King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite…all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman…But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.
Esther 3
We are introduced to a man, Haman, who is a high official in the king’s court. Ahasuerus really liked Haman and, had, recently, promoted him to the number 2 position in his kingdom. Ahasuerus commanded those who sat at the king’s gate to pay homage to Haman when he came in or exited the king’s gate. In this Holy Spirit inspired book, God uses only a few words to tell us a lot about Haman. We read that Haman was an Agagite, a descendant of king Agag whom king Saul had defeated. Samuel, the last judge of Israel, now prophet, had instructed Saul to kill all animals and humans when they defeated king Agag. But, Saul disobeyed and some from Agag’s family escaped. This Haman is now in a position of power where he could bring about a slaughter of the Jews. Mordecai defies king Ahasuerus’s command by not paying homage to Haman. There is no explanation for Mordecai’s disobedience here, only that Mordecai told those at the king’s gate that he was “a Jew.” This disobedience by Mordecai was told to Haman and Haman was filled with rage. The stage is now set for a persecution to extinction of the Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. Remember, the Jews are not captives in Ahasuerus’ kingdom and were able to live wherever they desired. The call by God for His people to return from exile had been ignored by many and, now, they are vulnerable to people like Haman who wants revenge for his people’s “murders.” The plot thickens with Haman going to the king to tell him of a people in his kingdom who live by different laws than the king’s and, therefore, are “not profitable” for the king to tolerate their presence in his kingdom. Ahasuerus gives the disposition of these people over to Haman who has an edict written to eradicate the Jews from the kingdom. The king’s seal is placed upon all copies of the decree that are sent out to all the provinces of the kingdom and a day is set for the Jews to be eradicated. Recent history has shown the world that God’s people continue to be hated and sought out for extinction. Christians are also part of that hatred because Satan seeks to strike at God by killing His people. This hatred will become more prevalent and has already begun to increase in our day. But, Christians must remember that this world is NOT our home. The world to come is! Let us look for the coming of our Savior and Lord Jesus which could happen at any time now. Come, Lord Jesus, come!!
Source: S C Ball September 12, 2023
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