An Evil Plan

A Study of the Book of Esther

“An Evil Plan”

Esther 3:1-15

The history of mankind is filled with various attempts to destroy the people of Israel. For 4,000 years the Jewish people have faced relentless per-secution, opposition, and attempts to annihilate and destroy them; and in the future, the struggle against Israel continues. Some of the attempts are well known and some not so well know. Fernand and Isabelle of Spain, you perhaps remember as supporters of Columbus voyages to the New World but not so well known is that the same year as Columbus discovery they issued a decree calling for the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (31 March 1492, the Alhambra decree). The Russian progrom (Russia word for destruction) these harsh laws against the Jews in the late 1880’s and early 1900’s propelled mass Jewish emigration. Of course one of most destructive plots against the Jews is now referred to as “The Holocast” - which was carried out by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party as they set out to destroy the Jewish race in the 1930’s and 40’s and in just a few years had killed six million Jews, but the Jews survived as a people. And at the end of World War II the dream of establishing a state in their biblical home-land came true when the “Belfour Declaration” allowed the formation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. Almost immediately (the end of 1948), Israel's Arab neighbors invaded and tried to destroy the new state, and failed. In the 1967 war, (Egypt, Syria, Jordan) again tried to destroy Israel but failed again.

According to Bible prophecy there will be no let up of the persecution of God’s people and there will be no let-up in Satan’s campaign to destroy Israel. The following scenarios indicate Satan’s continued efforts when: the Anti-Christ confirms a 7-year treaty with Israel, making them think he is the Messiah (Dan. 9:24) Satan is cast out of Heaven and attempts to destroy Israel in the wilderness (Rev.12:13–17) the Anti-Christ demands Israel and the world worship him, the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15, 2 Thess. 2:3–4) the Anti-Christ brings the armies of the world against Jerusalem and Israel in Battle of Armageddon (Zech. 12:1–3) And finally Satan attempts to destroy the Holy City after the Millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 20:7-11).

Today’s text chronicles one such attempt to destroy all the Jews residing in the kingdom of Persia.

First, The Promotion of Haman. (3:1-6)

“After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, …the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

2 And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.”

These events occur four years after Esther becomes queen. We have thus far been introduced to the King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) and to the new Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai and now we are introduced to a new character named Haman who could be called “Haman the Hateful.” The designation that Haman was a “Agagite” (v. 1) was that he was a native of that country (an Amalekite) rather than that he was direct descendant of Agag the king. These are descendants of Esau (Edom) principally make up the Arabs of our day. Interest-ingly the descendants of Edom don’t appear again in the Bible until Herod (who was an Idumean- Edom) is mentioned as the king who tried to kill baby Jesus by having all the children around Bethlehem killed.

The king promoted Haman to a position, per-haps that of vizier, which was the second highest official in land, second only to the king. Now wait a minute! What is going on? Mordecai was the one who discovered the plot and saved the king’s life. So why is Mordecai passed over and Haman is getting the promotion. Because life is not always fair.

And to rub salt in the wound part of the pro-motion was that everyone was to bow and pay homage to him. That is everyone did except Mordecai, who refused to bow. The question is, Why? The king had commanded, everyone was doing it- but not Mordecai.

It is true that Mordecai had made compro-mises. He allowed for his cousin to become involved in the harem of a pagan king (how much he could do is not known). He told Esther to conceal her Jewishness (Esther 2:10). He apparently was a good servant of the king. But he had come as far as he could and he will go no further.

Some scholars maintain that it was because he did not want to bow before any man (human being). But that is offset by the fact that Mordecai had no qualms about bowing before Ahaseuras. Other scholars have argued that Mordecai was just being arrogant in his refusal or that he was jealous that Haman had been promoted and not himself. But there is no hint of those attitudes in the text.