Esther exposes Haman for the wicked man that he is. As Haman is executed, God's deliverance of his people begins. In Haman's demise, we see that one part of God’s keeping his promises to his people involves the judgment of evil. For God to fail to judge evil would mean he is unfaithful to his promises. The great reversal of Haman prefigures a much greater act of deliverance from a much greater spiritual enemy.

Elyse Fitzpatrick writes of this passage: A seemingly inconsequential night of restlessness results in deliverance for God’s people as Ahasuerus is reminded of Mordecai’s faithfulness and Haman, who has just constructed gallows on which to hang Mordecai, is forced to exalt him instead. Two gospel reminders are embedded in this event. First, we see once more that God is working behind the scenes for the good of his people. The king just “happened” to have a sleepless night, and just “happened” to hear of Mordecai’s saving of the king! Second, we remember that God humbles those who exalt themselves, yet he delights to exalt those who humble themselves.

As we come to Esther 5 we see Esther’s resolve begin to turn into action. She boldly approaches King Ahasuerus successfully and then hosts her first banquet for the king and Haman. Esther is planning to expose Haman's wickedness. The narrator of the story is preparing us for the great fall of Haman. We are starting to see God's providential positioning of Esther as she uses her influence to save God's covenant people.

After mourning the devastating news of Haman's plan, Mordecai and Esther plan to intervene. We see in this chapter the weak and vulnerable believer going into the place of ultimate power to mediate and plead for the deliverance of her people. The rescue of the entire covenant people hinges on the decision Esther makes. The events of the rest of the book flow from Esther's decision in this chapter. Had she not resolved as she did, the story would have been very different indeed

Chapter 2 ends with Mordecai uncovering a plot to kill the King. In chapter 3, Haman enters as the “villain” of the story who sets in motion a plan to annihilate the Jews throughout the empire. We see a tension here that continues throughout the book - a battle between God’s people and the enemies of God’s people. Yet Christ, by his grace, sustains his people through every trial and opposition.

In Esther 2:1-18 we are introduced to two main characters, Mordecai and Esther. We see Esther rise from a position of obscurity to become queen of Persia. We continue to see the Lord’s sovereignty over all situations, even and especially in our fallen world.

The Book of Esther is about the surprising providence of God that is at work among his people, even in the darkest of times. Even though God's name is not mentioned once in the entire book, the sovereign hand of God is at work, bringing about his good purposes. In Chapter 1, we learn of the harsh setting in which the story takes place. We also begin to see that even in a world of pride, the pursuit of sinful pleasure, and the abuse of power, God has not forgotten his people.