Esther 3 -- A Look At The Enemy

My commentary gave five reasons why Haman was a dangerous man:

First, his ancestry – He was descended from the Amalekites.  God had declared war on them and Saul had failed to destroy them all when God had given him the chance.

Second, his authority – Xerxes had made him chief officer in the empire.  “Xerxes was a weak and gullible man, susceptible to flattery and anxious to please people.”

Third, his vanity – “The king had to issue a special edict concerning Haman, or the people would not have bowed down to him.”

Fourth, his subtlety – “To begin with, he didn’t even give the king the name of the people who were supposed to be subverting the kingdom.”  He offered what amounted to 2/3 of the kingdom’s annual income at the time to get the law signed.  The kingdom’s treasury had been impoverished by the Greek wars, so that was an incredibly tempting offer.

Fifth, his apathy – After sending out the new law that effectively pronounced a death sentence on thousands of innocent people, Haman sat down for a banquet with the king!

“The situation was not hopeless, however, for God had two people prepared and in place – Mordecai and Queen Esther – and He was ready to act.”

Father, I’ve watched over and over as You have had me in place for times of Your choosing, as You’ve also had others in place to help me.  Let me never fail to place myself where You want me so that I, too, will be ready and available for Your use.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford