Esther

Esther Chapter 7

Esther 7:1 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.

The king seems to sense that Esther still has something on her mind that she is hesitant to ask him to do for her. So this is the third time he asks what it was that she needed him to grant to her. Perhaps if she would have revealed all this at once before the king found out about Mordecai discovering the plot to assassinate him, the result might have been different. The king was the one to exalt Haman into a high position of authority. Esther, not being over anxious and waiting for just the right time was the best thing to do.

Sometimes we have to wait on the Lord. This is hard especially for us in the latter days that have instant everything at the press of buttons. We just switch on the light and there is light. Back then they they had to trim the wicks, fill lamps with oil and light the lamps for light. I have no idea how they did that part. I sometimes wonder how to get fire without matches but it was done.

Esther 7:3 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.

Esther finally got the courage to do what Mordecai instructed her to do. She accused and rightly exposed the plot of Haman to destroy her people, the Jews.

Haman Is Hanged

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.

I guess the king had to go out and think about this. He was probably remembering how Haman had previously requested a time for the Jews to be slaughtered. Perhaps he was ready to kick himself for signing a petition at the request of Haman and trusting in Haman's accusation against the Jews.

Esther 7:8 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.

Who knows but if Haman had not have fallen on the bed in anguish, the king might have not been harsh with him in this. Haman seems to suffer for his own actions. The king now assumed Haman was going to force the queen. I don't know if he meant sexually or that he though he was attempting to harm her because of what she accused him of.

This also shows the importance of those in authority to check out things, listen to opposing opinions and not just take the word of his advisors that are close to him. I've seen presidents of my own country make mistakes by taking the wrong advice. Even good leaders have made serious mistakes in judgment by listening to the wrong people. The ones in the bible that sought God for answers ended up doing the right things every time. God is the only one that knows the perfect way to govern. We all needd to find out what He has to say about everything.

Esther 7:9 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.

The law of reaping what one sows is in effect here. During the covid crisis, the president came down with covid. I was shocked to read on social media of one who stated that she hoped he would die.

I immediately warned that if we wished evil on a person, it might happen to us instead. We must always have compassion and be out for someone's good not evil. Politics and the news media will stir up hate within us if we do not resist it. Fear and hate will steal, kill and destroy us if we give into it.

Thankfully through faith in Jesus and receiving Him into our lives, we can overcome the spirit of fear and hate. Jesus said to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. Think about that. If we all could keep that commandment, we would have peace on the earth. There would be no poverty, cruelty or wars. Just two little commandments would solve a lot of problems if everyone would keep them from deep within our very souls. This is something we can't force. -DC

Esther Chapter 8