a. Haman, this disturbed man who had seemingly achieved everything, ends with nothing - nothing even to pass on to his family. He had climbed the ladder of success, but it was leaning against the wrong building!

b. Think of how had Haman had to work to achieve all he did. Yet it was all for nothing; it was all a waste. He should have lived his life after the conclusion of Solomon, who carefully considered these things: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

a. Esther asks that the previous decree requiring the extermination of the Jews be revoked

b. This was the request we might have expected to come back at 5:4, where Esther is first invited to make her request to king Ahasuerus; but God's wisdom operating in her life has given her the tact and ability to approach this great request in stages

c. Even though Haman was defeated, the decree of the king still stood against the Jews. How could God's people be preserved when a decree of the king cannot be revoked?

a. The king could not revoke the previous decree, so he simply made another decree giving support to the Jews against their attackers

b. We might think of Haman as in the place of our enemy, Satan, and joyfully await the day God puts him away. But we still must deal with the righteous decree of God that demands our death: The soul who sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4); in our sins, we not only have an enemy (Satan), but we also have a legal decree from a righteous God against us

c. God solves the problem, not by compromising His decree for eternal justice, but by fulfilling justice in taking the punishment we deserved - His counter-decree saves us; that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26)

a. God's purpose in all these matters goes farther than the sparing of the Jews from destruction; He also purposed to raise up Mordecai as the prime minister - a replacement of Haman

a. This joy comes before the actual day appointed when the Jews will be attacked, yet able to defend themselves; yet because of the decree of the king, they can be assured of victory and rejoice in it ahead of time

b. In the same way, our course is not yet run; our salvation is not yet complete - yet we can rejoice, because of our confidence in our king - being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6)

a. As they saw God working on behalf of His people, they wanted the same relationship with God