Esther Chapter 3
Please read: Esther 3 –
There is no explanation why the king of Persia chose to promote a man called Haman to a high position of honor in his kingdom. One possibility is that Haman may have taken credit for informing the king of the assassination plot against the king’s life, recorded in the previous chapter. But for whatever reason, Haman, a descendant of King Agag of the Amalekites, was given such a high position in the kingdom that people were expected to bow to him.
There was one man who would not bow down to Haman, Mordecai a Jew. There must have been something about Haman’s character that Mordecai disdained. Haman used this insult to his personal pride, as the catalyst to feed the flame of his hatred for the Jews. The king may have not even realized just how many Jews were living in his kingdom since the Persian empire had acquired so many countries and had inherited the Jewish captives from the Babylonians. But Haman did not inform the king how many there were either, he only described them as “a certain people” to the king. Haman’s plan was to annihilate them all.
Let's Reflect
1. How did Haman learn that a man named Mordecai was refusing to bow down to him?
2. The men loyal to Haman cast pur or cast lots before Haman to determine what month they should go before the king with the request to kill the “certain people” of Jews living in the kingdom. How many months had passed before they took their request to the king?
3. What reason did Haman present to King Ahasuerus as the reason he might want to give the order to annihilate the Jews?
4. Haman even had the nerve to ask for money from the king to pay those men who would act as executioners for him. He promised Ahasuerus that the money would come back to the treasuries of the king. Haman intended to keep this promise by taking the possessions of the Jews that he executed. The king gave Haman the money and the men to do as he pleased. What other thing did he give Haman to use that gave him unimpeded authority?
5. Within a couple of weeks Haman had put together an edict that would be copied and spread to all the officials throughout the kingdom, a document that would mean the death sentence of all the Jews. This would have been so confusing to the people because the Jews had been living amongst them peaceably for years and the Jews had been very good servants to them. Now they were being told to prepare for a day when all the Jews would be annihilated. As the people learned of the content of the letters that had been sent out, they learned that the letter had come from whom? See verse 12.
6. The great massacre of the Jews was not to happen right away. When would it happen?
7. Having sent out a death sentence upon the Jews, Haman felt proud of himself, and he sat with the king and did what?
