Esther-The Wrath of the King

By Mary Vee
Esther 7

From King Xerxe's Journal

Photo Courtesy

I am Xerxes, king of the Babylonian empire.

This was suppose to be a special night, and so it started out that way. But, oh, it did not finish special.

I asked my queen, the lovely Esther, what she would like in return for the wonderful banquet she gave me. She told me then that Haman, my second in command had threatened her life and the lives of her people.

At first I didn't know what she was talking about. My lovely queen on one side, and the man I had come to trust with everything on the other.  And now I hear he has threatened my queen?

I needed to get away from them both. Think through what had just been said. I couldn't make any decision with all this turmoil.

I walked in the gardens where the sweet scents of the flowers helped to calm me down. After pacing a bit, I returned to the banquet hall. And what did I see as I opened the door? Haman falling on my queen. He'd pressed his hand over her mouth to quiet her screams for help.

I couldn't believe my eyes. What a fool I was for promoting this evil man. Queen Esther was right. I yelled, "Will this man Haman now hurt my  queen while she is with me in the house?"

My anger burned into a rage. 

THEN

One of my guard came to me and said, "A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman's house. He had it made for Mordecai, the one who saved the king from the assassins."

I turned to Haman, and would have put him to death right then for these actions. Instead a better idea came to me. "Take Haman, bind him, and hang him on his gallows."

When I received word that Haman had been hung on the very gallows he'd planned to kill Mordecai the Jew, the man who saved my life, my anger left me. 


The story has much more to tell...come back to read what happens next.

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sources: New International Version, New King James Version  

1. Where did the king go to have time to think alone?
2. Why was the king so upset?
3. What did the king see when he returned?
4. What did the guard tell the king?
5. What punishment did the king give Haman?
6. What news finally made the king feel better?




As a reminder, Haman dislikes Mordecai because Mordecai the Jew feels he should only bow down to the living God. Haman wants Mordecai to bow down to him.