Sermon Outline: Haman's Fall Before The King And Queen - Esther 7:1-10
Last week we saw that the momentum in this story has completely shifted by the providential hand of Godfrom Haman to Esther. Haman has been entrapped by his own pride, arrogance and conceit. Heis beginning to see that his kingdom is collapsing and he is powerless to stop it. Everything is out of his control.
Our text this morning is Esther 7:1-10,
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 dared to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
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 gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits 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.
Our text begins in Esther 7:1 with these words, “So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther.” As I consider Esther in this moment Psalm 23:5-6comes to mind. I can see her saying to herself, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” In a few moments Esther will ask King Ahasuerus for favor for herself and her people but ultimately she is looking to the LORD for their deliverance. (Ps. 123)
Similarly, today we will be taking communion together at the end of this service and we will remember that in Christ Jesus we have received the goodness and mercy of God. We will remember that through Jesus Christ our greatest enemies have been defeated and we are walking in more and more victory against indwelling sin, this sinful world, and the devil. Like Esther, we are to continually look to the LORD and partake in the grace He provides.
The King Honors The Queen
Esther 7:2 says, “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.’”
This is the third occasion in which the king has sought to hear Esther’s wish and to act upon her request.
Three times the king has brought this up to Esther.
Three times the king has taken the initiative to hear from Esther about the desire she has.
Three times he has promised to give her up to half his kingdom.
He has not regretted, wavered, backed off, or seemed hesitant to hear what she has to say.
I mention this is because in two of my commentaries mentioned that King Ahasuerus was not able to sleep in Esther 6:1 because he was afraid of what the queen might ask for. For example David Firth said, “...it is perfectly possible to understand why the king might not have been able to sleep...the king may be aware that Esther is about to (quite literally) take him up on his promise of up to the half of his kingdom. Ahasuerus might not be the brightest king that ever lived, but even for him this would be a perfectly plausible reason for sleeplessness.”1
I disagree with this line of thinking and the conclusions that come from it. The king has trusted in many foolish people but none of these events made him loose one moment of sleep. I find it hard to believe that the king, as foolish as he is, cannot sense that there is something different about Esther.
Esther has been honored by others over and over again because of her dignity and grace. She is humble, gracious, compassionate, content, discerning, kind, and wise; and no husband looses a moment of sleep because of these qualities in their wife.
Proverbs 31:10-12 – An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:28 – Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
If King Ahasuerus regretted that he had promised Esther up to half the kingdom in Esther 5:2-3 then why does he say it again later that day? If he regretted having said it twice, then why does he emphasize his willingness to do it again the next day? Each time the king who initiates the request.
Esther 5:2-3, “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. And the king said to her, ‘What is it Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you, even to the half of my kingdom.”
Esther 5:6, “And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, ‘What is your wish? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” (Now the king asks for her wish and her request.)
Esther 7:2, “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.’” (Here we are told that the king asks again for what Esther wishes and what she would request of him.)
King Ahasuerus does not seem troubled by the words that he has spoken. In fact, I think it misses the point of this book which teaches us about the presence of God through His providential care.
Esther 5:2shows us that this promise by the king is based upon his favor and pleasure for Esther. Esther 7:3 says, “Then Queen Esther answered, ‘If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king…”.
The LORD has fully inclined the heart of the king to show Esther favor. That is not to say that the king does not have practical reasons for his favor towards Esther, but we should not neglect to see God’s sovereign hand working behind all of this.
Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will.”
Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways please the LORD he makes his enemies be at peace with him.”
If God can do this between the king and Esther, can He not work this way in our relationships?
Esther Identifies Publicly With The People Of God For The First Time
For the first time Esther has revealed to the king that she is a Jew and that her fate is tied to her people who have been condemned to die. We read, “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. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.” (3-4a)
(Gospel Thought: Because of the favor and pleasure that God has for Jesus Christ, He saves sinners. Your not saved because of the favor and pleasure that God has in you as much as that He has these things for Jesus. We were sold as slaves to sin but have been redeemed freely by Christ.)
Esther confesses that the Jews have been sold to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated.
Esther says, “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.” Esther says that if they had been sold as slaves, both men and women, she would have remained silent. If that were the case, she would have never come to see the king to make this request.
However, she adds that the death of the Jews would bring great loss to the king. Esther says that this will effect the revenues of the king. This is completely contrary to what Haman had said to the king. He had promised 10,000 talents of silver for the kings treasury if he would sanction this act. He made it sound like there was only profit to be had by doing this. (3:7-11)
Esther brings up a harsh reality that we often see working its way throughout the fabric of our world at every level today. The love of money truly is the root of all sorts of evil.
People are sold out for personal gain.
People sell themselves for some perceived personal gain.
People will engage in great sin to get wealth.
People will engage in sin to maintain wealth.
It was the king’s love of money and authority that made him engage in this sin; and it is this same thing that Esther uses to persuade him to save the Jews.
This is an ugly reality in our world!
We see this played out in the news every day.
Societies that engage in human trafficking and harmful goods if they can gain something by it.
Countries are allowed to do evil because other countries need their resources (oil and goods).
Injustice is done for the price of a bribe, a promotion, or for a favor.
Truth becomes subjective when the size of our bank account is effected by it.
In a world where people have value because they are made in God’s image it is a sign of our depraved condition when one has to appeal to the wallet and not this truth to receive mercy and justice. Jesus Christ was not manipulated in this way to help us. While we were sinners He died for us and redeemed us by His blood which is more precious than silver or gold. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
We see another parallel between Esther and Jesus Christ. Christ had to identify with sinful people. For example, in Luke 22:37 we find these words, “For I tell you that Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’”
Like Esther, Jesus had to identify with the people to save them.
Jesus came down from heaven and was born as a Jewish man.
Jesus lived under the Law to redeem those who were under the Law of God (Galatians 4:4).
Jesus was numbered with the transgressors yet He didn’t sin.
Jesus actively fulfilled all righteousness by fulfilling the Scriptures and the Law. He also passively fulfilled all righteousness by having the Law and the Scriptures fulfilled in Him. We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake He(God) made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Esther offered physical deliverance, but Jesus gives eternal life.
Esther stands before the king and pleads for the people, Jesus stands with His people and dies in their place.
Esther must persuade the king to spare the Jews, but Jesus bears its penalty and secures our pardon.2
Esther pleaded for the people; Jesus continues to interceded for His people to this very day.
Haman’s Death And The King’s Wrath Was Abated
Let’s read verses 7-10, “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. 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. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.”
In this moment, the king realized that he was caught in a dilemma.
On the one hand, he had authorized Haman to send out a decree to the entire kingdom that the Jewish people were to be killed.
On the other hand, the king had publicly permitted the queen to ask for up to half his kingdom.
These two things had come together and he found himself in the middle of the collision.
As the king went out to the garden, Haman realizes that harm had been determined against him so he stayed with Queen Esther to plead for his life.
In his panic he forgot some of the palace rules. In the Persian court…
A man, was forbidden from being left alone with a member of the king’s harem.
And even in the presence of the king no one was permitted within seven steps of one of the royal concubines.3
When the king came back he found Haman falling upon Esther as he plead to her for his life. Haman had broken the Palace rules and so the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the king spoke these words Haman’s face was covered. The king was told about the gallows that Haman had made for Mordecai whose words had saved the king, so the king told his servants to hang him on that scaffold. (I cannot help but consider so many who will pray and plead to Mary and to the saints for mercy when they have it not to give. These will fall upon these traditions and be blindly led astray to their own demise. Today at communion we do not look to Mary or saints but Jesus Christ alone for mercy and grace.)
Everything has led up to this very moment when the king would act to fulfill Esther’s request. We have reached a moment of climax. Yet, we must ask, ‘Have we reached the climax?’
It would appear that the climax is yet to come. For example, although it is not addressed in the text we can assume that this is the first time that Esther may be made aware of the fact that Haman had made gallows for her Uncle Mordecai. We read, “...one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high.” (9)
Esther would have been surprised and shocked by this news. She knew Haman had a malicious heart but now she finds out that it is even worse than she had suspected. We live in a world where we do not see all the evil plots around us. God knows and He is sovereignly and providentially working!
We also know that the king was angry at Haman when he realized that he was the one who had set this evil plot in motion, but now he would have become even more angry. He had just found out that Haman had intended to kill a faithful servant who had saved his life. With that in mind, consider the force with which the king would have said the words, “Hang him on that.”
Our text ends in verse 10 with these words, “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.” Haman’s death abated the wrath of King Ahasuerus.
In the gospel it is the death of the sinless and righteous Jesus Christ who propitiates the wrath of God for us who are sinners.
At the cross we see the climax of both the mercy and justice of God.
We see the climax of the love and wrath of God.
We see the climax of the turbulent judgment of God and the peace of God extended.
At the cross we can be pardoned from judgment and are given an invitation to partake in communion together.
Jesus was innocent of any wrong doing and dies so that guilty people can be reconciled to God. It is the perfect Lamb of God who dies so that transgressors, rebels and lawless men and women can be reconciled to a Holy God (2 Cor. 5:19).
1The Message of Esther, David Firth, pg. 91.
2Ruth and Esther, David Strain, 142
3Ruth and Esther, David Strain, 143; Esther, Debra Reid, 127