Seeing God
(NIV) Esther 3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.
7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot ) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. …
When I do a study on Esther, I generally focus on one scripture—perhaps you have been chosen for such a time as this. But with antisemitism on the rise, it seemed more prudent to meditate on the hatred of an entire group of people and perhaps find the root of such disdain.
Haman, an official in King Artxerxes’ court, was offended when Mordecai refused to bow before him. In order to eliminate Mordecai, Haman decided to annihilate all Jews in Babylon. (Of course, we understand this was yet another attempt by the enemy to destroy the lineage of Jesus.)
Why did Haman hate the Jewish people? The answer is found in verse 8: they are a separate people whose customs are different.
You see, even though the Jews had been taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar over 100 years earlier, many did not assimilate into the culture but remained set apart in their faith. So when Haman looked at the Jews, he saw God. People who do not have God in their lives hate seeing God in others.
May everything we think, do and say reflect God, and may we never be afraid to stand for the gospel, so that, regardless of the cost, others will see God in us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Addendum: In many theological circles, Esther is not considered history, but instead a fable. There was much disagreement about Esther being a part of the canon because the word “God” never appears in the book. Perhaps the Jews of this story were more assimilated into the Babylonian culture than is indicated. But the fact remains that even if the Jews did not remain faithful to God, He remained faithful to them, delivering them from annihilation, and thus preserving the lineage of Jesus.
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