The Providence of God # 7

Book of Esther 

The Old Testament Book of Esther describes Haman’s wicked plot to kill all the Jews in Persia and how God saved them 

Today we are studying the Providence of God at work in Haman and learn that God ordains the destiny of the unbeliever     

Esther 7: 9                                                                                                                          

The Apostle Paul said the unbeliever is, Romans 9: 22b ‘destined for destruction’                                                                         

Romans 9: 16, 18; Psalm 145: 20      

From Haman’s first appearance the Providence of God was at work to ordain his destruction along with all those who joined him in his wicked plot to kill the Jews 

Esther 3: 1 ‘Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire.’ 

In a previous Message in this Series, we learned that Haman was the descendant of Agag who was at one time the king of the Amalekites, who since the time of Moses were the enemies of Israel 

(The Amalekites were originally descended from Jacob’s brother Esau) 

Exodus 17: 8-13 

We are also reminded that God told Israel to, Deuteronomy 25: 19 'destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this!’ 

And it is here in this narrative that we see the Providence of God at work to destroy Haman the Amalekite and his descendants  

Being a Jew Mordecai refused to honor Haman the Amalekite and in his rage Haman decided to kill Mordecai and began a plot to mass genocide all the Jews living in the Persian Empire 

Esther 3: 2-6

Then Haman went to King Xerxes and persuaded him to write a Decree to destroy all the Jews in the Persian Empire 

Haman did this by lying to Xerxes saying that the Jews refused to obey the laws of the Persian Empire and to ‘seal the deal’ Haman offered the King a huge payment of silver to secure the Decree 

(10,000 ‘sacks’/talents of silver was equal to 340 metric tons and in another measure was equal to 2/3rds of the Persian Empires’ annual tax take) 

Esther 3: 7-15 

Then King Xerxes decreed that ‘all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated’ and that it was the people’s ‘duty’ to mass genocide the Jews 

This is the same evil message of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s when 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust of the 2^nd World War – this was done in the same hatred of the ancient Amalekites 

Even today in some parts of the Middle East the same 'spirit’ of the Amalekites continues to rage against the Jews 

At this point we are reminded of Judas Iscariot who was paid 30 pieces of silver by the Jewish Religious Leaders to betray Jesus, Matthew 26: 14-15 ‘Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.’ 

Psalm 41: 9; Zechariah 11: 12-13; Matthew 26: 48-49; Matthew 27: 3-5;  

Acts 1: 16, 25 

And on the night of His betrayal and His arrest, in the Upper Room, Jesus prayed THIS concerning the Providence of God for Judas, John 17: 12 ‘During My time here, I protected them by the power of the Name you gave Me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.’ 

Though listed as a disciple of Jesus, Judas Iscariot was never saved; throughout the Gospels Judas never worshipped Jesus as Lord, he only referred to Jesus as ‘Rabbi’ - teacher 

This is very important- Jesus didn’t make a mistake when He chose Judas to be in the group of disciples; the reason He chose Judas was to fulfil the Scriptures – this was the Providence of God for Judas, ‘the one headed for destruction’  

Now back to our narrative - Despite his wicked plot to kill Mordecai and mass genocide the Jews, like Judas Iscariot, it was Haman the Amalekite who was ‘the one headed for destruction’ 

Deuteronomy 21: 23b ‘anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God’ 

When Haman’s plot was discovered by Mordecai - Queen Esther invited King Xerxes and Haman to attend a banquet she would host in their honor and at that banquet she told Xerxes that she would tell the King her request at a 2nd banquet that she would host for them 

Then Haman returned to his family and friends who advised him to have Mordecai executed in the morning and then ‘go on your merry way to the banquet with the king’  

Esther 5: 1-14

But later when King Xerxes ordered Haman to honor Mordecai for saving the King’s life, in humiliation Haman returned to his home where his wise advisors and his wife warned him about continuing to go after Mordecai, Esther 6: 13 ‘When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.”’ 

Esther 6: 1-14

And at the 2^nd banquet Queen Esther revealed her Jewish identity to King Xerxes and said that she too would be included in the King’s Decree to kill the Jews – but because Xerxes loved Esther, he had Haman executed on the pole that Haman had set up for Mordecai  

Esther 7: 1-10

Esther 9: 25b ‘Haman suffered the fate he had planned for the Jews’ ^GNT  

Then the 10 sons of Haman were killed by the Jews and after that Esther requested the King that, Esther 10: 13b ‘the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be impaled on a pole.’  

4 times in the Book of Esther, Haman and his descendants were referred to as, Esther 3: 10; Esther 8: 1; Esther 9: 10; 24 ‘the enemy of the Jews’  

In conclusion let’s consider again the advice given to Haman in, Esther 6: 13 ‘Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.’ 

For 3, 600 years, the enemies of the Jews have found out that it is fatal to oppose God and His people: 

In the time of the Pharaohs Egypt opposed God and His people and lost (1600 BC) 

The Amalekites opposed God and His people and lost (1446 BC) 

The Canaanites opposed God and His people and lost (1406 BC) 

The Assyrian Empire opposed God and His people and lost (740 BC) 

The Babylonian Empire opposed God and His people and lost (539 BC) 

The Greek Empire opposed God and His people and lost (166 BC) 

The Roman Empire opposed God and His people and lost (633 AD) 

Later, the Persians opposed God and His people and lost (628 AD) 

The Muslims opposed God and His people and lost (633 AD) 

The Crusaders sent from Rome opposed God and His people and lost (1099 AD) 

The Mamelukes from Egypt opposed God and His people and lost (1291 AD) 

The Ottoman Empire opposed God and His people and lost (1923 AD) 

The British Empire opposed God and His people and lost (1948AD) 

The German Nazis opposed God and His people and lost (1945 AD) 

And since 1945 the Egyptians, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis all opposed God and His people and lost 

There is only one conclusion we can come to in this Message – Like Haman, all who oppose God and His people WILL lose – By the Providence of God they are all destined for destruction 

Let's finish with this promise that God gave His people through the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 14: 2 ‘Israel will rule over its enemies.’