Esther 6:14-7:10 (May 19, 2025)

Esther Reveals Haman's Plot

14 While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.

7 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared[a] to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Haman Is Hanged

7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows[b] that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits[c] high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.

Footnotes

Esther 7:5 Hebrew whose heart has filled him

Esther 7:9 Or wooden beam; also verse 10 (see note on 2:23)

Esther 7:9 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

Summary

This passage marks the climactic reversal in the Book of Esther. Haman, who had built a gallows for Mordecai, is now hurried off to a second banquet—an event he assumes will secure his position. But within the hidden counsel of God, this banquet becomes the stage for judgment.

In chapter 7, Esther finally makes her petition. With clarity and courage, she reveals the threat to her people—and identifies Haman as the adversary. The king, stunned and enraged, steps away to gather his thoughts, while Haman, in desperation, falls at Esther’s couch to plead for his life. In ancient Persia, a man who was not the king should keep at least seven steps away from the queen. Anything closer was a "threat" to the king and the queen. This act is, therefore, interpreted as aggression or impropriety by everyone, including the king.

The irony unfolds rapidly: the gallows prepared for Mordecai becomes the place of Haman’s execution. As the narrative closes, the proud is brought low, and the righteous begins to be lifted up—not because they fought back, but because God acted through faithful witness.

Who Is God?

God is the just and sovereign Judge who defends His people at the right time.

Though silent, God is not inactive. Esther 7 reveals His hidden justice—executed not through signs and wonders, but through ordinary events aligned in perfect providence.

He is the God who allows evil to rise just long enough for its fall to reveal His righteousness.

The king’s anger is stirred not by Esther’s manipulation but by truth plainly spoken.

The timing of his return—just as Haman falls upon the couch—shows divine orchestration.

The very gallows Haman built becomes his own end, revealing Proverbs 26:27: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.”

God’s justice is slow by human standards, but exact in its fulfillment. He vindicates the oppressed not on their terms, but in His time, for His glory.

What Is Our Guilt?

Our guilt is found in how deeply we cling to control, comfort, and self-preservation—often at the cost of righteousness.

Haman is the embodiment of self-idolatry. Having been honored beyond measure, he still cannot tolerate Mordecai’s integrity. His lust for significance blinds him to the sovereignty of God.

But this guilt is not limited to Haman.

The king’s passivity up until this point reflects how easily leaders can be swayed by pride and pleasure rather than righteousness.

We, too, are often more upset by public embarrassment than by injustice.

Like Haman, we grasp for security in status, wealth, recognition, and panic when those idols fail us.

Even Esther is not without guilt. She had concealed her identity out of fear. Yet in the right moment, by grace, she speaks.

We are all tempted to delay the truth for safety. But God calls us to trust that obedience is always more secure than silence.

How Does the Gospel and Grace Shine?

The grace of God shines in that He brings justice without requiring perfection from His people.

Esther is not flawless—yet she is used. Mordecai is not exalted because he campaigned, but because he waited.

The gospel reminds us that God does not save the clever, but the courageous; not those who plot deliverance, but those who trust in His timing.

This passage echoes Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves... for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

And ultimately, we see the pattern of the cross:

The enemy thinks he has the upper hand.

The righteous appear to be vulnerable.

But in a divine reversal, judgment falls on the head of the wicked, and God’s purposes move forward.

Jesus Christ took the wrath we deserved—not with gallows, but with a cross. And through His death, the enemy was silenced, and the guilty pardoned.

The gallows that Haman built now point us to a deeper truth: either we fall under judgment, or our sin falls upon the Savior.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Abba Father, thank you for being the God of reversals—the One who exalts the humble and brings down the proud.

We confess that we often live for earthly comfort and recognition. Like Haman, we cling to control. Like the king, we are easily swayed. Like Esther, we sometimes delay obedience. Yet in your mercy, you use broken people to accomplish holy purposes.

Thank you for your providence, which never fails. Thank you for the cross, where justice and mercy meet. Thank you that Jesus bore the gallows for us, so that we might stand in grace.

Help us to speak the truth courageously. Help us to wait faithfully. Help us to trust your judgment, even when it seems delayed.

May we live in the joy of your righteousness and the hope of your coming kingdom.

In Jesus’ name we pray,