Haman's Wicked Plan

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Introduction

First of all, want to congratulate Emma Weyant on winning the silver in the 400 IM at the Olympics yesterday!

Emma grew up really close to here, swimming for the Sharks just a hundred yards from here and many of you have known their family

Pretty cool!

WSC 11: What are God’s works of providence?

God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

This morning, as we turn to Esther 3, we are looking at a passage where God’s providence can be hard to see

Even this week I’ve been left reflecting on this

Most of you received the email that several people in our congregation, including several students who went to our middle school camp, have tested positive for COVID this week

Effected our family because I was supposed to be speaking at a middle school camp in North Carolina this week

So we made it as far as Atlanta before turning the van around and driving back to Sarasota

Then on Friday at like 5:00pm, our washing machine broke

Of course everyone is gone for the weekend

And this was a pretty new washing machine

Then just yesterday I was at the gym

When I workout, I tend to listen to audiobooks or podcasts

Yesterday I was listening to a new episode of a podcast I really like and thought, ”This would be a fun episode to discuss with the guy who introduced me to the podcast”

But then, as I thought about this guy, I started to get choked up

He and his wife are some of the most amazing people I’ve ever known and their deepest longing is to be parents

And yet they have fought infertility, been through surgeries and adoptions that have fallen through just as they were letting themselves get hopeful

How, in situations like this - and I could name many more from childhood cancer to a car crash to many other experiences in life - how is God in control?

How do we understand it when it says that God is holy, wise and powerful?

If he is those things, why?

And all of you know, as I do, that there are no simple answers here

For me, there is one verse that I find hopeful and helpful with these questions that I can’t answer

Will not the Judge of all the earth do right (Gen 18:25)?

That verse doesn’t make it all better or eliminate sorrow and hurt

But it can be a helpful reminder that God is sovereignty in control of all things - and he is good

As we turn to Esther 3:6-15, we are going to encounter a similar need to trust in the providence of God when neither those in the midst of the events and for us can’t see what God is doing

Reminder of Context

Before we read, let me remind us of where we are in the narrative

King Ahasuerus, better known as King Xerxes banished his wife because she failed to obey his most unjust request and then he lost of a massive battle to Greece

He got home kinda with his tail between his legs and needs to re-establish his superiority

Part of that is to appoint Haman as his second in command

Haman now expects to be honored and bowed down to, which everyone does

Well, everyone except for one guy - Mordecai

And Mordecai, it just so happens, had previously saved the king’s life but uncovering a plot to assassinate the king

Haman is livid and vows to punish not only Mordecai, but also all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews

Now, to understand why he reacted so strongly, you will have to go and listen to the last message in this series

But in verse 10 that we are about to read, Haman is called the “enemy of the Jews”

But suffice it to say for our purposes now, the people of Haman and the people of Mordecai have been feuding for over a thousand years at this point

So with that, let’s read Esther 3:6-15

Scripture Reading (Esther 3:6-15)

Esther 3:6–15 (ESV): But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them. 9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

12 Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

Walk through the passage

Haman’s wicked plan and the tactics to get it approved

Insightful to look at Haman’s tactics to get what he wanted because we often encounter similar tactics to convince us to do what is wrong

Tactic 1: Cast lots

In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the 12th year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the 12th month, which is the month of Adar (vs7).

Get fate or the gods on your side

Hope the stars align to get what you want

Waits almost a year!

Now, you could think that maybe over a year, his anger would subside some

But all it does it fire him up further as he is looking for the perfect time for his vengeance

Haman may not be superstitious, but he is a little stitious

In some ways, this may be the most overtly “spiritual” act in the whole book as Haman is hoping for fate to reveal exactly when to enact his vengeance

Tactic 2: Be vague

Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people” (vs8)

Certain people - doesn’t identify who these people are

Scattered abroad - not really anything to worry about here at home and ignores that some of these people (including the true target of Mordecai!) work for the king right there in the city

Dispersed among the people - but they are working their way through and infecting others

Laws are different - wouldn’t that be true of all the different peoples conquered by Xerxes?

Tactic 3: Appeal to king’s ego

“… and they do not keep the king‘s laws…” (vs8)

Do not keep the king’s laws - without ever specifying any particular transgression

But this isn’t even true - haven’t we already seen that the Jews who had not returned to Jerusalem were trying to be assimilated and fit in?

But how does truthfulness even matter here?

What matters is that he is appealing to the king’s sensibilities that he should be obeyed in any and all circumstances

He deserves their undying loyalty and obedience

After all, it was failing to obey the king’s command that got Vashti dethroned and banished from the kingdom!

Tactic 4: Appeal to the pocket

“If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries” (vs9).

Failed attack on Greece probably cost a ton of money

Not to mention the cost of those parties he keeps throwing

It is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them

Inference: everything exists for king’s profit and king’s pleasure

And these undescribed people are not carrying their weight!

I will pay 10,000 talents of silver

When all else fails, buy the king off

Pause for a moment: Where would Haman even get that kind of money?

Talent is a measurement of weight

Denarii was 1 day’s wage

Talent = 6000 denarii

So, roughly, one talent is equal to 3 year’s of working!

10,000 talents x 3 years/talent = ~30,000 years of working!

750,000 pounds - or 375 tons - of silver!

Estimates place that at about $3-6 billion in today’s money

This is, in short, about 2/3 of the annual tax revenue of the entire Persian kingdom

But notice that Xerxes never - not even once - appears to pause and wonder where that money is coming from!

Oh wait, did I skip a phrase in verse 9?

Tactic 5: Bury the real request

“If it please the king, let is be decreed that they be destroyed” (vs9)

Finally we get to what Haman actually wants - his actual plan

He sneaks it into the middle of a statement about how this is for the king’s profit and his bribe offer

So what does Haman want?

To commit genocide - to exterminate all the Jews

But notice that he still never tells Xerxes who “they” are!

What do we learn from Haman’s tactics?

How does Haman seek to manipulate Xerxes?

Cast lots to get fate on your side

Be vague and non-specific

Things feel less wrong when they are less tangible, less specific

Appeal to ego

Yesterday watching The Pilgrim’s Progress with Jeremiah and was impressed at how small appeals to ego and pride distract Christian

“Oh, you shouldn’t be so modest”

“Well, if I do say so myself...”

Appeal to the pocket - tempt with money

Bury the real request

Template for how evil works for us

Each of those is a pretty subtle tactic to get what you want

But isn’t that often the way of evil?

I know better, so why do I often feel like certain temptations sneak up on me?

To paraphrase Paul from Romans 7, “I know what I’m supposed to do and I don’t do it. I know what I’m not supposed to do but I keep doing those things. And I hate it!”

But immediately before that, Paul writes, “For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me” (Rom 7:11).

Did you hear that phrase about sin “seizing an opportunity”

It is through tactics like this that evil - and the Evil One - seek to seize an opportunity

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Task for us is to be alert, be on guard

We’re going to be looking at spiritual warfare in coming weeks in Ephesians 6

Challenge you to use that as an opportunity to learn how to be ever on alert

Xerxes signs off

And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you” (vs11).

And just like that, Xerxes signs off and tells Haman to do whatever he wants

He can’t be bothered by details, but he can be bothered to make sure that anyone who won’t obey him is punished, especially if he stands to get richer on the whole deal

The Edict

Letter is drafted and sent

And just like that, before giving the king any time to reconsider, Haman drafts a letter and gets it sent in every language and to every corner of the Persian kingdom

Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods (Vs13).

Content of the letter

And what is the content of the letter here?

To destroy, to kill and to annihilate all Jews - men, women and children

And to plunder them

Couple of things to notice here

The timeline

Up in verse 7, Haman has people start casting lots in month of Nadir (first month of the year) until the month of Adar (last month of the year

Now back in Nadir (beginning of the next year)

But genocide not scheduled until Adar, almost a full year away again

Now there are four things happening simultaneously as it pertains to this period of time

Haman has cast the lots and is trusting fate to be on his side

This extended stretch of time makes sure the edict can reach to the whole kingdom to coordinate the attacks together - no place is left out

Imagine the reaction of Jews living hundreds of miles away

Imagine the fear and tread they must have had waking up each morning

Kids with the Christmas countdown chain where kids tear off one each day until it is Christmas, allowing the anticipation to grow

The opposite must have happened with dread growing each day as it counted down to the appointed day

The delay in time, in a way that no one experiencing this could have known, provided the time for God to work out his plan of redemption!

Hope this is an encouragement to us when we are caught in suffering or sorrow and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel

God is playing the long game and working things out for his glory and our good, often in ways we can’t see and couldn’t even imagine if we tried

Method of delivery

Second, notice that the language here about how this letter is distributed is a near identical match to how the letter to scold Vashti in chapter 1 was distributed

Only mention that because we will see that description of how a letter is sent one more time in the book of Esther

Two outcomes in Susa

The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion (vs15).

The city was thrown into confusion

Not everyone wanted this or agreed with it, but what could they do?

Haman and Xerxes sit down for a beer

Haman thinks he has won

Xerxes either doesn’t know or doesn’t care what chaos he just authorized

A Better King

While Xerxes either does know about the pain, sorrow, suffering and confusion he has just caused… or simply doesn’t care

Our King weeps over people lost in sin and suffering

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:37-39).

Two things here separate king Xerxes from King Jesus

Xerxes doesn’t care about the harm he is causing

Jesus weeps over a city lost in sin and suffering

Xerxes sentences an entire people to death for failing to profit him enough

Jesus is sentenced to death for an entire people who were in a debt they could never repay

On Providence

Let’s end where we started

There are many moments where may can’t see or can’t understand what God is doing

How is this for his glory or for my good?

And yet, it is the heart of our King that separates him from any earthly power

He weeps with us and for us in our sorrows

And he alone can make all things right again

Because our King lives now and forevermore!

Pray