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Haman Plans Revenge Against Mordecai
v. 1. After these things, some four years after the elevation of Esther to the position of queen, did King Ahasuerus promote Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, making him a great man in the empire, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him, by raising him to the rank of grind vizier, his chief confidential minister.
v. 2. And all the king's servants that were in the king's gate, the lower officers of the court, bowed and reverenced Haman, giving him kingly and therefore divine honor, after the Persian custom; for the king had so commanded concerning him. Ahasuerus claimed divine honor and reverence for himself, and he now commanded that his prime minister be regarded in the same way. But Mordecai bowed not nor did him reverence, since he, as a Jew, refused to give divine honors to any one but the Lord Himself.
v. 3. Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, the fellow-officers of Mordecai,said unto Mordecal, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? It displeased them that Mordecai refused to give Haman the homage which they had to show.
v. 4. Now, it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand, whether he would succeed in upholding the principle which he alleged in explanation of his action; for he had told them that he was a Jew, wherefore he could not give divine homage to Haman, especially since the latter was an Amalekite, a race accursed and condemned by God, Exo_17:15; 1 Samuel 15.
v. 5. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath, regarding this refusal, according to Persian ideas, as the greatest insult which could have been offered him.
v. 6. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone, revenge on this one man alone seemed too insignificant a matter to him; for they had showed him the people of Mordecai, the despised race of the Jews; wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. By exterminating the entire race of the Jews, a proceeding by no means without a precedent in the history of the cruel and revengeful Orientals, he not only wanted to express his contempt of the Jews in an adequate manner, but he also intended to prevent any further display of contempt on their part.
v. 7. In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day and from month to month, the court astrologers and magicians being entrusted with this work of determining which day and month would be the most auspicious for carrying out Haman's murderous design, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, for Haman, with a zeal and persistence worthy of a better cause, determined that all signs must be favorable for the execution of his plan. The text is evidently to be understood in such a way that Haman, in the first month of the Jewish year, caused the lot to be cast, first for the month of the coming year in which he intended to have his revenge, and then for the day of the month which would be auspicious for his scheme. The fact that the last month of the Jewish year was chosen by lot gave him ample time to prepare his plans. Thus the enemies of the Church, Satan and the world, are always busy with schemes of destruction, which God, however, can easily frustrate at His own time.