Title: Feast of Retribution/Esther 7
Content 2. Feast of Retribution (Chapter 7)
The confrontation between Haman and Mordecai, and Haman's consequent downfall, is a complete illustration of Psalm 37. Read this Psalm carefully and see how it hits (see Psalm 73). Haman came to the feast, and there is no doubt that there was fear and trembling in his heart. But it was too late. His sins were finding him out (see Proverbs 16:18/ 18:12). The king told Esther to tell her her request, and Esther opened her heart to plead for the salvation of her people. Notice in verse 4 that she is using the king's decree as it is (cf. 3:13). Undoubtedly, she would have read Po goryeong often, and would have “set it out before the Lord.” The king was not surprised to find out that she was a Jew. What surprised him was that such a wicked man was his servant. The shock was even greater when he learned that the enemy was Haman. How blind this prince was to the true character of those around him! He left Mordecai, the godly and wise man, outside the gate, and Haman was allowed to enter the palace. No wonder he was later assassinated.
Proverbs 16:14 says, “The wrath of a king is like a lion of death.” King Ahasuerus, greatly disturbed, left the banquet hall and went out into the garden. This gave the wicked Haman an opportunity to bow down before the queen and beg for mercy. What a resemblance to the body! When the body controls our lives, it kills, but when the Spirit of God judges it, how humble and innocent it is! No wonder Paul wrote, “Do not lean on the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). Haman is so eager to ask for forgiveness that he falls on the queen's bed, which was too much for the king. The king ordered him to be put to death and hung on the tree he had prepared for Mordecai. “The righteous will be saved from tribulation, and the wicked will come and take their place” (Proverbs 11:8). In the Greek version of the Old Testament (c. 70), the end of verse 9 is translated like this: “Crucify him!” The servants willingly obeyed these words. Because Haman made many enemies through his selfish and arrogant administration.