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The Man Who Has Dared To Do Such A Thing

          So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”
           Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.  For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”
                     King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”
                       Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!
            Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

               While Haman is reeling from the blow of having to honor Mordecai as he wanted to be honored. The passage yesterday didn’t tell how long the horse ride took, or for how long Mordecai bewailed his fate to his wife and friends, but in the midst of the latter, the king’s “limo” arrived to take him to dinner with the king and Queen Esther. It was a command performance. I imagine he did the fastest makeover in history, composing himself to keep up the necessary appearances with the king.
                Did they meander through the meal? It probably took quite a while. Esther would have spared no expense. Did Haman find solace in the honor the queen was giving him? Was he lulled into thinking that maybe things weren’t quite so bad? After all, before long, Mordecai and all his people would be killed. It was a temporary setback, that’s all. If someone else killed Mordecai, well, at least he’d be dead.
               Then the king asked Esther what she wanted. Whatever it was, she would have it, even up to half the kingdom. Esther finally makes her request. She wants to live! And, yes, she wants her people to live. She would not have disturbed the king for any request less than that, she says.
            “Who would do such a thing?!”
               And here, Esther tells a half-truth. Oh yes, “This vile Haman!” The truth is, “You, King Xerxes, at vile Haman’s request.” How soon did Xerxes realize his part? I don’t know. If not already, then soon. Haman cannot be excused because the king agreed to make his plan law. Neither can Xerxes be excused. Flip Wilson used to say, “The devil made me do it.” And we all laughed. Oh, the devil is real, and he does tempt. He is a Haman. Our body’s desires (whether for food, alcohol, other drugs, sex, violence or something else) may urge us to act. They are Haman.  Our friends may advise us. They may be Haman. No matter what the Haman is, we are Xerxes. Sometimes we are Esther. Sometimes someone else is Esther.

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