurp God’s authority, and take the church/congregations (the Bride of Christ, represented by “the stars of God”) by conquest for himself. We see this being symbolized by Haman being observed on Esther’s bed whereupon Haman was immediately sentenced to the Gallows and the king’s wrath was “pacified”. And, for the record, regarding “stars” as a “Type” for the believer, we should remember that God said in Genesis 22:16&17, “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”. God points to “the stars of the heaven” as representative of the seed of Abraham…the eternal seed in Christ.
Haman Is Hanged
Esther 7:9, “And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.”
Immediately after the banquet of chapter 7, Haman was hung on the high gallows (e.g., ‘tree’, see inset below) that Haman had prepared for Mordecai. In perfect concordance with this account, it was on the same Hebrew calendar day as the Passover Feast in which Judas Iscariot subsequently betrayed Jesus (under the prompting of Satan, see John 13:2). It was also the same day that Jesus was hung on the cross and shed His Blood (see Galatians 3:13). Moreover, although Satan sought to destroy Jesus at the cross, it was Satan who was actually dealt a death blow on that same cross. And perhaps just as significantly, on the same day, so was Judas Iscariot (who in effect was typifying Satan) hanged on a tree, see Matthew 27:5 . On the last day, Judgment Day, Satan and all his dominion will be permanently cut-off and cast into the lake of fire, as typified by the death and subsequent hanging of Haman’s ten slain sons on trees as we read later in Esther Chapter 9.
NOTE: The original Hebrew word that is translated as ‘gallows‘ is עֵץ (ʿēṣ)H6086, is most often translated (162x) as ‘tree‘ (versus only 8X as ‘gallows) as we read in Deuteronomy 21:22&23, “¶And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree (עֵץ (ʿēṣ))H6086: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree (עֵץ (ʿēṣ))H6086, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance.” And this point is expounded by the Apostle Paul for us in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:”
Esther 7:10, “¶So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))H7918.”
This verse brings to mind Psalm 37:12&13, “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him; he sees that his day is coming.“
And what are we also told in Proverbs 25:5? “Take away the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.“
We should also remember Biblical irony made clear in Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“ (Please also see this post, Psalm 9:16: Understanding Temporal vs Eternal Judgment and Justice.)
The word “pacified” is the word in the original Hebrew (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))H7918; which is only found 5 times in the Bible, but in one of those, Genesis 8:1, it is used to with regard to the Flood waters after the Noachin Flood, “¶And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that [was] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))H7918;”. It is also used another time in Esther 2:1, “After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))H7918, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.“
All three uses of the word here seem to be associated with the dispelling of wrath after a judgment is carried out and justice was satisfied. And please note the intense “Irony” of this verse! God’s wrath will be pacified on Judgment day with the destruction of the wicked
Postscript: Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving and Praise
1 Samuel 2:1, “¶And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.”
1 Samuel 2:2, “[There is] none holy as the LORD: for there [is] none beside thee: neither [is] there any rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:3, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD [is] a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.“
1 Samuel 2:4, “The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.”
1 Samuel 2:5, “[They that were] full have hired out themselves for bread; and [they that were] hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.”
1 Samuel 2:6, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.”
1 Samuel 2:7, “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.”
1 Samuel 2:8, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.”
1 Samuel 2:9, “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”
1 Samuel 2:10, “The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
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