Happy to have you back
at Daily Bread to find
out what happens next in our story about Esther. Sometimes things don’t go
as people plan, and that’s exactly the case with Haman in this chapter, in
fact, quite contrary to his plans, instead of bringing Mordecai down by
hanging him in the gallows that he had made, Mordecai was rather ...
Lifted up instead! Let’s look in on them and find out the details.
It seems that the night before queen
Esther’s banquet, the king couldn’t sleep, so he ordered the book of the
chronicles to be brought and they were read aloud to the king. Well, it came
to the king’s attention that Mordecai was the one who reported that the two
chamberlains of the king were planning to kill king Ahasuerus.
Is it coincidence that the THOUGHT
came to the mind of this king to read those chronicles after all this time
on THIS day. God's hand at work.
The king asked, What kind of honor
and dignity has Mordecai been given for this? The king’s servants replied,
Nothing at all has been done for him. The king then asked, Who’s in the
court right now? (Well, Haman had come into the outer court of the king’s
house to speak to him about hanging Mordecai on the gallows that he had made
for him.) ... The servants said, Haman is in the court, so the king said,
Tell him to come in.
HAMAN BIBLE STORY LESSON WITH HAMAN BIBLE STORY EXPLANATION AND HAMAN BIBLE
STORY SUMMARY
When Haman came in, the king asked
him, What should be done for a man that the king wishes to honor? Now, Haman
thought in his heart, Who would the king want to honor more than me? He
actually thought the king was talking about Haman himself. Haman
answered the king, For the man that the king wishes to honor, Let the royal
robe that the king wears be brought and the horse that the king rides upon,
and the royal crown that is set on his head: And let this apparel and horse
be taken to one of the king’s noblest princes, so he can display the man who
the king wishes to honor and lead him on horseback through the streets of
the city and present him. That’s what should be done to the man who the king
is pleased with.
Ahasuerus then said to Haman, Hurry
and take the apparel and the horse, just as you said, and give this honor to
Mordecai the Jewish man, who sits at the king’s gate. Don’t leave a single
thing out of all the things that you said.
Oh, you KNOW this about knocked
Haman to the floor. But, he had already opened his big mouth so Haman took
the robe and the horse and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback
through the streets of the city, announcing, This is what will be done to
those who the king wishes to honor.
Mordecai went back to the king’s
gate afterward, but Haman hurried to his house pouting, with his head
covered in shame. He told Zeresh his wife and all his friends all that had
happened to him. They told Haman, If Mordecai is of the seed of the Jewish
people, and you’ve begun to fall before him, you surely won’t prevail
against him. (Why didn't they give him this advice earlier?)
HAMAN BIBLE STORY INFORMATION WITH HAMAN BIBLE STORY MEANING
AND HAMAN BIBLE STORY DISCUSSION
While they were still talking to
Haman, the king’s chamberlains hurried over to Haman's house to bring him to the
banquet that queen Esther had prepared. You almost forgot about Esther
having a plan too, didn’t ya? If you think ole Haman ate some crow while
parading Mordecai around the city and honoring the man who he hates, wait
until the banquet Esther has planned! We’ll find out if Esther plans to
serve crow as well.
Just a little Daily Bread Crumb to
end this story with! Where did the phrase eating crow come from?
Well, to crow is to gloat, brag or boast, so if you eat crow, it’s
like eating your words, or accepting something that you previously fought
against. Another phrase used for this all too common occurrence is
sticking your foot in your mouth. You have to admit, Haman seems to have
an appetite for it.
Be sure to join us again and we’ll
find out what happens as some plans fail and some succeed, in our next Daily
Bread.
