Lessons from Esther: The second banquet

1 So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 2 And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. 3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. 5Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? 6 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 7 And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 8 Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. 9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified. Esther 7

The day has arrived; the second banquet of Queen Esther is now in progress. The king and Haman arrive at the banquet. After a little wine, the king asks Queen Esther for her request. “Just ask, and you will receive up to half of the kingdom.”

Esther “jumps in” with both feet. She immediately starts to plead for her life as well as “her” people’s lives. She makes mention of not saying a word if they were only going to be sold for slaves, but this is death. The people have been sold to be totally destroyed.

Ahasuerus appears to be a little shocked. Sometimes I wonder was he even paying attention. He was the one who took the money and signed the decree. Then I come to my senses, God is in total control. God knows the whole story, beginning to end. Proverbs 8:15-16 tells us: By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

God has allowed the rulers to reign. Even though God’s name is not mentioned even once in the book of Esther, His very being is weaved throughout the entire book.

Ahasuerus is getting very upset. He demands to know who would do such a deed. Esther knows, now is the time to speak, now is the right moment to come clean before the king and reveal the evil mastermind, Haman. As Esther says his name, Haman is “shaking in his boots”. He has been exposed and panic takes over.

The king, in shock, leaves the banquet to get fresh air in the garden. He needs to clear his head and take a moment to think.

Haman sees this as an opportunity to plead with the queen. He has worked with the king for many years and knows he can be “hot headed” and quick tempered. Haman falls on the bed where Esther is and appeals for mercy. Ahasuerus comes back in the banquet and is shocked by what he sees, Haman on the bed with Esther. He does not need an explanation, his mind is made up. Haman’s face is covered which signified his death was eminent.

One of the chamberlains tells the king about the gallows. The next words out of the king’s mouth were “hang him on it”.  The wicked Haman comes to a speedy death and the king’s rage is pacified.

What can we learn from Haman’s wicked life?

1. He was responsible for his actions.

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12

2. He did  not “get away” with doing wrong

But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

3. Haman reaped what he sowed

He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail. Proverbs 22:8

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7

4. God is in control and the Final Judge

The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. Psalm 9:16

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. II Corinthians 5:10

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Lessons from Esther: What a difference a day makes

10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. 11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour. 12 And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered. 13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. 14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared. Esther 6: 10-14

Haman has given the king “advice”. Now he is waiting for the king to honor him. Imagine his shock and surprise when the king replies, “Great idea, please go and do all those things to Mordecai, the Jew.”

Haman is mortified. What did the king say? Mordecai, the Jew? He wants me to give all this honor that should be bestowed on me, to Mordecai, the Jew? Haman disapprovingly obeys. He knows better than to speak out to the king. He walks through the city proclaiming the name of Mordecai and shouting through the streets, “This is what is done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

When the presentation is complete, Mordecai, humbly, goes back to the king’s gate, where he normally sits. Haman, on the other hand, is humiliated, shamed, and totally embarrassed. Haman covers his head in disgrace and runs home.

Haman relays the story to his wife and friends. Basically their reply is, “looks like your days are numbered, the tables have been turned.” While he is feeling the entire weight of the world on his shoulders, a knock is heard at the door. The chamberlains are waiting on Haman to bring him to Queen Esther’s banquet.

One can almost hear Haman’s heart stop for a second. His breath is uneasy and he feels like fainting, but he needs to attend the “feast.”

What will be presented at the banquet? Join me the next time to observe the scene.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Lessons from Esther: Who is in the court?

4 And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. 6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? 7  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, 8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: 9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. Esther 6:4-9

As we continue from the last time, the king desires to honor Mordecai. Ahasuerus wants to show his appreciation for saving his life. He wonders what to do to honor Mordecai. He asks the servant who is in the court, looking for someone to consult with.

The servant tells Ahasuerus that Haman is waiting outside. The king is greatly relieved; he will be able to ask his “second in command”. He will surely know the proper way to show honor to Mordecai.

Haman is quickly brought before the king. Notice what the king asks, “What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor”. Ahasuerus does not mention the name of the person. He is basically looking for someone to give him ideas.

The prideful Haman mistakenly assumes the king is talking about him. Haman pours out his corrupt heart. “O King this would be the perfect thing to do for the person you wish to honor, bring out the robes that you use to wear, get the best horse that you ride and don’t forget to bring the beautiful royal crown to place on the head of the honoree. Then, O King, once the person is arrayed in “all his glory” have one of the princes walk through the town, leading the horse with the honoree and proclaim, “This is what is done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

Haman is “beside” himself, he cannot wait to be presented in the streets of the city. He is so sure the king is talking about him.

Join me the next time to find out what happens when Haman realizes who will be honored.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

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