Weekly Devotion no 26
25 September 2020
Bible reading – Esther 7[1]
So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s feast. 2 They
were drinking wine on the second day. The king again asked, “What do you want,
Queen Esther? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even
give you up to half of my kingdom.”
3 Then Queen Esther answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That’s what I want. Please spare my people. That’s my appeal to you. 4 My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We’ve been sold to be killed and wiped out. Suppose we had only been sold as male and female slaves. Then I wouldn’t have said anything. That kind of suffering wouldn’t be a good enough reason to bother you.”
5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is the man who has dared to do such a thing? And where is he?”
6 Esther said, “The man hates us! He’s our enemy! He’s this evil Haman!”
Then Haman was terrified in front of the king and queen. 7 The
king got up. He was very angry. He left his wine and went out into the palace
garden. But Haman realized that the king had already decided what he was going
to do to him. So he stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.
8 The king returned from the palace garden to the dinner hall. Just then he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying.
The king shouted, “Will he even treat the queen like this? Will he harm her while she’s right here with me in the palace?”
As soon as the king finished speaking, his men covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona said, “There’s a pole standing near Haman’s house. He has prepared it for Mordecai. Mordecai is the one who spoke up to help you. Haman had planned to have him put to death. He was going to have the pole stuck through his body. Then he was going to set it up at a place where it would be 75 feet above the ground.” Harbona was one of the officials who attended the king.
The king said to his men, “Put Haman to death! Stick the pole through his body! Set it up where everyone can see it!” 10 So they did. And they used the pole Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger calmed down.
Reflection
King Xerxes and Haman
arrive at Esther’s next banquet. Esther’s strategy has worked: once again the
king asks her what it is that she wants and it appears that he has the intent
to listen to her and actually grant her desire. And so Esther calls on the courage
given to her by God and asks the king to spare her people, in the process
revealing that she is a Jew. Notice that she is humble and respectful in her
request: she is only bringing this to the king because it is a matter of life
and death.
There is such irony in the king’s response in asking who is responsible for this. Has he forgotten that he signed the edict ordering the annihilation of the Jews? He is the king, therefore he is responsible. Once again, Esther is wise. She doesn’t point this out. Instead, she points to the evil Haman as he stands there, his ambition and elevated position crumbling before him. The king storms out of the room, angry. We don’t know if he is angry about the injustice served on the Jews or if he is angry that he might be identified as having made the original decision. But when he comes back into the room, he comes up with the perfect reason for getting rid of Haman as he appears to see Haman taking advantage of his queen.
It would seem that Haman is not universally respected in the palace with one of the palace officials pointing out to the king that Haman had prepared a pole with which he intended to kill Mordecai. The king seizes on this idea and commands that Haman be killed with this same pole. And so Haman meets his inevitable end, that fall following his pride. Immediately the king’s anger subsides. Is this because evil has been dealt with, or is it relief that he himself is off the hook?
As we’ve seen throughout this story, there is nothing to respect in the behaviour of either the king or Haman. They both display poor leadership, fuelled by greed, ego, ambition and weakness. But it’s not surprising. They were living their lives with no reference to the God of creation. They did not seek his counsel or his wisdom. In stark contrast is Esther’s reliance on God, trusting in him for her courage and wisdom.
How are we living our lives at the moment? In these challenging times, are we making decisions about how re respond to our circumstances with reference to God or are we ignoring his presence? Are we seeking God’s wisdom rather than the wisdom of the world? Are we letting him provide light in our darkness? I pray that we will know the assurance of his presence with us and the hope that is in Christ, the source of our light and our salvation.
Hymn
Verse 1
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon my breast."
I came to Jesus as I was,
weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.
Verse 2
"Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink, and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.
Verse 3
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"I am this dark world's Light;
look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright."
I looked to Jesus and I found
in him my Star, my Sun;
and in that light of life I'll walk,
'til travelling days are done.
Prayer
O God,
from whom light rises
in darkness for those who seek you:
grant us, in all our
doubts and uncertainties,
the grace to ask what
you would have us do,
that in your light we
may see light,
and in our narrow
path may not stumble;
through Jesus Christ
our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
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