Getting Even - Esther 3-4

Copyright January 12, 2025 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

You probably know someone (or are someone) who is involved in a feud with someone else. Something happened (or should have happened, and didn’t) that created a deep hurt, and this hurt angered you. And you may have held on to that hurt for a long time. . . perhaps you are still holding on to the hurt. You may know family members who have not talked to each other in years. Former business partners who will cross the street if they see the other coming. And there are even former church members who won’t talk to each other because of some past church conflict. We know such things should not happen. But they still do.

As we continue our study of the book of Esther we will see today what can happen when an offence like this turns deadly.

At the end of chapter two, Mordecai the cousin of Queen Esther, foiled an assassination plot against the King. We anticipate that Mordecai will be honored, but instead, as we get to chapter 3, Haman, a high official in Xerxes court, is the one who is honored.

CHAPTER 3 . . . Planned Genocide

Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. 2 All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.

3 Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4 They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. 6 He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. (Esther 3:1-6)

We don’t have an answer to the question: Why did Mordecai refuse to bow before Haman as commanded by the King? He didn’t do this just once, he did over and over. We are told the other officals kept asking why Mordecai would not honor Haman.

One suggestion is Mordecai was offended that Haman was honored rather than he was. But if you read the rest of the chapter, it doesn’t seem like that is the answer.

A second idea is Mordecai refused to worship or bow down before anyone but the Lord. This would be a response drawn from the Ten Commandments which contains a warning about idolatry. I think this is a reasonable explanation, and it might account for some of Haman’s hatred of the Jews and it would be consistent with some of the things Hamon said. We saw this same thing with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were told to bow before a statue of Nebuchadnezzar every time the band played. When everyone else was bowed, these three guys were still standing. They would not bow to anyone but the Lord.

However, it was not uncommon to show respect for those in authority, as long as they weren’t claiming divine prerogative.

Another possibility is that this lack of honor had something to with Haman’s family background. We are told Haman was an Agagite. Agag was the name of an Amalekite king who was captured by and then later spared by King Saul. Saul was supposed to destroy the whole community and yet he did not. This means Samuel had to take it upon himself to kill the king.

The conflict between Israel and the descendants of Agag (or the Amalekites) originated back even further. You can trace this conflict back to the twins of Issac and Rebekah. The twins competed with each other all the time. When Esau grew up, his descendants became the Amalekites and Jacob’s family became Israel. The book of Deuteronomy says the Amalekites were antagonists of Israel. Perhaps Mordecai remembered the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 25,

Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (25:17–19)

If these are the reasons for Mordecai’s actions it would explain why Mordecai told Esther not to reveal her nationality and why Mordecai would refuse to bow before Haman. It also explains why Haman reacted as out-of-proportion as he did. He was seeking vengeance for his forerunners! Any conclusion is at best, a guess. The author omits such information.

7 So in the month of April, during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later.

8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”

10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”

12 So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.

14 A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day. 15 At the king’s command, the decree went out by swift messengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa fell into confusion.

Haman, like Xerxes, was an expert at overreaction. He didn’t set out to get even with Mordecai, he wanted to wipe out all the Jews! (Which sounds like the command regarding the Amalekites. Because Haman was a pagan, he turned to superstition. He cast lots in the first month of the year to find out when would be the best time to annihilate the Jews. The lot fell to the last month of the year. Undoubtedly, God had a hand in providing the time needed to overcome the evil of Haman.

Haman must have believed he could manipulate Xerxes because he decided all of this before he even talked to the King. And he didn’t even tell Xerxes who the people were, just that these were a people who kept to themselves, had their own laws, and therefore would not obey the law of Xerxes. (There was no evidence that the Jews were anything but loyal subjects.) According to Haman it would be unwise and dangerous to let them live. But, in all of this, the truth that this was all about Haman being personally offended never surfaced.

Just in case Xerxes was unwilling to trust the newly promoted Haman, he offers to give the King an unbelievable amount of money to carry it out. We don’t know if Xerxes ever actually took the money. It is possible Haman was bluffing. He knew how vain Xerxes was and would never make it seem like he could not afford anything. On the other hand, we also know how materialistic the King was.

Xerxes gave the power to Haman to do as he wished. Haman decided that rather than have the army do the killing, he would enable some mob action toward the Jewish people. He gave them permission to kill their Jewish neighbors, and take all that belonged to them, including their property.

After word is sent out, the chapter ends with contrasting pictures. There is the indifference of Xerxes and Haman to the plight of the Jews as they sit down to drink. Meanwhile the people who lived in these provinces were confused as to why such an order would be given. Why were they being encouraged to massacre their friends and neighbors?

Israel’s Hope (Chapter 4)

When Mordecai heard what Haman planned he put on mourning clothes of sackcloth and ashes. I wonder if he felt guilty that his actions brought about this result? If he was refusing to bow to Haman because of the command not to worship anyone but the Lord, I wonder if he questioned God’s willingness to let his people face such a horrible fate.

Don’t we ask the same questions. If we are trying to do what is right, don’t we often ask why it doesn’t work out better?

Esther heard that Mordecai was walking around outside the citadel in sackcloth and ashes. It appears Xerxes did not want to see negative expression inside the palace complex, so Mordecai could only walk outside the wall. Esther knew nothing of what was going on. Mordecai knew more of what was happening in the palace than Esther who lived there!

Esther sent Mordecai better clothes to put on. Perhaps she didn’t want him to draw attention to himself. He refused. Esther (through her mediator Hathach) asked what was causing Mordecai such grief. He told Hathach the story and gave him a copy of the proclamation (which, because it was signed by the King’s seal . . . it could not be revoked). He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy from Xerxes and plead for her people.

9 So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.

10 Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 12 So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.

13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Notice the maturity of Esther here. Her time as Queen has helped her grow up. Esther remembers the story of Xerxes and Vashti. She is not about to presume to have any power with the King at all. She says, in essence, “Unless the King invites me into his presence (and it has been 30 days since he has done so), there is nothing I can do!”

Mordecai reminded her that she too is a Jew and just because she is the Queen didn’t mean she was exempt from the law. He made this powerful statement, “Maybe, you became Queen for just this moment. Maybe, like Joseph and so many others, God has raised your status so you could save Israel.”

Esther, showing her wisdom now says, “if I am going to do this, I need all of you to fast and pray. I will risk my life to go see the King but, ask people to pray that my timing would be perfect.” Esther had grown in her faith and is willing to step out in that faith, not recklessly but faithfully.

What Are We to Take from Esther 3 and 4?

Our decisions impact those around us. Since we don’t know why Mordecai acted the way he did, we have to be tentative about our first lesson. Depending on which way we lean in our understanding, we either see the danger and risk of holding a grudge, or we see the potential cost of living by God’s commands.

To hold a grudge is to deny forgiveness and grace to another. It is to hold on to anger and let it fester within us. We are commanded, as believers, not to do this. Holding an animosity in our hearts will rob us of joy and will poison other relationships around us. The Bible does say we can choose to sever ties with someone . . . if we have expressed our concerns to the person. Paul told Titus, “Warn a divisive person once, and then have nothing more to do with them.” (3:10) But we are not to continue to harbor bitterness towards someone. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” And we are told in several places to forgive one another as God has forgiven us. This is the only way to get rid of the poison that holding a grudge will bring.

If nothing else, we see that the choices we make and the way we respond to life will impact those around us. Sometimes the impact is negative (people see us and turn away because of our actions. Sometimes the impact is positive (people will be inspired by our choices), and sometimes, as in this case, the impact is potentially devastating.

Second, this account reminds us again of the reality of the deep sinfulness of men. How can people be so calloused toward others? We have seen it time and again in the world. If you put evil (or non-believing) people together there is no telling the kind of evil they can get into. This is why gangs are so dangerous. They encourage each other to greater wickedness. The same is true of the mob. This is why we must monitor those who we allow to influence us . . . whether they are friends, musicians, authors, classmates, politicians or anyone else. It certainly includes social media! The greatest and most significant influence in our lives should ALWAYS be the Lord!

In the same vein, we see here the scourge of prejudice. Can you grasp the fact that these men were so willing to wipe out an entire race of people over a perceived slight from one person. This attitude has caused despicable genocide all around the world. Once we consider someone “less significant” than we are, we are in danger of treating people shamefully. We have seen how certain groups of people are labelled and treated as if they hold less value than we do. This includes, race, nationality, income level, age, gender choices, political alliances and past failures. We can disagree with someone without concluding they have less worth than we do. God looked at ALL His creation and declared it to be good. Each person is created in God’s image and holds value commensurate with that.

It doesn’t matter the mistakes a person has made or the sin they have committed, they are still valued and treasured by the Lord. He has called us to do the same.

Third, it is always good to ask for prayer, but sometimes faith demands action. Esther was in a unique position to do something that no other human could. She was right to ask for prayer. However, there comes a time when we should prayerfully step forward in faith. Yes, it may be a bother. It is likely to be inconvenient. It could even be risky. But it is possible that God has placed us where we are for such a time as this. And this isn’t only true for saving a nation. He may put you right where you are to do other things.

· You may be the teacher that can help a child believe they are not defective, stupid, or worthless. You can be the one that helps them believe in themselves and embrace the fact that differences are wonderful rather than cursed.

· You may be the medical person who has the opportunity to intercede for a patient, or help them feel a sense of calm in the midst of anxious times.

· You may be the one called to speak up for someone who needs justice and either cannot speak for themselves, or no one will listen to them.

· You might be the one who is in the position to be a mediator when two people are at odds and not listening to each other.

· You may be the person who is called to share the gospel with someone who does not embrace or understand the truth of the gospel. You may be that last chance for someone to hear about Jesus at the end of their life.

· You may be the one who is sent someone’s way to help turn their lousy day into a special day just by affirming them in some genuine way.

God moves His people around so they can be of most use to Him. He often places us in just the right place or circumstance for “such a time as this. There was a piece written a long time ago that still speak powerfully today,

First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

Sometimes, we must take action.

Next week the story comes to a head as the “random things” that have happened so far, all of a sudden come together to show God’s sovereign hand was working all along. Stay tuned.