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SERIES O --- RETURN TO THE LAND --- LESSON 18

HAMAN’S PLOT AGAINST THE JEWS

From Esther 3-4

Sometime later King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, to a position of authority above all the other princes of the empire. He was the most powerful man of the empire, next to the king himself. When he passed by, all the other officials who sat in the royal gate bowed low, kneeling down before Haman, for this was what the king ordered. But Mordecai refused to bow or to kneel before him. [Why are you disobeying the king’s commands?] the other officials who sat at the gate asked him daily. But Mordecai still refused to bow to Haman. At last the other officials told Haman that Mordecai was refusing to bow to him because Mordecai was a Jew. Haman watched Mordecai and became very angry when he saw that he would not bow down. But Haman thought it wouldn’t be enough to punish Mordecai alone. The officials had said that he was a Jew, so Haman made plans to destroy all the Jews, Mordecai’s people, throughout the entire kingdom. Some officials cast lots before Haman to decide when this should be done. They started with the first month, the month Nisan {April}, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus. They cast lots, called Pur, month by month until the twelfth month, which was Adar {February}. This was the time they decided to destroy the Jews. Haman went with his plot to King Ahasuerus. [There is a race of people in the kingdom whose laws are different from those of other races,] he said. [They will not obey your laws, so it is best that we destroy them. If you agree, let a decree go forth that they be destroyed, and I will pay twenty million dollars into the royal treasury to cover the expenses.] The king removed his signet ring and gave it to Haman. [The money you offer is yours and so are those people,] he said. [Do whatever you wish with them.] About two weeks later, on the thirteenth day of the first month, the king’s scribes were summoned and Haman dictated orders to be sent to all the governors and officials of each province, written in the language of that province. The orders were signed with the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring. These letters were sent by messengers to every province, ordering that all Jews, young and old, women and children, should be destroyed. This would take place on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar, approximately the twenty-eighth of February, of the following year. Those who killed the Jews would be given their property as their reward. A copy of this decree was proclaimed as law and made known to all the peoples of every province so that they might make preparations for that day. After the decree was made in the capital of Susa, it was rushed to all the provinces by the fastest messengers. Then, with the matter settled, the king and Haman sat down to drink while confusion swept through the capital city. When Mordecai heard the news, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and walked into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. He went as far as the palace gate; but he could not go in because no one in mourning clothes was permitted to enter. There was great mourning among the Jews throughout the kingdom, with fasting, weeping, and wailing. Many of them lay down in sackcloth and ashes to mourn. Before long Esther’s maidens and eunuchs told her about Mordecai’s mourning, and she was greatly troubled. She sent new clothing to Mordecai so that he could remove the sackcloth, but he would not accept it. Esther summoned Hatach, one of the eunuchs the king had assigned as her attendant, and told him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him. When Hatach found Mordecai in the city square, near the royal gate, he learned the full story from him, how Haman had offered to pay twenty million dollars into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai gave Hatach a copy of the king’s decree, which he had issued at Susa, and told him to show it to Esther. He urged Esther to go to the king to plead for her people. When Hatach returned to Esther and told her what Mordecai had said, she sent him back with this reply, [Everyone in the kingdom knows that any man or woman who comes before the king in the inner court without a summons will be put to death, unless the king holds out his golden sceptre and grants him life. I have not been summoned before the king for thirty days.] But Mordecai answered Esther with this message, [You must not think that you will escape the destruction of the Jews merely because you live in the king’s palace. If you remain silent now, the Jews will be delivered through some other means, but you and your relatives will perish. And who knows but that YHVH has made you queen for such a time as this?] Then Esther sent another message to Mordecai, [Gather the Jews of Susa, to fast for me three days, night and day, without food. I and my maidens will also fast. Then, even though the law forbids it, I will go to the king. And if I perish, I perish.] Mordecai left the royal gate and did as Esther had told him to do.

COMMENTARY

PALACES OF THE PERSIAN KINGS

The palace of an ancient Persian king housed an extremely large number of people and animals, almost enough for a small city. The king himself, his wives and concubines, members of royalty and many Persian nobles all lived in separate palace buildings. Guests, royal messengers and hundreds of servants lived in the palace area as well. Even horses, mules and camels were kept in palace stables, ready for immediate use. Other buildings on the palace grounds were for keeping royal records and maintaining the treasury. The interiors of the buildings were full of vivid colour. Palace floors were made of brightly coloured lime-cement, mud-bricks, or a plaster of sand and stone. Doors were covered with bronze or gold overlays. The ceiling of Cyrus’ palace in Parsagarda shone in blue, turquoise, red, green and yellow. Some floors were set just in black and white, while red and blue were added to others. Darius’ palace at Susa was decorated with rainbow-glazed reliefs of mythical beasts and archers. Exquisite tapestries covered the walls in splashes of white, green and violet. Guests feasted and lounged on couches of gold and silver, surrounded by objects made of precious stones and metals. These palace masterpieces represented the work of expert stonecutters, woodworkers, artisans and artists. The craftsmen and their materials were imported when necessary; nothing but the very best of both was used. Almost all of the exquisite work of these ancient craftsmen lies in ruins today; only a few walls survived the conquerors. Most of the treasures that adorned Persian bodies and filled the kings’ coffers disappeared among the spoils of war taken by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C.

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