Three days later, Esther dressed in her royal robes and went to the inner court of the palace in front of the throne. The king was sitting there, facing the open doorway. He was happy to see Esther, and he held out the gold scepter to her. When Esther came up and touched the tip of the scepter, the king said, "Esther, what brings you here? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom." Esther answered, "Your Majesty, please come with Haman to a dinner I will prepare for you later today." The king said to his servants, "Hurry and get Haman, so we can accept Esther's invitation."
(Esther 5:1-5, CEV)
Now we come to my favorite part of Esther’s story … for many reasons.
First, I am always overwhelmed by the faith of this still very young woman. She goes to the king’s doorstep, not knowing if doing so will mean her death sentence. She really does trust her God to complete His plan.
Second, I love the indication that the king really does care for Esther. When he sees her, he is happy. I have this vision of a look of delight covering King Xerxes face as he gazes upon his beautiful queen. Further, he offers her whatever she wants—“as much as half of my kingdom.” While he isn’t willing to give up more than half (that would make her richer and more influential than he), he’s willing to make her an almost equal. That says a lot!
Finally, I just love how Esther’s mind works. Instead of automatically asking for Haman’s plot to be overthrown, she begins this somewhat elaborate plan to save her people.
And she begins with a dinner party—which seems odd when you think of what’s at risk.
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