5:1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king,1 let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. 6 And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”27 Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king3 to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
Haman Plans to Hang Mordecai
9 And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. 13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows4 fifty cubits5 high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.
The King Honors Mordecai
6:1 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana6 and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows7 that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown8 is set. 9 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”
Esther Reveals Haman’s Plot
14 While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.
7:1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 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.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “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. 4 For 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.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared9 to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Haman Is Hanged
7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows10 that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits11 high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.
Footnotes
[1]5:4Hebrew If it is good to the king [2]5:6Or done [3]5:8Hebrew if it is good to the king [4]5:14Or wooden beam; twice in this verse (see note on 2:23) [5]5:14A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [6]6:2Bigthana is an alternate spelling of Bigthan (see 2:21) [7]6:4Or wooden beam (see note on 2:23) [8]6:8Or headdress [9]7:5Hebrew whose heart has filled him [10]7:9Or wooden beam; also verse 10 (see note on 2:23) [11]7:9A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
5:1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king,1 let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. 6 And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”27 Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king3 to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
Haman Plans to Hang Mordecai
9 And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. 13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows2:23)</note>">4 fifty cubits5 high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.
The King Honors Mordecai
6:1 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana2:21)</note>">6 and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows2:23)</note>">7 that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown8 is set. 9 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”
Esther Reveals Haman’s Plot
14 While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.
7:1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 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.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “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. 4 For 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.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared9 to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Haman Is Hanged
7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows2:23)</note>">10 that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits11 high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.
Footnotes
[1]5:4Hebrew If it is good to the king [2]5:6Or done [3]5:8Hebrew if it is good to the king [4]5:14Or wooden beam; twice in this verse (see note on 2:23) [5]5:14A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [6]6:2Bigthana is an alternate spelling of Bigthan (see 2:21) [7]6:4Or wooden beam (see note on 2:23) [8]6:8Or headdress [9]7:5Hebrew whose heart has filled him [10]7:9Or wooden beam; also verse 10 (see note on 2:23) [11]7:9A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
Redeemer exists to celebrate and declare the gospel of God as we grow in knowing and following Jesus Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:
Well, good morning. Wow. Good morning. Are you? Yeah.
Jeffrey Heine:
Wonderful. We are continuing our study in Esther. And just a reminder, the kids are going downstairs to our new kids' facility down there, so you can direct them that way. We're gonna be in Esther. Esther 5, 6, and 7 this morning.
Jeffrey Heine:
If you wanna go ahead and start turning there in your bibles. There's some Bibles also scattered throughout in the pews. In the pew Bible, we're gonna be on page 234 in Esther. If you hit the Psalms, you've gone too far. And as any good sermon on Esther, we will begin with a reading from James's letter.
Jeffrey Heine:
And so as you're making your way to Esther chapter 5, I will begin with a reading from James chapter 4. James chapter 4, and let us listen carefully for this is God's word. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder.
Jeffrey Heine:
You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your own passions. You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a a friend of the world makes himself an enemy with God.
Jeffrey Heine:
Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says he yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us. But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jeffrey Heine:
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded. Be wrenched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
Jeffrey Heine:
The word of the Lord. It's to God. Let's pray. Lord, you know our hearts. You know our failures, our sins.
Jeffrey Heine:
You know us better than we know ourselves, yet you love us. You love us completely, and we know that this morning because of Jesus. So help us now, Spirit, to feast on your word, to find truth and comfort and rest in a weary world. Speak, Lord. Your servants are listening.
Jeffrey Heine:
We pray these things in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God forever and ever. Amen. When I was in community college, I worked at a video store slash tanning salon. I promise I will quit bragging soon.
Jeffrey Heine:
I would work 3 to 4 shifts a week, watch 3 to 4 movies a shift. And that means I watched a lot of movies. And one of my favorite movies to put on in the store was Say Anything. It was a 1989 kind of teen comedy romance drama written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Another film that I regularly put on, was Almost Famous, also written and directed by Cameron Crowe.
Jeffrey Heine:
And so I decided, as I started to get acquainted with his movies, to watch everything that he had written and directed. Fast Times, singles, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown which arguably has the best soundtrack to any movie ever made. Apologies to Garden State. But even though the video store slash tanning salon closed its doors many years ago. VHS and tanning beds is not a good business model, by the way.
Jeffrey Heine:
But even though, it's been closed for some time, throughout the years, every time Cameron Crowe made a film, I wanted to see it. And having a favorite director is different than having a favorite actor. Cameron Crowe was never on screen. Throughout his movies, you don't see his face. But if you watch closely and you pay attention to the story, to the scenes, to the style, you recognize his work.
Jeffrey Heine:
And so far in Esther, we haven't seen God. He hasn't given verbal instructions to Mordecai telling him what to do. He hasn't expressed frustration or elation with Esther. The main characters aren't even talking about him. No brief cameo in some unexpected scene.
Jeffrey Heine:
God is not an actor that we can see in this story, but I hope I hope that as we have been spending the last few weeks in Esther, that you see his work. A lot happens in Esther chapters 5 through 7, and we're gonna cover a lot of action this morning. And what I would like for us to do is first to kinda remember where we are in the story. I have to do this every time I open up my Bible. Remember where we are.
Jeffrey Heine:
What has happened? What's occurred, so I can start to understand what's actually being said there. Because if I don't do that, if I don't take the time to really recall where we are, I'm just gonna think about where I am and read that into it, and that's not as helpful. So I need to remember where we are first, and then I want us to look closely at what's happening in chapters 5, 6, and 7. And then I want us to focus in on 2 things.
Jeffrey Heine:
I want us to focus in on just 2 things. There's so many things that we could talk about in chapters 5, 6, and 7. But I've got so many Super Bowl jokes I've gotta make that we just don't we just don't have time. So I don't think we have the copyright for that, so they're gonna be big game jokes. First, the story.
Jeffrey Heine:
What's what's happening here in Esther? So far, Esther has assumed the role of queen of Persia. She married the king Ashauerus, and he might be more recognizable to some of you as King Xerxes. It's his other name. They've married.
Jeffrey Heine:
Esther is queen and her cousin Mordecai who raised her when she was a young orphan. Mordecai raised her and he's been checking in on her in the king's gate to find out how she's doing now that she is queen. There's another man that we need to know about, and that's Haman. Haman was an official in the king's court. The king had given Haman a very high honor to show their relationship, his special status in the court, Haman was was, given this honor.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that is that everywhere he went, the king declared that everyone had to bow to Haman. That showed that relationship that Haman had with the king. Everyone had to bow. But Mordecai would not bow. Haman would be walking through the court, and all these people would begin to bow, and Mordecai, the Jew, would not bow to him.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that infuriated Haman. He was so angry about this and all of Haman's men were angry about this because if they're disrespecting their man, then they're disrespecting them. And so they want to find out why. So they begin to interrogate Mordecai. Why won't you bow?
Jeffrey Heine:
And just like many men before him, Mordecai says, I cannot bow. I am a Jew. Haman is further enraged. He consults his men, and they devise a plan to kill not only Mordecai, but all the Jews. And not just the Jews in the city, and because they were in the capital city at this time.
Jeffrey Heine:
Not just to kill the Jews in that city, but all of the Persian empire, all the way back to Jerusalem to kill the Jews. Haman slyly convinces the king of this plan and the king signs off on this mass murder. And when Mordecai hears of this plan, he goes to Esther, and he tells her what's gonna happen to her people. And he convinces her to do 2 very bold things. First, she has to go to the king uninvited.
Jeffrey Heine:
As Joel said last week, a month has gone by since she has been summoned to the king. She has not seen the king in a month, And she has to go to him uninvited, which is a capital offense for anyone, including the the queen. The second thing that she has to do, she has to reveal for the first time that she is a Jew. Knowing that her life is at stake in even approaching the king, Esther decides that she has to try to save her people. She calls on all the Jews in the capital city to fast, and in that fasting, seeks the Lord to seek Yahweh for his favor.
Jeffrey Heine:
And then she goes to the king uninvited, where a man stands next to the throne, axe in hand, ready to execute anyone who comes unwelcome. That's where we are. Chapter 5 verse 1. Look with me. On the 3rd day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's quarters while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace.
Jeffrey Heine:
And when the King saw Queen Esther, this is the first time she's been referred to as that. When when the King saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor, grace in his sight. And he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. And then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, what is it, Queen Esther?
Jeffrey Heine:
What is your request? It shall be given you even to half of my kingdom. And Esther said, if it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king. And then the king said, bring Haman quickly so that we may do as Esther has asked. So they go to the feast.
Jeffrey Heine:
They eat delicious food. They drink the rich wine. It's going great. The king is pleased to be with Esther. And Haman is thrilled to be given such a high honor to be dining with the king and the queen.
Jeffrey Heine:
And the king asks again what queen Esther wants. At the end of the meal, right when you think that she is now going to stand up for that bold action to admit to her heritage and ask the king to spare her people, she asks him to come to a feast the next day. This big moment builds up, and she says, tomorrow, let's do this again. And then I will tell you what it is that I need. The king and Haman both accept this invitation to another feast the next day, and they leave.
Jeffrey Heine:
And Haman is on cloud 9. He leaves the banquet as puffed up as he ever has been in his entire life. He just finished this private feast with the king and the queen, and he walks through the court, and everyone is bowing to him. He's never felt so powerful, so important, so significant. And he walks by, and he sees all these people bowing except for 1 man.
Jeffrey Heine:
Again, Mordecai the Jew will not bow. He's furious. He The text actually says that he's literally mad because Mordecai did not tremble before him. Haman wants to say, I'm the one that's going to be wiping out all of your people. I am the one who's going to have you killed and everyone in your family.
Jeffrey Heine:
I'm taking them all out. I am that powerful. I am that important, and you are to tremble before me. But Mordecai stands. And enraged, Haman goes back to his house, to his wife and to his friends and he cries.
Jeffrey Heine:
And I say that he cries because you can't read the section without hearing this petulant whining in his voice. Look with me in verse 11. And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, and all the promotions which the king had honored him, and how he advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. And then Haman said, even queen Esther, let no one but me come to the king feast that she had prepared. And tomorrow also, I'm invited by her together with the king.
Jeffrey Heine:
Yet all of this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jews sitting at the king's gate. Then his wife Zeresh and his friends said to him, let a gallows 50 cubits high be made, and in the morning, tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast. And this idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made, 75 foot tall gallows, A picture of both his power and his anger. His power and his ability to execute this judgment on Mordecai.
Jeffrey Heine:
Mordecai will be executed in the morning. The gallows are being made. The highest official to the king wants him dead. And the king and the queen appear to greatly delight in Haman. So surely this will go forward.
Jeffrey Heine:
Surely, Mordecai will die. But that night, while those gallows are being built, a funny thing happens. The king can't sleep. And scholars call this moment the climax of the entire book. This is the moment that everything has been building up to and from which everything else will take its turn.
Jeffrey Heine:
The king could not sleep. This reads like Shakespeare. Can you just see it all unfolding on the stage? The king sitting up in his bed, calling out to his servants to bring a book, bring a book to read to him so he can fall back to sleep. And they bring a book.
Jeffrey Heine:
And the book that they bring is the book of memorable deeds. And we heard about this book in chapter 2. The memorable deeds. And they open it up, and the servant begins to read to the king. And he reads a story from 5 years ago.
Jeffrey Heine:
5 years ago when a man found out about a plot against the king's life, how that man alerted the authorities about this plan, and how the king was spared this assassination. And the king sits up again and says, what has been done to repay this man for his great deed? And they said, nothing. Now it's very important for a person of power to repay loyalty because that's how you maintain loyalty. And he wanted to set this situation right.
Jeffrey Heine:
And he asked, who's out in the court essentially at this late hour or early hour? Who's who's around to do something about this? Who's in the office at this time? And they say, well, Haman. Haman's here.
Jeffrey Heine:
Now Haman is there because as the gallows were being made, he wanted to be the first person the king saw that next morning. He wanted to be the 1st person so he could say, we need to kill Mordecai now and to carry out that execution. And so there he is waiting for the king to wake up, and now he hears that the king wants to see him. So he walks in. Chapter 6 verse 6.
Jeffrey Heine:
The king says to Haman, what should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor? And listen to this. Haman said to himself, whom would the king delight to honor more than me? What a what a an amazing amazing statement. Who would the king delight to honor more than me?
Jeffrey Heine:
So Haman thinks about the most wonderful thing he could possibly imagine, the most wonderful honor that he could imagine. And he says this, verse 7. For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head the royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials, and let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor. And let them lead him on a horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, this shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.
Jeffrey Heine:
That's Haman's deepest desire. That's the best he can come up with. I mean, talk about peeling back some layers of the psyche. I mean, that is what he wants. If it was my birthday, and you said, hey, what do you want for your birthday?
Jeffrey Heine:
And I said, I would love some new clothes that you have worn, and I wanna dress up just like you, and I wanna drive your car around town, We probably wouldn't be friends anymore, and that would make sense. This is his deepest desire, to dress up like the king, to be led, paraded through the streets, looking like the king, being famous. And then verse 10, the king said to Haman, hurry. Take the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Leave nothing out that you have mentioned.
Jeffrey Heine:
How brutal is that? It's the worst reversal possible. Haman was just thinking to himself, whom would the king delight to honor more than me? Now Haman had planned on going from the palace to Mordecai's house. He planned that morning, rushing over, hurrying even.
Jeffrey Heine:
But now, he is being sent as the happy messenger to wake Mordecai, not to be executed, but to be honored. Yeah. This reminds me of 2nd Samuel when king David has committed his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. And, and, and he has been told that parable. And at the end of the parable, he is told, you are that man.
Jeffrey Heine:
And he has this this epiphany and this this moment, but but this is a reversal of that. It's like at the end of it, the king says to Haman, you are not that man. You are not the one that's going to have this honor, but you are going to lead the parade. You're going to lead the parade of the one that you hate the most. Haman has to go to Mordecai and carry out the honor that he thought he was going to receive.
Jeffrey Heine:
And instead of leading Mordecai to the gallows, he leads him in a parade, totally dejected. After walking through the city square and having to declare all of this and dress Mordecai and all of these things, totally dejected, Haman goes home. He goes back to his wife and his friends, and he tells them what just happened. And aghast, these friends that so encouraged him to seek the destruction of Mordecai and all of the Jews, they say, you will surely fall before him. And just as that scene is taking place kind of over here on the stage, and and as these words are still kind of hanging out there like a bubble, like in the cartoons, there's a knock at the door.
Jeffrey Heine:
It's time for the banquet. So Haman goes to the banquet. He sits with the king and the queen. They eat. They drink.
Jeffrey Heine:
And again, the king asks what the queen desires of him. Chapter 7 verse 3. Queen Esther answered, 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. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. And we 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.
Jeffrey Heine:
And then King Asherah said to Queen Esther, who is he? Where is he? Who has dared to do this? And Queen Esther said, a foe and enemy, that wicked Haman. And then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Jeffrey Heine:
The king storms out of the room in a rage that someone has dared to threaten the life of his queen. And as he is seeing all of these things unfolding, he comes back in. But when he's coming back in, Haman is rushing queen Esther to beg for his life. And in that rushing over to her, kind of assaulting her, attacking her in that way, the king sees all of this. And he says, you do this in my house?
Jeffrey Heine:
And then one of the king's eunuchs speaks up. I'm imagining that this eunuch did not like Haman for some time and saw a beautiful open door and says, the gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecai, the one who saved your life? It's still standing at his house, 75 feet high. And the king very quickly says, hang him on that. That's where we are.
Jeffrey Heine:
The scene kind of closes out there. The pride of man, the power of God. Haman represents not only the foolish enemy to God's people, but he he represents the epitome of human pride. He feels superior to his fellow Persian citizens. He feels superior to Mordecai.
Jeffrey Heine:
He feels superior to the entire Jewish race. And from our vantage point, this poison of superiority is easy to see. It's easy to shake our heads at its foolishness, especially lines like when Haman was thinking to himself, whom would the king delight to honor more than me? It's the height of arrogance, and it really does have a comedic tone, this whole section. But I want us to look past that comedic tone.
Jeffrey Heine:
I want us to look past the comedy to the tragedy of pride. Haman actually believes that there is no one in all of Persia, that the king of Persia would want to honor more than him. He believes that. Haven't we fallen into this foolish pride at some point in all of our lives? It can be as simple as thinking that we are better than our sibling, or our coworker.
Jeffrey Heine:
Pride is the poison behind all forms of prejudice. It's the belief that you as a person are better than someone else, more significant, more important, more worthy. It's the poison that says to the person of a different race, nationality, gender, religion. It looks at someone different. It says, I am better.
Jeffrey Heine:
That is the poison and the sin of pride. Haman believes that he is better than Mordecai without question. And not just Mordecai, but but all the Jews. And that hatred and anger that we see, what's underneath that anger and hatred is pride. That's why even in our modern context, it's not just about doing damage control with anger and hatred.
Jeffrey Heine:
It's about getting to the poison of pride. Haman believes that he is better, and it's displayed for all of us to see the foolishness as it unfolds. As followers of Jesus, we are not immune to the poison of pride. The passage that we began our time together in God's word is passage from James's letter was to followers of Jesus who were falling into that pride. He was calling them quite forcefully to reject pride and to be humble before the Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:
He pleaded with them. He says, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners.
Jeffrey Heine:
Purify your hearts, you double minded. Be wrenched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter turn to mourning, your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James is telling these Christians that the sin of pride is destructive and counter to what God wants for his children.
Jeffrey Heine:
The repenting, confessing life to which every follower of Jesus is called is to be marked by humility. And James says that that that's the only way. And we are humble before the Lord. That's the only way that we will be exalted. Haman is a picture of an unbridled pride being brought to absolute ruin.
Jeffrey Heine:
There's nothing in the whole world that Haman wanted more than to dress up in the king's clothes, to ride on the king's horse, to be led through these streets, to be famous. He wanted everyone to see him. He wanted everyone to think as highly of him as he thought of himself. And we can all fall into that. Here we see Proverbs 16:8 played out.
Jeffrey Heine:
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It was Mordecai the Jew who rode in the parade that Haman wanted. Haman wanted Mordecai dead. Not only Mordecai, but all every Jew in Persia. But it was Haman who was hung on the gallows made for Mordecai.
Jeffrey Heine:
That's the picture of pride brought to ruin. Haman could not think more highly of himself, but he was brought to the lowest place possible. And how? How did this great reversal happen? The power of God.
Jeffrey Heine:
The pinnacle of the story is at night, the sleepless king. And here we see Proverbs 211 play out. Proverbs 21:1 says, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. It turns wherever he will. In chapter 2, we saw God turn the heart of a king to adore Esther.
Jeffrey Heine:
In chapter 5, we see God turn the heart of the king to welcome Esther to his throne. In chapter 6, we see God turned the heart of the king restless in the night. While the gallows were being built for Mordecai, God disturbs the king, and he turns the king's attention to Mordecai and his loyalty. 5 years had gone by since Mordecai had valiantly saved the life of the king, but it was on this night that God brought it to mind for the king, and thereby saves Mordecai's life. The power of God is not always displayed in armies or angels.
Jeffrey Heine:
In Esther, we see the power of God in waking a sleeping king. Do you see the power of God in your life? Do you look for the power of God in your life? How often we must miss seeing his power, either because we're not looking or because we're looking for the wrong thing. So you remember, the king, Ahasuerus, was the most powerful man in the entire world.
Jeffrey Heine:
He sat on the throne of the Persian Empire. No one had more power or status than the king. Esther was an orphan, a Jew, a teenager, a girl, and no one had less power or status than Esther. Yet Yahweh turned everything upside down. One of the most important reasons that this story is in our scriptures for the people of God, who in most cultures throughout the histories of the, of, of the church going out, throughout most of history, the people of God have not been in positions of power or status.
Jeffrey Heine:
This story is here to remind the people of God that God is ever powerful and ever present. God does not leave his children as orphans. Jesus promised that too. In the midst of telling his disciples in John 14, that the holy spirit was not just going to come and be with them, but be in them. He says this, I will not leave you as orphans.
Jeffrey Heine:
I will come to you. In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live. You also will live. God will never leave or forsake his people.
Jeffrey Heine:
And because of that, catch this, because God will not leave or forsake his people, we can leave and forsake our pride. That's why it's possible. That's why we can lay down hatred and anger and prejudice. While we can look at the needs of another person and actually count those needs as more important than our own is because he won't leave us, forsake us. He's ever powerful and ever present.
Jeffrey Heine:
We can lay these things down. And Jesus shows us the way of the humble. He shows us what true humility looks like. This was a part of our confession earlier from Philippians. He shows us how to be humble, and he is humble for us.
Jeffrey Heine:
Don't miss that. He is humble for us. That, that he would take our sin and that he would give us his perfect righteousness. That is the greatest reversal. That he would take our sin, our shame, our guilt, that he would be executed on the cross built for us.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that his perfect righteousness, his perfect obedience to the father, his perfect humility would be counted for us. That is the greatest reversal. And that is the good news for our selfish and prideful hearts. Do you see the work of God in Esther? Does it seem like him?
Jeffrey Heine:
The way he does things. At Redeemer, we strive to be a people living by the spirit under the word of God, and that means that we study God's word. Every Sunday, we come together like this, and we dig into the scriptures, abiding in the spirit, asking God to to lead us to truth and understanding. And I hope that you can see God at work in Esther. I hope that you can see his covenant stead fast love is recognizable even here where he is not that main actor.
Jeffrey Heine:
I hope you can see his writing and directing. Because as we have seen in the life of Joseph in Genesis, Moses and Exodus, and in the gospels, as he speaks to us through his son, that God is always displaying his power in rescuing his covenant people for his glory and our good. Let's pray. Jesus, even now we ask that you would pray for us, and we trust that you do. We trust that you are.
Jeffrey Heine:
You are interceding on our behalf even in this moment. That you are taking our clumsy worship, our half hearted adoration, our confused and jumbled words, and you are turning them into to praise. As you have turned us into sons and daughters, We pray that you would help us in this time to be honest with ourselves and honest with you in confessing our sin, turning to Jesus, and celebrating that we are your people because of his blood. We thank you again for this time and ask that you would bless us now. We pray these things in the name of Christ.