Title: Haman Tries to Destroy the Jews
Contents
Special Morning Prayer Meeting 3rd August 30th (Wednesday) New Church
Haman seeks to destroy the Jews
Esther 3:1-15
For four years, everything went smoothly in Susanseong. Esther was doing her job well as a queen, and Mordecai was sitting at the gate of the palace, taking care of the king's affairs.
But suddenly the Jews throughout the Persian Empire were in danger of being exterminated. Just by Haman.
Haman's Scourge (1-6)
Haman ascends to the highest office of Persia. Judging by his character, he must have been able to obtain such a position of power through the pleasure and flattery of the king.
Being a proud man, he was not content to sit in a high position and wanted to be respected and recognized publicly by everyone he could.
So he used the king's decree to make everyone kneel and bow down to him.
But Mordecai neither bowed nor bowed to Haman.
The officials tried hard to convince Mordecai, but Mordecai refused to bow down, revealing that he was a Jew. Eventually, the news reaches Haman.
Haman was very angry. And when he learns that he is a Jew, he develops a heinous plan to annihilate all Jews.
Why didn't Mordecai bow down to Haman, and why did Haman want to annihilate all the Jews?
Haman was an Agagite.
They were descendants of Agag, king of Amalek. If this were true, it would be easy to understand why Haman hated the Jews so much.
The story dates back to the time when Israel came out of Egypt.
The Amalekites attacked God's people, Israel, from behind.
However, after Moses ordered Joshua to fight the Amalekites, he went up the mountain to intercede. The story is that the essence of the war was a spiritual battle.
In the end, the war ended with Joshua's great victory.
Mordecai was unable to yield to their adversary, Haman, an Amalekite, who deified himself and demanded worship.
In the past, King Saul compromised with Amalek and lost his throne, and he did not want to commit the same sin against God again. Mordecai did not have any personal anger against Haman, but rather, he was opposing him as a soldier of God.
However, this caused a great crisis for the whole of the Jews.
God's soldiers put faith first and do not pursue immediate benefits.
God's blessing is always given after passing the test.
Development of Crisis (7-15)
Haman mobilizes astrologers to set a day to exterminate the Jews.
This big job requires a lot of preparation, but I was able to prepare for the rest of the year by cultivating my resentment.
Haman obtains the king's approval by offering to pay the king ten thousand talents of silver. When the decree was drawn up and sealed with the king's ring, the fate of the Jews was also decided.
Meanwhile, Haman was having a drink with the king after sending a decree. How heartless are you?
There are billions of people in the world today who are condemned to eternal death because they do not know Jesus. But most Christians are insensitive to it and do nothing.
Hudson Taylor, a Chinese missionary, went to Brighton, a famous English holiday resort, in June 1865, where he stayed briefly with friends. At that time, he was very ill and was seeking God's will for his future work.
On a Sunday, June 25, he was walking on the sandy beach and wrestling with God in deep agony, “I couldn't bear to see the crowds rejoicing in the house of God.” God met him anew then, and he believed that God would send him 24 missionaries to work with him in China.
Two years later, he opened an account under the name of China Inland Missions! In that way, the China Inland Mission, which continues to work miraculously to this day, began.
Of course, it is a good thing to rejoice in the house of Jehovah. But what if you just have fun and don't do what you are supposed to?
We all want to enjoy the feast, but not the message.
In view of this world, we should not be so callous and indifferent as unbelievers like Haman.
Haman may have been happy, but the Jews of Shushan were at a loss as to what to do. But the situation was not all that desperate.
Because God had already prepared Mordecai and Esther.
God always makes a way out. Be Mordecai and Esther.
Today's prayer
-Forgive the sins of the Korean church for not being faithful to God while pursuing the immediate benefits.
- I hope that the private school law will be revised so that there will be no difficulties in religious education.
- Let us cast away our heartlessness toward our souls and become us who preach the gospel.