Esther 3
By Pastor David Groendyk

If the principal theme of yesterday’s chapter was, “Will God’s people identify themselves with the Lord and love him more than they love the world or even their own lives?” then the theme of today’s chapter is, “What will the world do to those who do identify with the Lord and love him?” The answer is: hate them. Another great reversal happens in Esther 3—Mordecai the rescuer now has his life threatened, while Haman the exterminator gets promoted and praised.

Five years after Esther is made queen, we’re introduced to somebody new—Haman. From here on out, Haman is the central villain of the book of Esther. Haman rapidly ascends the ranks of officials in King Ahasuerus’ court, and nearly everybody in the land pays homage to him (v. 1). Mordecai is the lone exception (v. 2). When Haman hears about it, he sees red, and his response is to come up with a plan for an empire-wide genocide the likes of the Holocaust (vv. 5–6). It’s hard to know what Haman’s motives are exactly, whether he’s hated the Jews all along and this one incident is simply an excuse for carrying out a plan he’s always wanted to do, or perhaps he’s is just really petty and loves revenge. Regardless, he begins regularly consulting the fates by casting lots in order to determine the best time to carry out his plan (v. 7). Little does he know that every lot cast is determined by the Lord (Prov. 16:33). Nevertheless, Haman is excited that the dice finally land his way, and he makes his proposal to the king (vv. 8–9). King Ahasuerus gives Haman essentially limitless authority to carry out this genocide seemingly without asking any details (vv. 10–11). The king is only concerned about the blind submission of his citizens and his bottom-line dollars and cents (v. 8b). If you follow the timeline of verses 12–13, the extermination of the Jews will take place in about 11 months. The edict gets sent out, the city of Susa is thrown into utter confusion (apparently not everyone was against the Jews!), and Ahasuerus and Haman sit back and enjoy a drink after a hard day’s work (v. 15).

What do we take away from this plot of Haman? First, notice some details about ancestry. Haman is an Agagite, that is, a descendant of Agag the Amalekite from 1 Samuel 15. Who was the Israelite king that fought against Agag? Saul, the son of Kish, a Benjaminate. Coincidentally, that is the exact same tribe and family as Mordecai (Esth. 2:5). This wicked plot of Haman is another chapter in the long story of God’s people at war with the world, a war that stretches all the way back to the garden of Eden when God told Satan that the seed of the serpent would constantly have enmity against the seed of the woman. Mordecai vs. Haman is just another earthly iteration of the spiritual war between God and Satan. It reminds us that our true enemy is not an earthly or physical one; our true enemy is spiritual. When we face the opposition that comes along with choosing to identify with the Lord, to align ourselves with him, to love him more than the world or our own lives, to live by the law of God, and to worship Christ as our Savior and Lord, it is imperative that we remember our battle is spiritual not physical.

Second, it is imperative to remember how God’s word to Satan in Eden has been fulfilled. Christ, the true seed of the woman, has crushed Satan by his death on the cross and resurrection. Unlike Mordecai and Esther, we live in an age of fulfillment. Jesus has triumphed over the powers and authorities of darkness and Satan himself and put them to open shame by canceling our record of debt and forgiving us (Col. 2:13–15). Therefore, you can anticipate the end of the story. You can anticipate the end of Esther. You can anticipate the end of your life. And you can anticipate the end of history. God triumphs! Do not fear what men and women can do to your body today, because you know what God will do with both your body and soul for eternity. Remember the end, and let it give you the courage to face the opposition.