Esther 3:8 (ESV)

Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.

Reading through Esther 3:7-11 there are three interesting observations that lead to some interesting questions. First, Haman says, “I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into your hand.” How much is 10,000 talents of silver, and where is the money coming from? Second, Haman says of the Jews, “Their laws are different, and they do not keep the king’s laws.” He concludes that it is not beneficial to the king to allow them to continue living. Why is it not beneficial, and what evidence is there that they do not keep the king’s laws? Third, Haman says that “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom.” Why is that significant? Wouldn’t they be a greater threat if they were all together and building an army, rather than scattered?

I don’t know the answers to all these questions, but I do know some. According to the Greek historian Herodotus the annual income for Ahasuerus’ kingdom was 14,500 talents. Haman is offering the King nine months’ income. Not nine months of a king’s salary, but nine months of the entire kingdom’s gross annual income. That’s a lot of money! Where is it coming from? Surely Haman doesn’t have that kind of money. The clue is in the text. The king tells Haman that he and the people can have the money. This indicates the money isn’t coming from Haman. Secondly, the letter sent out to all the provinces says not only to kill all the Jews, but to plunder them. Apparently there are a lot of Jewish people in the Persian provinces and they are quite wealthy. The 10,000 talents will come from the Jews. Ultimately this story becomes about money. The Persians see an opportunity to increase their wealth off the backs of the Jews.

Haman told the king that it is not beneficial to the king to allow the Jews to continue living. Why is it not beneficial, and what evidence is there that they do not keep the king’s laws? God’s covenant with Abraham would seem to indicate just the opposite. “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 ESV). According to this passage it would be beneficial to Ahasuerus to bless the Jewish people, not kill them. In fact, that was Persia’s experience. There were Jews in high positions of influence in Persia and they had been a blessing. Think of Daniel and Nehemiah. They were influential men in high positions that had done nothing to undermine the authority of the Persians in any way. Haman isn’t really worried about rebellion. He is just angry because Mordecai won’t honor him. The only evidence Haman could offer that the Jews don’t keep the king’s laws is the fact that Mordecai won’t bow before Haman.

Haman said that these people were “scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom.” That is supposed to make the king worry about a possible insurrection. But the truth is that there were many people groups scattered throughout the kingdom. Babylon had made it a practice to bring conquered peoples back to their homeland and scatter them so as to protect against insurrection. The very reason they didn’t leave people groups together was to prevent rebellion. Persia inherited this from Babylon. It shouldn’t be new to the king. Unfortunately, people often do not respond to information rationally. They react emotionally. We see that today in our political climate. The current presidential race has been primarily characterized by emotional reactivity rather than rational thought. Too often, even in our churches we make decisions out of reactive fear rather than listening carefully to the Spirit. Notice that Haman and the king are reactive. In contrast, Mordecai says, “Esther, talk to the king. We’ll be praying.” Shouldn’t that be our response? Let’s take one step forward resting in God, and we’ll be praying. Let’s see what God does.

The world system is about fear, reactivity, and personal gain. God’s system is different. It is built on a different foundation. God’s economy is built on the foundation of faith that God is in control and that he is good. We can trust him. How different this story would have turned out if Haman had understood that truth.

I love the contrast between Haman and Mordecai. Haman is looking for power, prestige, and possessions. The story ends with him hanged on his own gallows. Mordecai is only interested in protecting Esther and his people. He ends up with everything Haman wanted. This is not a guarantee that we will be healthy and wealthy in this world. This is a reminder that we live by a different understanding of life. It’s not about us. It’s about Him, and we can trust him. Let’s stop reacting, and start serving and praying. That reflects the heart of God.