Esther 7:7 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.
For Haman, what was happening must have seemed like a bad dream. It was not that long ago that he was one of the king’s most trusted men. The king had given him his ring and allowed him to write an extremely destructive letter and have it sent to all the king’s provinces. The king had not even bothered to examine the letter, nor the motivation for the letter. Now the king was surprised and angry with what he was hearing. No doubt there was some embarrassment on the part of the king as well for allowing this to even take place.
Haman understood that the tables were completely turned now. His life was in danger. The gallows were being built at his place. He had a “perfect” plan to get rid of his chief enemy and then to destroy all the Jews in Persia. However, now Esther had revealed who she was and the king had feelings for her. He did not love her with a Biblical love. He had one wife and that was Vashti. He did not even love her.
King Ahasuerus likely never understood that when a man marries a woman, he chooses to become her protector and provider for life. Marriage is far more than a bed and the pleasures that can be had there. Marriage is a life. In our vows we say “for better or for worse.” Ahasuerus was like many married men today. When a man can sign a decree that his wife can no longer come into his presence and he chooses to get involved in an adulterous relationship with another woman, he demonstrates that he does not understand what a marriage is. When a man and a woman choose to join together as one flesh but they do not even know the Lord, they are running a great risk. That is evidenced all the time.
Yes, the king had feelings for Esther, but he did not understand true love. God is the Author of true love. His love is not selfish. His love is a giving and forgiving love. He gave His only begotten Son. He offers salvation to all who will come to Him in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. His love changes the heart and soul of those who receive it.
Haman did not understand love either. He was also a very selfish man who had ambitions of grandeur and power. He did not know how to act responsibly. His plotting was soon going to end in his destruction. He would take his family down with him. They too chose to reject the truth. A wife and children are supposed to look up to their husband and father. When the father chooses a path of rebellion against God, he will have a negative effect on his family.
In verse 8 we read that the king returned to the banquet of wine and he saw that Haman had fallen upon the bed where Esther was. He assumed that Haman had some immoral plan in mind. He did not realize that Haman was now fighting for his life. It was too late for that. The queen had great influence with the king. Her life was being threatened. That was enough motivation to get the king very emotionally involved.
The king assumed that Haman was trying to force himself upon his queen. The king’s chamberlains were quick to respond to this accusation. They covered Haman’s face. They were not going to give him any opportunity to look at Esther any longer.
One of the king’s chamberlains knew what Haman had been plotting. He told the king of the gallows that Haman had ordered to be built to hang Mordecai on. The king made a very quick decision here. There would be no trial. There would be quick justice. Haman was taken out and hanged on those gallows that very day.
As we have seen throughout this book, king Ahasuerus was not one to think rationally. His mood swings were quite extreme. His action here against Haman was right. Haman needed to be eliminated. His family also needed to be eliminated because they had chosen the same path he was on.
We read in verse 10 that after they took Haman and hanged him on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, that the king’s wrath was pacified. This king was not a man that any decent person would want to get too close to. He did not have an anchor. His life was lived at the sensual level. That is not good for anyone, and certainly not for a king.
Keep in mind this was a banquet of wine. The Bible warns of the danger of wine. Many people get into trouble because they reject God’s wisdom and they choose to indulge in that which is poison.
I am thankful that God, the true King, is very rational. His decisions are always just. He can become wrathful, but with good reason. He never is out of control. He gives man many warnings and He sends people along that can help others to know Him. When He withdraws from a people, that is a very sad day. God had sent Daniel and his three friends into Babylon. They had a great impact on Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and even on king Darius. However, it seems that even though that godly influence was there, the Persian Empire chose to reject the truth and they chose to build on lies.
As we have noted, God was still at work in the Persian Empire, but not through any physical presence at this time. He was at work behind the scenes.
Israel had defied God long ago and that is why there were Jews in Persia at this time. God had sent them to Babylon as punishment. He overthrew the Babylonian Empire and brought in the Persian Empire. During those years, God sent some godly men like Daniel and his three friends and Ezekiel and others who could remind the Babylonians that the God of Israel was still the true God. Israel had abandoned Him and thus they could not stand against the physical enemies.
Israel has spent seventy years in exile and God raised up king Cyrus, a Persian king, to issue a decree allowing the Jews to go back home. He would even help fund their return.
King Ahasuerus had opportunity to know that there was a true God, but he chose to reject any notion of that. The result was the mess he found himself in. This was not by accident. This was due to the foolish choices he made.
God was allowing him to make a mess of the Persian Empire, but God was not going to allow him to destroy His chosen people. He would protect His promise to Abraham. Haman was now out of the picture. However, the mess he had instigated was not fixed yet. God still had more work to do. He would continue to work this matter out for His glory.
As we have often noted, the wise person trusts in God and follows His lead in all things. Sometimes it might look dark to us, but God knows what He is doing. Trust in Him and follow Him. He will lead you through the challenges of life in a way that glorifies Him.
Pastor Bartel