Esther 6:14-7:10: The End to Haman’s Very Bad Day

The Rev. Doug Griebenaw, pastor and Mission Advocate at KFUO joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 6:14-7:10.

Irony. Comeuppance. Poetic Justice. Whatever you want to call it, Haman’s humiliation in the previous chapter is now compounded as Queen Esther uses the occasion of another special feast for King Ahasuerus and Haman to reveal Haman’s treacherous plot against the Jews. The king is furious while Haman grovels for mercy before the Queen. Is Haman simply experiencing a string of bad luck? No, it’s God’s divine providence at work. How does King Ahasuerus react? Let’s just say, the gallows Haman built will get some use after all.

The books of Ruth and Esther from the Old Testament are the only two books in the Bible named for women, and on Thy Strong Word, we delve deep into both. The book of Esther recalls how a Jewish woman marries the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes) and becomes queen. At the urging of her cousin, Mordecai, Esther uses her influence to foil a plot to exterminate the Hebrew people. Although God is not mentioned in the book, his power is at work behind the scenes.