The king continued to demonstrate his inability to be king. He trusted Haman to write a letter and seal that letter with his signet ring. We read in verse 10 that Haman was the Jews’ enemy. He was a fool from the start, and should never have had any authority given to him.
In verse 11 the king further stated that he would give Haman the silver that he had promised to the king. He would not stand in the way of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. Haman had free reign to do as he pleased with God’s people. Even though many of the Jews were not God-fearing people, they were still part of Abraham’s seed. As we noted in our study of the book of Romans, Abraham’s seed consisted of those who were of the physical seed of Abraham and those who were of the spiritual seed of Abraham. Only the spiritual seed will enter heaven. God has chosen to send pagan nations into Israel to punish them at times. That is His choice. However, when a pagan man plots to wipe out the Jews, that is contrary to God’s will.
Haman enlisted the king’s scribes to write this wicked letter. This letter would be addressed to all the heads of the provinces. All would receive the same instructions to kill all the Jews on the same day. Haman assumed this would solve his problem. A man with a wicked heart will never be satisfied, no matter how many people he murders. Even if he hides behind government officials, it will not release him of his guilt.
We read that the letter was written in the name of king Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s ring. The king did not even read the letter. He did not know nor did he care to know what he signed on to. It again sounds like our current government. During the inquiry into the “Arrivescam” app, liberal ministers and their underlings are either pleading ignorance or making up lies about what happened. The app was to be prepared for $80,000.00. That was still far too much. However, it is estimated to have cost at least 60 million dollars. We will never know the full cost because of the cover-up involved in the scam. No one will be punished for this theft of tax-payer dollars. It will be shrugged off as all government waste is. The P.M. and others have no concern about the corruption they are overseeing.
In verse 13 the letters were sent out by government posts. More government waste. The letters gave instructions to destroy, kill, and to cause all Jews to perish. It did not matter if they were young or old. The antisemitism was rampant. This slaughter was to take place in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. They were to take the spoil of the Jews for themselves. This sounds like what George Soros was involved with during the days of Hitler. He was a young Jewish boy who went with his adoptive Gentile parents to plunder Jewish homes after the owners had been taken to concentration camps. As an adult he was questioned about what he did. He just shrugged it off, saying that somebody was going to get the spoils so it might as well have been him.
People can be very wicked when they do not know the Lord. It is shocking to read of the wickedness that is bound in the heart of the ungodly. We see that in the book of Esther and elsewhere in the Bible. We see it throughout history beyond that which is recorded in the Bible.
True Christians cannot function that way. True Christians demonstrate the love of God toward others. God’s order is for the state to enact capital punishment for those who commit crimes worthy of death. Today capital punishment is outlawed in Canada and lawlessness is acceptable under certain conditions.
In verse 14 we read that the people were told to be ready for the slaughter that was planned for that day. We see that the majority of the people would be in agreement with this wicked decree. The people would assume it came directly from the king, but it was Haman that had it written.
In verse 15 we see that the posts were ready and willing to deliver this command. Again, we see that they assumed this command came from the king. The decree was given in the palace in Shushan.
We see that the king and Haman sat down to drink after the letters were sent out. That was the standard method of operating in that time. Sounds much like how things are done in our country today. We read that the people in Shushan were perplexed. They were confused about what was going on. The people had not had any trouble with the Jews. We see the careless nature of the people. Even though they did not understand why this decree was being made, they were not willing to disagree with it. They would obey the ungodly decree even though they could not see any reason for doing so.
The Jews had proven to be a very passive and peace loving people. They were not concerned about serving God. They were just looking to get along with the enemies of God. God cares more for people than just to allow them to go to hell without warning. He would intervene in this entire situation and remind people that there are consequences to actions. Those who want to promote evil will receive the greater damnation, and those who passively go along with the evil will also be punished.
Each person is given a conscience. Each person knows the difference between right and wrong. Those who choose to “sleep” their way through life will be shocked to find that their end is not what they expected it to be. There is no rest in hell. There is only torment for all eternity. It is wise to sober up and take life more seriously. Trust in the true God and follow His way. Be a shining light for truth. Christians can have a huge impact on society when they pray and speak boldly for truth. Holding our noses and voting for corrupt politicians is not an asset to any nation. Speaking the truth to neighbours and strangers is of far greater benefit.
There are people who were quite excited when Mike Johnson was voted speaker of the house in the U.S. congress. The man is a professing Christian and he talked big. His actions since becoming speaker show that he lied about who he really is. He did not get up the political ladder by being a faithful Christian. He got there by being a typical politician. A God-fearing man could still be a politician, but he would need to be someone who actually has true Biblical convictions. I have not seen that in my lifetime. As I mentioned in a previous devotional, I have seen a native stand up in Parliament with his eagle feather and stop the Meech Lake Accord from passing. The media made a big deal about that and they were impressed with the “power” of that feather.
True Christians have access to the throne of grace. We can pray to God and we can seek His wisdom and we can speak the truth in a dark and dying world. We do not speak because it will be popular. We do not speak because we want the approval of the lost. We speak because it is God’s will and we want Him to be glorified as we exalt His name. Be a blessing to others and remind them of the importance of knowing the true God.
Pastor Bartel