After honouring Mordecai, Ahasuerus goes on to honour another man, Haman. He is appointed to high office and the people are commanded to bow did to him and pay him homage. Mordecai refuses and this is picked up on by palace officials. They also pick up on the fact that he is Jewish. Why does Mordecai refuse to bow down? Is it because he is being asked to worship, in the same way that Daniel’s friends had been ordered to bow down to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, or Daniel himself had been told to worship Darius? It doesn’t at first sight seem to be in the same league. Was Haman one of the “lads” who advised the king to arrange the beaty pageant. If so, he would not be worthy of honour in the mind of Mordecai given what this had meant for his cousin. However, we are not told this. Is Mordecai just being stubborn and awkward? Well, there is a crucial piece of detail. Haman is an Agagite. Agag seems to have been a dynastic name for the kings over the Amalekites, sworn enemies of Israel. Mordecai will not give forced homage to the enemies of God and his people. The presence of Agagites in the king’s court also helps make sense of why Mordecai had told Esther to keep her identity as Jewish secret (Esther 3:1-4).[1]
Haman is enraged when he hears about this and vows revenge against Mordecai and his people. He begins plotting and through casting lots chooses a day on which vengeance will happen (3:5-7). He goes to the king and brings an accusation against the Jews. He describes them as opposing the laws and customs of the land, as being a menace and threat to the kingdom. He seeks to appeal to the king’s greed, offering him money in return for agreeing to genocide (3:8-9).
The king has no need of Haman’s money but is willing to acquiesce to his demands and gives him full authority to do as he pleases. Orders were made, written down and sent out through the kingdom that the Jews were to be annihilated. Notice the image of Haman and the king sitting down to drink, to toast their plans whilst the capital city is left bewildered (3:10-15).
We see here what happens when people are able to stoke up xenophobia, the fear of the foreigner. This frequently happens throughout history. One group of people are targeted as a threat and a danger to the culture of the host country. There has been a particular fear and hatred of Jews throughout history, known as antisemitism. There can be no place for such ideologies within Christianity, they clearly belong with those who stand against God and his ways.
Here in Esther 3, we are introduced to an enemy of God’s people. Whilst Mordecai and the Jews were happy in many ways to cooperate and fit in with the culture, customs, laws and even political purposes of Babylon and Persia during the exile, Mordecai would not compromise by lending his support, honour and respect to someone whose whole lineage stood against God. Haman turns into an accuser and slanderer of Gods people, in order to seek their destruction, just as Balaam and Agag had done all those years ago.
The enemy of God’s people today is not a single human being, or even a line of humans but Satan. “We do not fight against flesh and blood.” Christians should be on our guard against his attacks and lies. There will be times when the world around us demands that we give honour to Satan. Of course, it will not be explicit. The world does not know his name. However, by asking us to compromise our principles and values, to do things that go against God’s Word and to act out of selfishness, greed and cowardness instead of love for God and our neigbour, the world in effect calls us to bow down to the evil one. It is important that we learn to discern what these attacks are and where they come from.
[1] See Agag in Numbers 24:7 who allied with Balaam to attempt to block the Exodus. In 1 Samuel 15:1-7, King Saul fails to execute another Agag.
Faithroots 