Chapter 5: The Trap is Set
After three days of fasting and planning, Esther was ready. She put on her finest clothes and made herself look as beautiful as she could. And then she entered Achashverosh's throne room. Unannounced. This is in clear defiance of the king's law, which states that any unannounced visitor is to be put to death. What would the king do? Will he let her live, or will he execute her?
Achashverosh had to think this over very carefully. On the one hand, his word is law, so he must execute her. Of course, the repercussions on his reputation would be disastrous - he'll be known as the king who can't control his wives; the first one wouldn't appear when summoned, and the second one appears when she's forbidden to do so! But on the other hand, if he doesn't execute her, he'll be seen as weak. And Achashverosh cannot stand to appear to be weak. So he finds a very clever alternative that allows for him to spare Esther's life AND retain his position of power.
Achashverosh extends his scepter to Esther, indicating she is not to be executed. But why? Why does she get to evade the king's law? He makes it clear when he speaks to her:
"Esther, my queen! What can I do for you? You are the one I've chosen to rule beside me, so whatever you ask shall be granted. Even up to half the kingdom shall be yours, if you just ask it."
Why the display of magnitude? Up to now, it seems that Achashverosh would do anything to keep every bit of power to himself. So why offer to share it with Esther?
To save his own reputation. This way, Esther didn't defy his command, he let his queen be an exception to his own law. By overplaying his affection for her (if he really loved her so much, why hadn't he seen her in a month?), Achashverosh gave everyone in the throne room a plausible reason as to why Esther didn't need to be killed, while at the same time retaining his public perception as all-powerful. By offering so much, Achashverosh has turned a potential political embarrassment into another way he can appear benevolent and powerful at the same time.
But despite his clever power play, the question still plagues Achashverosh: What IS she doing here? What could make the queen risk her own life to see the king? What could possibly be so important? Esther tells him:
"If it would please His Majesty, I would like to invite the king and Haman to a private banquet I've prepared for him."
That's it? A Party? She risked her life to invite Achashverosh to a party? There must be more to it. Perhaps she wants to wait until she and the king are at the banquet, and THEN she'll let him know what she wants.
Achashverosh wants to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. He orders Haman to be quickly summoned ad brought to the banquet Esther's prepared. Why does she want Haman there, anyway? How does Esther even know him? He'll soon find out.
Achashverosh, Esther, and Haman are all attending Esther's private party. They drink wine, eat food and probably engage in some small talk. Unable to wait for his queen to get to the point, Achashverosh gets right to it:
"Now that we're here, why don't you tell me what it is that's troubling you? Whatever you want, up to half the kingdom, I'll grant you."
At this point, Achashverosh is willing to pay a substantial amount to get to the bottom of this. Esther phrases her reply very carefully:
"My request. What I want. If His Majesty really loves me, and if His Majesty truly wants to grant my request and what I want, then let him and Haman come to a banquet I will prepare for them tomorrow. Then I will relate what it is I want from the king."
Esther's vagueness is not accidental. Her first invitation was to a party she'd prepared "for him." Him who? Achashverosh or Haman? The second invitation was to a party for "them." She knows that her king is extremely paranoid. She knows he'll spend the interim time between parties thinking about himself, his queen, and his vizier in a different light.
She hopes.
Meanwhile, Haman leaves the banquet proud as a peacock. Two exclusive parties in as many days! Just him and the Royal couple! Things could not be going better for him. But as he was leaving the palace to go home, he passed by Mordechai. And Mordechai wouldn't kneel.
Haman keeps his cool all the way home, but inside, he was fuming. When he arrives at home, he summons his family and friends for a brainstorming session. He tells them about his problem:
"I am one of the wealthiest people in the empire. The king has promoted me to the position of vizier, and I am the only one with whom he will consult on any and all matters. Today, the queen invited only me and the king to a private banquet. There will be another one tomorrow, again with only me and the king and queen in attendance. Yet, all this is meaningless. As long as Mordechai refuses to kneel before me, my power and prestige is incomplete. How can I be the most powerful man in the empire if I don't even have the respect of everyone in the palace! He's ruining everything!"
Zeresh, Haman's devoted wife, came up with a way to soothe her husband's bruised ego:
"If Mordechai is such a problem, then eliminate him. Build a special gallows, fifty amot tall, and hang him on it. Then you can proceed with your plan of wiping out his people, and advancing your position in the palace without that pesky Jew bothering you."
Leave it to a wife to know exactly what her husband wants to hear. Haman is so enthused about the idea, that he begins to build the gallows before he receives permission from the king to execute a member of court. He'll take care of that later. I mean it shouldn't be too difficult to trump up some charges against the whacko in sackcloth at the palace gates. It's a detail he can mind to later on. Right now, he's too happy just building the gallows that will solve all his problems.
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