Esther 7
Esther • Sermon • Submitted
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· 15 viewsIn this chapter, Haman gets his just deserts and find out that nothing is a coincidence.
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So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”
Same banquet, take two.
Remember, Haman has just been humiliated by having to parade Mordecai around and praise him.
This was supposed to be Haman’s big day.
He was the only one asked to join the king at the banquet.
Once again the king asks Esther what she wants?
And offers her up to half his kingdom.
The king is certainly smitten with his queen.
Not knowing what she wants, he still offers her half of his kingdom.
Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”
OK king, what she wants is her life and the life of her people.
Her people have been sold to destruction.
To be destroyed, killed and annihilated.
Sounds like this punishment was written by a lawyer.
All her people will be killed.
Had they only been sold into slavery she would have kept quiet.
At least they would have been alive.
The Jews were in captivity already, what is another layer of slavery on top of that?
Besides, when the Jews were enslaved in Egypt they were rescued and became a great nation.
Nothing that the king is being paid will compensate him for the loss of blessing his kingdom gets from the Lord’s people.
But even that would not have been enough to make the queen speak up.
But the Jews are going to be DESTROYED!
So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”
And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”
So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.
Who would dare to do such a thing?
The king is MAD.
Do you blame him?
He just found out someone is trying to destroy his queen that he obviously loves very much!
Who would dare to do such a thing?
Who would even think of destroying his queen and her people?
The answer to the king’s question? Haman!
Hey King, one of your closest advisors wants to destroy your queen and her people.
In fact, it’s your number 2 guy in the kingdom!
And he’s sitting right there!
Remember, Haman ASKED the king for permission to destroy his “enemy”.
The king didn’t ask who.
Haman’s enemy became the king’s enemy, and he never even asked who it was.
He never got details about why.
Don’t you think the king should have been a little curious about Haman’s request?
And her never got any proof!
What kind of man would authorize the killing of a person without proof?
Much less an entire people?
The king gave Haman his signet to make it law.
Not just law, but unchangeable law.
Another rash and ill informed decisions by the king.
Yes, it was Haman’s idea, but the king is complicit, even though that isn’t mentioned here.
Probably because it was Haman who would be killed.
Not just because his target included the queen, but for tricking the king into letting it happen.
I bet Haman was terrified!
You think parading Mordecai around was bad, you’ve been caught trying to destroy the queen and her people.
A queen the king obviously loves!
Sure, no one knew she was a Jew, but the situation for Haman has quickly gone from bad to worse.
A queen the king obviously loves!
If parading Mordecai was the beginning of his fall, this is jumping off a cliff to a bad end.
Notice the timing:
Haman cast lots to determine when he would destroy the Jews.
In his arrogance, he plans to destroy Mordecai just as the king is planning to honor him.
Now his plot to kill the Jews has been exposed, and one of the victims is the queen!
And this all comes to light before Haman puts his plan into effect.
Do you still think this was a coincidence?
Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king.
I bet the king needed a minute to control his temper.
Gritting his teeth and trying to count to 10.
1…2…3...
Can you imagine how you would react if you found out a close friend threatened the life of your spouse?
How would you react to people who wanted to destroy your spouse and their family?
You think the Gadsden Flag (Don’t Tread on Me) might pop up here and there?
Would you have the self control to step outside, or would you just kill them on the spot?
I’m sure Haman begged the queen for his life.
He saw the look in the king’s face.
His life isn’t worth a plug nickel at this point.
What would you do when you realize you have truly stepped in it?
Haman has no other move than to beg for mercy.
Mercy he had not shown the Jews, or the queen.
When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?”
As the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
So the king walks back in, probably after collecting himself, and what does he see?
Haman’s begging was so fervent he was falling allover himself and the queen.
From the king’s point of view Haman no only wants to attack the queen’s people, he will attack her in his own home!
After just collecting himself, I bet the king almost lost his cool when he saw Haman sprawled across his queen’s couch.
Have you ever had that happen?
You just get yourself calmed down and WHAMO, the same thing slaps you in the face again?
This is NOT looking good for Haman.
Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, they go from bad to worse VERY quickly.
Not only has the king found out that the people Haman convinced him to destroy includes his queen,
But now it looks like Haman is assaulting her in the king’s own house!
The palace guards take Haman into custody.
I not sure of the significance of covering his face, but it seems pretty bad.
Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.”
Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.
Hey king, look there’s a nice big gallows! I’m sure it could be put to good use.
Not only does Haman get hung, but on the gallows he had built to hang Mordecai!
The gallows Haman built to kill the man who “spoke good on the king’s behalf”.
I’ve heard of being hoist on your own petard, but Haman was hoist on his own gallows.
Do you think that was a coincidence?
We see here that as Zeresh had said, Haman fell before Mordecai.
Everything that Haman did to build himself up ended up building up Mordecai.
Everything Haman wished on Mordecai ended up befalling him.
When confronted with evil, Mordecai looked to God rather than his own machinations.
But Haman looked for revenge.
Like the axiom says, “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves”.
Think of what might have happened if;
Esther was not taken to the palace.
Esther did not go to the king to save her people.
Mordecai was right.
God would still have found a way, but think of how that would have effected Esther.
Could you live with yourself knowing you could have saved your people and chickened out?
Do you still think this was all a coincidence?
Conclusion
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
rom 8:28
We read this passage and think everything is going to be all right.
We think our lives should be good and easy, but that’s not what God says.
People will be out to get us,
Do we trust that He will work all things for good, even when all we can see is bad?
Do we trust God even when we loose our jobs, or a family problem crops up and a loved one dies?
When things look bad, do we trust in God or look to our own salvation?
Do we see what happens in our life as coincidence or providence?
In this story we see evil plotting against God’s people.
How would you react in a similar situation?
Would you accept what happens if you didn’t see a miraculous outcome?
If you were Mordecai, would you praise God when you read Haman’s order, or only when he was hanged?
Do you have the faith to say:
But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
This looks like the end of the story, but it’s not.
Sure, Haman is out of the way, but the order to kill the Jews still stands.
The order to kill the Jews still stands.
It cannot be rescinded, by Babylonian law.
How will Mordecai and Esther save the Jews?
Find out next time.