Lechem Panim #101 "The Rise of Haman" (Esther 3:1-2) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. Today we are continuing our study of the book of Esther. Last week, following the rise of Esther, we talked about how Esther’s cousin Mordecai (an official appointed by the king who judges at the king’s gate), uncovers a plot to assassinate the king and therefore saves the king’s life. But instead of the following passage opening with his promotion, as the original readers would have expected, we find instead honor being given to another man. It says in…

Esther 3:1-2a (ESV)— 1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. …

Consuming Credit— It is interesting that our story last week closes with Mordecai not receiving or even looking to receive credit for saving the King from a deadly plot on his life. And yet our passage today (which immediately follows) is introduced by a man who consumes credit. For Mordecai, it was enough for him just to know that he had done the right thing and that his master the King was safe. Haman on the other hand (as we will see) feels the perpetual need to always glorify himself. He was an egotist; or (in other words) […a person…me-deep in conversation.] And (as we will see later in the story) it is Haman’s pride and vanity that will be his undoing. 

Vanity Confession— I remember reading a story of how [Once a girl knelt in a confessional and said, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”
"What is it, child?”
"Father, I have committed the sin of vanity. Twice a day I gaze at myself in the mirror and tell myself how beautiful I am.”
The priest turned, took a good look at the girl, and said, "My dear, I have good news. That isn’t a sin - it’s only a mistake.”]
    Sometimes it only takes one person to unravel our own false perceptions of ourselves. Every time Haman rides through the king’s gate, everyone at the king’s gate bows to him. Well, everyone except one. The Bible says…

Esther 3:2b (ESV)— …But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.

Why The Refusal?— Now why doesn’t Mordecai bow? It is believed by many that the reason that he did not bow was because bowing means worship; and because he worshiped God alone, he could therefore not bow to anybody but God. However, that interpretation is most likely not correct because it was a universal custom during this time to bow before your superiors. In fact, [It is known from other sources that in general, Jews did bow to pagan officials of the Persian court. It was not a religious act but one of court protocol, much as moderns still curtsey or bow to the British queen.] In fact, we know that later in the story Mordecai will eventually receive Haman’s former job as grand vizier. And in order for him to receive that job he would have had to pay King Xerxes the very honors he here refuses to Haman. So why then does he here refuse?

Hebrew Introductions— Well [In Hebrew narrative the characteristic described when a character is introduced is key to understanding his or her role in the story….When Haman is introduced, he is identified as an Agagite.]

The Agagites— And the Agagites were the ancient enemy of the Jews. When Israel left Egypt, remember they were attacked by these people called the Amalekites, [whose lineage began with Amalek, grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:2).] And so God curses them. And when God gave the covenant at Sinai, He said He promised [to protect Israel and to be at war with Amalek {(those who set themselves against His people)} in every generation]. Well, the king of the Amalekites during the reign of Saul was a King by the name of Agag. And in the book of 1 Samuel, God says to Saul through the prophet Samuel: ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:2b-3 ESV) But remember Saul doesn’t listen. He defeats the Amalekites (who are led by king Agag)….

1 Samuel 15:9 (ESV)— 9 But {(it says)} Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

But Samuel the prophet comes to Saul. And Saul is all proud of himself (probably like Haman) and boasts about his obeying the commandment of God. But Samuel puts his hands to his ears and says, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” And Saul starts making excuses. Well, I saved the best animals to be an offering for the Lord. And he starts trying to justify himself. But then Samuel says that famous statement…

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV)—  22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

1 Samuel 15:32-33 (ESV)— 32 Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

Expel the Evil— Wow; that’s pretty intense. But you have to understand that the Amalekites were so intensely evil (practicing child-sacrifice and other horrific practices) that God wanted them out of His land; and even more importantly, He didn’t want Israel to adopt those kinds of practices. And yet we see that the Israelites never fully drive the Canaanites from their land. And because of that, they did indeed fall into those same practices. And really Saul’s failure in this conflict with Agag really foreshadows Israel’s continual inability to expel all evil from the promised land. Now why does all this matter? Because it says here that Haman is an Agagite; he’s a descendant of King Agag. And that is what drives his hatred the Jews; and especially Mordecai. Why Mordecai? It’s not just because Mordecai is a Jew. No, Mordecai comes from a very specific line, which is given to us when he is first introduced in Esther 2:5 (which means that it is also key to understanding the story). It says…

Esther 2:5 (ESV)— 5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite,

Colliding Heritages— Now remember that [Kish.{..was} Mordecai’s great grandfather who actually experienced the Babylonian deportation… {But} Kish {also} represents a Benjaminite family name that could be traced back (ca. 1100 B.C.) to Saul’s father {(whose name was also Kish)} (1 Sam. 9:1).] So this is the family Mordecai is a descendant of; the royal family of Saul, who slew the Amalekites and should have killed Agag. So in this chapter you have more than two men colliding; you have their whole heritages colliding! 

Why Mordecai Refuses— Now by order of the king, every man is to bow down to Haman and pay him homage. But Mordecai doesn’t. Why? Very likely because [no self-respecting Benjaminite could bow before the seed of the ancient enemy of the Jews.] And next week we will see just how well Haman takes this. If you think it is not very well, then (as Sherlock Holmes once said) “you have a very keen insight into the obvious.”

Our Homage— But what our passage today shows us is that we need to be careful not to pay homage to anything that God has called us to put to death; anything that might rob you of the fullness of God’s presence. This past week my daughter Ally asked Jesus into her life for the first time. And she knew she was making a very important decision to follow Jesus. But as a father, as I look into her beautiful blonde-haired face (I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more beautiful face), I think “What is my precious Ally’s walk with Jesus going to look like if I’m not completely sold out to Jesus?” What are the ungodly things I still choose to pay homage to? When she gets married, how is her marriage; her kids; her grandkids; how are they going to be affected by my present willingness to be sold out to Jesus? Saul thought his sin was no big deal. And yet it affected generations. And so I wonder if those small choices we make every day to choose godliness over worldliness might not be so small after all. They could affect a lot of people.

Choosing Cleanness— This week I have been remembering the life of Ravi Zacharias, a wonderful Christian thinker and apologist who just went home to be with the Lord; and thinking about the millions of people (myself included) who have been touched by his extraordinary life and ministry. So much of my faith and thinking has been shaped by his faithfulness. But you know I wondered this week in my reflecting, “What does a person like him have to give up to be able to be used by God so mightily?” And maybe there are some major things, but I think most of what true men and women of God give up are little things; any little thing that might rob them of the presence of God. God anoints people and blesses people who are sold out to Him; who will not call clean or okay anything that He has called unclean. And so my challenge to you today (and to me) is: let us (like Mordecai) choose to live lives that are free of uncleanness; let us commit to living lives of holiness and obedience to God. If do, then we (like Esther and Mordecai) will experience the favor and blessing of God. Let’s commit to that today Amen.