Esther prevails over Haman
So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me -- that is my petition -- and the lives of my people -- that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king." Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?" Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, "Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?" As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands 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 anger of the king abated.
DEVOTION
In today's scripture reading the "evil" Haman got just what he deserved. For plotting to kill Mordecai, Queen Esther, and their entire family, he was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for them.
One could read this story and say, "You always get what you deserve," but this side of the cross we know that this isn't always true.
Humanity deserved to be "hung" on the cross for our crimes against God and God's only begotten son. We had earned the ultimate penalty--DEATH--for failing to love God and neighbor as ourselves. Time and time again we had been granted clemency, only to sin again.
But, instead of getting what we deserved, we got exactly what we did not deserve, when Love gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.
The just punishment that was coming to us, instead fell on God's Son, and we were spared the consequences of sin, death, and the grave.
I am so glad that God met our sin with love, grace, and forgiveness. We didn't earn grace, but we got it and that's mighty good news!
Today, I want to challenge each of us to think of one way that we have been wronged and then I want us to make up our minds to forgive, as we have been forgiven.
Such radical love and amazing grace will change our world, one relationship at a time!
Go in peace, serve the Lord!
Let us pray:
Lord, you have taught us to pray, "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us." God, please help me to forgive as I have been forgiven and help me to love as you have taught me. Today, I commit to sharing the good news that "Christ has died! Christ has risen! Christ shall come again!" I know that this gospel changes the world! I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaL
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