Esther 3 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Esther 3 Short Summary:
In Esther 3, King Ahasuerus promoted an evil man named Haman to the top of the government. When Mordecai refused to bow to Haman and pay him homage, Haman put together a plot to slaughter Mordecai and all his people, the Jews (this would have included Esther). The king, unaware of what Haman was really doing, gave Haman permission to execute the evil plan.
Esther 3 Bible Study
WHEN:
538 BC – Cyrus the Great of Persia frees the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.
516 BC – The rebuilding of the Temple is completed in Jerusalem.
483 BC – The story of Esther begins in the 3rd year of Ahasuerus’ reign.
479 BC – Esther becomes queen of Persia.
457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.
444 BC – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.
KEY CHARACTERS:
King Ahasuerus – Also known as Xerxes. Reigned as king of Persia from 486-464 B.C.
Mordecai – A Jew who lived in Susa. He raised Esther after her parents died. Mordecai’s family was brought to Babylonia/Persia when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem 100 years before these events.
Haman – An Agagite. He was a vengeful man who King Ahasuerus elevated to high authority.
WHERE:
Susa – The capital of the Persian Empire. The location of the palace of Ahasuerus.
OUTLINE:
MORDECAI REFUSES TO BOW (3:1-5):
King Ahasuerus promoted a man named Haman to second in command in Susa. Haman was a very evil and prideful man.
The king ordered all his servants to bow to Haman and pay homage to him. Paying homage can mean to show someone honor, but this may have been more akin to worship.
When Haman went out of the king’s gate, all the men bowed to him, except for Mordecai.
When asked why, he confidently stated that he would not bow or pay homage because he was a Jew.
This refusal infuriated Haman.
HAMAN PLOTS TO KILL THE JEWS (3:6-15):
It wasn’t enough for Haman to take revenge only on Mordecai, so he decided to exterminate all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews.
Rather than approaching the king with a blunt request, he framed his desire to appear as if it were in the best interest of the king.
Haman said to the king, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them” (3:8).
If the king would give him permission to exterminate them, he offered to pay a huge sum of money to the royal treasury, 10,000 talents of silver.
Unfortunately, Ahasuerus trusted Haman’s judgement and gave him his signet ring to authorize the decree.
The Persian scribes were summoned to write the decree in multiple languages, and then Haman sealed them with the king’s ring of authority.
The decree was sent out to officials throughout the kingdom. It instructed that all the Jews were to be killed on the 13th day of the 12th month, and their possessions were to be plundered.
When the decree was published in Susa, it threw the city into confusion.
APPLICATION
There is a reason the Apostles provide a list of qualities a man must possess to be appointed into leadership (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:7).
Haman seems like he was a smooth talker. He got what he wanted by making it look like he was doing the king a favor by getting rid of dissidents in the empire.
The qualities for leaders described by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament have less to do with words and more to do with lifestyle.
The life and character of a candidate for eldership must be examined, not merely his words.
If these vetting qualifications are ignored, and a man slips his way into leadership with his smooth tongue, it can have devastating consequences.
