GOD HATES HATRED

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

“If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

“Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.

That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

“What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.

When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor! ’”

“Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted. ”

Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

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.

Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!” So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai.

Then the king’s fury subsided.

Esther 5:1-14, 6:1-14, 7:1-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus said, ““You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22a

It was of little doubt that Jesus was trying to teach His disciples that you had to deal with the root causes of murder first if you were going to avoid murdering. In this case, getting angry at someone would be subject to judgment as well. Jesus even goes as deep as saying that any person who calls someone an insulting name would be subject to the “fire of hell”. I wonder how often we remember this as we so often hurl less than endearing words toward others.

Maybe there was no better case study to validate Jesus’ words than Haman.

You’ll remember that Haman’s anger was first on display in Chapter 3 of the Book of Esther. King Xerxes had appointed him to a seat of honor higher than any of the other nobles. This high position brought with it the required respect of the people who were expected to kneel down and pay honor to him. Mordecai refused to do so, enraging Haman who decided it wouldn’t be enough to punish just Mordecai so he put together a plot to kill all the Jews. Notice…anger led to murderous thoughts.

Lots were cast, a date was set for the execution of the Jews and an edict was issued by Haman who gained the king’s favor to carry out his plan without specifically mentioning who he wanted to do away with. All seemed to be going well for Haman. Too bad he failed to factor God’s intervention into his plan...an intervention that Mordecai was certain of whether it would come by way of Esther or someone else God would raise up to save His people.

As Chapter 4 opens, Esther bravely enters the “inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall”. You’ll recall that this could result in the death penalty unless the king had specifically summoned someone before him. Esther knew this but was willing to die in order to stand up for the Jews.

We read where “the king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance” and “when he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand” which Esther touched. The king was ready to hear Esther out.

King Xerxes asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.” Obviously Esther was still very much in good standing with the king and so she made her request responding, “If it pleases the king, let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.” Without hesitation, Xerxes sent for Haman and they “went to the banquet Esther had prepared.” Scripture tells us that “as they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” He was ready to offer Esther her request as long as it was within reason.

Esther asked the king and Haman to come to a second banquet she would prepare the next day and promised to tell the king what she wanted then. And so it would be. We read where Haman left the banquet “happy and in high spirits” until he once again saw Mordecai who stayed true to form and refused to show any respect or honor to Haman. Again, Haman was full of rage but didn’t take any action, restraining himself and returning home. Once there, he first bragged about himself to his friends and his wife Zeresh…about “his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.” And then he boasted about being the “only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave” which included a second invite the next day.

Then, Haman shared his disdain for Mordecai and his desire to be rid of him. His wife and friends suggested that Haman “have a pole set up” which would reach “a height of fifty cubits.” Once constructed, Haman could ask the king to have Mordecai “impaled on it”. All this was to happen before the second banquet hosted by Esther with the idea that Haman could best enjoy himself if the disrespectful Jew at the king’s gate were gone.

And so Haman had the pole erected, unaware that it would really be for his end, not Mordecai’s.

Haman thought his evil plan was working out perfectly. God had other ideas.

For before Haman could approach the king with his request to impale Mordecai, we read where the king has some problems sleeping. He calls for the book that served as a record of his reign and remembered how Mordecai had saved his life by exposing the assassination plot of “Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway.”

Not remembering what was done for Mordecai, the king asked his attendants, “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” His attendants told him nothing had been done yet and just as they said this, someone appeared in the king’s court. It was Haman who had really come to request permission to kill Mordecai. The king asked him to come in but before Haman could ask the king for what he wanted, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Note that the king doesn’t mention Mordecai by name and so almost comically, Haman thought the king was talking about honoring him. And so his response to the king was really driven around what Haman would like to have from the king to be honored. This is what he said to the king:

“For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’”

Can you almost feel how giddy Haman must have felt at this point? What an awesome experience he will have being honored in such a special way by the king himself! And then the bottom fell out as Haman’s bubble got burst big time.

This is because the king commanded Haman to “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.” Haman must have been in disbelief. Not only was he not the one to be recognized but the man who would receive the honor was the very man he wanted killed. God’s plans can often contain subtle ironies that you and I could never conceive.

And so Haman did just what the king commanded. He “got the robe and the horse” and then placed the robe on Mordecai before leading him “on horseback through the city streets” while proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” God ensures His good and faithful servants get proper recognition. I can’t help but think that many people came up to speak to Mordecai after he returned to the king’s gate, asking about why he was honored which allowed ample opportunity to talk about God and His amazing goodness, grace and blessings.

So what happened with Haman, the angry man who sought to murder?

Scripture tells us that he “rushed home with his head covered in grief and told…his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.” And after he finishes, his audience predicts Haman’s ruin. What’s interesting here is that they all knew Mordecai was a Jew before and yet urged Haman on to build the pole and ask the king to kill Mordecai. Maybe they now began to understand the awesome presence and protection God gives His people…and thus realized that Haman was in deep water. Whatever the case, they didn’t get to finish advising Haman before “the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared”…the banquet that would seal Haman’s doom.

For we read that at the banquet, the king asks Esther again about what she desired. She replied, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

The cat was now out of the bag. Esther was a Jew. She had revealed what Mordecai asked her never to reveal. Her people were in danger, “sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated” and she asked for the king’s pardon.

Note that the king never makes a big deal about Esther’s nationality. He is only concerned with her request and honoring his word to honor what she wanted. But first, he had to know who was daring to carry out such a plan. And so he asked Esther about whom she was talking about and she boldly replied, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” And with those words, we read where “Haman was terrified before the king and queen.”

King Xerxes “got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden.” Haman now feared for his own life. Funny how the tide turned. Haman was now experiencing the same dread he brought on the Jews. God has a way of teaching lessons like that. What comes around often does go around.

In what was an almost comical turn of events, Haman tried “to beg Queen Esther for his life”, falling “on the couch where (she) was reclining” when the king walked in from the palace garden. Imagine the king’s thoughts when he observed Haman on the couch with Esther. But wait, we don’t have to imagine them because he tells us what was on his mind as he exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

And so Haman’s fate was sealed. They covered his face and impaled him on the very pole he had erected for Mordecai. The threat to the Jews was silenced for good.

Yes, God hates hatred and will deal with it through consequences. We would be well suited to do away with the anger in our lives lest we become a modern day Haman. If someone does wrong to us, we should keep in mind the grace and mercy that the Lord shows us despite our failings. We would all be well served to keep in mind the words of Paul to the church in Colosse when he wrote:

“…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12b-14

This is the way Jesus lived. As Christians, we are expected to live likewise. And God expects it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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