In Esther 7:1-4, Queen Esther, whose people had been sold out for impending genocide, finally disclosed her national heritage to King Xerxes. They were talking at a private banquet (hosted by the queen) with another man named Haman, and the king was pretty unhappy – to say the least – to hear that someone had set up his queen’s people for slaughter.
In Esther 7:5, the king asks who would do such a thing, and now it’s time for Queen Esther to finish connecting the dots in the account that she’s been sharing. The “punch line” of her big reveal ends up being more of a “gut punch” to Haman, though.
Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”
Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.
Esther 7:6-7 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/est.7.6-7.NIV
At least Haman was smart enough to put the pieces together, and he knew that the king wasn’t going to stand for this. With the king clearly enraged, Haman looks to the queen for mercy as his only hope to get out of this alive. It seems ironic that Haman was left to call upon a member of the very people group that he was seeking to kill, but that’s what mercy means: not being punished for something we clearly deserve, without having done anything to deserve a break.
Before coming to this banquet, Haman thought that having to parade Mordecai through the streets and shout out the king’s praises for him was embarrassing (see Esther 6:11-13), and he probably thought that things couldn’t get any worse. He was wrong.
Even Haman’s last-ditch effort to plead with the queen for her intervention backfires, though (see Esther 7:8-10). When the king comes back, it looks like Haman is assaulting the queen, and that’s it for Haman.
Apparently, it was prohibited for any man except the king to be closer than 6 steps away from a woman from the king’s harem. So, as a commentator pointed out [Mangano, p.98], by accusing Haman of breaking that rule, the king can somewhat sidestep the fact that he, too, was complicit in the decree that authorized the killing of the Jews throughout his kingdom.
Regardless, like a hood offered to a man about to be executed, Haman’s face is covered. He is a “dead man walking”.
One of the king’s attendants (named Harbona) speaks up “helpfully”, not only letting the king know that Haman had already prepared a structure for hanging or impaling (see Esther 5:9-14), but also rubbing it in that this structure had been built for Mordecai, to whom the king owed his life (see Esther 2:19-23). I wonder if Harbona had been bothered by Haman’s actions. Perhaps Harbona respected Mordecai, and saw this as an opportunity to exact some justice (or just revenge) for Mordecai. We don’t know for sure, though.
By the way, various translations differ on exactly how Haman intended to kill Mordecai. Some will refer to a pole where the victim would be impaled (and there seems to be some archaeological precedent for this being done in ancient Persia). Other translations refer to a gallows for hanging.
It probably doesn’t matter what Haman had in mind, though, nor what kind of structure was constructed for him to kill Mordecai. Haman wanted to execute someone who he felt had insulted him, and then to hang the body up for lots of people to see, making an example of Mordecai to others who might not show Haman the fame he thought that he deserved. I imagine that a 75-foot structure would be visible across much of the citadel of Susa.
Instead, though, Haman would become the one whose body hung there, for others to see and talk about.
This apparently helps the king cool off enough to take some follow-up steps. Let’s consider the next chapter in the next article (or, just click on that link to read it for yourself).
From Sunday School lesson prepared for July 21, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, July 21, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The Bible and Archaeology, by J.A. Thompson, © 1962, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., p.166-171.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 