Esther 3:2-6 and 13
3 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.
3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes…
13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.
I find it heard to believe that a human being, Haman, would actually plan the extermination of an entire race of people including women and children simply because one man wouldn’t bow or pay homage to him. But there are many things that I find so wicked and cruel I can’t believe any human being would ever act out or even dream of doing, but they do.
We live in a broken world. The bible repeatedly warms us to be ever prayerful and on guard.
Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
The first lesson from this study of biblical text is that evil permeates our world – we need to be ever mindful of it and on the alert to act when needed to keep wicked schemes from materializing.
The story of Esther also reminds us of God’s provision even in the face of evil. As we will soon study, Esther and all the Jews fast and pray appealing to a mighty God who intervenes to thwart this wicked plan.
Proverbs 12:2
Good people obtain favor from the LORD, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.
Commentaries lend some insight into Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to Haman. Some commentaries support that Haman was desiring not just a sign of respect from the nobles and people of Susa, but homage akin to worship {1}. Others suggest that Mordecai knew of Haman’s wicked ways and that he refused to bow as an issue of personal integrity {2}.
The only clue that is really clear from scripture lies in verse 4 when Mordecai told the royal officials he was a Jew.
This made me stop and ponder… Mordecai forbade Esther from revealing her nationality, but when firmly pressed by the royal officials on a daily basis, he reveals his identity, Mordecai is a Jew.
Have you ever been forced to take a stand on something unpopular and been hard pressed to reveal your reasoning? Or have you ever given your reasons for doing something when really you should not have to explain yourself? I have.
It was uncomfortable, difficult, eye-opening, and in the end, God used it to teach me some important lessons.
I think Mordecai is experiencing this pressure daily as he takes a stand against Haman. Mordecai knows the risk of revealing his nationality (he forbade Esther to reveal hers) but he eventually gives in. Had he not revealed his nationality or offered a different reason for not bowing to Haman this story may never have been told.
God used Mordecai in the midst of taking a difficult stand against the unrighteous and He can use you and He can use me.
2 Corinthians 4:8
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
Now Haman is a descendant of King Agag. In I Samuel 15:32 and 33, King Saul was told by God to utterly destroy the Amalekites. The Amalekites came from the concubine son of Esau. King Agag was eventually brought before Saul and killed. However, Saul failed to kill all of the Amalekites, bacause 300 years later, 500 men from the tribe of Simeon kill the rest of the Amalekites as recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:43 {3}. This explains how Haman could be a descendant of Agag and it explains why as an Amalekite, Haman would have a reason to hate the Jews.
I think the second lesson here is to not carry hate in our hearts. Commentaries speak to Haman’s pride and insecurity. A person who suffers from either or both of these character flaws should confess their need and take their broken heart to the cross for healing and restoration.
“Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them.
Despite the conflict between these two men and the evil plot to destroy thousands of innocent lives, God had a plan. Miraculously, Haman decides to determine the date for destruction by casting lots and the death wish for the Jews is announced nearly a full year before the scheduled extermination. God stepped in and allowed ample time for His people to respond and act in the face of this wicked scheme.
“Haman… published a whole year in advance his intention of exterminating the Jews. Archaeology, however, has uncovered dramatic information on how this happened. “Haman’s method for fixing the date for the destruction of the Jews has been revealed by excavations at Susa (Shushan) by M. Dieulafoy, who actually recovered one of those quadrangular prisms engraved with the numbers 1, 2, 5 and 6. The word `pur’ is derived from the Persian puru, that is, `lot’; and it is now known that `they cast Pur’ (Esther 3:7) means that they cast lots.” This fully explains why almost a year elapsed between Haman’s decision to massacre the Jews, which he published at once, and the date set for the execution of his ruthless plan.” {4}
Do you find yourself waiting for God to act? Sometimes the mere allotment of time is a gift in and of itself. Do not waste that time but redeem it by drawing closer to Him in the waiting.
I’d love to hear what these verses or even the book of Esther may have revealed to you. Please leave a message in the comments.
In His Grip,
Monica
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If you’d like to start at the beginning of this study, please go to:
Esther Schedule for Study
Esther Chapter 1
Esther Chapter 2
Esther Chapter 2 part 2
Images are from the movie “One Night with the King”. The movie plays out in elaborate detail the drama of the story of Esther. It’s fun to watch and a great catalyst for discussing the story of Esther.
{1} http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/esther/esther-3.html
{2} http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1703.htm
{3} http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/was-haman-really-an-agagite/
{4} http://www.studylight.org/com/bcc/view.cgi?book=es&chapter=003
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