Trusting God's Plan When You Don't See Him: Lessons From the Book of EstherSýnishorn

Hate. That’s a pretty strong word, and it conjures up a lot of different feelings. Can you think of someone in your life that you don’t like? What about someone who really annoys you? Let’s take it a step further than that. Is there someone that you hate? If you’ve ever felt that way, why? What did that person or people do to you that you can’t seem to forgive? We’re about to meet the villain of our story who’s allowed hatred to rule his heart.

“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.” (Esther 3:1)

In the previous chapter, Mordecai had thwarted an assassination plot to kill King Xerxes, yet now, this guy named Haman enters our story. He’s suddenly getting the royal treatment, with the king’s officials bowing down and paying him honor wherever he goes because the king commands it. Um, I don’t remember them doing that for Mordecai. Everybody is bowing down to Haman, but not Mordecai. Why? It’s time for a little history lesson.

Did you notice in Haman’s introduction that he was called the Agagite? An Agagite is a descendant of King Agag, the ruler of Israel’s enemy called the Amalekites. This group of people attacked the Israelites in the desert after they escaped from Egypt. In fact, Israel waged its first battle as a nation against the Amalekites.

Haman is a descendant of the Amalekites. Mordecai was not about to bow down to this man. It’s possible that “paying honor” to Haman was a type of worship that would have been strictly forbidden by Jewish law, yet another plausible reason why Mordecai did not bow down to Haman.

When the king’s nobles noticed Mordecai’s actions, they made sure to tell Haman that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman had made it clear what he thought of Jews otherwise they wouldn’t have mentioned that key description.“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.” (Esther 3:6)

Talk about a serious grudge! Sure, Hamas is full of pride and furious Mordecai won’t bow down to him, but his racism and hatred go deep. He wants to wipe out an entire race of people. This kind of evil has followed the Jewish nation throughout history. And sadly, Haman has the power to do something about it. In tomorrow’s reading, we’ll see just what he plans on doing.

Questions:

1. What do you believe influenced Mordecai's decision not to bow down to Haman?

2. If you faced a moral dilemma like Mordecai’s, how would you handle it? If you faced the possibility of death, would you still adhere to your convictions?

3. How did Haman's background shape his prejudice, and what prevented him from overcoming his hatred?