Esther 7 is where the tide begins to turn for the betterment of God’s people. The chapter opens with King Xerxes, Queen Esther, and Haman gathered at Queen Esther’s second banquet. Esther had yet to tell the king her intentions for throwing the exclusive party for three. So, King Xerxes asked Queen Esther once again, “What is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”
Finally, Queen Esther petitioned the king for all the lives of the Jews in the king’s province. Esther 7:3 reads: “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.” King Xerxes then asked, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”
“An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” Esther responded.
Immediately, King Xerxes rose from his throne enraged. Haman, fully aware of his imminent doom, became terrified. His fate was decided, but he thought that maybe if he begged for his life, the king may change is mind. So, he fell down beside Queen Esther as she was reclining in her seat. When the king returned, it appeared that Haman was attempting to molest Esther.
“Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” the king exclaimed.
We know from the preceding chapters that King Xerxes tended to make life-altering decisions in a matter of minutes … and that these decisions were sometimes based in emotions. But this decision, this anger, would be considered valid to most people. Although Haman was not attempting to molest Esther, he did unknowingly attempt to kill her by prompting the decree to annihilate the Jews. And the king, unknowingly agreed to killing his wife and all her people.
Learning to be slow to speak, slow to anger, and quick to listen (James 1:19) would have helped both Haman and the king to make better decisions. Nevertheless, no man (or woman) who loves their spouse, will stand by, and let anyone harm them. As misguided as the king usually was, his anger towards Haman was understandable.
After the king returned and found Haman near Esther, one of the king’s eunuch’s informed the king that Haman had a pole set up near his home to impale Mordecai. I am sure this new information sent the king over the edge in wrath, being that he looked favorably on Mordecai for how he had saved his life. Without further delay, the king ordered the execution of Haman.
“Impale him on it!”, the king commanded.
And so, the chapter concludes with the execution of Haman—dying by the very pole that he set up for Mordecai. This chapter shows how quickly God can turn things in favor of his children. One day, Haman was eager, and I am sure certain, that Mordecai would die by the pole he planted in his yard. But the next day, Haman was impaled on the pole that was set up for his sworn enemy. The perfect timing and faithfulness of God to his people is on full display in this text.
Only God could turn a series of events on its head so quickly. God never needs a lot a time to do big things. I’m reminded of how quickly Saul converted to Paul. One day, he was headed to persecute Christians but a few days later, he himself was a Christian. But what Jesus said to Saul shows just how committed he is to his chosen people.
When the light from heaven flashed around him, Jesus asked Saul, “Why do you persecute me?” Notice Jesus asked, ‘Why do you persecute me?’, not ‘Why do you persecute my people?’ Through a carnal lens, we only see Saul persecuting the early Christians. But through a spiritual lens, we know that when you afflict God’s people, it’s likened to afflicting God himself. I find this so beautifully encouraging because this means that whenever we go through trials, Jesus not only understands our struggles, but he feels every bit of the trials as if he is going through it with us.
So, when Esther, Mordecai, and all of God’s people were calling out to God, he felt their affliction and he delivered them—and he did it quickly. This is not to say that God will always move quickly, but it is to say that he can move suddenly if he so chooses. But God isn’t the only one that moved quickly in this text.
Throughout the book of Esther, King Xerxes consistently moved quickly. He was quick to dethrone Queen Vashti, he was quick to pick Esther as his new queen, and he quickly agreed to the annihilation of the Jews. And in this chapter, he was quick to put Haman to death.
Being hasty is not normally ideal. It is best if we take our time and think things through before we act. But sometimes, we should move quickly. Haman had set himself against God’s people; and thus, he had become an enemy of God. As a result, he was impaled.
Similarly, anything in our lives that sets itself against God, needs to be removed. Impale pride and anger quickly. Impale lust and gossip. Do away with lying and lack of self-discipline. Kill these things. Let us impale them quickly before they impale us.
If Haman would have done away with his anger and egotistical ways, then he would have never requested an evil decree to kill the Jews. If he would have been quick to kill the evil in his heart, then the king wouldn’t have been quick to kill him. So, let us learn to be quick.
Let’s be quick to impale everything that may harm our relationship with Christ. Anything, anything at all, that poses as an enemy to God—be it ungodly thoughts, actions, or ways—impale it … and impale it quickly.
Quin Arrington is a wife, mother, and author with fiction and nonfiction books available for purchase at www.amazon.com/author/quinarrington.
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