| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Esther Chapter
Seven
Esther 7
Chapter Contents
Esther accuses Haman. (1-6) Haman hanged on his own
gallows. (7-10)
Commentary on Esther 7:1-6
(Read Esther 7:1-6)
If the love of life causes earnest pleadings with those
that can only kill the body, how fervent should our prayers be to Him, who is
able to destroy both body and soul in hell! How should we pray for the
salvation of our relatives, friends, and all around us! When we petition great
men, we must be cautious not to give them offence; even just complaints must
often be kept back. But when we approach the King of kings with reverence, we
cannot ask or expect too much. Though nothing but wrath be our due, God is able
and willing to do exceeding abundantly, even beyond all we can ask or think.
Commentary on Esther 7:7-10
(Read Esther 7:7-10)
The king was angry: those that do things with self-will,
reflect upon them afterward with self-reproach. When angry, we should pause
before we come to any resolution, and thus rule our own spirits, and show that
we are governed by reason. Those that are most haughty and insolent when in
power and prosperity, commonly, like Haman, are the most abject and
poor-spirited when brought down. The day is coming when those that hate and
persecute God's chosen ones, would gladly be beholden to them. The king returns
yet more angry against Haman. Those about him were ready to put his wrath into
execution. How little can proud men be sure of the interest they think they
have! The enemies of God's church have often been thus taken in their own
craftiness. The Lord is known by such judgments. Then was the king's wrath
pacified, and not till then. And who pities Haman hanged on his own gallows?
who does not rather rejoice in the Divine righteousness displayed in the
destruction his own art brought upon him? Let the workers of iniquity tremble,
turn to the Lord, and seek pardon through the blood of Jesus.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Esther》
Esther 7
Verse 3
[3] Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found
favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me
at my petition, and my people at my request:
My life — It is my only request, that thou wouldst not give me
up to the malice of that man who designs to take away my life. Even a stranger,
a criminal, shall be permitted to petition for his life. But that a friend, a
wife, a queen, should have occasion to make such a petition, was very
affecting.
Verse 4
[4] For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be
slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had
held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.
Sold — By the cruelty of that man who offered a great sum to
purchase our destruction.
Countervail — His ten thousand talents would
not repair the king's loss, in the customs and tributes which the king receives
from the Jews, within his dominions.
Verse 5
[5] Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther
the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do
so?
Who, … — The expressions are short and doubled, as proceeding
from a discomposed and enraged mind.
Durst — That is, to circumvent me, and procure a decree,
whereby not only my estate should be so much impaired, and so many of my
innocent subjects destroyed, but my queen also involved in the same
destruction. We sometimes startle at that evil, which we ourselves are
chargeable with. Ahasuerus is amazed at that wickedness, which he himself was
guilty of. For he consented to the bloody edict. So that Esther might have
said, Thou art the man!
Verse 6
[6] And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked
Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
Afraid — And it was time for him to fear, when the queen was
his prosecutor, the king his judge, his own conscience a witness against him.
And the surprising turns of providence that very morning, could not but
increase his fear.
Verse 7
[7] And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his
wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his
life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him
by the king.
Went — As disdaining the company and sight of so audacious a
person: to cool and allay his troubled and inflamed spirits, and to consider
what punishment was fit to be inflicted upon him.
He saw — By the violent commotion of the king's mind.
Verse 8
[8] Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the
place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther
was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house?
As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.
Bed — On which the queen sat at meat.
Force — Will he attempt my queen's chastity, as he hath already
attempted her life! He speaks not this out of real jealousy, but from an
exasperated mind, which takes all occasions to vent itself against the person
who gave the provocation.
They — The king's and queen's chamberlains attending upon
them.
Covered — That the king might not be offended or grieved with
the sight of a person whom he now loathed: and because they looked upon him as
a condemned person; for the faces of such used to be covered.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on
Esther》
07 Chapter 7
Verses 1-4
Verses 1-6
What is thy petition, queen Esther?
Esther’s petition
1. When called to speak for God and His people, we must summon up our
courage, and act with becoming confidence and decision. Had Esther held her
peace, under the influence of timidity or false prudence, or spoken with
reserve as to the designs against the Jews and their author, she would have
been rejected as an instrument of Jacob’s deliverance, and her name would not
have stood at the head of one of the inspired books.
2. When persons resolve singly and conscientiously to discharge their
duty in critical circumstances, they are often wonderfully helped. The manner
in which Esther managed her cause was admirable, and showed that her heart and
tongue were under a superior influence and management. How becoming her manner
and the spirit with which she spoke!
3. It is possible to plead the most interesting of all causes, that
of innocence and truth, with moderation and all due respect. The address of
Esther was respectful to Ahasuerus as a king and a husband: “If I have found
favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king.” Esther was calm as
well as courageous, respectful as well as resolute.
4. It argues no want of respect to those in authority to describe
evil counsellors in their true colours in bringing an accusation against them,
or in petitioning against their unjust and destructive measures. “The adversary
and enemy is this wicked Haman.”
5. It is horrible to think and hard to believe that there is such
wickedness as is perpetrated in the world. “Who is he, and where is he, that
durst presume in his heart to do so?” We might well ask, Who was he that
betrayed his master, and where did they live who crucified the Lord of glory?
Who or where is he that dares presume to say, even in his heart, “There is no
God”--that denies a providence, profanes the name and day of God, turns the
Bible into a jest-book, mocks at prayer and fasting, and scoffs at judgment to
come? And yet such persons are to be found in our own time.
6. We sometimes startle at the mention of vices to which we ourselves
have been accessory. “who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his
heart to do so?” He is not unknown to thee, neither is he far from thee, O
king. “Thou art the man!” And how seldom do we reflect on the degree in which
we have been accessory to and participant in the sins of Others by our bad
example, our criminal silence, and the neglect of those means which were in our
power, and which we had a right to employ for checking them.
7. Persecution is not more unjust than it is impolitic. (T.
McCrie, D. D.)
The prudent management of things
I. We see the
great importance of capable and prudent management of things. Esther’s
management of these great affairs is evidently consummate. There is an
overruling providence, but there is also a teaching wisdom of God, and if we
wish to be fully under the protection of the one, we must open all our
faculties to receive the other.
II. We have in
Esther’s behaviour a very notable and noble instance of calm and courageous
action in strict conformity with the predetermined plan. How few women are born
into the world who could go through these scenes as Esther does I How many
would faint through fear I How many would be carried by excitement into a
premature disclosure of the secret! How many would be under continual
temptation to change the plan! Only a select few can be calm and strong in
critical circumstances, patient and yet intense, prudent and yet resolved.
III. Her boldness
takes here a form which it has not before assuaged; it is shown in the
denunciation of a particular person: “The adversary and enemy is this wicked
Haman.” Strong language; but, at any rate, it is open and honest and
above-board--no whispering into the king’s private ear; no secret plotting to
supplant the Prime Minister. Every word is uttered in the man’s hearing, and to
his face. Let him deny, if he can; let him explain, if he can. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
Let my life be given me at
my petition.
A plea for life
We have the very same cause for urgency of suit as she had. It
behoveth us to say in the presence of another King, “Oh, let my life be given
me at my petition.” There is a royal law, and under that law our lives are
forfeited. Life, in the narrative before us, was about to be taken away
unjustly--by force of a most cruel mandate; but it is a holy law that dooms us
to death. (J. Hughes.)
For we are sold.--
A plea for liberty
We also ought to sue both for our fives and our liberties. By
nature we are the bondmen and bondwomen of sin and Satan. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
Who is he, and where is
he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?--
The doings of a wicked heart
I. A wicked heart
induces foolhardiness. “Who is he,
and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?” Haman’s daring
presumption. A wicked heart is both deceitful and deceiving.
II. A wicked heart
sooner or later meets with open condemnation.
III. A wicked heart
leads to fearfulness. (W. Burrows, B. A.)
Moral indignation,
being commonly sudden and intense in uttering itself, furnishes
strong testimony in favour of the universal principles of God’s moral law; but
we have need to be careful how we indulge in expression of virtuous wrath. It
is safe and wholesome for us to pause and ask whether there is no risk that in
judging others we may be condemning ourselves. Ahasuerus will feel ere long
that he has uttered his own condemnation. (A. M. Symington, B. A.)
The adversary and enemy is
this wicked Haman.--
The index finger
“The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.” This is the best
way of dealing with every enemy. Definite statements are manageable, but vague
charges are never to be entertained. No man makes progress who deals in
generalities. The sermon is in the application. The prayer is in the amen. Let
us apply this teaching.
I. In the matter
of our own personal character.
1. Put your finger upon the weak point of your character, and say,
“Thy name is Self-indulgence.” Tell yourself that you are allowing your life to
ooze away through self-gratification. You never say no to an appetite, you
never smite a desire in the face.
2. Take it another direction. “The adversary and enemy is this infernal jealousy.”
Your disease, say to yourself, is jealousy. Speak in this fashion when you have
entered your closet and shut your door; say, “I am a jealous man, and therefore
I am an unjust man; I cannot bear that that man should be advancing; I hate
him; the recollection of his name interferes with my prayers; would God I could
lay hold of something I could publish against him, I would run him to death.”
Yes, this is the reality of the case, God never casts out this devil, this
all-devil; only thou canst exorcise this legion.
3. Or take it in some other aspect and say, “The adversary and enemy
is this eternal worldliness, that will not let me get near my God.”
II. With regard to
public accusations.
1. Take it in the matter of public decay.
2. Apply the same law to the decline of spiritual power. It is an
easy thing to read a paper on this subject, but who names the Haman? What keeps
us back?
III. We might apply
the same doctrine to hindrances in the church. The adversary and enemy is this
wicked, cold-hearted man. Whenever he comes into the church the preacher cannot
preach; he cannot do many mighty works because that man is there, cold, icy,
critical. We are afraid to name the adversary in church; we confine ourselves
to “proper” words, to “decent” expressions, to euphemisms that have neither
beginning nor ending as to practical vitality and force. We are the victims of
circumlocution, we go round and round the object of our attack, and never
strike it in the face. What we want is a definite, tremendous, final stroke. Esther
succeeded. Her spirit can never fail. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Then Haman was afraid
before the king and the queen.--
Guilt cowardly
Haman was now left alone with his righteous accuser. Innocence is
courageous, but guilt is cowardly. Men, with the consciousness of having truth
and justice on their side, have risen superior to the fear of death, and stood
undaunted before wrathful kings. But this man, haughty and hardened in view of
the sufferings of others, no sooner sees that evil is determined against himself
than he becomes a poor, unnerved trembling suppliant at the feet of her whom he
had most grievously wronged. (T. McEwan.)
Cruel people often cowardly
Very cruel people are sometimes very cowardly. Judge Jeffreys
could go through his black assize in the West of England, the terror of the
land, manifesting the fury of a wild beast; but when the tide turned, and he
saw nothing before him but ignominy and disgrace, he sank into a state of
abject fear which was pitiable to see. “Haman was afraid before the king and
the queen.” As he well may be. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
Verses 5-10
Verses 7-10
And the king, arising from the banquet.
Unexpected results
Man’s calculation is always upon the result of his own forethought
and skill. There is to be a sure success from the wisdom of his plans. The race
is for the swift and the battle is for the strong. Napoleon said, “Heaven is
always on the side of the heaviest artillery.” The history of human contests
would give innumerable illustrations of the contrary. God vindicates His own
right to rule by employing the weak things of the world to confound the mighty,
and taking the wise in their own
craftiness. Haman has illustrated this in a very clear and
remarkable manner But Haman’s course is not yet complete. “The adversary and
enemy is this wicked Haman.” Now Haman sees and feels the folly of his malice,
however well contrived. He illustrates the ever-remarkable fact, that the
boldest oppressor of others is the most cowardly suppliant in a returning
danger upon himself. Then said the king, “‘ Hang him thereon. So they hanged
Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s
wrath pacified.” This closed his career of wickedness. Thus its folly and
madness, as well as its guilt and certain ruin, were displayed. “Who hath
hardened himself against the Lord, and hath prospered?” “I have seen the wicked
in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree; yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not.
Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” The prosperity of the wicked is
short; the triumph of the ungodly is but for a moment. We see it thus
displayed. Why shall we ever be tempted to test it for ourselves? Survey the
whole course of this providence as it has passed.
1. It was a train of very trifling circumstances in each particular.
There has been no event in the whole succession in itself of a remarkable or
unusual character.
2. It was a very circuitous and remote process. The first step we
have seen was very far off from the final result, and could not have been
imagined to have any connection with it. Every succeeding step seemed equally
independent and unlikely to produce the end designed. A wonderful plan was
lately proposed for connecting New York and Brooklyn by a bridge, the
foundation of which should be in the park. Who that saw men digging and laying
stone in the middle of the park, with no knowledge of the plan proposed, could
have imagined that it was the starting of a bridge over water so far distant,
and to a shore so entirely out of sight? Yet such has been the course of this
providence which we have considered. Stop at any point, and the connection is
just as hidden, and the calculation of the future remains just as difficult.
“Known only unto God are all His works from the beginning.” We may stand and
ask, Why should the king have selected Esther at the very time of Haman’s
elevation? Yet every step is sure and leading forward to the result designed.
Nothing is lost, and no error is committed upon the road. This is the wonderful
skill of Divine providence. The wheels are full of eyes on every side.
3. It was a perfectly unexpected result. Haman had gone through his
whole preliminary course with entire success. But how suddenly and wonderfully
was he disappointed.
4. God overturns this whole scheme of wickedness without appearing
directly to interfere with it in any step of the proceeding. The whole plan
wrought out its own result as naturally as the seed of spring brings forth the
summer’s plant and the autumn’s fruit. The sinner was entrapped in his own
devices. The sinner was deluded,
by his prosperity, to suppose the race was for the swift and the battle to the
strong. And yet the whole scheme was overturned in a moment, without one
violent interruption occurring in its process. This is a most important lesson
to us. It must teach us never to doubt the constant presence of God in all our
concerns, and His directing power over all events involved in them. A change of
wind may turn the dreaded flame from our habitation, a sudden lull may break
the force of the tempest, the very means of apparent death may be made the real
instrument of security and protection. And all this may be with no remarkable
interference of special Divine power. Thus remarkable in the simplicity of its
arrangement, as well as in the perfection of its result, was this whole process
of the Divine overthrow of the crafty wickedness of Haman. He was caught in the
very pride of his power. Haman was made the instrument of exalting the very
adversary he so much hated. The very sorrow which he had prepared for his
victim he was himself required to endure. Dr. Mason of New York, describes a
remarkable scene of which he was an unexpected witness. A butcher in this city,
in his rage with his aged father who had offended him, knocked him down upon
the floor, and was dragging him by his hair to throw him into the street. He
had pulled him to the outer door, when the old man cried out, “There, stop now,
I did not drag him any further,” and then confessed that he had abused his own
father in the same manner, and dragged him to that very spot, with the same
design. Such instances, in some shape, are constantly occurring, so that it is
a familiar expectation that the wicked shall fall into the pit they have digged
for others, and they who take the sword perish by the sword. The result of this
whole providence was complete deliverance and exaltation to the oppressed, and
complete destruction to the oppressor. This was the final result, and an
illustration of that which will always be, and at last surely be, the final
result. God will exalt those whom man oppresses. (S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
Retributive justice
An indestructible connection exists between the violation
of Divine law and consequent suffering. A disregard to the conditions of health
entails sickness. Poison destroys human life. He who thrusts his hand into the
flame invites suffering. A like measure of changelessness marks the operations
of moral law. Transgression is followed by suffering. Remorse is entailed by
doing what one knows to be wrong. A sense of humiliation succeeds an
unreasonable outbreak of anger. Loss of happiness and of self-restraint, and of
the esteem of friends, is a portion of the legacy of self-indulgence. A
knowledge of this law of retribution is not dependent on revelation. The
conviction of its existence is inwoven with human nature. Graven on the
conscience, it cannot be effaced. Of the examples of retribution few are more worthy
of consideration than that of Haman. This illustrates--
I. The channel
through which retribution comes. The harvest is garnered: how shall the grain reach the seaboard?
Along iron rails laid down by man. The rice-fields are gleaned: how shall the product
be conveyed to its destination? Through canals cut by man’s agency. The fruits
of malice, of cruelty, of ambition, and of tyranny are perfected: how shall they be
delivered to him for whom they are designed? Through agencies he himself has
prepared--by some human hand to which a higher power has consigned them.
Retribution though prepared in heaven, in coming to earth traverses the road
which man has made ready for it. The lightning-bolt, though forged in the
clouds, may make as it comes to earth a pathway of the tree planted by human
hands. Haman’s wickedness is so conspicuous that the shafts of retributive
justice are certain to strike him, miss whom else they may. Oppression and
heartlessness, cherished hatred and the spirit of revenge, are towering upward
to such heights that their summits are hidden in clouds already black with
fury. The particular person commissioned of Heaven to mete out retributive
justice to Haman was Ahasuerus. This is in accordance with God’s usual method
of dealing. Though bearing the seal of the invisible kingdom, retribution comes
through some agency with which we are familiar. The king showed good judgment
in the earlier stages of his anger. “In his wrath he went into the palace
garden.” Anger which speedily vents itself in harsh words is less harmful to
its object than that which is repressed till a settled purpose is formed. Fear
the man who can so far control his resentment as to be able to exercise good
judgment in deciding upon measures which noiselessly bring the results of deeds
home to their author. The steam which is generated so speedily as to cause a
violent explosion might have proved sufficient, if properly controlled, to
convey a long train, freighted with the enginery of death, to some advantageous
position whence every missile would have told with deadly effect upon the
enemy.
II. A fruitless
plea for deliverance. Haman stood up to make request for his life. Verily no
man can tell what awaits him! A few days, a few hours, may suffice to cloud the
most brilliant prospects. The question, What new requisition is possible? may
be suddenly converted into the anxious inquiry, Can I save anything from the
common wreck, even life itself? Haman’s prayer, though importunate, was
fruitier. The arrival of retribution chronicles the departure of mercy. In the
presence of the king even the queen is powerless to rescue the culprit. He is
now before the judge whose will is Esther’s law. At the day of final
adjudication it will no doubt be evident that mercy is powerless to rescue
those who have incurred “the wrath of the Lamb.” When mercy is driven to assume
an attitude of vengeance, hope is for ever extinguished.
III. The signs of
coming doom. Haman’s sinful career must be checked, or the queen must perish.
Wickedness unchecked would ultimately extinguish goodness. Thistles and grass
cannot continuously occupy the same soil, nor is it doubtful which would gain
the mastery. “As the word went out of the king’s mouth they covered Haman’s
face.” Guilt is left to bear the penalty alone. Alas, the heartlessness of
those who are comrades in iniquity! No ingratitude surpasses that of those who
have been associated in wickedness. To be deserted in the critical hour is the
fate of those who have violated Divine commands. “So they hanged Haman on the
gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.” He is snared in his own devices. The
arrow he directed at another has rebounded, causing his own death. The cannon
which, loaded to the muzzle, was to annihilate his enemy, has recoiled,
crushing him beneath its ponderous wheels. “As Haman brewed, so he drank.” “He
made his bed, and he lay in it.” Cruelty displayed can have but one
issue--cruelty endured. “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again.” (J. S. Van Dyke, D. D.)
The fear, the folly, and the doom of the evil-doer
I. The evil-doer
receives warning. “Haman saw that there was evil determined against him by the
king.” He clearly heard the sound of the avenging deity though his feet might
be shod with wool. Evil-doers receive warning. Nature gives warning. Revelation
gives warning. History gives warning.
II. The foolish
evil-doer works his own destruction. The very means Haman took to save his life
was the means of bringing about his speedy execution.
III. The evil-doer
raises striking evidence of his own guilt. “Behold the gallows fifty feet
high,” etc.
IV. The evil-doer
is practically his own executioner. “So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had
prepared for Mordecai.” (W. Burrows, B. A.)
The wicked overthrown
This great fact of Divine government we constantly forget. The
person of the Deity is invisible. His ways and plans are not governed by the
principles or the expectations of men. But the government is still on His
shoulders, and He upholdeth all things by the word of His power. The history of
Haman shows us how completely God controls the wicked and makes their crafty
and malicious plans result in their own overthrow and ruin. But we come now to
consider the peculiar method which God adopted for his overthrow. It is a
wonderful illustration of the Divine providence in its minuteness of
application. The successive steps in this scheme of counteraction are very
minute. It is a regular arrangement of mining and countermining, as in military
assaults and sieges. Each successive step is taken in direct reference to the
previous motion of the antagonist, and as secretly as possible from him.
1. God lays up in store for His future use Esther’s unexpected
relation to the king. It was a fearful trial of Mordecai’s faith and Esther’s
piety. It seemed an unaccountable and dark proceeding. Their broken hearts both
grieved in bitterness over the dispensation. But God was mercifully preparing
for the evil to come. The hold which was allowed upon the affections, and the
influence which was thus exercised upon the character of Ahasuerus, were very
important in the train of results which was to be brought out.
2. God prepared a special obligation from the king to Mordecai. “Two
of the king’s chamberlains, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and
sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus,” etc.
3. God interposed in the settling of Haman’s lot. “They cast the lot
from day to day, and from month to month to the twelfth month.” This was a very
peculiar interposition. It gave nearly a year’s delay to the executing of the
plan.
4. God gave great ease and apparent prosperity to Haman’s plan. The
king granted his request at once, and gave him unlimited power to fulfil his
purpose. Thus Haman was enticed forward to Perfect security. His success was so
flattering to his own power that it led him to an immediate publication of his
whole scheme. “There was written according to all that Haman commanded, to the
governors that were over every province,” etc.
5. God endowed Esther with singular wisdom in arranging her scheme of
argument and defence.
6. God awakens the slumbers of the king. “On that night the king
could not sleep.” What trifling incidents does God employ to accomplish His
great results! You will sometimes hear of His providence as if it were only
concerned in what men call great events; but there are no distinctions of great
and little in human events before God. Never be deluded by any false schemes of
men. Not a sparrow falleth to the ground without the notice of your heavenly
Father, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
7. God remarkably employs the waking king. “The king could not sleep,
and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were
read before the king., This was a singular step. He might as readily have called
for any other book.
8. God furnished the very agent desired for the accomplishment of His
plan. “And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold Haman standeth in the
court. And the king said, Let him come in.” Every step appears to be propitious
to Haman. He enters instantly, perfectly secure of the triumphant attainment of
his purpose. But God had now perfectly prepared the way for Mordecai’s
exaltation, and Haman, who had planned his death, must be the instrument of his
honour. “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time
there for every purpose and for every work.” There is providence, and this was
its course thus far. Every step is natural, voluntary, trifling in itself. No
single step had any apparent earthly connection with the others, in the mind of
the one who took it. The threads all seemed perfectly separate and unconnected.
But it was a single hand which wove them all. How perfect is the scheme! How
indispensable is every part! How clear the wisdom which has ordered the whole!
With what confidence we may rely on such a Protector. The eyes of the Lord are
in every place, beholding the evil and the good. His eyes are over the righteous,
and His ears are open to their prayers. (S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
The precarious position of princes’ favourites
Thus empty vessels swim aloft; rotten posts are gilt with
adulterate gold; the worst weeds spring up bravest; and when the twins strive
in Rebekah’s womb Esau comes forth first, and hath the primogeniture. But while
they seek the greatest dignities they most meet with the greatest shame; like
apes, while they be climbing they the more show their deformities. They are
lifted up also that they may come down again with the greater poise. It was,
therefore, well and wisely spoken by Alvarer de Luna, when he told them that
admired his fortune and favour with the King of Castile, “You do wrong to
commend the building before it is finished, and until you see how it will
stand.” Princes’ favourites should consider with themselves that honour is but
a blast, a glorious fancy, a rattle to still men’s ambition; and that as the
passenger looketh no longer upon the dial than the sun shineth upon it, so it
is here. (J. Trapp.)
For he saw that there was
evil determined against him by the king.
Esteem changed to hatred
How easily does he appear to have taken off his regards from his
favourite! There was nothing lasting in the bond which united them. The esteem
of yesterday was changed into hatred to-day. All their convivial meetings and
merry-making, when the city of Shushan was perplexed, were forgotten, and the
man’s destruction was determined upon with as much zest and zeal as his
elevation had been promoted. Such is largely the characteristic of the
friendship of worldly men. Close and ardent for a time, but liable at any
moment to be turned into enmity. How different from the tie which ought to bind
together Christian hearts in the common love of the same Saviour. (T.
McEwan.)
Unexpected peril
The wicked know not the moment that the mine is to be sprung under
their feet. (T. McEwan.)
Will he force the queen
also before me in the house.--
Suspicions
It is the misery of those who have been detected in the commission
of great crimes, and it is a just part of their punishment, to be suspected or
accused of that of which they were guiltless. But yesterday, all that Haman
said or did was viewed with a favourable aye; now, the most innocent actions
are construed to his disadvantage. (T. McCrie, D. D.)
And Harbonah, one of the
king’s chamber-laths, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty
cubits high.--
The falling man
When a great man is going down, the meanest will give him a push.
(W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Fickle courtier
s:--Courtiers
are very clever persons, and turn with wonderful agility. (A. M. Symington,
B. A.)
Reverses
But how terrible are the reverses of princes, and how
sudden the fall of statesmen. Wolsey, Raleigh, Essex and Louis Phillippe, are
only a few out of many that illustrate how slippery are the steps of thrones
and the standings around them. (W. A. Scott, D. D.)
So they hanged Haman on
the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.--
Moral retribution
We all remember the ballad of Southey which tells how Sir Ralph
the Rover, who cut away Inch Cape Bell, perished with all his crew upon the
Inch Cape Rock; and even secular historians have been constrained to remark on
illustrations of the fulfilment of this law of providence. Thus Macaulay reminds us
that no man ever made a more unscrupulous use of the legislative power for the
destruction of his enemies than Thomas Cromwell, and that it was by the
unscrupulous use of the legislative power that he was himself destroyed. And
Alison recognises in the death of Murat a memorable instance of the “moral
retribution which often attends upon great deeds of iniquity, and by the
instrumentality of the very acts that appeared to place them beyond its reach.”
He underwent, in 1815, the very fate to which, seven years before, he had
consigned a hundred Spaniards of Madrid, guilty of no other crime than of
defending their country, and this, as the historian adds, “by the application
of a law to his own case which he himself had introduced to check the attempts
of the Bourbons to regain a throne which he had usurped.” Thus, often, in the
words of the great dramatist, the engineer is “hoist with his own petard”; and
we see that even in this life there is retribution. But it may be said that,
though this is observable in great matters and with great people, it is not
found in small. And to that I reply that there is nothing small in the
providence of God. But others may say that this law is not absolutely
universal, and that there have been cases in which it has not been fulfilled.
To that I reply that there are such anomalies in God’s providence on earth, but
the existence of these is only a reason for our believing that the retribution
which has not overtaken the sinner here will surely come upon him hereafter;
for then God “shall render to every man according to his works.” (W. M.
Taylor, D. D.)
Haman confounded
1. Oh, how great are the vicissitudes of life! When Haman thought
himself secure, then he was nearest to his ruin.
2. How sudden and astonishing the change that takes place in the
feelings of those about the court. Yesterday, everybody envied Haman for his
prosperity, but hated him for his insolence. Yesterday, they bowed the knee,
and did him homage, but now that they see he has fallen, they are just as
hearty in their rejoicings at his downfall. If Haman be going down, they all
cry, “Down with him!” And as Mordecai is now the favourite, all are ready to
exalt him. The old Louis, dead in Versailles, may rot or bury himself, while
the courtier and countesses are making fair weather with the rising sun.
3. Haman pleading at Esther’s feet is a proof that “the heathen are
sent down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot
taken.” The Jews’ enemy, and the adversary of the Hebrew orphan, a suppliant at
the queen’s feet, illustrates how God regarded the low estate of his handmaiden,
and scattered the proud in their imagination.
4. Another lesson learned from Haman’s gallows, perhaps, better than
from any other standpoint of this history, is to beware of the first risings of
evil passions.
5. We see again that human prosperity is wholly unavailing in the
hour of calamity. The glory of Haman yesterday only enhances his disgrace
to-day.
6. It is then an unfair, limited, and partial view of providence to
say that God’s favours are not wisely and equitably distributed among men. The
purposes of God are not to be judged of by the events of a moment, nor by the
occurrences that are near together. The chain of providence has many links;
some are so high, and some are so far away, that at present we cannot see them,
nor can we judge correctly of it till we see the whole chain together.
7. You must learn to discriminate between real and apparent
happiness. (W. A. Scott, D. D.)
A warning to ambitious men
Let all ambitious men read the story of Haman and take warning.
Hie story may not be repeated in all its Oriental details; yet there remains
enough in the tale to remind us that we too are ambitious, that we too may have
ignoble thoughts towards our fellow-men, and that even we are not above
resorting to the foulest practices to get rid of the Mordecai who stands in our
way as a stumbling-block. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The law of retribution
A proverb says, “Harm watch, harm catch,” and it is a true
saying. Haman:--In
the character of Haman there is a singular exhibition of ambition and
envy. He was a man without benevolence, justice, or mercy. From the one
external act in respect to Mordecai, we infer the fearful depth of depravity
within. It does not appear but that his character might have been without
reproach previous to his promotion. Exemplary conduct, however, previous to an
open act of sin, must not be taken as a proof of purity of character at any
time, for the external sots of sin may be compared to the eruptions of a
volcano, which sometimes occur only after intervals embracing centuries, while
the internal depravity is like those pent fires which lie couched beneath the
base of the mountain, where in secret the lava wave is in perpetual motion.
From the life and death of Haman learn--
1. That the wicked man cannot go unpunished.
2. That the wicked man will be punished when he least expects it.
3. That the wicked man will be punished by means of his own devising.
(O. T. Lanphear, D. D.)
Gallows for Haman
Here is an Oriental courtier, about the most offensive man in
Hebrew history.
I. That when the
heart is wrong things very insignificant will destroy our comfort. Who would
have thought that a great prime minister, admired and applauded by millions of
Persians, would have been so nettled and harassed by anything trivial? The
silence of Mordecai at the gate was louder than the braying of trumpets in the
palace. Thus shall it always be if the heart is not right. Circumstances the most trivial will
disturb the spirit. It is not the great calamities of life that create the most
worriment. I have seen men, felled by repeated blows of misfortune, arising
from the dust, never desponding. But the most of the disquiet which men suffer
is from insignificant causes; as a lion attacked by some beast of prey turns
easily around and slays him, yet runs roaring through the forests at the
alighting on his brawny neck of a few insects. You meet some great loss in
business with comparative composure; but you can think of petty trickeries
inflicted upon you, which arouse all your capacity for wrath, and remain in your
heart an unbearable annoyance. If you look back upon your life you will find
that the most of the vexations and disturbances of spirit which you felt were
produced by circumstances that were not worthy of notice. If you want to be
happy you must not care for trifles. Do not be too minute in your inspection of
the treatment you receive from others. Who cares whether Mordecai bows when you pass or stands erect
and stiff as a cedar? That woodman would not make much clearing in the forest
who should stop to bind up every little bruise and scratch he received in the
thicket; nor will that man accomplish much for the world or the Church who is
too watchful and appreciative of petty annoyances.
II. Again, I learn
from the life of this man that worldly vanity and sin are very anxious to have
piety bow before them. Haman was a fair emblem of entire worldliness, and
Mordecai the representative of unflinching godliness. When, therefore, proud
Haman attempted to compel a homage which was not felt, he only did what the world
ever since has tried to do, when it would force our holy religion in any way to
yield to its dictates. Paul might have retained the favour of his rulers and
escaped martyrdom if he had only been willing to mix up his Christian faith
with a few errors. His unbending Christian character was taken as an insult.
Faggot and rack and halter in all ages have been only the different ways in
which the world has demanded obeisance. Why was it that the Platonic
philosophers of early times, as well as Toland, Spinoza, and Bolingbroke of
later days, were so madly opposed to Christianity? Certainly not because it
favoured immoralities, or arrested civilisation, or dwarfed the intellect. The
genuine reason, whether admitted or not, was because the religion of Christ paid
no respect to their intellectual vanities. Blount, and Boyle, and the host of
infidels hatched out during the reign of Charles II., could not keep their
patience, because, as they passed along, there were sitting in the gate of the
church Christian men who would not bend an inch in respect to their
philosophies. Reason, scornful of God’s Word, may foam and strut with the proud
wrath of a Haman, and attempt to compel the homage of the good, but in the
presence of men and angels it shall be confounded. When science began to make
its brilliant discoveries there were great facts brought to light that seemed
to overthrow the truth of the Bible. The archaeologist with his crowbar, and
the geologist with his hammer, and the chemist with his batteries, charged upon
the Bible. Thus it was that the discoveries of science seemed to give temporary
victory against God and the Bible, and for awhile the Church acted as if she
were on a retreat; but when all the opposers of God and truth had joined in the
pursuit, and were sure of the field, Christ gave the signal to His Church, and,
turning, they drove back their foes in shame. There was found to be no
antagonism between nature and revelation. The universe and the Bible were found
to be the work of the same hand, strokes of the same pen, their authorship the
same God.
III. Again, learn
that pride goeth before a fall. Was any man ever so far up as Haman, who
tumbled so far down? Yes, on a smaller scale every day the world sees the same
thing. Against their very advantages men trip into destruction. When God
humbles proud men, it is usually at the moment of their greatest arrogancy. If
there be a man in your community greatly puffed up with worldly success, you
have but to stand a little while and you will see him come down. You say, “I
wonder that God allows that man to go on riding over others’ heads and making
great assumptions of power.” There is no wonder about it. Haman has not yet got
to the top. The arrows from the Almighty’s quiver are apt to strike a man when
on the wing.
IV. Again, this
Oriental tale reminds us that wrongs we prepare for others return upon
ourselves. The gallows that Haman built for Mordecai became the prime
minister’s strangulation. Robespierre, who sent so many to the guillotine, had
his own head chopped off by the horrid instrument. The evil you practise on
others will recoil upon your own pate. Slanders come home. Oppressions and
cruelties come home. When Charles I., who had destroyed Stratford, was about to
be beheaded, he said, “I basely ratified an unjust sentence, and the similar
injustice I am now to undergo is a sensible retribution for the punishment I
inflicted on an innocent man.” Haman’s gallows came a little late, but it came.
Opportunities fly in a straight line, and just touch us as they pass from
eternity to eternity; but the wrongs we do others fly in a circle, and however
the circle may widen out, they are sure to come back to the point from which
they started. They are guns that kick! Furthermore, let the story of Haman
teach us how quickly turns the wheel of fortune. So we go up, and so we come
down. You seldom find any man twenty years in the same circumstances. Of those
who, in political life, twenty years ago were the most prominent, how few
remain in conspicuity! Of those who were long ago successful in the
accumulation of property, how few have not met with reverses! while many of
those who then were straitened in circumstances now hold the bonds and the
bank-keys of the nation. Of all fickle things in the world, Fortune is the most
fickle. Every day she changes her mind, and woe to the man who puts any
confidence in what she promises or proposes! She cheers when you go up, and she
laughs when you come down.
V. Again, this
Haman’s history shows us that outward possessions and circumstances cannot make
a man happy. There are to-day more aching sorrows under crowns of royalty than
under the ragged caps of the houseless. Much of the world’s affluence and
gaiety is only misery in colours. Many a woman seated in the street at her apple-stand
is happier than the great bankers. The mountains of worldly honour are covered
with perpetual snow. Tamerlanc conquered half the world, but could not subdue
his own fears. Ahab goes to bed sick because Naboth will not sell him his
vineyard. The soul’s happiness is too large a craft to sail up the stream of
worldly pleasure. As ship-carpenters say, it draws too much water. This earth
is a bubble, and it will burst. This life is a vision, and it will soon pass
away. Time! It is only a ripple, and it breaketh against the throne of
judgment. Mordecai will only have to wait for his day of triumph. It took all
the preceding trials to make a proper background for his after successes. The
scaffold built for him makes all the more imposing and picturesque the horse
into whose long white mane he twisted his fingers at the mounting. You want at
least two misfortunes, hard as flint, to strike fire. Heavy and long-continued
snows in winter are signs of good crops next summer. So many have yielded
wonderful harvests of benevolence and energy because they were for a long while
snowed under. We must have a good many hard falls before we learn to walk
straight. It is on the black anvil of trouble that men hammer out their
fortunes. Sorrows take up men on their shoulders and enthrone them. Tonics are
nearly always bitter. Men, like fruit-trees, are barren unless trimmed with
sharp knives. They are like wheat--all the better for the flailing. It required
the prison darkness and chill to make John Bunyan dream. Mordecai despised at
the gate is only predecessor of Mordecai exalted. (T. De Witt Talmage.)
Retribution
A bishop said to Louis XI. of France, “Make an iron cage for all
those who do not think as we do--an iron cage in which the captive can neither
lie down nor stand straight up.” It was fashioned--the awful instrument of
punishment. After a while the bishop offended Louis XI., and for fourteen years
he was in that same cage, and could neither lie down nor stand up. It is a poor
rule that will not work both ways. “With that measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again.” (T. De Witt Talmage.)
The purpose of God
The wheels in a watch or a clock move contrary one to another,
some one way, some another, yet all serve the intent of the workman, to show
the time, or to make the clock to strike. So in the world the providence of God
may seem to run cross to His promises. One man takes this way, another runs
that way. Good men go one way, wicked men another. Yet all in conclusion
accomplish the will, and centre in the purpose of God, the great creator of all
things. (R. Sibbes.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》