Friday, January 31, 2014

Lessons from Esther: Haman’s plan

10 Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 12 Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the king. 13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. 14 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made. Esther 5:10-14

Haman continues his journey towards home. He is angry, very angry but he controls himself until he reaches his house. Upon arrival he calls all his family and friends together to brag on “his good fortune”. He tells the whole story; he alone was invited to a banquet with the king and queen, not once but twice, for he will be attending another one the next day. One can see Haman is still full of pride.

A few quotes on pride:
 Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow, and the parent from which all the other sins come. ~ William Barclay

Pride is the only known disease that makes everybody sick except the person who has it ~ Author Unknown

Pride is the master sin of the devil. ~ E.H. Chapin

As Haman continues with his story, he stops “cold in his tracks” as he thinks about Mordecai and the lack of respect shown to him.

Zeresh, his wife, has a grand idea. Build a gallows fifty cubits high to hang Mordecai. Albert Barnes describes a gallows in Haman’s time, “A gallows, in the ordinary sense, is scarcely intended, since hanging was not a Persian punishment. The intention, no doubt, was to crucify or impale Mordecai; and the pale or cross was to be 75 feet high, to make the punishment more conspicuous.”

His wife continues with her idea. Make sure you talk to the king tomorrow at the banquet and let him know about the gallows and this “brilliant” plan. At the end of her dialog, Haman was back to his “chipper self”. He could probably picture Mordecai hanging on the gallows.

Join me the next time to see if Haman’s plan comes to fruition.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

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