Esther 3:1-15. In today’s reading the plot starts to unfold. We have already been in suspense with Esther not telling anyone she is a Jew and with Mordecai sitting at the gate of the palace. Remember too that Mordecai had done a great favor to Xerxes by foiling an assassination attempt. But now the plot turns. We meet a new character, Haman, and he is being promoted by king Xerxes. We are also told that he was an Agagite. Agag was a king of the Amelikites at the same time that Saul was king of Israel (Saul was the first king of Israel, 1050-1010 BC). During his reign Saul disobeyed God on a couple of occasions that led to his removal as king by God. One of the times involved Agag. When Israel had wandered in the desert (See the “Old Testament Connection”) they were attacked several times by the Amelikites. During one such raid God promised Moses that he would eventually completely destroy the Amelikites (Exodus 17:8-14). Years later (Almost exactly 400 years later) Saul was given the task by God of destroying the Amelikites. When he cqptured their king, Agag, he did not kill him as he had been told to do, resulting in a curse from God. Samuel the prophet finished the job but there must have been other Amelikites still alive because here in Esther, almost 600 years later we meet Haman, the Agagite. The use of that term, instead of Amelikite, was probably designed to cause the reader to remember the story of Agag from 1 Samuel 15. Any Jewish person reading this story would also remember that Saul was from the tribe or family of Benjamin, the same tribe Mordecai was from. So here we have an old rivalry (out right hatred really) raising it’s head in our story.
When Haman was promoted Xerxes gave orders that all the “king’s servants at the king’s gate” were to bow down and worship Haman. Mordecai refused however. When challenged he answered that it was because he was a Jew. Interesting how he instructed Esther not to tell she was a Jew but here he comes right out and tells all the other servants of the king. Mordecai’s refusal might have been because Haman was a Agagite but it is more likely that he did not want to break God’s commandment in Exodus 20:4-5. Just because Haman was a man does not mean that he could not also be an idol, many people worship other people or even themselves. When Mordecai’s actions were reported to Haman he became enraged, notice though that he did not grab Mordecai and punish him right away. His reason was because he wanted to get all the Jews not just Mordecai.
Notice that according to verse 7 we are now in the 12th year of King Xerxes. Haman was cating lots (pur) to set dates for important events on the next years calendar. He didn’t sit around playing dice for a whole year he threw the dice to see when things were going to happen for the next year. This was a common custom in that part of the world at that time. Think of it as drawing straws or playing rock, paper, scissors to make a decision. For one particular event he came up with the month Adar, the twelfth month of the year. In verses 8-15 we see just what that event was, the extermination of the Jews in Xerxes kingdom. When Haman made the proposal to Xerxes he offered to pay Xerxes 10,000 talents of silver. A talent weighed about 81½ pounds making the offer more than 810,000 pounds of silver. At today’s price that would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 million dollars, that’s a lot of hatred. Xerxes gave Haman permission to kill the Jews but told him to keep his money. Verse 12 tells us that haman uses the kings authority to issue a decree that on the 13 day of Adar it was open season on the Jews, kill them and keep their stuff. After issuing the decree Haman when t back and hung out with Xerxes, sipping wine in the palace. In the mean time the whole capital was in an uproar or confusion.
It makes you wonder why Mordecai didn’t just avoid Haman. Did he never bow before a king? Couldn’t he have bowed before Haman without actually worshipping him? And then why did he drag all the Jews into the mess with him? I’m not saying that I think that Mordecai should have compromised but it just makes me wonder how he could send his cousin off to an adulterer but then hold the high road on bowing to Haman. Whatever the reasons the stage was set, trouble was on it’s way. If anyone was wondering why Esther was keeping quiet about who she was, now certainly was no time to tell, or was it? We will see in the coming readings what Esther does about being a Jew in the face of mass extermination.
A couple of things stand out to me in today’s story. First disobedience to God has consequences and sometimes the consequences affect people a long time after we disobey and a long way away. God alone can see everything at one time for all time. He alone knows where all actions lead so it is wise to listen to him. Second, in our story we have seen Xerxes being influenced over and over again by the other characters in his world. And the results have been nothing but trouble. With one exception so far, when he listened to Mordecai it thwarted an assassination. Bad advise results in bad things happening. We need to be careful to listen for God’s wise voice and avoid the selfish voices of those around us. In Proverbs we are told there is wisdom in many counselors (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22). But we are also told that respecting God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). So we see a balance, get advise, but form people who love God and want what he wants not what they want. And always compare the advise with God’s word the Bible otherwise your world too, might be I an uproar.
God help me work hard at understanding what you want me to do. Help me listen to others but always filter what they say through your word. Give me wisdom, make me a peace maker, peace between men but especially peace between you and others.