Esther 7
McGeeCHAPTER 7THEME: The man who came to dinner but died on the gallows
Esther 7:1
Haman went to the banquet with mingled feelings. He is thrilled that the queen has invited him to dinner, but he is still mortified at the honor given to Mordecai. I am of the opinion that at this moment Haman does not quite understand why Mordecai had been honored and he was passed by. Now Esther has, if I may use the expression, screwed up her courage, after the second day, to tell the king the thing that is in her heart. She could not do it before, but now she is readyeven though she is nervous. Once again the king renews his overture to the queen. He says, “Queen Esther, what is your petition, and it shall be granted to you.” Once again he offers her up to half the kingdom. This is the third time the king has asked the queen what is on her mind.
Esther 7:3
When Esther spoke, it was a frightful thing that she revealed. Both the king and Haman were startled because neither of them knew her nationality. Her request was that her life and the lives of her people be spared. When Mordecai had entered her in the beauty contest and also when she had become queen, he had instructed her not to tell her nationality, not to reveal to anyone that she was a Jewess. So she had kept this fact to herself all of this time. Haman, as you remember, had gotten an edict from the king that all the Jews in the kingdom were to be destroyed. He did not know that the queen was a Jewess. She now identifies herself with her people. So far removed that she did not even want to be known as a Jewess, she now takes her place with her condemned people. For her to do this in that day was also to identify herself with her religion and with her God, because they both go together. She said to the king, “Although the king would have suffered a great loss, I would have kept quiet if we were just going to be sold into slavery. But that isn’t the problemwe are to be slain on a certain day!” She wanted him to know that the Jews had been betrayed and were to be destroyed as a people. The king was absolutely amazed. Who would dare attempt to destroy the queen? And who would dare attempt to destroy her people? What she said was as shocking a statement as the king ever expected to hear. The queen and her people were going to perish.
Esther 7:5
The king is startled. He doesn’t dream that there is any such thing taking place in his kingdom. He apparently does not recognize even yet who the people are to be slain. Frankly, this man had little regard for life. If you read the secular campaign of Xerxes which he made into Europe against Greece, you will find that he threw men about as if they all were expendable. He lost thousands and thousands of men in that campaign, and it did not disturb him one bit. Human life was very cheap in that day. The thing that now disturbs him is that they are the people of Esther. His queen is in mortal danger. So the king asks, “Who is he? Where is he? Who would presume to do such a thing?” I still don’t think it has yet dawned on Haman what is really taking place. He did not know that the decree to slay the nation Israel would affect the queen. He did not know she was Jewish. There he was at the banquet table, reclining on a couchthe prime minister, with the full confidence of the king. Ahasuerus has asked who hatched this plot, and Esther now reveals her bravery. She is putting her life on the line by answering the king’s question.
Esther 7:6
Haman has no answer for that. He is dumbfounded to learn that Esther is Jewish. God is moving behind the scenes. God is watching over His own. No weapon formed against Israel will prosper. God is going to bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews. The providence of God is going to keep the children of Israel. The king is so startled at the sudden turn of events that he leaves the banquet table and goes into the garden. After all, he is implicated to a certain extent. And so he leaves to think this matter over.
Esther 7:7
The king needed to think things through. He simply could not believe that Haman would do such a thing. But the queen had begged and pleaded for her life because of Haman. He believed his queen. The king needed time to cool off a little so that he could think clearly about Esther’s plight and about Haman, his trusted adviser and prime minister. While the king was walking in the garden, Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen. This man who was so glib in asking that others be put to death now becomes like a slave. He grovels at the feet of the queen. He realizes that the king is not going to let this thing pass and that evil is determined against him. He knows that the queen is his only hope. He is mad with fear, and so he gets down on his knees to plead for his life in a craven way.
Esther 7:8
As Haman was begging for his life, he could see that he was getting nowhere. He knew he was going to be punished for the evil he had done, so in his madness he began to pull himself up on her couch. You will recall that it was the custom to recline on couches while dining. About this time the king returned and, seeing Haman and the queen, said, “Will he force the queen also before me in the house?” Haman, coward that he was, was clawing in terror at her couch. He was beside himself with fear. The king says in effect, “What in the world is this man trying to do there pawing at my queen?” Notice that King Ahasuerus does not have to issue an order at all. He just came in from the garden, saw what was taking place, made the statement, and those who are standing by know what to do. It is interesting to note that the servants did not make a move until the king spoke. They were simply standing by, watching. You see, the queen had not yet called for any help. She was too frightened and filled with fear to call for help. But when the king spoke, these great big fellows stepped up and took Haman. They not only placed him under palace guard but also under house arrest.
Esther 7:9
The king did not waste any time. He was not only the arresting officer, he was also the supreme court. Haman died the same night on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. This is a revelation of a great truth that runs all the way through the Word of God. Paul annunciated it for believers in Gal_6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Is it not interesting that the very gallows that Haman had prepared to hang an innocent man on is the gallows on which he is hanged? Jacob had this experience. He deceived his father. Oh, he was a clever boy. He put on Esau’s clothes. Old Isaac smelled them and said, “It smells just like my son Esau.” They didn’t have any of these lovely deodorants in that day, and I want to tell you, when Esau came in, even if you did not hear him, your senses told you he had arrived. And so Jacob put that goatskin on his hands, and blind old Isaac reached out and said, “It feels like him.” Jacob thought he was clever. He is God’s man, but God did not let him get by with it. One day when he was old and the father of twelve sons, they brought to him the coat of many colors, dipped in the blood of a goat, and they said, “Is this your son’s coat?” Old Jacob broke down and wept. He too was deceived about his favorite son. Paul knew a great deal about the operation of this law in his own experience. He is the man who apparently gave the orders for the stoning of Stephenthey put their clothes at his feet. He was in charge. But he did not get by with it. You may say, “Well, he was converted. He came to Christ and his sins were forgiven.” Yes, they were forgiven, but chickens always come home to roost. Whatever a man sows, that is what comes up, friend. Paul had a harvest, and his seed did come up. On his first missionary journey he went into the Galatian country and came to Lystra, where they stoned him and left him for dead. Paul had experienced the truth of these words, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” God is not mocked. This man Haman is experiencing the same thing. He learned it the hard way. Here is a man who went to a banquet and found out it was a necktie party, and they hanged him. Psa_37:35-36 says, “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” Listen to what the psalmist says. It is interesting. Little man, you can have your day. You can be a villain if you want to be one. You can run against God’s plan and purpose for you, but you won’t defeat God, because you are going to pass off the stage. That is what happened to Haman. You and I stand guilty before God as sinners. We deserve exactly the condemnation of Haman. You may say, “I never committed a crime like that.” Who said you did? But you just happen to have the same kind of human nature that he had, which is in rebellion against God, which is opposed to God. And in that state, while you were dead in trespasses and sins, Christ died for you, took your place on the cross. My friend, if you will trust Him, He will be your Savior.