Esther 7

“Then Queen Esther answered and said, ‘If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.’ So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, ‘Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?’ And Esther said, ‘The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!’” Esther 7:3-6a (NKJV)

Several years ago, my band Big Tent Revival performed at a Christian music day at Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando, Florida, called “Rock The Universe!”  After our performance, a park employee confided to my drummer and me that he could smuggle us into an (as-of-then) unopened section of the park, where we could preview their new roller coaster, “The Hulk.”

The Hulk is an “acceleration coaster,” different from the traditional roller coaster because its power is generated magnetically instead of the traditional “gravity” coaster.  Put simply, instead of creeping up a hill and then accelerating as the cars roll over the peak, acceleration coasters literally shoot the cars up the hill.  Acceleration coasters are very common these days, but we had no idea what to expect back then!  The ride started off like usual, creeping upward, but halfway up the incline, a noise went off, and the coaster shot off like so many Floridian space shuttle launches!

Delving into chapter 7 of the Book of Esther is much like buckling into an acceleration coaster.  There is a sense of anticipation at first, followed by the explosive acceleration of Esther’s accusation.  This leads to a momentary pause as the king leaves the room.  Immediately after that, the terror returns as Haman “attacks” the queen, and the king catches Haman in the act.

Once more, a few short sentences and a lull in the action occur, during which the king’s servant mentions the gallows that Haman has built.  The action quickly resumes when the king commands that Haman be hanged, and Haman is executed.  The chapter then comes to an abrupt halt, and everyone except Haman seemingly breathes a sigh of relief.  The ride is over.

All of that to say, we are reminded again in today’s chapter that there are two things that confound a fool: How slow God is to act and how quickly He shows up!  Haman was a fool, making him the perfect pawn for Satan’s plan to annihilate God’s people.  And he truly believed he would succeed, as did Hitler, Balaam & Balak, several Roman emperors, the Catholic Inquisitors, Stalin, Nero, Nebuchadnezzar, and a host of others.  Then, God showed up.