https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/Haman.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
I. One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Esther.<\/p>\n A. It is not a very long book and it is very easy to read. Its story is so compelling that\nI will be looking for a passage in Esther and before I know it, I’m caught up into\nthe plot and I end up finishing the book.\n
B. Esther centers around four main characters: <\/p>\n
1. Ahasuerus, the king of the Persian Empire.<\/p>\n 2. Esther, who was also called Hadassah, is a Jewish maiden, who becomes\nqueen of Persia in part due to her great beauty.\n 3. Mordecai is Esther’s elder cousin, who raised her from childhood after her\nparents had died. He becomes noticed by the king when he discovered and\nfoiled a plot to kill the king.\n 4. Haman, an up-and-coming man who was recently promoted to chief of all\nthe king’s governors (or princes, as they were called).\n
II. The Story of Haman<\/p>\n
A. Esther 3:1-5<\/p>\n 1. Unlike all others, Mordecai refused to pay homage to Haman as he moved\nthrough the streets.\n 2. When Haman sent men to find out why, Mordecai simply told them that it\nwas because he was a Jew.\n a. Perhaps it was because Mordecai saw the homage as too close to\nworship.\n b. Perhaps it was because Mordecai knew the character of Haman and\nwould not show respect that he did not feel – Pr. 12:8\n
3. Haman became furious, but not just with Mordecai. <\/p>\n a. Mordecai said he would not bow because he was a Jew, therefore\nHaman reasoned that all Jews were trouble.\n b. Haman then proceeded to wipe out all Jews from the Persian\nempire.\n
B. Esther 3:8-9<\/p>\n 1. Haman proposes a law to exterminate a rebellious people from the\nkingdom. He even offers to pay the expenses of those who remove the\npeople.\n 2. The king agrees, but tells Haman that he did not have to pay for the\nexecutions.\n 3. Rather than being bothered with the details, he gives Haman his signet ring\nto use on the orders. It would be similar to signing a blank document. \nHaman was able to write anything he wanted.\n 4. The order went out that 11 months from then (in the last month of the\nyear), all Jews were to be killed.\n C. Mordecai manages to tell Esther of the plot and pleads that she intervene on behalf\nof her people.\n 1. However, Esther hesitates. The law did not allow for anyone, even the\nqueen, to walk in before the king uninvited and it has been a month since\nshe had last seen the king.\n
2. But Mordecai gives a significant warning to Esther – Esther 4:13-14<\/p>\n 3. Esther relents. She will see the king, even if it means her life. As she\nprepares, she asks the Jews to fast and pray for three days, that the Lord\nmay grant her success.\n D. Esther did appear before the king and he accepts her appearance. He perceives she\nis troubled and offers her anything she desires, up to half his kingdom.\n 1. Yet, all she asks is for the privilege of having the king and Haman over for\na dinner\n 2. At the dinner, he again asks what is troubling her and again offers anything,\nup to half his kingdom.\n 3. Again, all she asks if for the king and Haman to come to dinner the next\nday and then she would tell the king what was troubling her.\n E. Haman is on top of the world. Not only is he chief of the princes, but he had\nreceived not one, but two personal invitations to dinner by the queen of which only\nhe and the king attended!\n 1. But on his way out from the first dinner, he sees Mordecai at the gate –\nEsther 5:9-14\n F. That night, the king had trouble sleeping, so he had the records of the kingdom\nread to him (perhaps he hope they would put him to sleep).\n 1. The account of Mordecai’s saving the king was read and the king asked\nhow Mordecai was rewarded.\n 2. He was embarrassed to learn that nothing was done for Mordecai, so he\nsent for the first prince who could be found to help him plan a suitable\nreward.\n 3. The prince just happened to be Haman, who was coming to seek\npermission to hang Mordecai on the gallows.\n
4. Esther 6:6-10<\/p>\n G. How embarrassing! Instead of seeing Mordecai hang, Haman personally parades\nhim through the streets!\n
H. He barely has time to recover before it is time for the banquet with the queen.<\/p>\n
1. Here Esther finally tells the king what is troubling her – Esther 7:3-6<\/p>\n
2. The king is so angry, he storms out into the palace gardens.<\/p>\n 3. Meanwhile, Haman, realizing that Esther held his life in her hands, stayed\nbehind to plead with Esther.\n a. He must have had too much to drink. In his pleading, he stumbles\nand falls on Esther, just as the king returns from the garden\n
b. Esther 7:8-10<\/p>\n I. Mordecai is promoted to replace Haman and Haman’s plot to kill the Jews is\nfoiled.\n 1. The Persians did not allow a law to be rescinded, but they could be added\nto.\n 2. A law went out allowing the Jews to defend themselves without\nretribution.\n
3. The Jews, of course, triumphed over their enemies.<\/p>\n
III. Lessons to be learned<\/p>\n
A. Haman’s pride brought him low – Proverbs 29:23<\/p>\n
1. Pride goes before the fall<\/p>\n
2. In Mary’s song, perhaps she remembered this very story – Luke 1:51-52<\/p>\n B. Haman took offense where none was given. He sought vengeance for his imagined\nwrongs\n 1. From the time children are young, there is the idea that if you hurt me, I’ll\nhurt you back.\n
2. Rom 12:17 – Never return evil for evil<\/p>\n
3. I Peter 3:9 – Return blessings for evil done.<\/p>\n
4. The hardest thing is the stifle the desire for revenge – Leviticus 19:18<\/p>\n 5. When the King of Aramea wanted to capture Elisha, God struck the army\nwith blindness – II Kings 6:18-23\n
6. The disciples had to learn this lesson – Luke 9:51-56 <\/p>\n
C. Haman spread his hatred to those who were innocent<\/p>\n
1. God’s people have always been attacked<\/p>\n
2. Christian’s persecuted, as we learn in Revelation<\/p>\n
3. Ps 83:1-5, 13-18 – God will overcome.<\/p>\n
D. Haman could not let his hatred go<\/p>\n
1. Proverbs 25:8-10<\/p>\n a. Some are so focused on harming their imagined enemies, they\ncannot see the harm they are doing to themselves.\n
b. Harm intended for others often backfires.<\/p>\n c. The advice is to settle it privately instead of bringing others into the\nproblem.\n
2. Ephesians 4:25-27<\/p>\n a. The longer we hold anger, masking it under lies, the longer we give\nSatan an opportunity to tempt us into sin.\n
IV. The Lord knows how to keep his people – II Pet 2:9<\/p>\n
A. All things will be manipulated to the good of God’s people – Rom. 8:28<\/p>\n B. II Tim 3:10-15 – Godly people will be persecuted. The wicked will get worse. \nHowever, we must remain faithful\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Esther. A. It is not a very long book and it is very easy to read. Its story is so compelling that I will be looking for a passage in Esther and before I know it, I’m caught up into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1242,1219,1236,126],"class_list":["post-62649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-character","tag-esther","tag-haman","tag-pride"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":90723,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/esther-such-a-time-as-this\/","url_meta":{"origin":62649,"position":0},"title":"Esther: “Such a Time as This”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Keith Greer A great king, after subduing Egypt and Babylon, determined to have a feast. He invited all the princes of his empire. From the text, we learn that \"wine flowed in abundance.\" The king's wife, Queen Vashti, was a very beautiful woman. After the feast, he commanded that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40426,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-more-to-the-book-of-esther-beyond-chapter-10-or-does-it-end-at-verse-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":62649,"position":1},"title":"Is there more to the book of Esther, beyond chapter 10, or does it end at verse 3?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is there more to the book of Esther, beyond chapter 10, or does it end at verse 3? Thank you. Answer: The Roman Catholic Church and the various Orthodox churches accept several additions to the Old Testament, among them is a set of additions to the book of Esther.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25522,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-esther-request-that-hamans-sons-be-hanged-when-they-were-already-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":62649,"position":2},"title":"Why did Esther request that Haman’s sons be hanged when they were already dead?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why did Esther request that Haman's sons be hanged when they were already dead? Answer: Haman, because he felt he was insulted by Mordecai, decided to gain revenge by destroying not just Mordecai but all the Jews. This was because Mordecai would not bow to Haman as he passed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21801,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-provides\/","url_meta":{"origin":62649,"position":3},"title":"God Provides","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 12:22-31 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Imagine having an illness that left you unable to move on your own \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Suffering with this disease for 38 years! - John 5:5-7 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And then a stranger comes up and cures your disease - John 5:8-9 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No longer weak, no longer dependent!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-meant-by-although-the-enemy-could-not-countervail-the-kings-damage\/","url_meta":{"origin":62649,"position":4},"title":"What is meant by “although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Esther 7:4,\u00a0it reads:\u00a0\u00a0\"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.\"\u00a0 What did Esther\u00a0mean when\u00a0she said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25041,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-was-hamans-face-covered\/","url_meta":{"origin":62649,"position":5},"title":"Why was Haman’s face covered?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Esther 7:8 it reads, \"As the word went out of king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.\"\u00a0 Does this mean that his face was covered because he laying on her bed and was much too close to Esther, or that he was now marked for death?\u00a0 Was\u00a0the covering of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62649\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}