Esther - What Happens to Haman?

Passage: Esther 7:9-10

Date: 03.16.25 (Sunday)

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: IND. Youth Room

Series: 2/2

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INTRO/GREETING:

Good Evening, I want to thank you all for being her tonight. I know that the Leaders and I truly care about you and your relationship with Jesus Christ. I want this youth group to be a place where you know that you are going to hear from God’s Word and be encouraged to fall more in love with your savior and to be devoted and obey his Word in all that you do.

PRAYER - BEFORE DIVING INTO THE MAIN PASSAGE:

Oh heavenly Father… your name deserves praise, glory, and honor. For there are no other Gods before you. You are king of kings and Lord of Lords. Heaven is your throne… the place in which you dwell…. and earth is your footstool… All authority belongs to you, and we thank you for all you have done in our lives throughout all of history. Thank you for making yourself known to us… by sending your Son Jesus to be Immanuel (God With Us)…. For we know that if we want to see you who are… if we want to get to know your character… then we need not look any further than the actions and Character of Jesus Christ and your Holy Word…

Oh God… guide us today through your Spirit. Make known to us your Word… allow us the honor and privilege of being able to understand and apply your Words to our lives - for in them we can obtain life through Christ! We ask and pray all these things in Jesus name - AMEN!

PHYSICAL COPY OF GOD’S WORD:

This may come as a shock to you and may even catch you off guard… but we use our Bibles here at this youth Group… My goal is that each and every one of you would bring a physical copy of God’s Word with you when you come to Youth Group… I pray that you would cherish it, love it, and cling to it… because my heart is that God’s Word would not be far off… rather, I pray that his voice would be familiar to you… that you would know his voice and obey it… Which can only happen in and through his Word… so please bring a physical copy of God’s Word with you every week and MARK IT UP!

INTRO PASSAGE - PSALM:

Please turn to Psalm 103:10-13

Psalm 103:10–13 (ESV)

He does not DEAL with us according to our sins,

nor REPAY us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his STEADFAST love toward those who FEAR him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he REMOVE our transgressions from us.

As a FATHER shows COMPASSION to his children,

so the Lord shows COMPASSION to those who FEAR him.

RECAP OF LAST WEEK/WHAT WE LEARNED:

Passage: Esther 3:5-6…

Esther was an orphan and taken care of by her cousin - Mordecai

Esther was then selected to be the new Queen for King Ahasuerus

King Ahasuerus right hand man was Haman… and Haman was offended when Mordecai did not bow down to him or pay homage to him

So frustrated to the point that he plotted the demise and death of the Jews

From Esther 3:5-6 we could see that God was providing and allowing us to see behind the curtain…

In other words, we learned that we have to pay attention and take the things unseen seriously

We saw that there is truly “Spiritual Warfare” that is occuring and that we have a very real enemy - the devil who is trying to separate and eliminate the people of God by any means necessary

TRANSITION - WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THIS WEEK - ESTHER 7:9-10:

This week we are going to see if Haman (and the enemy - the devil) were successful in the their plot to eliminate God’s chosen people - the Jews

With this in mind please following along with me as I read Esther 7:9-10 (ESV)

Esther 7:9–10 (ESV)

Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.

Allow me to fill in the gaps from where we left off last week in Esther Chapter 3 to where we have started this week in Esther Chapter 7…

FILL IN THE GAPS/CONTEXT:

So what has happened since last week in Esther Chapter 3?

Esther Chapter 4:

Mordecai asks Esther to help the Jews and requests that she would go before the King to help save the Jews

In Esther Chapter 5 Haman plans to Hang Mordecai… Hamans wife actually provided this plan in Esther 5:14

Esther 5:14 (ESV)

Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

For those of you who are unaware, 50 cubits high is the equivalent of 75 feet

In would be the same as a six story building

In addition, when we think of the word “hanged”, we think of a rope that was tied around someones neck like in a Western Movie - when in reality… Hanged more than likely is referring to being impaled or attached to a stake of wood to some degree or manner…

This death would have been one of humiliation and meant for a lot of other people to see and witness…

Other Scholars have pointed out that Haman selected 50 cubits because it corresponded and matched with death decree of the Jews being 50 days after the Passover

In addition, hanging someone on a tree would show that they are a cursed man… Deuteronomy 21:22-23, which would have resinated with the Jews to some degree…

All this to say, the death that Haman Planned for Mordecai was intentional, methodical, and purposely planned to humiliate Mordecai…

To add insult to injury… Haman had this built outside of his house so that he could see Mordecai hang from the comfort of his home…

ESTHER CHAPTER 6

But if you read on, you would see that the king honors Mordecai…. for Mordecai actually saved the Kings life… Mordecai warned Esther that two of the kings men had plotted to kill the king… and because of this… the Kings life was saved… So the King remembers this act that Mordecai had done for him and honors Mordecai

In fact, Haman goes to see the King to discuss the death of Mordecai that he had planned… And the King asks Haman, what shall be done to the man that the king delights in? In other words, the king is happy with someone… what shall be done to honor and reward that person? Haman thinks the King is going to honor him so he says to dress him in royal clothing and to have him placed on a horse throughout the city square…

The king loves Hamans idea and tells Haman to do all of that to the one in whom he delights… Mordecai…

In Esther Chapter 7 Esther asks the King to spare the Jews and says that it was Hamans plan to kill the Jews…

The king is outraged and ultimately calls for Haman to be killed… and hung on the pole that he had made for Mordecai… Which is what we read in Esther 7:9-10…

So what is it that the Lord is trying to teach us and show us through this passage?

POINT #1: Your SITUATIONS are SUBJECT to the SOVEREIGNTY of GOD…

In other words, everything in your life that happens is “Father Filtered”…

There is not one thing in your life that has happened that God did not already know was going to happen…

God is not caught off guard or surprised… he is Sovereign…

What we see in this story of Esther is a situation that looked like as if there was no hope for the Mordecai or the Jews (God’s Chosen People) and yet… despite the situation… The Sovereignty of God changes the Script

The Story of Esther is a story that should be bring you security…

The Sovereignty of God was meant to bring you security… so that you could fully know and trust… that even in the worst situations… where there seems to be no hope… that you have a God who is Sovereign and who can change the Script…

SCRIPTURE - SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

Proverbs 16:33 (ESV)

The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

LOT = Any kind of small object (such as a stick or pebble) used for making decisions by a random outcome or for determining the will of God

In other words, your reality is not random… your situation is father filtered…

I think we struggle with this concept because not all of us like the situation we are currently in… not all of us are fond of the situation that we are currently experiencing…

HARDSHIPS EXAMPLES

1.) Some of you may have a difficult home life… where your family is stressed or are experiencing anxieties and that is really hard and difficult…

2.) Some of you do not like going to school or how people view you at school…

3.) Some of may be facing sickness, a recent passing of a loved one, or a hardship that happened to you that you are working through…

4.) Some of you may desperately desire a relationship and a relationship that is pleasing to the Lord

5.) Some of you have been sad for a long time and find it difficult to be happy and you're not even sure why

6.) Some of you or your families are struggling financially and it is really hard to trust in God and the plan that he has

SOVEREIGNTY DOES NOT MAKE SENSE ALL THE TIME

And the sovereignty of God does not make sense all the time because you would think that if God was in control of all things then everything in your life would be good, happy, and that you would have no difficulties…

CLEAR HOOK - SLOW DOWN

The Sovereignty of God does not mean that you will never face a difficult situation… it means that you will have security, strength, and a savior to see you through it…

QUESTION: Do you question God when hard situations come up in your life? Or do you look at the hard situations in your life and say… I know that God will give me strength, security, and that my savior will see this through with me…?

2 REASONS WHY WE STRUGGLE WITH GOD BEING IN CONTROL AND HAVING ALL AUTHORITY - HIS SOVEREIGNTY

1.) We want to be in the driver seat

I want control of my circumstance and situation

I want what I want to happen - when I want it to happen

2.) The fear of the unknown and trusting someone else is daunting

I do not like the unknown or trusting in someone else

COMMON MISTAKE WE MAKE

People often say… if God would just tell me his plan… I would do it and I would be fine… why is only showing me the next step and not the entire blue print?

Friends… if you knew what God’s plan was for your life… and he showed you everything… every hardship and every good thing… do you really think you be on board and do it?

The hardships that the Lord had me walk through were things I would not have chosen:

An older brother who does not believe in Jesus Christ

A miscarriage last year in 2024

The death of my grandpa in 2024

Watching my grandma slowly lose her ability to think and put together basic sentences

Working in insurance right of college at a job where I was so sad that I could barely stop thinking about being a failure it was crippling

Having my girlfriend break up with me after we dated for 7 years was not something I chose willingly

These things I would not wanted or done but they were but God has given me strength, security, and a savior to see these through because of his Sovereignty

POINT #2: If you are DIGGING a hole that is 6 feet DEEP, be careful because it may be yours to KEEP

In other words, if yo planning and plotting the demise of someone else… if you are someone who is thinking about causing another harm and doing something this considered evil… then be careful… the plans that you have for someone else may just fall back on you…

We see this in the Book of Esther… we see Haman plotting against Mordecai and God’s Chosen People - the Jews

Haman desired that Mordecai be stamped to a wooden beam and the Jews perish - that was his scheme…

but his scheme was rooted in evil deeds… and his scheme was foolish and the reason he would no loner breathe..

Doing evil things… partaking in evil even though it may be enticing, even though at times it may seem like a good idea, will always lead you down a path of despair and destruction…

Proverbs 3:5–7 (ESV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Evil plans come from a place of Pride and Selfishness that only reveal our foolishness…

Haman made a mistake… he trusted he own plans, he was in love with his power, he was self centered and wanted to be in control to the point where he made an evil plan that revealed he was a fool…

Fools trust in evil plans

Those who are wise trust in the LORDS plans