Chapter 3: 7-9
The book of Esther: A study of God in action
when nothing appears to be happening!
by Patsy Norwood (c) 2023 - 2024. All Rights
Reserved.
In lesson 12 we left Haman plotting to get rid of not
only Mordecai, but all the Jews! Let’s
see how Haman’s plan develops …
7 In the first month, which is the month of
Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur
(that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day and
the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the
month of Adar.
The month of Nisan in our modern-day calendar
year occurs in the springtime in the later part of March and first part of
April, some 30 days.
The month of Adar occurs in February and March.
They cast Pur (that is, the lot) … the
following from Esther, by Charles R Swindoll, was really interesting and shed
more light on this particular casting of lots.
(This info or something similar was found in other resources as well.)
“The casting of lots to determine a lucky day on
which to do something was common practice in oriental kingdoms. It is very similar to the practice today of
shooting dice in order to select a propitious day for some activity. When the record says, “They cast it month
after month till the twelfth month,” it doesn’t mean they shook dice for a
whole year in front of Haman. It means
that every cast made stood for a different day.
A cast was made for each day of the calendar and if a propitious number
(we might say, an evil omen, or some sense of significance aroused by the
throwing of the dice) turned up that day was regarded as a lucky day; thus they
went through 365 casts before they found the lucky day. When they found it, it was in the twelfth
month called the month of Adar. This
whole process made it possible for Haman to go to the king and say, “Look! If you really want good luck in your life, if
you want fortune to smile upon you, there’s only one thing to do – get rid of
these people?”’ Excerpt from The Queen
and I, by Ray Stedman
Almost a year lapsed between Haman’s decision to annihilate
the Jews and the date set to do so by the casting of lots. Did you notice that Haman was so sure of
himself that he set the date before he even approached the King!
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore, it is not fitting for the king to let them remain.
“a certain people” … do you
notice that Haman doesn’t identify the people?
What would make the king not inquire as to who the people were? Did he trust Haman that much or did he just
not want to be bothered?
Josephus gives the following account of Haman’s argument to
the king to get rid of ‘a certain people’:
Wicked nation
Separate from others
Unsociable
Not the same divine worship that
others do
Not using laws like unto the
others
At enmity with thy people and with all men both in their
manners and practices.
Hmmm, talk about exaggeration!
Notice that Haman is laying out his case, but he’s not telling
the whole story. He’s putting on a show
pretending that what he wants to do is in the best interest of the king all the
while hiding his real motives.
9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”
“If it pleases the king’ … Haman
knows that he must have the king’s permission to pull off his plan and he also
knows that he has to manipulate the king in order to get it.
‘ten thousand talents of silver’ … that
sounds like a lot of money! Herodotus
says the annual income of the entire Persian empire was about 10 – 15,000
talents of silver. Haman must have been
a very wealthy man or else he had a plan for a way to get it! Could that plan have included plundering the
Jews possessions after they were annihilated?
Ten thousand talents of silver at that time, was estimated to
be some 375 tons of silver. (In that
day, Persia used silver as its monetary standard)
(Note: In today’s market
value, 10,000 talents of silver hold a value of approximately $226, 291, 702.)
Could the Persian empire have needed money after their failed
war with the Greeks? Did Haman know this
and was this why he was enticing the king with such a large amount?
Haman really, really wanted to get rid of the Jews, didn’t
he? His hatred and prejudice ran deep.
What are your thoughts?
In our next lesson:
Esther 3: 10-15 we see the king’s response.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson. Don't forget
to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this class, please share the link
with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well.
Links to previous lessons:
Until the next class ...
patsy @ From This Heart of Mine; (c) 2023 - 2024 by Patsy
Norwood ~ All Rights Reserved.
Not meaning to be funny at all but as I was reading I kept thinking that Haman reminds me of some children who grew up here. A little slanting with of the truth here and there to get my own way.
ReplyDeleteLana, sadly, children who get away with it grow up to be adults who try to get away with it.
Delete