Esther - Lesson Seven - Day 4

 DAY FOUR: The Angry Ahasuerus

Please carefully read Esther 7:7?8 and answer the following questions.

1.  What was Ahasuerus’ response to this unbelievable turn of events (v. 7a)?

NOTE: The nlt translates this, “Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage.”  

2.  As Ahasuerus burst out of the room in anger, perhaps to compose himself or think more clearly what to do about this, what did Haman do and why (v. 7b)?

3.  Haman really had lost it at this point.  He knew his only hope was to plead with Esther, for she had the power to make a plea for his life to be spared.  What happened as the king came back in the room, and what did he think about this (v. 8)?

NOTE: One capital offense had already been revealed against Haman, which was manipulating the king into planning to kill the queen’s people; now in Ahasuerus’ mind the second one was sexually assaulting (force, kjv;  molest, niv) the queen.  One of the Jewish Targums humorously adds that the angel Gabriel pushed Haman onto Esther as the king entered the room![x][x]  

4.  Haman had demanded that Mordecai the Jew bow before him; now here Haman was bowing before the feet of the Jewish Esther![xi][xi]  What a tremendous turn of events!  Derek Prime well points out that these events are a great illustration of the conflicts that Asaph, the author of Psalm 73, experienced, and how God would work to resolve them.[xii][xii]  Read the passages below, and record how this ties in with the experiences of Mordecai and Esther in view of the wicked Haman.

            Asaph’s Conflict, Psalm 73:2?9

            Asaph’s Change of Perspective, Psalm 73:15?24

            Asaph’s Contentment, Psalm 73:25?28

Scripture Memory:  Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

Do not be __________________________, God is not ____________________; for whatever a man ________________, that he will also ____________________. For he who sows to his ___________________ will of the ________________________ reap _____________________________, but he who _________________ to the __________________ will of the Spirit ________________ everlasting ______________.  Galatians 6:7-8 (nkjv)