Esther 9:24-25 – “For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur .)”

Esther explains the origin of the Jewish holiday “Purim,” which occurs every year in February or March.  The modern holiday celebrates the victory that God gave His people against the genocide plotted by Haman.  The name “Purim” refers to casting lots, as the passage mentions above.  This practice was an important feature of Israel’s relationship with God in the Bible.  It has an important application for believers today in the form of asking God to speak through His Word.

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Esther 8:11 – “The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies.”

An interesting feature of the story of Esther is that even when the King discovers the plot to exterminate the Jews (Haman was planning to commit genocide), there was no measure taken to prevent this from occurring.  Instead, Mordecai and Esther convinced the King to authorize resistance by God’s people against their enemies.  This was partly due to an unusual feature of ancient Persian law, which made the previous edict irrevocable; the best they could do was try to offset it or cancel it out with an equal counter-measure.  Instead of prohibiting anyone from attacking the Jews, the new edict simply authorized the Jews to assemble and to protect themselves, and to destroy any who attacked them.

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Esther 3:1 – “After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.”

Haman the Agagite was the main enemy of God’s people in the book of Esther.  He was apparently a descendent of Agag, an Amalekite king.  Hebrew scholars since ancient times have identified Haman with the Agag in 1 Samuel 15.  King Saul lost his kingship because he spared Agag’s life instead of following God’s instructions.

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Esther 7:9-10  – “Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, ‘A gallows seventy-five feet [50 cubits] high stands by Haman’s house.  He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.’  The king said, ‘Hang him on it!’ So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.  Then the king’s fury subsided…”

Haman, the enemy of God’s people, had planned to have Mordecai killed (impaled or crucified) on a tall execution stake.  The word “gallows” in the original was actually a pole or cross to which they would impale the victim.  In an unexpected turn of events, Haman himself dies on the very execution stake that he planned to use to kill God’s servant.

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Esther 6:6-10 – When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?”

So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.”

We see here a picture of the mentality of many religious leaders – self-promotion and seeking glory, and being oblivious to the Lord’s purposes.  Men seek to be elevated or have control over others.  The Lord carries out his project without glorifying man or yielding control to any human being.

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Esther 6:1-3 – That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him.  It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

This passage is about a remarkable answer to prayer.  Esther and all the Jewish people had been fasting and praying for a deliverance from the genocide that their enemies were planning against them.  Esther had already received one blessing because of her fasting, when the King gladly welcomed her into his court even when she came uninvited.  From her perspective, that was the very thing for which she had prayed, and she received the very blessing she sought.

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Esther 3:2-5 – “All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, ‘Why do you disobey the king’s command?’ Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.”

Esther is the only book in the Bible that never mentions God. God is certainly part of the story – the main characters fast and pray, and the answers to their prayers are miraculous. Esther and her relative Mordecai were deeply spiritual, and the Persian royalty at this time were zealous Zoroastrians, who believed in one true God (similar to the Jews) rather than pagan idols. Yet the Bible manages to recount the entire story without mentioning God by name even once.  One reason for this unusual omission is that most of the story focuses on one particular character’s perspective – that of Haman, a court official.

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