Esther Study: Week 3

Reading: Esther Chapter 3

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Commentaries:

v1: Agagites were the descendents of king Agag of the Amelakites, who were ancient enemies of the Jews (see 1 Samuel 15:7-9; Deut 25:17-19).

v2: This scene reminds me of Daniel and his friends' refusal to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's statue, however the issue at stake for Mordecai likely wasn't idolatry but ethnic enmity. Despite cultural assimilation into the Persian empire, aspects of Jewish heritage held true.

v3-4: Mordecai was given many chances to back out of his conviction, we see that he was spoken to day after day. It is interesting that he revealed his Jewish heritage, the very thing he told Esther NOT to do.

v5-6: Hebrew word for anger, "Hamah" is twice attributed to the Haman and four times to Xerxes. But where Xerxes' anger always subsides, there is never a direct mention of Haman's anger dissipating. Haman was probably also aware of the racial hatred between the Jews and his own race.

v7: This was a very superstitious culture, Haman was essentially casting dice to find out which day and month of the year would be the most "lucky" to stage his attack on the Jews. The casting took place one day in the 1rst month, and the "lucky" date of attack was determined to be the 12th month. Note that the author conspicuously switches from using Persian months (Tebeth in ch2:16) to Hebrew months here (Nisan and Adar).

v8-9: Haman was a masterful liar (probably an evil psych major), he mixed in half truths and feigned concern for the king to make his lie more believable. Haman never referred directly to the Jews but made them anonymous and depersonalized by calling them "a certain people." This made the lie easier to swallow and genocide more palatable. Esther was able to easily pass as Persian; this implies that the Jews were well assimilated, obeyed the laws and customs of the land, and didn't stand out as lawbreakers as Haman insisted. Also, Mordecai was the only Jew who didn't bow to him. To say that it was not to the king's profit to tolerate them was also a lie, the king's own life was saved thanks to the work of the very same Jew Haman wanted to destroy. Haman ended his lie with flat out bribery, offering money he intended to plunder back from the Jews.

v10-11: While the king doesn't accept the bribe, he gave Haman something much more valuable than 10 000 talents of silver. Signet rings are a huge deal, Xerxes essentially gave Haman his own signature and carte blanche to write any decree he wanted in his name (see Esther 8:8).

v12: The timing is incredibly significant. The edict was written on the 13th day of the first month and was probably delivered to every corner of the empire the next day, which happens to be Passover - the most sacred holiday to the Jewish identity (Leviticus 23:4-5).

v13-14: Haman didn't want to just kill Mordecai, wasn't satisfied with destroying his people, he wanted to completely humiliate and terrorize the Jews. The death sentence was in 11 months' time; not only could he ruin Passover, but even get to gloat over their fears for 11 whole months. Most of the Jews' livelihood would have been tied to immovable assets, also the Persian empire was enormous and travel not nearly as convenient as today. Packing up and leaving was simply not an option for most.

v15: What kind of twisted personality does it take to plan the murder of hundred thousands of people, to then sit down and toast the genocide as if nothing was wrong? Keep this image firmly in mind in case you're tempted to feel sorry for Haman later on. We see that the Jews' Persian neighbours are sympathetic towards them as the capitol is thrown into chaos. They are being asked to murder their Jewish business partners, children's playmates, customers, students, and bosses (ok that last one may be understandable) for no apparent reason or explanation.
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Reflections:

Ever see people honoured who don't deserve it? How does it make you feel?

Do you have any principles you refuse to compromise on? Has these principles ever been subjected to daily testing like Mordecai's was? Keeping in mind that Mordecai was the only Jew who didn't bend knees, yet the entire Jewish nation suffered the consequences of his conviction; what would you have done in his shoes? Notice any similarity with Vashti when she stood up for her principles and every other women suffered? Is this situation different? When do you feel it's ok to compromise your values, when do you conceal them, and when should you courageously stand firm?

Was Mordecai being hypocritical in doing what he told Esther not to do? Why might it have been right for him to reveal what he himself advised Esther to conceal?

Haman noticed his insubordination only because Mordecai's coworkers reported him - out of malicious curiosity to see what would happen. Notice any similarities between this and gossip? How might gossip prove more damaging than we expect?

Verse 5, meet a man who took himself way too seriously. He was probably short. And ugly. With a wart on his face somewhere. Okok I made that up, but insecurities (including those concerning our bodies) do tend to make us overreact to small situations. The threat wasn't national, as Haman would have Xerxes believe, but entirely personal. One commentator suggests that Haman was angered because of his "gigantic self regard and his exaggerated fear of disgrace," can anyone else resonate with this? Examples?

Why might the inspired author make the intentional switch from using Persian months to God's time table to reference a threat to His people in v7 (Nisan and Adar are Jewish months)? Hint: see Proverbs 16:33 and John 19:11

Do you ever give people unquestioned, absolute power over yourself (signet rings)? Perhaps not in form of passive submission, but in how completely they can affect your moods, perspectives, and decisions. Good thing or not?

Haman's lie sounded pretty fishy to me, why might Xerxes have accepted his words so completely? Perhaps he simply couldn't afford to risk the open rebellion his advisor was insinuating. Xerxes' influence was diminishing at this point and his hold on the throne was tenuous after the humiliation of Vashti, 2 Greek defeats, and an assassination plot within his own palace. Fear leads to irrational decisions. Have you ever made a fear driven decision that made no sense afterward when you could think clearly?

Imagine yourself a Jew, you receive news of the death sentence the same day you hear the story of your people's deliverance from Egyptian slavery. Fear of impending death in 11 months..how would you feel? How might recounting personal stories of past victories and deliverance strengthen us for present/future threats and anxieties?

How do you think the imminent threat affected the jewish community?

Haman's orders were essentially to steal, kill, and destroy; notice any interesting parallels? (see John 10:10)

Ever seen someone who's hurt you apparently celebrate your injury? Or perhaps they're oblivious to the fact that they're the reason for your pains and suffering and wonders why you are the way you are?