Bad People Acquire Bad Power - Esther 1-5

 Esther 3:15 (ESV)

The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

What kings and leaders do can impact the world around them, even beyond their knowledge.   The above verse is the concluding verse to a really bad decision by the king of the Medes and the Persians.  Haman was King Ahasuerus’ right hand man.  The king had promoted him to the second highest position in the land.   Every time people saw him, Haman would make them bow down to him.  However, Mordecai, Esther’s adopted father, would no bow down to Haman.   This irritated Haman.   This hatred caused Haman to plot a scheme where he would have all the Jews killed (not knowing that Queen Esther was also a Jew).   

King Ahasuerus was not a strong king, as can be seen in the first chapter of the book.  He was often lead around by those around him.  Haman’s plot would be know different.   Haman proposed to give the king 10,000 talents of sliver if he allowed Haman to kill the entire nation.  This is an incredible amount of money.  Some estimate that the equivalent of that money today would be over three million dollars.   Haman was either a man of great wrath (which explains his rise to the second most powerful person in the land), or, Haman thought that combine wealth of the Jewish people would allow him to obtain that kind of money.  This amount was equivalent to two-three years of revenue for the king.   Ahasuerus had to take the deal.   

After the arrangements are made and a decree is signed Ahasuerus and Haman sit down to drink to celebrate.  Ahasuerus celebrated his new revenue stream (at the death of God’s people) and Haman probably celebrated the death of Mordecai and his new “investment” in his own power grab.   Never-the-less, at the cost of life, the celebrated.  

This is a great example of government, without regard to consequences, passing laws that hurt the people they govern but carry little consequence to them.  This is what power does to you.  Man wants power at any expense.   The King would not have money to keep his power.  Haman would now have power over an entire nation and get his revenge on Mordecai.   This is the evilness of mankind that Christ came to redeem.