Human Response 617: Fear of Wrath and Punishment

Esther 7:6-7 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden, and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen, for he saw that was evil determined against him by the king.

Haman’s hatred and evil plotting turned against him when the king discovered his true intentions. He did end up impaled on the gallows meant for Mordecai. Proverbs 26:27: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”

When his sin was exposed and he was convicted, Haman was afraid before the king. His response of fear was brought about by the Word of Law finding out his guilt. He saw and felt the wrath of the king. The king saw him fallen on the bed of the queen, and hanged him on the gallows (signifying the cross of Christ, where Satan was defeated).

The only response we can make to the convicting power of the Law of God when it exposes our sin is one of stark terror. We are rightly afraid of God’s just wrath and the evil that is determined against us. We may then weep and repent like Peter or regret and hang ourself like Judas. The choice we make is determined by whether or not we believe the Gospel. Can we believe that my sin was crucified on the Cross?