Zeresh

We last saw her on her face pleading her case with God to give mercy to her people and favor to her visit with King Xerxes.

Her people were under a death sentence and she lived under an archaic rule that said a wife, even the queen could not appear before her husband apart from his blessing.

To do so, could result in death.

She made her choice.

She said, well, if I perish, I perish.

So chapter five opens with Esther now re-robed in royalty and standing in the inner court of the king, just close enough for him to catch a glimpse of his wife and a whiff of her perfume.

When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand.

So Esther approached.

Mordecai came back to the king's gate, but Haman hurried to his house mourning and having his head covered.

Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, then you shall not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him.

While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs came and hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

There's a lot of funny chapters in the Bible, but there's very few that can compare to the funniness of this chapter.

So either he was covering his head because that was the typical like mourning process that Persians would do in these days, or it was because he was so ashamed he didn't want his friends to confront him on the way home.

He had to hide his face under the brown paper bag.

So Haman, in his complete chagrin, goes home to Zeresh, his wife, and he calls all of his friends and tells them everything that has happened to him.

Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

There he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh, his wife.

Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches and the multitude of his children and all the things in which the king had promoted him and how he had advanced him above the princes and the servants of the king.

Haman also said, "'Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself, and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king.

Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.'" Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it.

Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.

This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.

And so he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is, if I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet, that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow as the king hath said.

then went haman forth that day joyful with a glad heart but when haman saw mordecai in the king's gate that he stood not up nor moved for him he was full of indignation against mordecai nevertheless haman refrained himself and when he came home he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife.

And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself, and to-morrow I am invited unto her also with the king.

Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

Then said Zeresh his wife, and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak thou unto the king, that Mordecai may be hanged thereon.

Then go thou merrily with the king unto the banquet.

And the thing pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be made.

And so Haman does it, but then at the end, he hurries to his house mourning and with his head covered.

And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.

Even his wife and his friends can see, you may have picked a fight with the wrong guy.

And you are going down.

And really, I think the bigger picture is you've picked a fight with the wrong God and you are going down.

Now let's go to our wisdom portion, Proverbs 21 verses 9 and 10.

And let's focus on one of these Versus a verse that is very dramatic in its language, verse 9.

But Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having his head covered.

And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him.

Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but thou shalt surely fall before him.

And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Wow.

Yeah.

But the really interesting thing that stands out to me is verse 13.

When he told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai before whom you have begun to fall is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but will surely fall before him.

I'm so glad you got to see him again and hang out.

Yeah, I was mainly working with Shanna, his wife, but he was running around doing all the stuff outside and chatting with the people and, yeah.

Oh, so good.

Awesome.

Maybe you are right here at this time because God has called you into this position.

Right? And I agree with that, and I think a lot of the time God does take us into certain positions where we can use our influence, that only we could be able to do something because of our specific background or our specific circumstances the way that God wants to use us individually, right? All of us have a special purpose that God has on our life.

And for Esther, her special purpose was to be a sleeper agent and go into the palace and be the favorite wife, the favorite queen of this Persian king until the moment came when Esther, Satan was going to try to annihilate the Jews using Haman to cause genocide to take place.

So what happens? We've got Mordecai commanding Esther to address the king, to go in before the king and reveal herself.

Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and shown him, and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.

'And that's not all,' Haman added, 'I am the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave.

She has invited me along with the king tomorrow, but this, all of this, gives me no satisfaction as long as I see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate.'" What had just happened is that Haman had been invited with King Xerxes into a banquet with Queen Esther.

As we read, Haman tells his wife and friends about Mordecai, but instead of challenging that pride, they do the opposite.

They inflate his ego, weaponize his desires.

This is what it says, Esther 5:14, "His wife, Zeresh, and all his friends said to him, 'Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of 50 cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it.

Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.' This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up." 50 cubits is about 75 feet, 23 meters high.

Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.

And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.

While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.

Here endeth the first lesson.