The Plot Backfired | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: The Plot Backfired | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
04/29/22
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For as long as Haman could remember, he longed to be someone important. He was the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of Agag, king of the Amakekites. He grew up disliking the Jewish people. When he turned twenty-one he married Zeresh and together they had ten sons.

His chance to become someone important was the day King Xerxes chose him to be his close confidant. His arch enemy was a man named Mordecai. He hated that man with a vengeance. He would do anything to destroy the man and he looked for any and every opportunity to do so.

Haman hated the Jewish people. They were a “thorn in his side” and he wanted to get rid of these God-fearing people who seemed to mock him at all levels. He watched. He plotted. He schemed for a way to get rid of them all - forever.

In the meantime he watched with envy as Mordecai brought his beautiful cousin, Esther, and presented her to Hegai in preparation for her possibly becoming the new queen. Esther immediately found favor with Hegai and he took special interest in her well-being.

Mordecai was delighted when Esther was selected as the new queen by King Xerxes. “What an honor. She will make a wonderful queen,” Mordecai whispered to himself. “I will always be here to guide her, if she needs me.”

As Mordecai sat at the kings gate, he watched while Bigthan and Teresh became angry with King Xerxes and were plotting to kill him. Mordecai immediately told Esther who told the king. When the plot was found to be true, Mordecai’s words were recorded in the book of chronicles.

Soon after, King Xerxes promoted Haman. All who sat at the gate were to bow down to Haman. “Now I am honored,” boasted Haman. But it troubled him that Mordecai refused to bow. In fact, he was filled with extreme hatred toward Mordecai and wanted nothing more than to get rid of him. Haman found out that Mordecai was a Jew and realized now was his chance to forever get rid of all the Jews.

Furious with the fact Mordecai would not bow, he went to the king and said, “There are certain people here who do not keep the king’s laws. If it please the king, let it be decreed that they should be destroyed. I’ll add silver to sweeten the deal.”

“Let it be decreed,” the king replied.

He forgot about Esther, the queen. He didn’t know she was a Jew. Haman underestimated the influence Esther had on the king and hoped his plan would not backfire. He had no idea Mordecai told Esther of his decree.

After a wonderful banquet, which Esther had prepared for the king and Haman, King Xerxes could not sleep. He asked to be read from the book of chronicles. When he heard about the plot to kill him, and how Mordecai rescued him he asked, “What honor has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?”

“Nothing was done,” the servant replied.

The king consulted Haman and asked, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?”

Excitedly, Haman thought he was talking about himself so he replied, “Let this man wear the royal robes, and ride the kings horse. Put a crown on his head. Let the honored man we led through the square of the city proclaiming, ‘This is the man whom the king delights to honor.’”

The king clapped his hands and said, “Yes, that is what I will do. Haman, hurry and take the robe and the horse and find Mordecai. Do everything you have suggested.”

Deflated and humiliated, Haman does as the king requested. He was not the honored one. His arch enemy Mordecai was.

Esther invites Haman to a second banquet, along with the king.

Again the king asks Esther, “What is your wish?” This time she answered. “If I have found favor in your sight, and if it please the king, let my life and the life of my people be spared from death. We have been sold and requested to be annihilated.”

“What?” Angrily the king asked, “Who has done such a thing?”

Esther replied, “This wicked Haman!”

Haman was terrified. His plot backfired.

Harbona said, “Haman has built gallows on which he planned to hang Mordecai.”

The king replied, “Hang him on that.”

“The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Scripture from Psalm 84:11 (NIV)
Scripture story from the book of Esther

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