Haman Hanged. Esther 7:1-10

Transcription

1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell Haman Hanged Esther 7:1-10

2 2 Text: Esther 7:1-10, Haman Hanged 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. 5. Then 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 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

3 3 for Mordecai, who 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. Introduction: I. As you think about the events of this chapter, remember that in the previous chapter Haman looked at an ominous future. II. Of course, he did not know what was planned for him, but, knowing man s inclination, he was thinking on what transpired, what was said to him, and the occasion before him. Commentary: Esther 7:1-6, So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 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. 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: 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. Then 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? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. I. The Queen Makes her Request Known to the King. 7:1-6

4 4 A. As they enjoyed their after dinner drinks, the king asked Esther what she is to be granted. B. The queen replied to the king by asking for mercy. 1. Note the manner of her request; she did not dare to presume on the good will of the king (Huey, p. 825). a. As an aside, there is a good deal of wisdom in that. b. As we see the good will of others in our direction, it seems the best way to receive that good will is with humility and deference. 2. The king must have been stunned by the request; if there were ever an out of the blue request to the king, this would have been it. His queen no less! 3. Keil & Delitzsch translates the latter part of 7:4 this way, The enemy has determined upon the total destruction of my people. If he only intended to bring upon them grievous oppression, even that most grievous oppression of slavery, I would have been silent, for the enemy is not worthy that I should vex or annoy the king by my accusation (E-Sword). C. The king s reaction to this is quite understandable. 1. However, as Huey said, Either he ignored his complicity in the affair [3:7-11], or he felt that he had been duped into agreeing to the Jews destruction (Huey, p. 826). a. Esther 3:7-11, In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus,

5 5 they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. 2. One can imagine how the king might have asked his question of the queen and one can imagine the countenance of Haman as he heard the queen make her request. 3. Haman had been fingered (that is, identified). Esther 7:7-10, 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. 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 king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for

6 6 Mordecai, who spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified. I. Haman s Death. 7:7-10 A. Without it s being explicitly stated, the verdict against Haman had been rendered; he was guilty and death was the judgment/penalty. 1. The king had to get his bearings about him; so he removed himself from the two into the garden. 2. That was the few moments Haman needed to appeal to the queen. 3. The irony of this is noteworthy. a. Those who would have appealed to Haman would not receive mercy. b. Now Haman is appealing to the queen for what he would not extend to others. B. The king returned from the garden and saw the actions of Haman and interpreted them in the worst possible light. 1. The ESV reads in 7:8 that the king interpreted Haman s actions as an attempt at violating his queen. That seems to be the way most of the modern translations read. 2. However, there is another possible interpretation of these words. it may refer to Haman s violation of the extremely strict rules of court propriety, which prohibited any contact,

7 7 or even close physical proximity, between courtiers and the women of the harem, rules that are well known from Assyrian court etiquette (Bush, p. 430; Bush recognized the validity of this understanding, but does not accept it.). C. The king returned and as he spoke his words of disgust/anger at what he sees, those in the court arrest Haman and cover his face. 1. If the king considered for a moment extending any mercy to Haman, as soon as he heard from Harbona that Haman was going to kill Mordecai, the very man who saved the king, that merciful thinking quickly was expunged. 2. To kill a man who saved the king was interpreted as a threat to the king himself. 3. Haman was hung on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

8 8 Questions Esther 7:1-10 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. During this second dinner what did Xerxes ask Esther and what did he promise? 2. What was Esther s request? 3. What circumstances led to Esther s request? See verses 4 and Was Xerxes complicit in causing this situation to arise? If so, how? _

9 What question did Xerxes then ask Esther? 6. What answer did Esther give Xerxes? See verse 6a. 7. What was Haman s reaction to this turn of events? 8. Do you see any similarities between David and Xerxes? See 2 Samuel 12: Why did Xerxes leave the dining room?

10 What did Haman do while Xerxes was out of the room? Why did he do this? Was this a good idea? 11. While Xerxes was out of the room, Haman fell on the couch where Esther was reclining? Was this stupid, dumb, an act of desperation or what? 12. How does the biblical injunction to avoid the very appearance of evil apply to this situation? 13. When Xerxes came back into the room, what did he shout?... what did he think?

11 What happened then? (see verse 8c). Why was this done? Is this ever done today in similar situations? 15. What did Harbona say to the king? 16. What order did Xerxes issue? 17. What instances of wrong thinking have led to this state of affairs as recorded in Esther 1-7? 18. Was justice done? What about due process?... the appeal process?

12 How did Xerxes fury, rage affect his judicial decision? How did, if at all, his anger cause or contribute to a misunderstanding of the facts in this case? 20. When did Xerxes fury subside? What does it take for you to get over your mad spells? 21. Was Haman ever a faithful and loyal servant of Xerxes and a patriot of the Medo-Persian Empire? Explain your answer. 22. How many Hamans are in government today? How can we identify them?