Haman was a wicked schemer. He failed to realize that while he had enlisted the best wicked helpers to design his letters and send them out, God was still in charge and God would work His plan regardless of what kind of human interference was put before Him.
In our text, Haman was still licking his wounds of being humiliated, when word came that he needed to get over to the next banquet that Esther had planned for him and the king. Haman was in a tough place. He wanted to be at that banquet, but he had this lingering hatred for Mordecai and his solution to that self-made problem was not working out.
In chapter 7:1, Haman and the king arrived at the banquet with Esther the queen. Haman would struggle to put on the right show before the queen and the king.
In verse 2 we see that the king still wanted to know why Esther had invited them to this second banquet. Notice again that it is called the banquet of wine. More deception, more wickedness. The king reminded Esther that she had his ear. He wanted to know what her request was and he again promised to give her up to half the kingdom.
In verse 3 Esther began to lay out her request. It was not a selfish request. It was not just for her. She caught the king off guard with her request. How would he know that her life was in danger. She had not indicated this in any way. Who could possibly want to do her harm?
We see again the foolishness of trying to hide who you really are. During the days of Hitler it was not a good thing to be a Jew. Hitler was directed by the Catholics and the Muslims to develop his plot to wipe out the Jews. He insisted that they all must wear the star of David on their clothing. They needed to be readily identified. One Jewish father was concerned for his son and he decided to give him to a Hungarian family for adoption. His plan was that way his son would be spared whatever fate Hitler had in mind for the Jews. The entire family changed their name and identity and managed to avoid the evil plot of Hitler. They did not avoid the justice of God. Their son, George Soros went with his adoptive father and plundered the homes of Jews that Hitler had arrested and sent off to concentration camps. The Jews were wealthy and they had items that were of considerable wealth. George Soros did not care that he was stealing things from people who would be murdered by Hitler. He was a hardened young man who is now a hardened old man. God has been very merciful to him, but Mr. Soros has not considered God’s mercy. He does not have long to live and if he continues on his current path, his eternity will not be pleasant. He will face a much worse eternity than anything Hitler could imagine. It is not wise to reject God and live just for this world.
In verse 4 of our text, Esther continued to describe her plight. She and her people had been sold to be destroyed, to be slain and to perish. She also stated that she would have kept quiet if they had been sold as slaves.
She also pointed out that the ten thousand pieces of silver that Haman had offered to put into the treasury would not cover the cost of Haman’s wicked plot. She referred to “the king’s damage”. The king had not bothered to look into this. He had foolishly accepted Haman’s offer and thought nothing more of it. Esther brought things more into focus for the king.
In verse 5 we see the shock that the king faced. He had no idea of this problem. He wanted to know who the person was that would dare to go after his queen. He also wanted to know where this culprit was. The king was under the influence of that poisonous drink and thus his emotions would swing wildly.
In verse 6 Esther pointed to the culprit. She did not mince words. She described him as he truly was. He was a wicked man. The king had not seen this. The king had promoted him and had made him one of his most trusted men. Now he was being shown a different side of Haman. In reality, Haman was just like the king. However, the king could not connect the dots here.
Haman did not have anything to say in his defence. He was afraid. He knew the king. He had seen how the king treated his own wife. When Vashti would not perform before him and the people, she was publicly dismissed as queen. Her wealth and privileges were taken away from her. The king divorced her and we hear nothing more of her. Everyone in the kingdom knew how the king treated her.
Haman had no idea how far the king’s anger would go now, but he certainly did not want to be the brunt of that anger. He was afraid before the king and the queen. Keep in mind, Esther had not revealed her true identity until now. Haman had no idea that she was a Jew. He knew what the king’s attitude toward Esther was. He knew that this threat to her existence would affect the king greatly. He had no answer to this. He had approved of the letters that were sent out. They were sealed with the king’s ring. They could not be withdrawn now. The plan was in place. However, the king’s response to Esther’s accusations made him afraid. He needed to be afraid. He needed to think very soberly about what was taking place right before his eyes. The words of his wife and his friends might have been coming back to his memory. He had begun to fall earlier that day. What would be the result of this latest revelation?
The Bible shows us that it is extremely foolish to plan life without God. It also shows us that it is extremely foolish and wicked to fight against God. Godless people cannot make wise decisions. Their decisions are all over the place, but they are not in a good place. Lost people can be successful in business and they can climb the corporate ladder. They can become politicians and they can even become Prime Minister. However, they cannot make wise decisions. They not only do harm to themselves, but they harm many others as well. They never see far enough into the future to consider the consequences of their godless decisions. They might try to brush off any concerns, but their actions come back to bite them.
We can see that in our country and we can see that south of the border. No matter how conniving they may be, they run into problems. With the help of wicked lawyers and media they try to cover up their corruption. We can see both in Canada and the U.S. that none of this is able to hide the corruption that the leaders of both countries are involved in.
Israel as well is facing constant threats. They have had these for years. Long before they came back into their land in 1948, they faced threats against their existence. Thousands of Jews have been murdered at the hands of wicked people. Yet Israel has not learned the importance of knowing the true God.
In the latest attacks against them, they are still trusting in their technologies. They are also looking for help from other nations. However, they are not turning to the true God.
In the New Testament, James was arrested and murdered by king Herod. Peter was arrested as well and imprisoned. King Herod was planning to murder him as well. The saints did not try to figure out if they could break Peter out of prison. They did not try to bomb the prison. We read that they held a prayer meeting. As they were praying, God sent an angel to wake Peter up in prison. The angel led Peter out of the prison and then left. Peter woke up and realized what had just happened. He knew the saints were praying for him and he went to the house where they were. He knocked to gain entrance and Rhoda came to the door and saw him but did not let him in. She went and told the others, but they did not believe her. Finally they came to the door and saw Peter and let him in. They were praying, but they never expected God to get Peter out of prison.
The outcome there was much different than that of the book of Esther. In the book of Esther we read of fasting and putting on sackcloth. We read of pleading with the king for help. We read nothing of praying to God and trusting Him to resolve the problem. We do not read of any Jews who identified clearly with the Lord. God saved the Jews physically there, but they did not receive the spiritual blessings that Peter and the saints received.
God was working things for His glory. The Jews in Persia would benefit from this to a degree, but not in the spiritual sense that God wanted them to know. God is still working His plan. His plan is defined in the Bible. We do not have all the intricate details of His plan, but we have the general sense of it. Many are missing out on the blessings of the Lord because they refuse to know Him. Many professing Christians are also missing out because they want to pretend to be saved, but they also want the approval of the world. The world holds the greater sway over them. They have managed to do well on the materialistic scale, but they are a complete failure on the spiritual side. They will be shocked to discover that their pretence will not impress God. It is important to know the Lord and serve Him faithfully.
Pastor Bartel