A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Appendix · Chapter 7
Eſther CHAP. VII.
THIS Chapter gives an Account of the foul and fatal Fall of haughty Haman, from the high Pinacle of Preferment. Firſt, The Antecedents conducing thereunto, are two. 1. Eſther's Oration or Petition to the King. And 2. The King's paſſing the Sentence of Condemnation upon Haman. Then Secondly, The Execution and his diſmal Downfal.
Remarks upon the firſt Part, are,
Firſt, Haman hangs back from this Second Banquet, when he heard his own Counſellours (whom he hoped would have been his Comforters) declare his Doom and Downfal beforehand; now his Conſcience (if not ſeared, &c.) began to fly in his Face for his Bloody Decree, and now was he loath to go, fearing far worſe Entertainment than he had found at the former Feaſt: While he thus linger'd and loiter'd, the King's Chamberlain Harbonah comes to haſten Haman away, probably ſaying to him [It was uncivil for a Subject to Cauſe both the King and Queen to wait for him, &c.] Chap. 6.13, 14. Harbonah hurries Haman away head-long in a turbulent Manner, when he ſaw that he had no Mind to go under preſſing Deſpondency.
Remark the Second, Haman being thus haled thither, they all ſit down to the Banquet, and ſo ſoon as the King was well warm'd with Wine, his Affections to Eſther made him very deſirous to know what her ſuit was, and being egged with her delays, He asks again [What is thy Petition, &c.] ver. 1, 2. He preſſeth her to ſpeak out, ſo God doth us to pray, John 16.24. then Eſther (twice encouraged) requeſts of the King for her own Life, and the Lives of her People, ver. 3. What could be ſpoken in that Caſe (ſaith Grotius) more wittily and more wiſely, ſhe could not uſe more Acute and cutting Words to the King's Heart (ſaith Menochius) ſeeing he had ſuch ſtrong Affections to his Queen. Therefore to take away her Life, went like a Dagger to his Heart, and ſhe backs her prudent Petition with this Confirmation, ver. 4. ſaying, 1. [All our lives are ſold by the Craft and Cruelty of that Man, who offer'd ten thouſand Talents to purchaſe our Deſtruction without any Exception of my own Perſon] and ſhe, 2. Relates the very Words of that cruel Decree, to make the King more ſenſible how Haman had ſupplanted him, and what he had (by Haman's wiles) conſented to. And 3. She ſaith [Had we been …ld into Bondage only, I had been Silent] tho all Haman is worth cannot countervail the King's Damage thereby, for then (ſaith Oſiander) the King muſt loſe his Queen whom he loveth; but if all the Jews be ſlaughtered, not only the Queen muſt loſe her Life, but alſo the King will loſe an ineffable Tribute from that painful People. Such variety of Arguments and cogent Expreſſions Eſther here uſeth to make the deeper Impreſſion upon the King's Mind.
Remark the Third; Eſther's Oration ſo incenſed the King, that from an enraged Mind he doubled his words [Vaiomer Vaiomer, Hebr. He Said and he Said, ver. 5. Who is that Sirrah, and where is that Sirrah he, that durſt preſume in his heart to do ſo? It ſeems (ſaith a Learned Expoſitor) that the King did not yet by all Eſther's Aggravations underſtand whom ſhe meant; ſo high an opinion he had of his Right Bye Haman: Therefore not thinking this Preſumer was ſo near at hand, he haſtily asks Eſther, &c. Eſther hereupon points him out as the Enemy preſent, and points him out in his proper Colours, ver. 6. not at all fearing the Face of Haughty Haman then preſent (ſaith Bonartius.) When ſhe had found a fit ſeaſon that God had put into her hands, ſhe takes hold of the opportunity, ſtrikes while the Iron was Hot, and with great Courage calls Haman a Man made up of Miſchief; no word could ſhe find bad enough for him, unleſs it were Harang, Hebr. which ſignifies the Naughtieſt of all Naughts, &c. That ſhe ſhould ſpeak thus to the King, and of his ſo great Favourite too, and that before Haman's very Face, muſt undoubtedly be the work of her Faith, and the fruit of her Faſting and Prayer, &c.
Remark the Fourth, The Effects of Eſther's Oration; 1. Upon Haman, who being convinced in his own conſcience that the Queen's Accuſation was all true, and that the King was conſcious, how Treacherous he had been in his greateſt Truſt; this not only Muzzl'd his Mouth, ſo that he had nothing to ſay for himſelf, but alſo confounded his Mind, ver. 6. even at the Banquet whereof he had ſo boaſted, Chap. 5.12. This foul Storm fell upon him when he had promis'd to himſelf one of the faireſt Days he ever had. This is the Portion of the Wicked in the fulneſs of their ſufficiency to fall into Straits, Job 20.22. 2ly. The Effects upon the King [He roſe up in a Rage, and ſlings away▪ in a Chafe] ver. 7. as not enduring (ſaith Druſius) to look upon ſuch a curſed Catiff; he was no longer able to abide the preſence of ſuch a peſtilent Perſon, &c. The King takes a turn or two in the Garden, partly to cool his inflamed Spirits, partly to conſider within himſelf how he had loſt his Love upon ſo unworthy a Wretch, in over-raſhly truſting him with ſo much Power, which he had moſt Treacherouſly Abuſed, to the hazarding of the Queen's Life, and the Lives of millions of his Innocent Subjects: And partly to bethink himſelf not only of the Heinouſneſs of Haman's Crime, but alſo what Puniſhment to inflict upon ſo prodigious a Criminal.
Remark the Fifth; Haman (while the King had in his fury withdrawn himſelf) Humbles himſelf before the Queen [to make Requeſt for his Life] ver. 7. obſerving the violent commotions of the King's Paſſions, this put him into a dreadful conſternation, concluding, his doom of Deſtruction was determin'd: Hereupon he falls down at the Queen's Feet (ſaith Vatablus) and catches hold of the Queen's Knees (ſaith Athanaſius) begging her with his utmoſt earneſtneſs to Intercede for him to the King; but Eſther knew Haman too well, to befriend him ſo far. That Pious Queen was undoubtedly acquainted with what Solomon had ſaid, [A Man that doth violence to the blood of any Perſon, ſhall flee to the Pit, let no Man ſtay him] Prov. 28.17. and Eſther not mediating for Mercy in his deſperate Caſe, may be juſtified from that of the Apoſtle [Let him have Judgment without Mercy, that hath ſhew'd no Mercy] Jam. 2.13. hence ſhe ſaith, Let him lie for me, and die according to his deſerts, &c. N. B. The wonderful Whirling about of that greateſt Wheel of Divine Providence, and that all upon the ſudden, even in a moment here! Behold yeſterday haughty Haman (the Higheſt of all the Princes next to the King himſelf) is this day fallen down groveling upon the ground before the Queen, whom he had deſigned for Death! Behold here (ſaith an Interpreter) he that had been bowed unto by all Men, is now upon his Knees before a Woman! He that was a proud profeſs'd Enemy to all the Jews, is here an humble Supplicant to one Jeweſs! He that had contriv'd and determin'd the Death of that whole People, is now earneſtly begging for his own Life! And he that had provided a Gallows to hang Mordecai upon it, fears nothing more now than that himſelf ſhould be hanged thereon! He felt his own Gallows groaning for his own Carcaſs.
Remark the Sixth; The King returns out of his Palace-Garden when theſe Paſſages aforeſaid were tranſacting, ver. 8. He finds Haman in this poſture of cleaving cloſe unto the Queen's Knees upon the Banqueting Bed as her humble Supplicant: The angry King was willing to miſinterpret this Action, and to take all at the worſt. N. B. How oft might Haman have done ſo and more, while he was in favour, without being cenſured? Actions are not the ſame when▪ the Man alters and under any Alienation of Affections. The King ſaith now of this grand Favourite [Will he force the Queen before my face? &c.] This he ſaid (ſaith A. Lapide) partly out of Paſſion, and partly out of Jealouſie; for Perſian Kings (ſaith Bonartius) were always Jealous concerning their Wives, and would not ſuffer them to be ſeen of Strangers; ſo Joſephus and Plutarch affirm. Grotius obſerves, Tho' the King were unjuſt in thus judging amiſs of Haman, yet God was Righteous in meaſuring to him as he had meaſured to others, in his ſlandering ſo many Innocents whom he deſign'd to deſtroy; yea the Queen her ſelf he would have forced out of her Life. Theſe angry words of the King was the Meſſenger of Death to Haman; the Courtiers preſently cover his Face, that the King might no more be incenſed with the ſight of him, ſaith Lyra.
Remark the Seventh; Haman's Condemnation, ver. 9. whereof the covering of his Head was the fore-running Sign: Not a Man among all the Courtiers opens his mouth for Haman, but all againſt him, being hated (for his Inſolency and Cruelty againſt ſo many Innocents, &c.) by all, eſpecially by Harbonah, who had been ſent to haſten Haman to this Banquet, and had ſeen the Gallows fifty Cubits high he had rear'd up for Mordecai: He immediately informs the King hereof, ſpeaking in favour of Mordecai's Innocency and Loyalty, and of his merit of a better Requital for ſaving the King's Life: Hereupon the King (out of his Abſolute Power, Dan. 5.19.) ſaid [Hang him thereon.]
Remark the Eighth; Haman's Execution, ver. 10. All his Grandeur was hang'd up in Mordecai's ſtead, God turning (ſaith Joſephus) his own Miſchief upon himſelf.
Heſiod. foreign.
Bad Counſel is worſt to the Counſellor.
Nec lex eſt Juſtior Ʋlla,
Quam necis Artificis Arte perire ſuâ.
His wicked Devices deſtroy'd himſelf; he fell into his own Pit which he had digg'd for one better than himſelf; God hang'd up Haman in Gibbets, as a warning to all future Ages. And as his Fall was great, from the Palace to the Gallows, from the higheſt Stage of Honour, to the loweſt ſtep of Diſhonour, ſo he lies wrap'd up in a Sheet of perpetual ſhame to all Poſterities.