“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead” (Prov. 11: nkjv). The conspicuous gallows that Haman had constructed for Mordecai was convenient for the execution of Haman. Therefore, the king used it. Apparently Haman had let it be known in the palace that he planned to kill Mordecai, for the king’s servant knew the purpose of the gallows. In his pride, Haman had boasted too much, and his words came back not only to haunt him but also to help slay him.
The day before, Haman had led Mordecai through the streets dressed in royal splendor, but now Haman was led through the streets with a covering over his face and a gallows at the end of the journey. Certainly Haman’s wife Zeresh and their ten sons witnessed the execution, as did many of the Jews in the city. It must have given courage to the Jews to know that their enemy Haman was no longer on the scene.
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked,” warned Paul. “A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6: niv). Haman sowed anger against Mordecai, and he reaped anger from the king. Haman wanted to kill Mordecai and the Jews, and the king killed Haman. “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” (Job 4:8). “He who sows wickedness reaps trouble” (Prov. 22: niv).
This unchanging principle of sowing and reaping is illustrated throughout the Bible, and it applies to both believers and unbelievers. Jacob killed an animal and lied to his father, pretending to be Esau (Gen. 27:1–29), and years later Jacob’s sons killed an animal and lied to him, pretending that Joseph was dead (37:31–35). Pharaoh gave orders to drown the Jewish baby boys (Ex. 1), and one day his army was drowned in the Red Sea (Ex. 14—15).
David secretly took his neighbor’s wife and committed adultery (2 Sam. 11), and David’s own son Absalom took his father’s concubines and openly committed adultery with them (16:20–23). Furthermore, David’s daughter Tamar was raped by her half brother Amnon (2 Sam. 13). David killed Bathsheba’s husband (11:14–25), and three of David’s own sons were slain: Absalom (2 Sam. 18), Amnon (13:23–36), and Adonijah (1 Kings 2:13–25). Saul of Tarsus encouraged the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1), and when he became Paul the missionary, he was stoned at Lystra (14:19–20).
But let’s keep in mind that this law of sowing and reaping also applies to doing what is good and right. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption, but if we sow to the Spirit, we reap life everlasting (Gal. 6:8). No good deed done for the glory of Jesus Christ will ever be forgotten before God. No loving word spoken in Jesus’ name will ever be wasted. If we don’t see the harvest in this life, we’ll see it when we stand before the Lord. Even a cup of cold water given in the name of Christ will have its just reward (Matt. 10:42; 25:31–46).
Haman was hanged, or impaled, on his own gallows, and his body taken down and buried. All of Haman’s wealth and glory couldn’t rescue him from death nor could he take any of it with him. “Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of their souls is costly.… Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him” (Ps. 49:6–8, 16–17 nkjv). In 1 Peter 1:18–19, Peter tells us how costly our redemption is: the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Not only is there a personal lesson here, but there is also a lesson about the nation of Israel: Every enemy that has ever tried to destroy Israel has been destroyed. “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” is God’s promise to Israel (Gen. 12: nkjv), and He has always kept it. God takes His promises seriously even if the nations of the world ignore them or challenge them.
This doesn’t mean that God necessarily approves everything Israel has done or will do, but it does mean that God doesn’t approve of those who try to destroy His chosen people. Whether it’s Pharaoh in Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, Haman in Persia, or Hitler in Germany, the enemy of the Jews is the enemy of almighty God and will not succeed.
“Then was the king’s wrath pacified” (Est. 7:10). The Hebrew word translated “pacified” is used in Genesis 8: to describe the receding waters of the flood. The king’s anger had welled up within him and reached its peak when he executed Haman. Now it subsided, and the king was himself again. But though the adversary was out of the way, the problem was not completely solved, for the king’s decree was still in effect and could not be changed. It was now the third month (Est. 8:9), and there were nine months to go before the fateful day when the Jews could legally be slain (3:13).
How would Esther and Mordecai solve this problem?
That is the topic of the next chapter.