The Wisdom of the Wise and the Folly of the Fool

Sermon on Esther 5:1-14

Introduction
Last week, Pastor Siow Hwee discussed on Addition D or the Latin Vulgate of Esther 15:4-19 and compares it to be like a melodramatic Taiwanese/Korean drama. It was filled with vivid details and explanation about Esther’s mental and emotional state as she prepares to meet the king, uninvited. Today, we will discuss the Hebrew text of Esther 5:1-14 and in comparison; it is like a typical Singaporean TV drama. Somehow, the producers at TCS knew exactly how to end each episode at its most exciting part, leaving us with an unbearable sense of suspense! Did she really die when her ex-husband stabbed her in the dark? Will she ever see her son again? Similarly, for Esther. What was Esther’s request to the king? Is Haman really going to succeed in killing Mordecai? Stay tune!

In today’s passage, there are two main sections: 1) Esther invites the king and Haman to two banquets (v. 1-8), and 2) Haman plots to kill Mordecai the Jew (v. 9-14). Let’s start with the first. At this point of the story, Esther knew that she is on a very dangerous mission to seek an attendance with the king even though she was uninvited. She remembers well of how the ex-Queen Vasthi was deposed when she refused the king’s request to attend court. Esther’s life was at stake for it was against the law for anyone to attend court without the king’s command (see Esther 4:16). She knew she had to thread with extreme caution. In contrast to Queen Vasthi who refused to put on her royal crown, Esther makes sure that she “puts on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king's hall” (v. 1).

Esther’s beauty
King Ahasuerus was a man who loves beauty. He commanded Queen Vasthi to appear before the courts to showcase her beauty (Esther 1:11). When Queen Vasthi was deposed, the king’s young men suggested for a beauty pageant to gather all the beautiful young virgins in his entire kingdom, in order to find a replacement Queen for the King (Esther 2:2-4). When Esther made it to the final seven candidates, the girls had to spend twelve months in beauty preparation, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments (Esther 2:12). Finally, Esther won the beauty pageant and she became the new Queen. She found grace and favour in the eyes of all who saw her and the king loved her the most, among all the women presented before him. The theme of grace and favour will be revisited again in the passage today.

When the king saw Esther standing in the inner court of the palace, he was pleased with her and signalled for her to approach the throne. Her beauty was so captivating that the king could not remember the law which forbids anyone going to the king, uninvited. She was clever to flaunt her beauty in front of the king’s hall, knowing that the king was sitting on his throne facing the entrance. So, when she was noticed by the king, he held out the gold scepter for her to approach. Technically, she did not break the law for it was the king who signalled for her to come forward with the scepter.

Significance of the scepter
The extension of the scepter is a symbol of grace to Esther. She was granted life instead of death. In some archaeological records, from an excavation site in Persepolis (modern Iran), it shows a Persian king seated on his throne with a long scepter in his right hand. An attendant standing behind the throne is a Median solder holding a large axe. The threat of death and the hope of life are equally present as Esther summons the courage to approach the king. The grace extended to Esther was based on the favour she found in the king’s eyes.

In the absence of the mention of God in the entire book of Esther, some Christians and Jews have tried to affix a theological understanding to the use of the scepter. Martin Luther, for example, associated the king’s scepter with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In his exegesis of Psalm 2:9 (“You will rule them with an iron scepter”) he writes, “This is the rod before whose tip, in the hand of Joseph, Jacob bowed (Gen. 47:31) and whose point the blessed Esther kissed (Esther 5:2).” Christians and Jews would probably be reluctant to see in the ruthless and pagan king Ahasuerus a type of God-likeness, granting and denying life. However, the picture of grace portrayed in the story of Esther can be established without associating king Ahasuerus with God.

Esther’s wisdom
Not only is Esther a person of great beauty, she is also a woman of great wisdom. She is on a mission to save her people from genocide as advocated by Haman in Esther 3:1-15. She is on a dangerous mission, because if Haman knew of her identity as a Jew, she too will be executed like the rest. It was imperative for her to keep her identity a secret. It is only in this section where she was addressed as “Queen”, both by the narrator of the story and by the king, emphasizing her elevated royal position. However, she knows that that title is meaningless and she could very well share the same fate as Vasthi who was deposed. If she fails, not only would she lose her royal statue, but more importantly, her countrymen would be wiped out.

As Esther approached the throne, the king asked, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you." The phrase “up to half the kingdom” cannot be taken literally as it was a common expression of kings in those days to convey generosity. It is like our expression when we tell our kids that we will give them anything in this world because we loved them so much, or, when we say we will “cross the deepest ocean, and climb the highest mountain” for our beloved. With such generosity expressed by the king for Esther, all she did was to invite Haman and the king for a feast! What seems like an anti-climax is, in fact, a clever strategy!

In the society of the ancient Near East, and also in Middle Eastern societies today, one never makes a major request right away. Centuries later, John the Baptist was beheaded when Herod also offered “up to half my kingdom” to the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6:23). Herodias’ daughter also did not answer Herod’s request immediately, but went to consult her mother first. Esther could have also requested for Haman’s head, and her problem would immediately be solved, but she did not do that. Instead, she chose a more indirect approach.

Esther’s plan
Esther’s main purpose was to save her people. At this point, the king has no issues with Haman. It would not be politically wise for a king to behead his prime minister without a cause. Esther needed to create tension between the king and Haman by playing the “sympathy” card. She needed the time alone with just the two of them.

During the first banquet, as they were drinking wine, the king asked Esther again, “What is your request?” The consumption of alcohol puts everyone in a good mood, relaxed and more open to accepting request. Good food, great wine and an amazing company, with Esther the beauty queen at their service. What more can anyone ask for? But even at this point, the timing was not perfect. Instead she invites them for a second banquet the next day. Why? Look closely again at v. 8, “If the king regards me with favour...let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet...then I will answer the king's question." Esther is in fact placing herself in a more favourable position for the final request.

If indeed the king and Haman do turn up for the second banquet, it shows that Esther is indeed in the king’s favour. This prolong suspense allows Esther to pave the way for Ahasuerus to accept her hospitality easily, and obligates him to her and makes it more likely that he will grant her the next, larger request. The inclusion of Haman is also a master-stroke and strategic. She will have her own enemy in her own territory and also under obligation to her. Here, Haman does not know Esther’s Jewish identity and so he went out that day happy, clueless as to what beholds him in the near future.

Haman: Pride comes before a fall
On his way home, Haman saw his dreadful enemy, Mordecai standing at the king’s gate, showing disrespect to him. A day started in high spirits quickly became a cause for rage. Pride comes before a fall. Upon reaching home, he gathered his friends and his wife and boasted of his achievements (five specifically): 1) His vast wealth, 2) His many sons, 3) All the ways the king has honoured him, 4) who elevated him as prime minister above the other nobles and officials, 5) The only other person besides the king to be invited to Queen Esther’s banquets. Haman had more than enough reasons to be happy, but the “plank in his eye” caused him greater discomfort than all the good things that he has. These joys are nothing compared to just one person’s disrespect. In his own words, v. 13, “But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate.” What a fool!

It is clear that Haman does not know that Esther was related to Mordecai. By calling Mordecai the Jew, it reminds the reader that this is not simply a personal conflict, but an ethnic conflict with far greater consequences. But what follows is an irony. Remember the king proclaimed in Esther 1:22 an edict, that “every man should be ruler over his own household”? It would seem as if Haman’s wife was the ruler of his household. The author of Esther gives much credit to the role of woman in the entire story. It begins with Queen Vasthi’s refusal to appear before the king, followed by Esther’s wise and thoughtful plan to save her countrymen. And now, Zeresh is responsible for advising the advisor to the king on how to solve his personal problems.

Haman, obsessed with Mordecai’s lack of respect, failed to find a solution to his own problem. It was his wife, Zeresh, and his friends who gave him the solution instead: Build a gallows and have Mordecai hanged on it! The purpose of hanging him on the gallows is not only to kill Mordecai but to publicly dishonour him. Remember the word “Peripety”? I have mentioned this a few sermons ago. Peripety is “a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances”, “a turning of the tides”. Peripety is at work here again: Haman builds the gallows for Mordecai but instead, his own death was impending.

Contemporary Significance: The wisdom of the wise and the folly of the fool
What is the message for us today? I would like us to compare between wisdom and folly of people. In comparing between Esther and Haman in the story, it is clear that Esther is the wiser of the two. Are you the wise or are you the fool? There is much wisdom in Proverbs and I would like to share just three of it here. Firstly, Proverbs 12:15 tells us that “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others” (Living Trans.). Haman believes that Mordecai’s ethnic identity as a Jew is the root of the problem. In his anti-Semitic philosophy, he believes that all Jews are not to be trusted and deserve to be wiped out in totality. In thinking that he was right, he was in fact, gravely wrong. Haman was a self-righteous fool. Do we always think we are right all the time?

Secondly, pride is another major issue for Haman. If only Haman had read from Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (NIV). His pride allows him to boast of his achievements to his wife and friends. Pride comes before a fall, and indeed, for Haman, this was truly the case. There is nothing wrong with being proud of one’s achievements in life. As parents we too are often proud of our children’s achievements in school or in sports. But we must never forget that these proud moments are a result of God’s providence and grace in our lives. Without God, no work of man will stand the test of time. Is pride also our stronghold?

Thirdly, Proverbs 7:8 tells us that “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (NIV). Haman’s anger clouded his judgement of the situation. His thirst for revenge ultimately turned the tides against him. I have often been guilty in venting my anger at my wife or even at my co-workers over little things. It is only after calming down and asking God for forgiveness that I soon regret my actions. Sometimes I speak my mind before I could process my hateful thoughts. Are you an angry man?

In conclusion, I would like us to remember and reflect on these three words: self-righteousness, pride, and anger. If you have answered “yes” to all three questions, I hope that you will re-examine your lives again. During this period of Lent, I hope that the Lord will help us overcome our individual shortfalls and character flaws. May we be more like Jesus every day.

Let us pray.