Lesson 130 Haman’s Anger At Mordecai Esther 5:1-14 MEMORY VERSE PROVERBS 11:29 “He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be the servant to the wise of heart.” WHAT YOU WILL NEED: One “Have a Feast” template for each child in your class, gray cardstock, glue, scissors, construction paper, glitter, sequins or small paper shapes, and assorted magazines to cut out food items. A chalkboard and chalk (or dry erase board and dry erase markers). A vegetable tray with dip. ATTENTION GETTER! Lookout! Choose two children. One will be the “inside,” and the other will be the “outside.” Have the remainder of the children form a circle and lock arms. The “inside” child will stand in the middle of the circle. The “outside” child will be outside of the circle. The object is for the outside child to try to tag the inside child. The job for the children in the circle is to protect the inside child. You can say go and give a limited amount of time. Give other children the opportunity to be the inside and the outside child. Today we are going to learn about a very evil man named Haman. He hated Mordecai and wanted to kill him along with all of the Israelites. But God had a plan to protect His people. The Bible says that our enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But with God’s help and the help of our brothers and sisters we can be protected from the attack of the enemy. Compare the game just played to this truth. The lion is the one on the outside trying to attack the one on the inside. By staying together, praying for one another, and putting on the full armor of God, we can be protected from the attacks of the enemy. LESSON TIME! Wicked Haman had allowed his anger to consume him. Furious that Mordecai would not bow to him, he pursued a plot to have not only Mordecai killed, but all those who worshipped his God. Haman had persuaded the king to issue a decree for the destruction of the Jewish people on a certain day. God’s people were threatened with annihilation! Only days remained. How foolish was Haman to allow his anger, hatred, and pride to govern his actions. Though he felt he would encounter little resistance from God’s people, he was contending with the almighty God—the protector of Israel. God was working behind the scenes on behalf of His people. Esther, a young Jewish girl, the cousin of Mordecai, had become queen of Persia. She was in the right place at the right time. After her, her maidens, and all the Jewish people fasted and prayed, Esther determined to come before the king, though, as an uninvited guess, she endangered her very life. If her approach was acceptable, the king would raise his golden scepter. ES T HER 5:1-8 N o w i t h ap p e n e d o n t h e t h i r d d ay t h at Es t h e r p u t o n h e r r o y al r o be s an d s t o o d i n t h e i n n e r c o u r t o f t h e k i n g's p al ac e , ac r o s s f r o m t h e k i n g's h o u s e , w h i l e t h e k i n g s at o n h i s r o y al t h r o n e i n t h e r o y al h o u s e , f ac i n g t h e e n t r an c e o f t h e h o u s e . S o i t w as , w h e n t h e k i n g s aw Qu e e n Es t h e r s t an d i n g i n t h e c o u r t , t h at s h e f o u n d f av o r i n h i s s i gh t , an d t h e k i n g h e l d o u t t o Es t h e r t h e go l d e n s c e p t e r t h at w as i n h i s h an d . T h e n Es t h e r w e n t n e ar an d t o u c h e d t h e t o p o f t h e s c e p t e r . An d t h e k i n g s ai d t o h e r , " Wh at d o y o u w i s h , Qu e e n Es t h e r ? Wh at i s y o u r r e qu e s t ? I t s h al l be gi v e n t o y o u ; u p t o h al f t h e k i n gd o m !" S o Es t h e r an s w e r e d , " I f i t p l e as e s t h e k i n g, l e t t h e k i n g an d Ham an c o m e t o d ay t o t h e ban qu e t t h at I h av e p r e p ar e d f o r h i m ." T h e n t h e k i n g s ai d , " B r i n g Ham an qu i c k l y , t h at h e m ay d o as Es t h e r h as s ai d ." S o t h e k i n g an d Ham an w e n t t o t h e ban qu e t t h at Es t h e r h ad p r e p ar e d . At t h e ban qu e t o f w i n e t h e k i n g s ai d t o Es t h e r , " Wh at i s y o u r p e t i t i o n ? I t s h al l be gr an t e d y o u . Wh at i s y o u r r e qu e s t , u p t o h al f t h e k i n gd o m ? I t s h al l be d o n e !" T h e n Es t h e r an s w e r e d an d s ai d , " M y p e t i t i o n an d r e qu e s t i s t h i s : " I f I h av e f o u n d f av o r i n t h e s i gh t o f t h e k i n g, an d i f i t p l e as e s t h e k i n g t o gr an t m y p e t i t i o n an d f u l f i l l m y r e qu e s t , t h e n l e t t h e k i n g an d Ham an c o m e t o t h e ban qu e t w h i c h I w i l l p r e p ar e f o r t h e m , an d t o m o r r o w I w i l l d o as t h e k i n g h as s ai d ." After the three days of fasting and prayer, the time had come for Esther to go to the king. What relief she must have felt when the king held out his scepter—the sign that she was welcome to come into his presence. The king told Esther that she could ask for anything she wanted; even up to half of his kingdom! God had given Esther a great amount of favor with the king. Esther may have thought she could ask the king for her petition right then and there, but she had a plan. She asked the king and his “right-hand man,” Haman, to come to a nice dinner in his honor. At that time, she would tell the king of her request. King Ahasuerus had a very nice time at the banquet. He asked Esther again to voice her request. Once more she delayed; she asked that the king and Haman come back the next day for another banquet. Have a Feast For this craft, you will need one “Have a Feast” template for each child in your class, gray cardstock, glue, scissors, construction paper, glitter, sequins or small paper shapes, and assorted magazines to cut out food items.