Esther & Ruth (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Iain M. Duguid

Author:Iain M. Duguid
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-01-20T18:34:00+00:00

ESTHER'S SECOND REQUEST

Whatever the "might have beens" in Esther's case, the reality was that the edict to exterminate the Jews was still in force. King Ahasuerus may have thought that everything had been taken care of with the disposal of Haman, but in fact it hadn't. So Queen Esther had to go once more before the king to plead for her people's lives. This time cool, calculating strategy was abandoned as Esther threw herself down in front of the king, weeping and pleading' with him to make Haman's evil plot go away: "Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews" (Esth. 8:3). Whereas before she had retained her royal dignity, always appearing as the stately queen before the king, now she threw herself down like a common beggar, crying and asking desperately for mercy for her people. The similarities and differences with Haman in the previous chapter are striking: he fell down before Esther, but his concern was simply to plead for his own life, and he was unsuccessful in his petition (see Esth. 7:8). Esther fell down before King Ahasuerus to plead not for her own life, but for the lives of her people, and she was granted what she asked.

Once again, as in chapter 5, the king stretched out his golden scepter to Esther and received her. This time her request was immediately delivered, without manipulative games. Her words were still carefully chosen, however:

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