An Executed Scoundrel

April 19, 2020 Background Scripture: Esther 3, 5, 7 Lesson Passage: Esther 7:1 – 10 The book of Esther is always a great study. Even if we know most of it and can recite it from memory, there is something about reading it that tends to convict the reader. Several personalities are brought to light in Esther. King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti, Haman, Mordecai, and Esther all present a different learning opportunity for the reader. (For the record, Queen Vashti was years ahead of her time!) Today’s lesson revolves around Haman. Haman is a reminder of the person who gets something they don’t deserve and yet they are so jealous that they don’t want to see others get what they do deserve. Haman’s brief biography found in Esther allows us to quickly identify him as a bad character who is about to discover karma. Haman wanted to be praised by men although he did nothing to deserve it. The thought that Mordecai would use his religious faith as a reason not to pay homage to Haman made him even more furious. Haman was willing to destroy the entire race of Jews just to have Mordecai executed. Haman used his political position to set it all up. The Jews were slaves in a foreign land. They were taken captive and moved there before the Persians and Medes came to power. Even with the change in political power, the social standing of the Jews never changed. They were slaves to whomever was in power at the time. From Haman’s perspective, this made Mordecai’s lack of respect for him even more demeaning. Based on the social and political standing of Mordecai and Haman, the outcome of this conflict should have easily gone Haman’s way. However, there is an unseen God constantly working in the heart of the king throughout the book of Esther. That’s one of the peculiarities about the book. God is never mentioned, but it is clear that He is controlling the outcome of various situations that unfold. There are a number of moral/ethical principles that can be cited based on the events in this book. “If you take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation.” “When you succeed in life, don’t forget where you came from.” “When you are successful, remember that others worked on your behalf. No man is an island to himself.” “Although you might not be able to solve the problem, there is a role you can play to be part of the solution.” “A man who has not found something he is willing to die for, is not fit to live.” “If you dig one ditch, you better dig two.” Of course, this lesson is mostly about the last statement. Haman, at the advice of his friends, had a gallows constructed that was seventy-five feet high to hang Mordecai from. Haman didn’t just want Mordecai dead. He wanted him humiliated by the method of execution. But God was working in the heart of the king. The king asked Haman for an elaborate way to honor a person in his kingdom. Because Haman thought it was for him, he wanted no expense spared. When Haman learned that Mordecai was to be honored and he had to bestow the honor, it was crushing for him. Finally, at Mordecai’s insistence, Esther got involved and found an occasion to expose Haman to the king. With Haman’s plot exposed, the king ordered Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. And with that, the scoundrel was executed. Robert C. Hudson April 13, 2020