The
Power of an Evil Man
Book
of Esther 3 -4
A
man once wrote: Power. It’s what everybody wants, right? That’s
the story at least. Money, political influence, weapons, power to
intimidate, power to make people do things, power to build things,
power to get things done.
On
a theological level, God is the most powerful “entity” in all the
universe. In addition to His omnipotence, God is also purely good.
Therefore
power, at its core, is not evil!
So,
power is not evil. It just needs to be used rightly, which means
shared, cooperatively and creatively, for the sake of the common
good.
We
should not fear power; we should only fear its misdirection!
Today
we see a man named Haman who attempted to use power in an evil way.
We
can be sure Satan was behind this thing because he could stop the
first coming of the Messiah if the Jews were wiped out.
These
Jewish people in Persia were the greater part of the tribe of Judah
and Benjamin.
*****Est
3:1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of
Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all
the princes that were with him.
We
might first say after what things. After Esther had become Queen of
Persia and after Mordecai had overheard, a plot to overthrow the King
and had warned him through Queen Esther.
It
is after these things that the story of Haman begins.
If
we look back to the time of Moses as he was leading the children of
Israel, there was a man called Balaam who first mentions an Agag,
King of Amalekites.
Num
24:7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall
be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his
kingdom shall be exalted.
The
title Agag is used much like we use the title President.
It
is these same Amalekites that God told King Saul to eliminate from
this world.
That
sounds harsh but God said they were so evil they would never come to
any good. God Knows!!!!!!!
1Sa_15:8
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly
destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
1Sa_15:9
But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and
of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was
good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was
vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1Sa_15:20
And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD,
and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag
the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1Sa_15:32
Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the
Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely
the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa_15:33
And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall
thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces
before the LORD in Gilgal.
Some
of these people were allowed to escape each time Israel faced them.
The
truth is we can be certain that Satan was behind these Amalekites in
an attempt to destroy the nation of Israel before they could even
become a legitimate nation!
Haman
was the descendant of one of those who got away and no doubt he had
retained that hatred for God's people and Satan would use him to try
to eliminate the tribe of Judah from which came our Savior.
By
means we can be sure were not legal, Haman had advanced to be second
in command of politics in the nation of Persia that included 127
provinces.
Haman
was a very rich man and used his wealth to buy his way into most all
things.
Haman
craved recognition and as we will see had the traits of Lucifer who
now is called Satan, the Devil.
*****Est
3:2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate,
bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning
him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
We
can believe that the Persian kings had allowed each nation that had
been captured to worship in their own ways because it helped to keep
the nation to be peaceful.
Every
nation today should allow freedom to worship and punish those who
persecute any religion.
The
kings of Persia were like many rulers, that is, they felt they were
on the level of gods.
There
are even stories of Greeks who were put to death for not treating
King Darius as a god.
These
things still go on today by rulers of some nations.
Mordecai
was an obedient Jew and he would not go against the Word of God!
Exo
20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo
20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo
20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo
20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I
the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me;
Exo
20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep
my commandments.
We
must understand that we serve this same jealous God today!
Mordecai
refused to bow to Haman, nor did he reverence him, and this did not
mean Mordecai was some rebel, for we can see that he also had some
ranking in the government of Persia.
Haman
was just another rich man who demanded to be recognized for some
imaginary gift, when he was just full of self-pride.
*****Est
3:3 Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said
unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?
Est
3:4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he
hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether
Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a
Jew.
It
is easy to see that Haman had inherited his hatred for the Jews and
he would do anything to rid the world of Jews. As we know there are
many Hamans in the world today and even some miss Hamans who would do
anything they could to rid the world of Jews and they are just
seeking their own destruction as did Haman.
Because
of this hatred, Haman came up with a scheme to legally kill all Jews
in the Persian Empire.
Haman
thought so highly of himself and so lowly of the king, that he
thought he could pull one over on the king.
He
did not yet realize that the queen was a Jew by birth.
No
doubt this evil man demanded reverence for all those he looked down
upon
All
those others in the court of the king first cautioned Mordecai, then
became just as evil as Haman when they took it upon their own to
meddle in the affairs of Mordecai.
Mordecai
just said that He was a Jew which meant there was already a law for
the people to safely worship their own deities.
What
was the law of God?
Exo
20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo
20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo
20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo
20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I
the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me;
Exo
20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep
my commandments.
No
doubt Mordecai understood the Word of God and he was not about to let
this evil man over rule the Word of God.
The
day is coming in America and now is, that as Christians we must take
a stand on the Word of God even if our own government demand we turn
our backs on the Lord.
We
will always have those that think they are do themselves a big favor,
by running to tell the government what they see.
These
are not whistle blowers, these are only fools looking to better
themselves at the expense of the Christian.
Pro_16:19
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to
divide the spoil with the proud.
According
to God's plan, Mordecai had informed Esther of the plot to kill the
king, but it was not well known especially to Haman.
The
devils plan to eliminate the Jews could not overcome the plan of God!
When
we look back in history, we will see many a man trying to give us an
English translation, put in jail, or murdered, rather than bow down
to the Church in Rome.
Haman
was just an evil man wicked to the teeth!
What
does God say?
Job_11:20
But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape,
and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
God
says the wicked will only have short victories!
Job_20:5
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the
hypocrite but for a moment?
God
also says He will destroy those who are wicked, with an everlasting
death!
Psa_9:5
Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou
hast put out their name for ever and ever.
Listen
as Haman destroys himself.
*****Est
3:5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him
reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
Est
3:6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they
had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to
destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of
Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
It
is obvious that Haman was not the only enemy of the Jews, but he did
think he was ranked high enough to put a plan in place to destroy
them.
It
is obvious that pride is our enemy and God says, vengeance belongs to
Him!
There
have been many people that have tried to destroy the Jews, the Hebrew
people, but God is not going to allow this to happen. Wake up world.
Israel
and the Jews are still the apple of God's eyes, and their hatred will
only backfire on yourself!
Haman
had magnified himself into some important man, when he was only some
vain, egotistical man who would lose his own life in the end.
Egotism
uses the sufferings of others to make a gain!
Egotism
only promotes cruelty.
We
see this in our own government today!
To
an ego possessed individual, he or she is the center of the world and
the world revolves around them.
I
could mention some names, but you can fill in the blanks.
Psa
83:1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not
still, O God.
Psa
83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee
have lifted up the head.
Psa
83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and
consulted against thy hidden ones.
Psa
83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a
nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
What
are the traits of Satan?
Dan
7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall
wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times
and the dividing of time.
What
is his end?
Dan
7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his
dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan
7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of
the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all
dominions shall serve and obey him.
As
we see what is happening in our land, the abortions, the gays, the
LGBT movement, and a corrupt government, we must guard ourselves
against extreme prejudice and bitter hatred.
We
must still remember it is still Jehovah God who sits on the throne of
Heaven!
Haman
plots.
*****Est
3:7 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth
year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman
from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that
is, the month Adar.
Est
3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people
scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces
of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither
keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit
to suffer them.
Haman
allowed a year for his plot to take place in order for the word of
the king to travel to all locations and the Jews call that day Purim
to celebrate their triumph over Haman and his household.
Haman
allowed this year because the casting of lots was a religious thing
from Haman's own religion.
Today
we must be careful not to listen to the Hamans of this world calling
for the destruction of others for in fact it is a terrible sin.
Haman
did not mention that these people were Jews only that it was a
specific race of people.
As
far as the king understood these people were like robbers and thieves
moving around inside the 127 provinces of Persia.
What
had God said?
Deu
4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall
be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead
you.
Deu
4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood
and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
Haman
also recognized that the laws given to the Jews were nothing like the
laws of the Persians.
He
would not have known these things if it had not been passed down
through all his generations that the Jews were his enemies.
By
scattering the Jews, God could begin to work with them individually
or in small groups!
Eze
11:16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast
them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them
among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in
the countries where they shall come.
Eze
11:17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you
from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have
been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
Remember
all the Jews even the ones who had stayed, were well aware that the
Word of God had proven to be true and many of their Jewish brothers
and sisters had returned to the Promised Land.
Haman
told the king these people were no profit to his kingdom and needed
to be eradicated like a bunch of mice.
Just
like most all rich men, the key to this transaction would be money!
*****Est
3:9 If it please the king, let it be written that they may be
destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands
of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the
king's treasuries.
Est
3:10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto
Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.
The
rich and the super-rich have one bad problem, they can never have
enough money!
If
we look back in Jewish history 1000 talents were enough to buy off
the Assyrian king for a while.
A
piece of land the size of a city could be bought for 2 talents. So
this was a great deal of money, especially for one individual to
possess and obviously he had plenty more.
We
must keep in mind that the Christian may be poor in this world but
have great riches in Heaven!
2Co
4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace
might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co
4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man
perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co
4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co
4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
These
riches sealed the deal for Haman, and he was given the ring of the
king to show his authority to be able to rid Persia of the Jews.
But
we know for sure God always has a better plan!
*****Est
4:1 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his
clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst
of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
Est
4:2 And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into
the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.
We
can be sure that Haman push the news of this new law as quick as he
could especially to Mordecai.
It
was like being on death row in a prison having the date set for
execution.
Mordecai
could only see one answer and that was to get the attention of Queen
Esther, but Mordecai's grief did not upset his judgment.
It
came to Mordecai that God has placed Esther as Queen just for this
occasion!
Mordecai
had better sense than to storm into the king's residence, so he put
on sackcloth that got the attention of those going in and out and he
knew the Queen get in touch with him because he had been as a father
to her.
Sackcloth
was made of black goat's hair and was certainly noticeable especially
on someone as Mordecai who took part in the government of Persia in
some manner and dressed accordingly.
He
was not alone:
*****Est
4:3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and
his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and
fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and
ashes.
Not
one Jew had peace with the threat of death hanging over them. They
knew once a Persian king made a ruling it could not be changed.
We
are sure Zerubbabel had already returned to Israel and Jerusalem to
build the Temple, but it may not be quiet time for Ezra to return.
I
believe besides letting Esther know it was time to save her people,
it was also time to let these Jews know Persia would never be a safe
place for them to live.
*****Est
4:4 So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her.
Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to
clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he
received it not.
Queen
Esther's maidens and chamberlains may not have known the connection
of Mordecai to her, but they knew Mordecai had a deep affection for
her and her for him.
Queen
Esther would make sure Mordecai was properly dressed which gave them
time to swap messages.
Mordecai
warned Queen Esther that this law to kill all Jews would include her
no matter that she was Queen.
Let's
move ahead:
*****Est
4:13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with
thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the
Jews.
Est
4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then
shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from
another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed:
and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time
as this?
If
we look at what Mordecai was saying, Queen Esther needed to go to the
King and put a stop to this thing.
It
was well known that the king loved the queen very much even if he did
not know she was a Jew.
It
was time for Queen Esther to do what the Lord intended for her to do.
To stand up for her people.
Mordecai
must have known a lot of the Word of God because he had faith in the
Word of the Prophets.
Israel
would be delivered, if not by Queen Esther then someone else.
To
set at large, is to give freedom to move without obstruction.
Psa
18:36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not
slip.
Psa
4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast
enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my
prayer.
We
need this to be very clear ourselves.
If
God has a job, He has asked us to do, the work of God always comes
with blessings.
If
we decide to go against the request of God, God will just get someone
else to do that thing and they will also get the blessings we could
have had ourselves.
God's
plan will go forward, with or without us!
Queen
Esther knew that Mordecai was right in what he had said.
Queen
Esther also knew that much prayer would certainly help.
*****Est
4:15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
Est
4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan,
and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or
day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in
unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I
perish.
Queen
Esther also knew the laws of the Persians and she could not go before
the King unless she was called and if she took it upon her own to go
to him it could resort in her death.
Then
she shows her faith.
If
faith and prayer can move mountains, then surely faith and prayer and
fasting could save a nation.
All
throughout the history of the Jews they were punished because of
disobedience, surely by obedience then God would do as He had always
promised, to deliver His children.
If
we do not see that Queen Esther obtained favor of all those around
her then we have missed a great point.
No
doubt the faith and courage of this young woman was an admirable
quality that even the King had noticed.
Even
the King had not just chosen Esther by her looks, she had great
personal skills and an aura of success in everything she did, and she
must have thought a lot about Persia, but the Promised land was her
true home even if she had never been there.
Sounds
like typology to me.
I
am an American and love my nation, but heaven is my promised land and
also my true home!
When
we take a stand on the Word of God, so what we perish, we will wake
up in Heaven the very moment we lose our life!
2Co_5:6
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at
home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the
body, and to be present with the Lord.
These
things will become more important the closer we get to the Second
Coming of the Lord.
I
believe we can already see these things happening as some people lose
these jobs for taking a stand against the sins of our nations and
other nations included.
What
did Mordecai do? Exactly what his Queen said to do because he knew it
was the right thing to do!
*****Est
4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther
had commanded him.
We
can see that fame and fortune cannot always keep us out of danger.
That
palace could have been a prison to Queen Esther, if not for the
relationship she had with her adoptive father.
Again
we can see the typology in these things.
Power
and opportunity can also be used to move the Word of God if that
opportunity presents itself and they too can take a stand on the
truth of God.
All
these things work because the key ingredient in these things were 1)
Faith and 2) The ongoing, never relenting, plan of God working in our
world. Even working in our governments.
We
need to vote only for people who we know are faithful believers when
the opportunity presents itself.
Queen
Esther went to the King because of her faith and love of Jehovah but
she also knew the King loved her and would never bring harm to her.
Queen
Esther was in instrument in the hand of God and no one could stand
against this kind of power!
Amen
Let's
Pray!