How To Save the Jews

Mordecai’s plan to save the Jews involved asking Esther “to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people”.

Perhaps not a bad plan but not one that Esther agreed with. Esther, wanted to “cut the snakes head off”… she wanted to dispose of Haman. In her conversations with Mordecai, which were through an intermediary by the way, nothing is mentioned specifically about Haman. Mordecai simply revealed a copy of the edict that was being circulated with King Ahasuerus signet ring imprinted on it. Perhaps Esther did a little investigating to see who the source of the edict was.

It was a different issue if Ahasuerus had a personal grudge against the Jews with perhaps a different solution, but not so, Esther discovered Haman was the problem.

So Esther devised a plan to not only save the Jews but also to destroy Haman.

First of all it was risky to approach the King for any reason at all. With hundreds of wives and children the king had to limit his accessibility otherwise he could kill a whole day (or a whole life) just talking with his wives and dealing with their problems, so he made a law that you could be put to death if you even approached him. I’m sure he had to apply that law every once in awhile to get everyone’s attention. There was risk involved for Esther.

Esther had just one shot at saving the Jews, she did not want to waste it by just pleading with Ahasuerus. She formulated a plan using her strengths and Ahasuerus’ weaknesses to save the Jews.

So she approached the king’s court at the threat of her life and made a simple request… she invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a banquet she had prepared.

A pretty small request compared to her great risk… which was not lost on Ahasuerus. At the banquet, Ahasuerus again asked what Esther wanted… still she won’t tell him but invited him to another banquet the next day. Ahasuerus knew Esther wanted something but he had no idea what it is.

At the second banquet the curious Ahasuerus again asked Esther what she wanted and this is what she said…

“If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

Ohhh… Esther was cunning, she would not disturb the king if she was going to be sold into slavery but someone was going to murder her and she asked her husband for protection. She approached the king with temerity and weakness… not anger and bold demands. For a young, politically naïve Jewish girl Esther was very shrewd in her manipulation of Ahasuerus.

The Husband/King responded…

“Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

The real answer to this question would be to have Ahasuerus look in the mirror and Ahasuerus knew that ultimately he was to blame but Esther identified Haman as the culprit and Ahasuerus was off the hook. Ahasuerus had to feel like an idiot for his agreement with Haman to annihilate the Jews and so he allowed Esther carte blanche to correct the problem.

Esther’s plan, well conceived and well executed, worked… the Jews were saved.