Esther Explained | Salvation Will Ariseনমুনা

Day 7 | Esther 7 

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Hello Through the Word listeners, pastor Jonathan here and today we find ourselves in Esther chapter 7. 

Haman has not had a good day. In fact, it’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Haman. First, he failed to get the king to agree to kill his enemy, Mordecai.  Then he is ordered by the king to lead a procession honoring the same Mordecai. Then his wife and friends tell him, “You goin’ down for fighting Mordecai.” And now, he can’t even wallow, because he has to attend another banquet with the king and queen. Verse 1:

"So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, 'Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted'" (Esther 7:1-2).

Now, remember, the king and Haman are actually clueless about Esther’s lineage. They have no idea that she is a Jew, or that she’s related to Mordecai. So the king is relaxing, Haman is probably relaxing as well, even if he’s a little upset about the day’s events. If he had known Esther was a Jew, Haman would have run for his life or fallen flat on his face and begged for mercy.

The king asks Esther to finally reveal her request. I’m sure Esther had rehearsed her speech countless times over the last 24 hours, asking for God to give her strength to say what needs to be said. She has one shot, and if she fails, if the king rejects her plea, then that’s it for her and her people.

She could have immediately accused Haman, or made a generic plea for the Jewish people, without announcing her own lineage. But she doesn’t. Instead, she announces before the king and the great enemy of the Jews, that her own life is in danger. Verse 3:

"Then Queen Esther answered, 'If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king'" (Esther 7:3-4).

Esther has laid out her request, but she withholds the fact that she is a Jew, in the same way that Haman had held back the identity of the people at first. She instead puts the request as a personal one, that her life itself was in danger. She had done nothing but please the King, and yet, she is in danger. Verse 5:

"King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, 'Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?'" (Esther 7:5).

Well, Xerxes, technically, you gave the permission for queen Esther to be killed, even if it was done unknowingly. But Esther points her finger at the real mastermind of the plan. Verse 6:

"Esther said, 'An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!'" (Esther 7:6a).

And at that moment, Haman knows his plan has fallen apart. He figures out immediately that Esther is a Jew. Verse 6 continues:

"Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The

king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life" (Esther 7:6b-7).

Esther exposes the truth about Haman, that he was not a faithful servant of the king, he was instead an adversary and enemy, more interested in his own status than in the benefit of the king. Haman now stands before the king, being rightly accused of plotting the death of the queen.

Now we can understand why God delayed Esther’s plans for revealing the plot. God was going to remind Xerxes that Mordecai, the one who had saved his life, was Jewish. And now he finds out that Haman wants to kill, not only the man who saved his life but also his queen?

Now the king also knows that he is implicated in this mess. He’s gotta find a way to save his wife while also saving face at the same time. His pride is hurt. He had misjudged Haman’s character, trusted him without weighing all the facts, and was about to lose two important people in his life, the man who saved him and the woman who married him. Verse 8:

"Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. 

The king exclaimed, 'Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?'" (Esther 7:8a).

Now I love what the ancient Jewish rabbi’s taught about this verse, even if it is unlikely. They say that the angel Gabriel pushed Haman so that he fell onto Esther’s couch just as the king walked in. Now that really doesn’t matter, but when the king walks back in, probably with guards, Haman is falling onto the queen’s couch, most likely with her on it already.

With this scene before the guards, he wouldn’t even need to admit his part in the plot against the Jews, Haman could be executed for his “attack on the queen”. It’s too easy for Xerxes. Verse 8 continues:

"As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, 'A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.'

The king said, 'Impale him on it!' So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided" (Esther 7:8b-10).

The guards cover Haman’s head, preparing for his execution. And the irony is complete, the very pole Haman had set up for Mordecai is going to be used for Haman’s execution instead. God often works this way, an evil plan turned against the evil one. Psalm 7 says:

"Whoever is pregnant with evil

    conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.

 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out

    falls into the pit they have made.

The trouble they cause recoils on them;

    their violence comes down on their own heads" (Psalm 7:14-16).

Paul warns us of the same thing in Galatians 6:

"Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked, A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7).

Haman sowed bitterness and anger, and he reaped the anger of the King. He plotted Mordecai’s death and received death on the very instrument of torture he had set up.

Not only is this a personal lesson we must all take to heart, but it is also a lesson about God’s people. Every nation that has attempted to destroy God’s people has perished. Egypt, Babylon, Nazi Germany, all defeated, as God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12.

Now back in Esther, there is still one problem, the king’s decree to kill all the Jews is still active, and it cannot be changed. But what can be done? We’ll find out tomorrow, on Through the Word.

Read Esther 7

All verses are quoted from the NIV unless otherwise noted.