Sibu

Bible study

In chapter 3, a man named Haman, who was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, is promoted to a higher rank by King Ahasuerus. Tracing back who the Agagite was, I discovered that Agag was the king of the Amalekites, whom God had instructed Saul to destroy. This was because they had ambushed the Israelites when they were leaving Egypt. Saul disobeyed God by sparing Agag, the king’s, life. In 1 Samuel 27:8 and 1 Samuel 30:1, the Amalekites are shown to be alive and well, which could possibly mean that Saul did not destroy all of them as God had instructed him. This background is simply to clarify why there is an Agagite hundreds of years later in Persia, when they were supposed to have been wiped out by Saul.

According to some texts, Haman’s hatred for Mordecai was rooted in their shared history. Mordecai and Haman were probably unaware of each other’s histories in this chapter. The king commands everyone to honour and bow to Haman. However, Mordecai refused, and he gave the reason that he was a Jew. This implies that Haman considered himself a deity and that the bow was a form of worship.

In light of Hebrew principles, Mordecai’s actions were justified based on his refusal to bow down (Exodus 20:3–5). Daniel was thrown into the fiery furnace because he refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar. It is clear that the Jews took this one law very seriously because the one sin that landed them in captivity was the continuous worship of idols.

An idol does not necessarily always have to be in the form of a statue or another human. Instead, it can be anything in your life that has taken priority over God. An obsession with monetary success, getting married, or academic achievements can easily become an idol if they take priority over God in your life.

Haman is enraged by Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him. Matters become more complicated when he discovers that Mordecai is a Jew. Haman decides not only to punish Mordecai, but to wipe out the entire Jewish nation. The Jews are going to be exterminated because Mordecai refused to bow to Haman.

A poor decision to spare the life of Agag and Saul’s failure to destroy all the Amalekites have led to this critical moment between Haman and Mordecai. An Agagite is still alive and is going to destroy the Jews because of Saul’s disobedience.

Some of us are suffering today because someone in our family, a forefather, or an ancestor made a poor choice decades ago. Because that generational curse was never broken, it continues to operate in your life and may continue in your children’s lives too.

In order to determine the day of the genocide, Haman casts lots. He then proceeds to the king and convinces him to agree to this by telling him some baseless story. King Ahasuerus gives Haman the go-ahead, and a decree is published in every province under King Ahasuerus’s kingdom.

The drama begins in chapter 4 when all the Jews learn about the decree that has been published. A public display of mourning by the Jews is seen in all the provinces. They mourned for their own lives, which were about to be taken.

I was careful not to make the assumption that Mordecai, Esther, and the rest of the Jews who were in exile were faithful to God Almighty. As mentioned before, there is no reference to God or prayer in the entire book. Even in this time of distress, we do not see them coming together with a repentant heart and asking for God’s mercy. They are seeking sympathy from the public; hence the public display of mourning, tearing their clothes, and smearing dust on themselves. Such theatrics do not move God. Jesus addressed this issue in the book of Matthew 6:16–18.

Mordecai did, however, get Esther’s attention because he performed at the front gates of the court. Esther sent some servants to give Mordecai some clothes to cover himself so that she could approach him and find out what was the matter, but Mordecai refused.

I do not know what the logic behind this was. Esther had no choice but to use the servants to convey messages and receive messages from Mordecai. Mordecai asks Esther to plead with the king and begs him to stop this planned genocide of the Jews.

Esther, who used to be obedient to Mordecai’s every request, is reluctant to grant such a request. She was not prepared to risk her life for the rest of the Jews. She sends a message back to Mordecai, informing him that she will do no such thing.

This is because it was illegal for anyone to enter the king’s presence without being summoned. She reminded him that this law was known by everyone and that she would be killed for breaking such a law. Esther wanted to spare her own life. This would have meant that she was going to continue to pass as a non-Jew for the rest of her life.

In what seemed to be emotional blackmail and threats, Mordecai continued to put pressure on Esther. He reminds Esther that she is a Jew and that living in the palace does not guarantee her safety. She is told that help will come from another source even if she refuses to help.

I do not want to assume that “another source” meant God. Mordecai’s faith seems to be in Esther at this moment. Esther was the only shot they had at being delivered from the genocide.

Esther finally gives in after believing that she would die. Either way, she asks Mordecai to gather all the Jews to fast for her for three days. She also embarks on a fast for three days with her maidens.

Again, no mention of prayer is seen here. Prayer and fasting must work hand in hand, unless one is doing it for weight loss or other reasons. We can safely say that some Jewish customs were still observed by the Jews in exile. The Israelites were known to congregate in fasting and prayer to call upon God whenever they were faced with serious troubles.

Esther continues to remind Mordecai of the big risk she is taking by appearing before the king to reveal her identity and beg for mercy. She asks for mercy on behalf of her people.

“If I perish, I perish,” she said.

This is not a confession of someone who has faith in God. Esther was not even betting on the king’s love for her. It was God Almighty who decided to show up for His chosen people.

God had a plan and purpose for His people, and He needed them to live until that plan was fulfilled, the birth of the Messiah from the house of Judah.

Esther was brave, and God used that bravery to execute His plan. God stirred the king’s heart to receive Esther into his presence with favour.

Would Esther have volunteered to risk her life for the Jews if it were not for all the pressure from Mordecai?

Was Esther truly heroic?

Stay blessed