RISE OF A MAN AND CRISIS OF THE JEWS

Esther 3:1-15 / Keywords 3:2

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.

 

Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

3:1 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.

7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on[a] the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents[b] of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”

10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

12 Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. 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. 14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.

15 The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

Footnotes

a. Esther 3:7 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have And the lot fell on.

b. Esther 3:9 That is, about 375 tons or about 340 metric tons

1. Some years passed since Esther became the queen (1:3, 2:12, 3:7). King Xerxes elevated a man named Haman to a position second only to the king. Haman was rewarded with the highest tribute, and everyone was to kneel and pay him honor. The action did not mean a simple show of respect. 'Paying honor' meant more like worshiping the object. The book of Esther does not explain the political background of such an extravagant decree, but Mordecai feared the Lord and chose to honor him above the king's command (Ex 20:3,4).

 

2. Mordecai's choice brought significant consequences. The enraged Haman wanted to kill all of Mordecai's people. He appealed to the king to issue a decree to commit genocide against Jews in every province to uphold the king's law and authority (8). The king agreed, and the date was selected for the annihilation (7,17). When the edict was issued, the city of Susa was bewildered (15).

 

3. Choosing to honor the Lord can be costly. However, when we choose to honor God, he will also honor us, and we will see his justice (1 Sam 2:30). What choices are you facing today? Are you willing to make a choice that honors the Lord?

 

Prayer Father, please help me to have the courage to honor you before calculating the cost, trust that you are in control, and you are my reward.

One Word Choose to honor the Lord