Saturday, January 26, 2013

the queen's request

Good evening friends,
Tomorrow we'll be hearing about the power of prayer, especially in Hannah's prayer. It's a great story, and I hope you'll be there. As far as the story of Esther goes, we read yesterday about how she took the brave step of approaching the king, even though it was against the law. The king listened to her, but she didn't make her request right away; instead, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet, in fact to two banquets in a row. In the meantime, Haman decided to kill Mordecai even before the general plan to kill all the Jews took shape. In preparation, he had a giant gallows built to hang Mordecai.
Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter.
God bless,
Sam


Esther 7:1-10
So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. 4For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” 5Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” 6Esther said, “A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.


7The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. 8When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

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