Haman continues to plot
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 gallows built, seventy-five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built.
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). These words of wisdom warn us not to copy the folly of Haman. God brings down the proud. He humbles those who glorify themselves for what they have and who are blind to the goodness of the Creator, who gives everything they have. In this section we also see how the sins of jealousy and holding a grudge can blot out a person’s enjoyment of life. Outwardly Haman had everything going for him. He had riches, prestige, and power. He had the special honor of a private banquet with the king and queen. But because of the rage within him, he wasn’t able to enjoy what he had. Resentment and an unforgiving spirit were like acid inside Haman; they ate away at any happiness he might have found in his exalted position. Only revenge could give him the satisfaction he desired.
Haman found his joy not in the many good things that he had, but in the plotting of the destruction of the hated Jew Mordecai. There was no sensible reason for a 75-foot gallows (literally, “50 cubits”), so we can offer no explanation for it other than the senselessness of Haman’s rage. The height of the gallows is not mentioned in the narrative part of the text but only in the words of the speakers. Consequently, some commentators have suggested that the 75 feet is not to be taken literally but is the kind of language we use when we say, “That box weighs a ton,” or “I’ve told you a million times.” Nevertheless, the extreme size seems to fit Haman’s tremendous ego.
As he prepared the gallows, Haman blindly plowed ahead, oblivious to the fact that he was preparing the instrument of his own destruction.