“After these things, did King Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants that were in the king's gate, bowed and reverenced Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not nor did him reverence. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath, and he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had showed him the people of Mordecai; wherefore Haman thought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus; even the people of Mordecai.
And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, there is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws; therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed, and I wilt pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those who have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman... the Jew's enemy. And the king said unto Haman, the silver is given thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.
Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month; and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province, according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day; even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey." (Esther 3:1, 2, 5, 6, 8-131After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 2And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. (Esther 3:1‑2)
5And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 6And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had showed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. (Esther 3:5‑6)
8And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. 9If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. 10And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. 11And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. 12Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. 13And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. (Esther 3:8‑13)).
THERE are two principles connected with the salvation of the sinner; one is the grace that takes him up, and the other is the righteousness that establishes him. As without strength, as lost and dead, utterly ruined in his birth, apart from God, ungodly and hopeless in his condition, the love of God is manifested in giving him life. As guilty, a sinner against 'God, an enemy by wicked words, where even 'pity could do nothing; when he must be condemned, no matter how the heart cries out for him, God finds a way to deal with man in righteousness, and display him as saved, as the rich expression of that righteousness.
Both are magnified in the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as witnessed in Rom. 5:6, 8,6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) "When we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly;" and "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." These two have called out all His power, fulfilled His counsels and predetermination concerning them that believe in Christ Jesus, and, as they are understood, give perfect assurance to the soul.
Not only has the grace of God come out to us as lost ones, which is exceedingly blessed to, know, but God is righteous in doing this. Not only has He met His heart, but His holiness and righteousness, in saving. This establishes the believer. Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life; and this, through death.
Thus far in this precious story of grace, in this little book of God, we have had no mention of death, save as it came in incidentally in connection with Esther being an orphan. But now we are to learn something of this wonderful fact of death, as that which gives settled and permanent condition of blessing.
It was a surprising thing to take up the poor unknown girl and make her queen of the kingdoms of the world. It was grace, and the king delighted in it, as he let his heart out upon her as the object of all his love. But was her place secure? She had not told of her origin, her race, to the king. And when it does come out in his presence, it is as under sentence of death! In our case as sinners, God knew us as such from the start; but the place where He brings it out as a truth, is where His righteousness is to be unfolded. Where His grace alone is the subject, choosing and saving us as lost, our guilt and being under a righteous sentence of death is not dwelt upon. It is blessed to see death, in the salvation wrought by God in Jesus Christ.
Chapter 3 begins by stating the advancement of Haman the Agagite, an Amalekite of the family of Agag. What specially marked the Amalekites in Scripture history is, that they were, everywhere and always, the deadly enemies of God's people Israel, and so the enemies of God in malignant activity and purposed evil. Thus they stand as a representation of our great adversary, who at all times hates God and man, and who is spoken of as having the power of death—the devil.
What a sad and gloomy picture we have of the Jews at this time; poor, prisoners, helpless, out of their place of power, everything naturally against them! Surely they were without strength. And then this Amalekite advanced to be next to the king indignity and authority! But this is shown to be more disastrous, in the history which God here enters upon in detail.
In what follows, we find that Mordecai is largely associated with Esther in all the actions that were of such momentous interest to these poor helpless Jews. Where God introduces a man and a woman, thus, the man stands for the activity of faith, and the woman for the state into which one is brought by faith. Accordingly, we have a great deal of Mordecai's actions at the first. We see his care for the honor and, possibly, the life of the king, in giving information concerning the plotting of two of the king's chamberlains, through Esther to the king, by which he was preserved from damage. And this became the means which God used to advance Mordecai to honor afterwards, through the sleeplessness of the king.
A second thing in Mordecai's actions is told us, that he would pay no obeisance to the adversary, nor bow down to him. God had written of the Amalekites that there should be enmity forever between Israel and them, and their end should be total destruction. (Ex. 17, Num. 24:2020And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. (Numbers 24:20)). It is of great importance that we see the real enemy whom God points out Satan. And when once the soul is looking to the question of the righteousness of God, he will see that the enemy is brought forward to be discovered, and that God has a controversy with him, and a purpose to deliver from him who had the power of death. Man has become his captive and obeyed him; but when Christ came He refused to bow, to own him, though the kingdoms of the world were offered to Him. The quickened soul, under the sense of divine righteousness and holiness, will thus take sides with God.
There is a great tendency to lightness in the matter of sin and judgment; and many never have settled peace because they have not taken the matter of sin and ruin according to the true enormity and depth of them. What is called being ' anxious," is often very shallow. It is often only the desire to be free from the judgment of sin, rather than taking that judgment; rather the desire to be happy than caring for the honor of God.
Beloved reader! sin is the most appalling and awful fact in the history of this world, and Satan introduced it. He who sins is of the devil. It is one thing to be very happy as one hears of the great love of God, but we must remember that grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life. Where the seed was sown on rocky soil, it sprung up at once because there was no depth of earth. It is the word of grace received with joy, but not dealing with the conscience.
It is a mark of the decline of truth in this day, that conscience is not brought in; that the depth of Satan and the character of sin against God, is not seen; but rather it is treated as a hindrance to the man. Hence flimsy experiences, little sense of depravity, an easy profession, an attention to religious duties, a form of godliness covering the old unjudged man, who is still a lover of self, a lover of pleasures more than of God. He has never seen God's way of looking at sin. It is of interest to notice that these two things, looking to the honor of the king, and the open treatment of Haman as an enemy, fully disclosed to faith, are not told in the first part of the book which pertained to the open proclamation of the feast and the bringing Esther into the king's presence; but to the second part, in which the question of her righteous staying there is considered. Peace is not established by thinking of the love of God, but by the righteousness of God. And while one would not lead any into a thought of experiences, or an examination of their feelings, yet a proper knowledge of God and His holiness, and the exceeding sinfulness of sin, is greatly needed on the part of those who may have been very happy at the sweet word of grace. It is a day of counterfeits, of shallowness, of trying to put God off, of easy-going religiousness, of sentimentalism, that look to perfection in the flesh; because there has really never been a sense of what we are, of what sin is, of what Satan is, and of God's own righteousness. These elements enter largely into the matter of peace. May God make you to see these according to Himself!
We next see this Amalekite, Haman, true to his nature, full of hatred and pride and vengeance, plotting for the destruction of Mordecai, and also of all his race. He goes to the king with a complaint, and gets the power of death into his hands for the time. Satan is ever the opponent of men. In Zech. 3, we see him represented as standing near where Joshua the high priest was standing before God; standing there to accuse him. And surely he could have plenty to say, as Joshua represented poor lost Israel, in filthy garments and uncrowned. So in Job 1, 2, he is ready to speak against. Job, and afterwards he is named "the accuser of the brethren." His hatred is perfect, and he brought in death. He sinned from the beginning, and man sinned through him.
And then death. "Sin came into the world, and death by sin." This is sin in the nature. The proclamation, was sent, to every province. "And letters were sent out by post into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill and cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women in one day." "So death passed upon all men, for all have sinned," is the irreversible decree of God, as this was by the king's proclamation, and according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, which did not change, and sealed with the king's signet.
There was no exception. To be a Jew, was to be under sentence of death. Just so, to be a man, is to be condemned to death before God. It is appointed unto men once to die.
It might have been that many could have urged that they had done nothing at that time deserving death. One man had brought it on them by becoming the object of Haman's dislike. By one man's offence, they were all delivered to condemnation. Even so, God would magnify His grace, and set our hearts and consciences at rest forever, by going back to the foundation principle in regard to man, and bringing in deliverance from that which stands against us as men. By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners and subject to death. It is our condition, helpless, hopeless in itself. "None can, by any means, redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever.”
Oh, dear friend! I appeal to you to take this ground of the truth before God. It is a righteous thing with Him to requite evil thus. "The wages of sin is death;" not weeping and praying and begging to be let off. If your intercourse with God has been without this depth, without seeing that you are righteously condemned to death, you can never have settled peace.
You may have thought that as you are a sinner, you ought to be sorry for what you have done, and to reform and live a correct life for the future. But I ask you, is that death? Is that the wages of sin? Is that ceasing forever before God? Do not allow yourself to be deceived concerning this awful matter. If a man commits a murder, what is the penalty? Is it not death? And will begging to be let off meet the just demand of the law? Nothing but death will do. It would have been very foolish for Mordecai, or the Jews, to have endeavored to get this law changed, or to get from under it. Even so, to be a sinner, is to be under condemnation.
There was only One that could bring in deliverance; God! He is the One for those who are without strength, and sinners. And He has commended His love to us in a very peculiar and righteous way. He has taken up this terrible judgment, this formidable weapon of death and used that. The way out of all this dire condition is through death. But that is conclusive, final, so that He can come and speak to us of never coming into judgment, of eternal life as a gift; not the natural life, not the natural things, but something bestowed, and forever! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!