We have established our main protagonists and the setting but the third chapter of the book of Esther finally introduces the main villain and the main conflict. Yes, I am only focusing on one verse for this study, because this verse packs a little bit of a punch to it!
We are introduced to Haman. Haman is promoted by the king, he is set “above all the princes that were with him”. Or, in other words, he was put second in command.
That may not seem like it “packs a punch”, that is because we skipped an important part- his lineage. There are so many people in the Bible who are referred to as “first name the son of father’s first name the insert tribe or family name”. It happens so often that we tend to gloss over it. But in this particular case, it is important.
This passage shows us that Haman was an Agagite. Let me be very clear, most scholars would agree with what I am about to say about Haman being an Agagite, but there is no evidence, except the connecting passages, that would verify what I am about to say. Regardless, we can still learn a powerful, spiritual lesson from the Word of God.
Haman is called an Agagite. Does that name sound at all familiar to you? It should, if you have your Bible, turn to 1st Samuel 15:8,9. God commanded for Saul to destroy all of the Amalekites. We see from the chapter that Saul does not do that. He leaves many animals alive and he leaves the king alive. Not important to this study, but he must have left plenty of others alive too because it was eventually an Amalekite that killed Saul! Now, if Saul disobeyed God and spared the life of Agag, do you think he spared Agag’s wife and children? You’d better believe it! It is very clear that Saul did not, in any way, shape, or form, obey God.
And now, all of these years later, Saul’s disobedience is coming back home to roost. If Saul had just done what he was supposed to do, Esther and Mordecai would likely have never been put into this situation. That leads us to the lesson in the story today. The lesson is: Your sin may not hurt you right now, but it will further on down the line and may end up hurting other people. The best way to avoid such a fate is to just do what is right!