202 - Haman’s Plan Backfires
- Gwen Diaz
- Jul 21, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 7
JULY 21 - Nº 202 Esther 5:1 – 6:11
After three days of fasting, Esther put on her royal robes and went to the inner court of the palace. When the king saw her, he immediately extended his golden scepter. She walked up and touched it.
Without hesitation, King Xerxes announced, “You may request whatever you want, and I will give it to you!” Esther replied, “If it pleases you, I would like to invite you and Haman to a banquet that I have prepared.”
The king liked Esther’s request. “Go get Haman at once,” he said to his servants. So, the king and Haman went together to the banquet.
As they were drinking their wine, the king said to Esther, “Tell me what it is you really want so I can give it to you.” Esther replied, “If that is true, please come back tomorrow to another banquet that I will prepare, and bring Haman with you. Then I will tell you.”
Haman was happy when he left the palace that day. It was a great honor to be invited to the queen’s banquet two days in a row. But his joy quickly turned to rage when he passed through the king’s gate. Once again, Mordecai refused to honor him by standing up or bowing down.
That evening Haman and his wife invited friends to their home. Haman boasted about how rich he was, how many sons he had, and all the ways the king had honored him. He was especially proud of being the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to her banquets. “But all these good things cannot make me happy as long as that Jew named Mordecai refuses to honor me,” he sulked angrily.
His friends came up with a suggestion, “You should erect a 75-foot pole tonight, and then tomorrow morning you can ask the king for permission to impale Mordecai on it. Then when he is dead, you can go to Queen Esther’s banquet and enjoy yourself.” This idea pleased Haman, and he immediately set up a pole by his house.
That night, the king could not sleep. He ordered one of his servants to read to him from the royal record books. As the servant read, he came to the account of the plot Mordecai had uncovered and how he had saved the king’s life (see #201 - July 20). The king realized that he had never rewarded Mordecai for this heroic act. “Is there someone here that I can talk to about this?” King Xerxes asked.
At that moment, Haman walked into the room. He had arrived early so he could be there when the king woke up. He wanted to ask for permission to kill Mordecai as soon as possible. But before Haman could speak, the king asked him, “What do you think I should do for a man I want to honor in a special way?”
Haman immediately thought the king was talking about him, so he replied, “You should honor this man by placing your royal robe on his shoulders and your crown on his head. Let him sit on your horse and have your most noble official lead him through the streets yelling, ‘This is what the king does for a man he wants to honor!’”
“That’s an excellent idea!” King Xerxes exclaimed. “I want you to find Mordecai and do everything you just suggested for him. Be careful not to leave anything out!”
Haman was shocked and angry! He had no choice but to obey the king!
Much to his dismay, Haman was forced to lead Mordecai--the man he hated--through the streets of Susa proclaiming how great he was!
God’s timing is always perfect!
This story includes a Jewish queen in a Persian court; a king who couldn’t sleep; a servant who happened to read exactly the right page in a record book; and an evil man filled with pride and rage who walked in the door at exactly the right time.
Without God operating the clock, Mordecai would have died, and the Jews would have been exterminated. But God was in control of every detail!
Do you trust God’s timing as He orchestrates the details of your life?
He knows exactly what is best!
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