Chapter 5

Verse 1 is very specific as to how the inside of the palace of Ahasuerus is laid out.  I wouldn't think just anyone would have this information.  Whoever wrote Esther seems to have been inside here enough to understand where every door led.

She enters, and is given leave to speak to the king, who offers her anything she wants, to the half of the Kingdom.  She invites the King and Haman to a feast she is preparing.  Seems there is to be a counter-plot to the plans of Haman.  Maybe this is what came of the three days of fasting and prayer?

They come to her feast, and the King asks again what she wants.  She asks him to come to another feast, the next day, at which time she will answer him.

As he is leaving, Haman sees Mordecai - a regular at the palace perhaps - and Mordecai does not bow or honor Haman.  Haman sees red...but controls himself.  He hatches another little plot at his house that night.  He tells those there that despite his high position and all the honors bestowed on him by the king, he will not be truly happy as long as Mordecai is around.  This arrogant, self-pitying verse:

13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." [Est 5:13 ESV]  He is obsessed completely with avenging the affront of Mordecai.  It is also true that Mordecai is disobeying the King by not bowing to Haman.  Did the order say to bow to Haman as a god of the land?  Because otherwise, I cannot think of a verse that says don't bow down to man.  There are some angels that say "stand up, for only God is to be worshiped".  But was bowing to a great man worship, or respect?  This is an interesting thing.  Maybe Mordecai had a little bit of a pride problem also.

So they suggest he build a very tall gallows, and the next day, ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it.  This seems a grand idea to Haman, and he orders the gallows built.