Esther 2-3 | Securing our Future
Esther 2:19-3:15 revolves around two characters: Mordecai and Haman. Mordecai has already been introduced as Esther’s older cousin and caretaker, and now the book reveals his work in and around the court. Haman was another figure at court, who wielded wealth and influence in the kingdom. He appeared as a foil to Mordecai and would prove to be his adversary. As the events of this book unfolded, it was the rivalry between these two that would spiral into the threat of extermination for God’s people.
Mordecai has gained a position in the court. “In those days,” Esther 2:21 informs, “Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. . .” The king’s gate was where government business was handled, and for Mordecai to be seated there seems to indicate that he held an official role. Perhaps, Esther used her influence to open this up for him. In this position, he learned of a plot against the king, reported it to Esther, and he ended up saving the king's life (2:21-23).
Haman is introduced at this point in a surprising fashion. Where one would expect Mordecai to be honored for saving the king’s life, we read, “After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him” (3:1). Hamman, not Mordecai, was honored and set above all the other officials at the court.
Mordecai refused the king’s command to honor and bow down before Haman (3:2). He risked his life rather than pay homage to Haman. The rest of the chapter will detail the consequences of Mordecai’s foolish reaction, but it is worth pausing for a moment to reflect on why he reacts so rashly. The narrative does not explicitly explain why Mordecai will not bow down, but reading between the lines, it seems that he was upset because he believed Haman got what Mordecai himself deserved. Mordecai had saved the king, and he wanted the honor and power in return.
As part of a conquered people who had been carried far from their homes, Mordecai lived in a place of uncertainty and insecurity. His own cousin was taken from his home because of the whims of the king. He could not even keep his own family safe. He responded by trying to pull the levers of power, to wield some sort of influence in order to secure the future for himself and those he loved. When God seemed nowhere to be found, Mordecai came to trust in his own ability to control rather than the God who’s in control. With Haman’s promotion, Mordecai’s efforts appeared to have all fallen apart.
Haman would not allow for Mordecai’s disrespect, and he attempted everything within his power to try to wipe out Mordecai and all of God’s people. He used his political influence to get the king on his side (3:8). He deployed his incredible wealth to sway the king’s opinion (3:9), and he even tried to get fortune itself on his side (3:7). At the end of the third chapter, Haman’s plot to eradicate God’s people seems unstoppable.
While Haman and Mordecai had two different goals, they both relied on their own efforts to bring certainty to the uncertainty of their lives. When faced with threats, they attempted to pull whatever levers were at their disposal–political influence, wealth, and good fortune–in order to secure their futures. The threat of chaos and uncertainty in our own lives reveals where we have been placing our security. Certainly, political engagement, wise financial decisions, and planning are good things, but when we make these good things ultimate things, they crumble under that kind of pressure. Only God himself will prove to be a strong enough foundation for our lives.
Keeping with the rest of Esther, God is never mentioned in these chapters, and yet, the narrative is structured in such a way to remind us that God is in control. Ironically, it is the part of the account that seems most up to chance that reveals God’s sovereignty. Haman cast lots in order to determine the timing of his plan to kill Mordecai and his people (3:7). Biblical scholar Karen Jobes points out that Haman cast lots during the month of Nisan, which is the month of the Passover when ancient Israel celebrated God’s delivering them from slavery in Egypt. As God’s people once again faced destruction in a foreign land, the timing of the lots subtly points to God’s deliverance. As Proverbs 16:33 explains, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Even things left up to so-called chance are in God’s control.
In the face of the uncertainty and insecurity of our own lives, we have even greater assurance than Esther that God is in control and is for our good. Centuries after Esther, our Lord Jesus went to the cross during this same month of Nisan. While the religious leaders were adamant that Jesus not be arrested during the Passover, it was precisely during this feast that Jesus was arrested and crucified so that the plan of God might be fulfilled. The religious and political leaders of Jesus’s day thought they were in control, but Peter reminds us in his sermon on Pentecost that God was able to superintend even their evil purposes for his good: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Not only does God have power over time and chance, but in Jesus’s resurrection we see his power over sin and death. We could trust our own efforts to secure our lives and futures, or we could entrust ourselves to the one who has power over death itself.
