And So Haman falls....

Esther had the men in for dinner we read in Esther 7. It was a couple of days of just relaxing and eating. The King then posed this to Esther.

And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, "What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."

And Esther's response to her king

"If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king."

Did you notice how respectful Esther was? IF I have found favour, and IF it pleases you to grant this my wish and my request, If it were merely slavery, I would be silent, but this is my life and my people's lives at stake. Our affliction would be nothing.

The King was somewhat unimpressed. Quite frankly I can imagine him with mouth agape as he hears these words, and then having anger come as the impact of the words hits him. Someone is threatening the life of HIS QUEEN!?!?!?! And we hear these words "Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?" And Esther telling him "A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!"

Haman was rightfully terrified. His King was angry! His queen was threatened. He didn't know that Esther was a Jew! But she was, and she knew her life and the lives of her people were in danger and that he was the one who did it. Faced with an angry queen and a very angry King it is no wonder that he was terrified and ready to beg for his life.

The king left in his anger and went to the palace garden to think about this. Haman seized the opportunity to beg Esther for his life. BUT his methodology was suspect, for just as he was "falling on the couch where Esther was" the king re-entered the room and mistook his intentions. As he thought "Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?"

VERY angry king.

I wonder if Haman was disliked by the palace staff, as I found they were very quick to point out the gallows that Haman had erected. Mentioning that they were to be used to kill a man who helped save the kings' life is a good way to ensure that someone dies. (Don'cha think?)

So Haman died (hung on the very gallows that he had built) and the king's wrath was lessened.

Tomorrow we will learn what happens next in this saga.