ASSIGNMENT:
READ Esther 5:9-14
1. What are some of the words/statements that indicate Haman’s mood following the banquet?
Historical Note
The gallows spoken of in 5:14 was not the platform-type gallows some of us may remember from the old American cowboy movies. It was a large stake upon which the victim was impaled. Sometimes death took several hours as the weight of the body forced it to slide down the stake little by little. This method of capital punishment was a precursor to the Roman crucifixion.
3. The Esther narrative has many examples of irony. What do you see in the situation between Xerxes and Vashti in chapter1 and Xerxes and Esther in chapter 5 that could be considered ironic? (Notice it involves risks that each of these women take).
Concluding thoughts on Esther’s statement,
And if I perish, I perish, (4:16b)
In times of challenge and crisis, we may trust God to rescue us from what we fear most – or trust Him to prevent it from happening in the first place. However, a mature faith causes us to trust Him no matter what … even if our worst nightmare befalls us …even if/when we perish!!
(adapted from a statement by Beth Moore).
