seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Esther 5:9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.
Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits,[a] and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.
a. Esther 5:14 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
This guy is so intent on "everyone" bowing to him..... Mordecai's refusal is just hitting Haman where he lives.... I'm pretty sure his wife was exaggerating when she said "Have a pole set up, reaching the height of fifty cubits"..... a cubit is about a foot and a half.... [memorized that one by posting the stories of Noah and Moses.... they built in cubits]..... If he had needed to use a nail I think she might have said "get 20 nails" to exaggerate the response. Mordecai was upsetting Haman and Haman [IMHO] was really over reacting....
This is from the enduringword.com site.
He was filled with indignation against Mordecai: Miserable Haman! Honored by both the King and Queen of Persia, the disapproval of one man makes him feel worthless. This is an accurate description of how empty the rewards of this world are.
Haman’s deep-seated insecurities and need to be honored by everybody means that he can never be happy; God meant this hunger for acceptance in each of us to be ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ – because we are accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), accepted before God because of who we are in Jesus.
Nevertheless Haman restrained himself: This is a remarkable evidence of the hand of God. God would not allow the fury of Haman to take action until all the proper pieces were set in place to ultimately defeat his plan.
Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate: Haman’s problem wasn’t Mordecai, it was the emptiness in his own heart. Even if he solved the “Mordecai problem,” it would not fill the emptiness in his heart.
Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it: For these friends of Haman, it wasn’t enough to just punish Mordecai’s people (remember the genocide against the Jews is already set in motion), or merely to kill Mordecai. They wanted Haman to ask for a public, humiliating execution of Mordecai on gallows 75 feet (25 meters) high.
The gallows mentioned here was not for hanging a victim, but for violently killing and displaying the victim. “A pointed stake is set upright in the ground, and the culprit is taken, placed on the sharp point, and then pulled down by his legs till the stake that went in at the fundament passes up through the body and comes out through the neck. A most dreadful species of punishment, in which revenge and cruelty may glut the utmost of their malice. The culprit lives a considerable time in excruciating agonies.” (Clarke)
And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made: We should never underestimate the destructive and distorting power of hatred. The same irrational, violent hatred that made Haman want to see Mordecai hang to his death is the same irrational, violent hatred that made man want to hang Jesus on a cross.
I still think Haman's wife was just exaggerating. Yes, I agree that they are telling him to set up the pole. He's already got the mass genocide planned..... but if this guy is really bugging him.... a 75' pole is way too high..... even a 50' pole would be too high.... Haman wants to display his mocking of Mordecai because Mordecai is mocking Haman by not bowing to him. If the pole is 75' high.... only those far away would be able to recognize the body. A shorter pole would add visibility on the ground.... Mordecai would be on display.... that's what Haman wanted....Amazing how humans will work so hard to cause such injury to another human.... but they find it hard to give another human a meal or even a smile.
