3:1 Some time later King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position above that of all the officials who were with him.

King Ahesuerus was King Xerxes, the Persian king who lost the Battle of Thermopylae to the Greeks. He promoted an Agagite named Haman to the position of Prime Minister. The Agagites were the royal family of the Amalekites. The Amalekites were anti-Semitic. They had been perennial enemies of Israel since their wilderness wanderings. Their goal was to perform genocide upon Israel, so that the messianic seed would never be born. 500 years earlier, God knew what was going to happen in the future. God ordered King Saul to exterminate the Amalekites. Saul disobeyed God, so now the future of the Jews was at risk.

3:2 As a result, all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However, Mordecai did not bow, nor did he pay him homage.

The Hebrew word for “paying homage” is שָׁחָה (shachah, meaning to worship. After the king announced his new Prime Minister, everyone except for Mordecai bowed down and worshiped him. According to the Mosaic Law, the Jews were not to bow down to anything but God Himself. They were to worship only God. Even though Mordecai was out of the will of God by staying in the land, he was still a true believer who refused to bow down and worship a man. 

Not even angels are to be worshiped. They would never allow any human to worship them. In the New Testament, Jesus allowed others to worship Him, because Jesus was more than an angel. He was God in human flesh.

3:3 Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you violating the king’s commandment?” 

This Mosaic Law forbid the Jews to bow to anyone or anything except for God. This law was a witness to the Gentile world that there was only one true God. The Jews would not bow to any man or any image. When a Jew refused to bow to a man or thing, then it made Gentiles ask questions about this “strange” Jewish behavior. These questions led to evangelistic opportunities for the Jews. The Jews were called to become priests to all of the nations. Mordecai was out of the will of God, but he still refused to bow down to a man or image.

3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew.

The Gentile world was anti-Semitic. Most of the ancient world did not care what religion that you were, as long as you paid homage to their political leaders. Mordecai refused to bow and worship a man, so Haman was informed of the situation.

3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he was filled with rage. 

The man of Satan hates the Jews. The Jews would bring in the Messiah into the world. The Messiah will crush the head of the Serpent at his second coming.

3:6 But the thought of striking out against Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed of the identity of Mordecai’s people. So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

If the man of Satan could get away with it, he would kill every Jew and Christian on the planet. The Jews are indestructible. They must survive to populate the Millennial Kingdom and rule over all nations. Satan will raise up many kings and governments to exterminate the Jews, but a remnant will always survive. The Lord Jesus Christ said that He would not return until the Jews cry out, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Since this time, Satan has stepped up his anti-semitic program. Satan believes that if he can kill every Jew on the planet, then there will be no Jew to cry out for the Messiah. If this was possible (it is not), then Satan will be able to reign upon earth forever. 

3:7 In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month. It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).

Haman decided that he was going to exterminate every Jew in the Persian kingdom. He called in his satanic magicians to cast magical lots to find out which month he should issue this verdict. Notice that he threw the lots on the first month of the year. God was in charge of the the outcome of these lots. The dice fell on the last month of the year. God gave the Jews the maximum amount of time to find out and defend themselves from this genocide.

3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them.

Haman the Prime Minister informed the king that there was a race of people who needed to be exterminated. He did not give the identity of this race. If he did, then Xerxes may have remembered the earlier decrees of Cyrus and Darius which favored the Jews. He may have remembered the honored position which Daniel had once held in Persia. Haman’s argument was since this unnamed race followed their own law instead of that of the Persian king, then Persia should not be a safe haven for them.

3:9 If the king is so inclined, let an edict be issued to destroy them. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.”

Xerxes needed money to pay for the war which he lost to the Greeks at Thermopylae. Ten thousand talents was several million dollars. Haman may have been the wealthiest man in Persia. He may have bought himself into the position of Prime Minister. Xerxes did not even ask which race was to be exterminated. He wanted the ten thousand talents added to the king’s treasury.

Once Haman asked for this law, then he violated the Abrahamic Covenant. Xerxes violated the Abrahamic Covenant as well. Those who bless Israel will be blessed. Those who curse Israel will be cursed. Haman and Xerxes have both brought the Abrahamic curse upon themselves.

Many wealthy men throughout history have manipulated political leaders by controlling their financial resources. Satan often gives wealth to certain men so that they can aid the devil’s program. Those wealthy men who use their money to destroy the Jews are also violating the Abrahamic Covenant.

3:10 So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who was hostile toward the Jews.

Xerxes gave Haman his signet ring. Once the law was passed, then this law would be sealed with wax. The king’s signet ring would be pressed into the wax, making the law official.’

It is important to note that some historians estimated that two million men died in the Persian War. Xerxes was about to sign another law into effect which would kill millions of God’s chosen people. He did not even investigate this matter or know the identity of these people. He cared very little for human life.

3:11 The king replied to Haman, “Keep your money, and do with those people whatever you wish.” 

Xerxes was not even interested in the money. He gave Haman the freedom to commit genocide on the entire Jewish race with little or no investigation.

3:12 So the royal scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 

This law was written on the 13th day of the first month. The Jews were to be killed on the 13th day of the last month. This could be the origin of Friday the 13th.

3:13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children, on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions.

There were 127 provinces in the Persian kingdom. There were a minimum of 127 languages. The Persian kingdom stretched from Asia to Mesopotamia to Egypt to Africa and to even some of Europe. This law had to be transported across all of the silk roads and the Mediterranean Sea by ships, camels, horses, donkeys, and human messengers. This law had to be translated into all of the languages and dialects of the people all over the Persian empire. This was a vast government project which took a lot of money, time, and manpower to execute. 

If anyone killed a Jewish family, then they were able to confiscate their property, livestock, and goods. Anti-semitism was prevalent in these Gentile provinces. Satan had his people in all of these provinces. These Gentiles now had their chance to fulfill what was deep inside their soul. They could kill and plunder the Jews. The future Antichrist may follow in the same footsteps of Haman.

Why did Hitler kill the Jews? He stole their property, businesses, and labor to produce a military machine which would make him a world power. He killed six million Jews in his day. The Antichrist will kill twelve millions Jews during the Great Tribulation. Hitler could have been Satan’s dry run of the Antichrist.

3:14 A copy of this edict was to be presented as law throughout every province; it was to be made known to all the inhabitants, so that they would be prepared for this day. 

The messengers rode through and posted this new law on the bulletin boards of every city and town in the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire.

3:15 The messengers scurried forth with the king’s order. The edict was issued in Susa the citadel. While the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in an uproar!

The citizens of Shushan were confused, because the Jews were not traitors or enemies of Persia. The Shushan citizens did not want to carry out this genocide. However, Xerxes and Haman did not care. They had just sent out a law to kill two million Jewish families so that they could muster up money for the royal family. 

The Jews were the race who was to bring the Messiah into the world. They were to record and preserve the Scriptures. They were to teach the Gentiles about the one true God. They were to rule over a future Millennial Kingdom where there would be peace on earth. They were to rule a kingdom where there would be no Satan, no demons, and no evil in the world. Satan hates the Jews. Xerxes and Haman were Satan’s men of the hour. As the Gentile world was attempting to kill two million Jewish men, women, and children, Xerxes and Haman were sipping cocktails. This is the world of anti-semitism. This is the world of liberalism.