Lessons from the Remnant - Haunted by the Past

In March (or sometimes in April) one of my favorite Biblical holidays occurs. It is Purim: the celebration of how G-d spared his people in the book of Esther. As many of us know, Esther was a queen who showed great courage in the face of danger. Yet there are many deeper truths this book reveals that often go unnoticed, one of which we will focus on in this article. Before we start, I highly encourage you to read the book of Esther whether you are familiar with the story or not.

The story of Esther and her cousin Mordecai is inspiring. We see how Mordecai raised his orphaned cousin as his own daughter. His heart is as noble and loving a heart as you will find in the scriptures. We see how Esther obeyed and trusted G-d and her cousin in the face of fear. Her obedience and trust is an example we should all hope to follow.

But one of the most overlooked parts of the story is Haman. We read how through his arrogance, Haman plotted to kill every last Jew alive. At first reading you might think this is a huge over-reaction to Mordecai not showing the proper respect in Haman’s mind. So why would Haman hate so deeply, so quickly? He didn’t just want to punish Mordecai. He desired total annihilation of Mordecai’s people! The key to this question is found in Esther 3:1, “… Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite…” You see, Haman was an Agagite, and the Agagites were descendents of King Agag. Who is King Agag and how does this explain why Haman hated the Jews?

For this answer we must go back to the time of the reign of Saul, Israel’s first king. In 1st Samuel 15:3, G-d sent Samuel to King Saul with a message, “…Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women …” Saul was to kill and destroy everything that moved, according to the command of the L-rd. Saul failed to do this. Instead, he destroyed what was weak but took captive King Agag and kept him alive. (1st Samuel 15:8) Later on, Samuel kills King Agag, but the damage had been done.

So you see, Haman is a descendent of King Agag. He must have grown up with all the stories of how the Jews killed their people and how the Agagites were all that were left of the once proud Amalekites. No wonder he hated Mordecai and all the Jews!

The hidden lesson is how Saul’s sin nearly destroyed all the Jews generations later in the time of Esther. Think about what Esther and the Jews went through because of Saul’s sin! Esther had to be torn away from her cousin, Mordecai, the only family she had left. She had to live in the palace away from her people and family for years while having to hide who she was. She then had to win the Kings’ favor and risk her own life to save her people. These very Jews would never have needed to be saved if Saul listened to G-d, because Haman would never have been born!

In conclusion, let us look at our own lives and the sin we have “kinda” dealt with, but not completely destroyed. Do we realize how our arrogance, disobedience, and pride can hurt our family and friends in the future or do we rather worry about looking good in their eyes? Let us look earnestly to see if we have left open the door to sin from our past. As David says in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”