Esther 5

The beginning of the first verse reminds us that Esther waits until the third day of the fasting and prayer before she appears before the king, risking her life.  She does her part by wearing the royal robes and looking nice; and God moves the heart of the king to favor her (Prov 21:1).

Esther seems to be sensitive to God's leading and timing, for she does not blurt out her petition right away, but invites the king and Haman to not just one, but two banquets.  The king repeats his question for her petition, for he must know that it was important enough for her to risk her life.  The fact that she had the banquet prepared shows that she took time to plan and do some preparation while fasting and praying.

Meanwhile, Haman reveals that he suffers from extreme emotions - high spirits for being invited to the banquet, yet rage when he sees Mordecai.  He is someone who who has sinful pride but is likely never satisfied, for even in his boasting to his friends and wife of all his "successes", he says it is of no avail when he sees Mordecai.  So, he takes their advice to build an extremely high pole to impale Mordecai.   His evil nature is shown when he can happily enjoy a banquet at the same time he is planning to have someone killed.

This passage shows God's Hand at Work in moving the king, in helping Esther wait for His Timing when making her petition, and in restraining Haman from attacking Mordecai at this time.  This also shows that He already has plans for Haman, which we will see in the coming chapters.