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Esther Chapter Five

1. Esther walked by faith and was received in grace (Est. 5:1-4).
   1. She is offered to name anything her heart desires (v.3).
   2. She invites Ahasuerus & Haman to a prepared banquet (v.4). 
      1. The first letters of the phrase “Let the King and Haman come today” spell the divine name YHWH.
      2. The only book of the Old Testament to not name the name of God quite specifically highlights it here. In a few codices the letters for YHWH are written in an extra-large fashion to highlight them.
2. At Esther’s banquet, Ahasuerus again offers Esther to request anything of him (Est. 5:5,6).  Esther asks the King to return with Haman for a second banquet the next day, at which time she will voice her request (Est. 5:7-8).
3. Haman’s proud heart was angered by the sight of Mordecai, and he decides to not wait until the decreed execution date (Est. 5:9-14).

Esther Chapter Six

1. The Lord prevented Ahasuerus from sleeping, and sovereignly determined the reading material the King would “just happen” to read (Est. 6:1-2).
2. When Ahasuerus realized that Mordecai was unrewarded for his service, he determines to reward him (Est. 6:3).
3. The Divine humor of God (Psa. 2:4) sovereignly determined for Haman to become the planner of Mordecai’s exaltation (Est. 6:4-9).
4. Haman was forced to honor Mordecai in an ironic twist that left him humiliated (Est. 6:10-14).

Esther Chapter Seven

1. At Esther’s second banquet, she makes her request of the King—save her and her people from wicked Haman’s great evil (Est. 7:1-6).
2. Ahasuerus stormed into the garden in his anger perhaps considering how to undo Haman’s edict (Est. 7:7).
3. Ahasuerus returns and observes Haman’s prostration before the Queen; and orders Haman’s execution (Est. 7:8-10).

Esther Chapter Eight

1. Mordecai was exalted to Haman’s office, and given the house of Haman for a possession (Est. 8:1-2).
2. Esther made a second faith approach to the King, and begged for a revocation of Haman’s edict (Est. 8:3-6).
3. Ahasuerus permits Mordecai to write any edict he desires in the King’s name (Est. 8:7-8).
4. Mordecai cannot undo Haman’s edict, so he issues an edict arming the Jews and permitting them to defend themselves against the pending massacre (Est. 8:9-14).
5. Mordecai’s salt & light in Persia blessed both Jews and Gentiles (Est. 8:15-17).

Esther Chapter Nine

1. When the execution day arrived, as determined by the Pur, the Jews defended themselves spectacularly (Est. 9:1-10).
   1. The Jews killed their enemies.
   2. The Jews did not plunder their enemies.
2. The Jews needed a second day of battle to finish destroying the agents of Haman in Susa (Est. 9:11-19).
   1. The 14th of Adar became a Jewish holiday outside of Susa.
   2. The 15th of Adar became a Jewish holiday in Susa.
3. The death 75,800 throughout Persia seems high at first until the total populations are taken into account.  The Jews numbered approximately 3,000,000 (3%) of a total Persian population of 100,000,000.
4. These two days were established by Mordecai and Esther as the Feast of Purim (Est. 9:20-32).

Esther Chapter Ten

1. The epilogue to the Book of Esther highlights the glory of Ahasuerus and the greater glory of Mordecai as recorded in the chronicles of the Medes & Persians (Est. 10:1-3).
2. Mordecai is attested in secular history: [WBE]
   1. An undated cuneiform document found at Borsippa (near Babylon), mentions a Mardukâ who was a high official at Susa in the court of Xerxes I; his title, sipır, indicates he was an influential counselor. 
   2. Ctesias (xiii. 51) writes about Matakas who “was the most influential of the eunuchs.”