Enter Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He was an ungodly man, but the king promoted him above all the princes (v1). Agag was the king of the Amalekites.
It is worth reminding ourselves who Agag and the Amalekites were. In Exodus 17 (also Deuteronomy 25) we see that they were travellers (descendants of Esau) occupying the Negev and Israel on their journey from Egypt encountered them. This was their first battle, and the Amalekites attacked the stragglers at the rear who were tired and weary. Joshua was leading the battle while Moses prayed while Hur and Aaron held up his arms. God told Moses that He would totally blot out the Amalekites and any remembrance of them. Moses then built an altar calling it Jehovah Nissi (The LORD is my Banner) because The LORD had said that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Later in 1 Samuel 15:1-3 Samuel instructed King Saul to attack Amalek for what they did to Israel. He was told that he must wipe out all of them and all they have.
God could have wiped them out like He did Sodom and Gomorrah, but He wanted to test the obedience of Saul, who sadly was found wanting. He and the people spared Agag and the best of the animals and were unwilling to utterly destroy them as God had commanded. Armies were often allowed to take plunder in battles, but this was different. This was judgment from God and His instructions must be heeded to the letter. They took the best for themselves and dishonoured God. It is like us getting rid of the past but holding on to some pleasurable sin.
The LORD told Samuel what had happened and sent him to Saul. Saul tried to justify his actions, he even said he had obeyed The LORD, but of course it was only in part. Samuel asked ‘what was the bleating of sheep…. He could hear’.
Saul pleaded his case, but it was to no avail. Samuel told him that The LORD had now rejected him as king. Samuel, himself, cut Agag in pieces before The LORD. Rather gruesome, but he obeyed The LORD to wipe them out because of the cowardly way they had attacked the weary and women and children. It seemed that the Amalekites kept rearing their heads as they later appear in the Bible, but God said that He would blot them out. Here we find Haman an Agagite, and it appeared that they had not changed, particularly in their despising of the Jews.
God still judges nations, and some judgment is reserved for the final day, but throughout history, nations like Nineveh, Babylon, Rome and others have been wiped out for standing against God. One might ask, ‘is our nation ripe for judgment today?’
All the king’s servants were to bow and pay homage to Haman, but Mordecai shows his true colours here, he would not bow to Haman. It was noticed and he was asked why he transgressed the king’s command, although such an act may have been implied by his promoted position, as there was no implicit command (v2,3). There does not seem to be a Biblical command against paying homage to a civil leader or even a family head. We are to respect those in authority (see Romans 13:1-4)
Haman was not very happy; his pride was wounded. It happened daily (v4-6), and Haman was aware of it when it was reported to him. Mordecai had now revealed that he was a Jew. Haman was angry but he was shrewd and did not take Mordecai himself, rather, he sought to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. Maybe he did not notice at first but when reported to him, he was furious and showed his hatred for the Jews.
In the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, in first month (Nisan) they cast lots before Haman to determine the date when the Jews would be massacred (v7) which would be in the twelfth month. It is interesting that the lot was cast in the first month so, the Jews had a reprieve and ‘stay of execution’ of around eleven months which is believed to be God’s doing, as we shall see later.
Haman reported to King Ahasuerus (v8,9) “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other peoples, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore, it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”
This was not exactly true. Yes, they were a people from another country, and they did have different laws, but they were loyal to the king. He asked the king for a law ordering them to be destroyed. He even bribed the king by offering 10K talents of silver to those who did the work to bring into the king’s coffers. The king was persuaded and sealed it with his own signet ring. No doubt the king was duped into thinking that this was to get rid of terrorists in is country, who wouldn’t? He actually gave Haman the responsibility for carrying it out (v10,11). The decree was signed, sealed and delivered by the king’s scribes on the thirteenth of the first month. It was delivered to all the provinces and translated into its languages in the name of Ahasuerus and sealed with his seal (v12-15).
Its purpose was to kill, destroy and annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month (Adar) and to plunder possessions. All the inhabitants of the provinces were informed and given notice of the date when it would be effective. Haman sat down to eat and drink with the king, evidently oblivious to the catastrophe and tragedy that would befall the Jews. Haman was, no doubt thinking to himself, what a great job he had done, congratulating himself. Interestingly the people of Shechem were perplexed. Little wonder, they were utterly confused as to why this was happening as the Jews were causing no trouble and were good citizens. The Jews would be absolutely distraught, but even the non-Jews could not understand what was going on.
