Foolishness Personified (Esther 5:9-14)
Haman emerges from the feast with the king and Esther elated. The story describes him with the not-often-seen term translated, “merry.” The fact that it does so, reminds us of the way the king was thus described in chapter one. Haman and the king are examples of rich, powerful fools. Just as the king in the beginning of the story, is shown to be relationally and professionally incompetent, Haman is merry about something that the reader knows is his ironic damnation!
His joy is short-lived, though. All of the acclaim and privilege he experienced when Esther put him practically on the level of the king, mean nothing to him when he again sees Mordecai showing him no respect. Yet, he does not lash out at or punish Mordecai on his own. He has to go home and build himself up in front of his family and friends, and get them to help him decide how to punish his perceived enemy.
This too reminds us of the king in the opening of the story. Both the most powerful man in the world, and now the second most powerful, are actually impotent. They do everything they can to build themselves up in their own eyes, except for actually doing anything in their own power. The ultimate irony in a story that started by saying that all men should be masters of their wives, is that it is Haman’s wife who tells him exactly how he should get his revenge against Mordecai.
His joy is short-lived, though. All of the acclaim and privilege he experienced when Esther put him practically on the level of the king, mean nothing to him when he again sees Mordecai showing him no respect. Yet, he does not lash out at or punish Mordecai on his own. He has to go home and build himself up in front of his family and friends, and get them to help him decide how to punish his perceived enemy.
This too reminds us of the king in the opening of the story. Both the most powerful man in the world, and now the second most powerful, are actually impotent. They do everything they can to build themselves up in their own eyes, except for actually doing anything in their own power. The ultimate irony in a story that started by saying that all men should be masters of their wives, is that it is Haman’s wife who tells him exactly how he should get his revenge against Mordecai.
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