Wednesday: Haman and Satan
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 11th of June 2025
In the story of Esther, we meet Haman, who is hungry for position and power. He is given a great degree of prominence in the empire, above all the other princes (Esther 3:1).
If we read Ezekiel 28:11-15 and Isaiah 14:12-15 about Lucifer, we can find some parallels with Haman, an evil antagonist to God’s chosen people, who refuses to bow to God’s supremacy. Satan’s overarching intentions are revealed in the story of the temptation of Christ, where he takes Jesus to a high place to show Him the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-11). Christ, as we have seen, came to redeem the world and claim it as His own—and He did it as one of us. Jesus is the kinsman redeemer, and the price He paid to redeem the world was exceedingly high.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
In the book of Revelation, we see that Satan’s lust for power and worship brings this world to its final crisis. His deceptions convince the world to “marvel” and follow the beast (Revelation 13:3-4, NKJV), except for notable exceptions who refuse to worship him. With these people, he resorts to force.
Haman notices that Mordecai—one of God’s chosen people—would not defer to him or acknowledge what he believed to be his right to “worship.” He is “filled with wrath” (Esther 3:5-6, NKJV), and he becomes determined to eliminate all of Mordecai’s people from the face of the earth.
Read Esther 3:1-14, Revelation 12:14-17, and Revelation 13:15. What parallels do you find between these passages? How is John’s description of God’s remnant church like Haman’s description of God’s people?
The devil has laid claim to this world, but the presence of people who stay loyal to God—who keep His commandments—disproves his claim of complete supremacy. “When the Sabbath shall become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom, the persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand will make them objects of universal execration.”—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, February 22, 1910.
|
Think about the “small” things that test your faith now. If you compromise on them, the “small” things, how will you do when the big test comes? |
(14)
Haman is the character we love to hate. There is so much wrong with him. He is full of himself and he sees good people as someone to hate. And we read with relish, the story of how Esther turns his hatred and pride back on himself. "Gotcha!"
It just so happened that last night I listened to a commencement speech given by Tim Minchin at the University of Western Australia's graduation recently. He is a very witty, erudite speaker. Here is one of the points he made:
Don't let hatred define us. As Christians we often find ourselves "anti" this and that. And while some of that is important, we need to understand the Gospel is good news. It is about love and building relationships. Is is possible that when we look at Haman, we are seeing a little bit of a reflection of ourselves?
Haman is an embodiment of pride, arrogance, hatred, deceit, vengeance, and false worth. These attributes always lead to self-destruction. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18). It has come to pass time and time again that when you wish other people evil with no apparent cause, the same evil will turn round and finish you up! “As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.” (Job 4:8 (NIV). Jesus rebuked someone who demonstrated the spirit of hate and vengeance. “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52).
“Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.” (Psalm 7:15–16, NIV)
Haman had a plan to destroy the Jews just like Satan wanted to destroy humanity, but God had a different plan. The bible says "THAT NIGHT” What night? The very night before Mordecai was to be hung. “That” night… not the night before… not the night after… but THAT night… the king couldn’t sleep!… poor kingy! As Haman was getting ready to kill Mordecai… the King couldn’t sleep! God’s miracles aren’t so much in WHAT He does… as WHEN He does them!
Many have attributed parting of the Red Sea by Moses as an oddity caused by an earthquake or a wind-storm ...but interestingly the exact moment that Moses hit the water with his staff the sea parted! Medics have attempted to explain cancer patients being cured as a fluke of nature, but friends it is amazing that it happens right after a church had an all night prayer session , Odd!
Esther 6:1-14 is such an example of people trying to explain the miracles found in the bible by natural means… but sadly what they have failed to explain … is the timing of the miracles! Our God uses the evil intentions for His purposes. Haman a wicked man just like Satan plotted to destroy the Jews like Satan plans to destroy God's people, but God used Haman's evil plans to bring salvation. No matter how bleak the situation may seem, God is able to turn it around for good.
“”He is “filled with wrath” (Esther 3:5-6, NKJV), and he becomes determined to eliminate all of Mordecai’s people from the face of the earth.”
I am wondering if there is any spiritual connection between this decree over 2,000 years ago and Hitler’s “final solution” decree of the 1940’s?
The same spirit is definitely behind them both.
When the religious leaders and the people in Jesus' day said; "All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” I don't think that they realized that they were calling down a curse upon themselves and their future generations. (Matthew 27:25)
I suppose there is a connection between that verse and the troubles the Jewish people have suffered, but I'd be careful about the way you state it. I'm not sure it makes God look very nice. What does it say about God that He would cause little children to go to the gas chamber because their ancestors hunderds of years prior wanted to kill His Son? In the Bible, God only punished people to the third and fourth generation (see Exodus 20:5)
However, it's probably true that many Europeans used Matthew 27:25 to justify their ill treatment of the Jews. I see the connection but I struggle with it.
Paul in Romans actually emphasizes that God has not rejected the Jewish people and they can certainly still be His people if they return to Him and find Jesus. I'm sure he and many of the disciples would have been horrified to see what his people had suffered over the years.
Hello Christina! I'm not saying that God had rejected the Jewish people. They had rejected Him in the Person of Jesus. By rejecting the Lord they had perhaps unknowingly made Satan their master. Satan is a harsh taskmaster, which we all know through experience. He has caused all the past and even present suffering of the people of Israel.
When Jesus wept over Jerusalem it wasn't because His feelings were hurt. He wept because he could see the consequences of their rejection of him. It would be terrible. (Luke 19 :41-44)
Jesus said that no man can serve two masters.(Luke 16:13-15) The leaders of Israel had chosen to serve Mammon. Not just money, but the demon of wealth, greed, and avarice.
Jesus contrasted the two different "masters" in John 10:10. Sadly people, even today, still choose the wrong "master" that will master them. God loves all His Creation so much that He has given them freedom of choice. Even freedom to choose to reject Him. Blessings and cursings, life and death, are ours to choose. (Deut. 11:26-28) May they, and we choose Life.
It's true that everyone who rejects God takes on Satan as a master. So in a sense you are right. The Jewish nation definitely lost their special place in God's plan when they chose to walk away from Jesus. That being said, I would not be comfortable saying that the Jewish people have Satan as their master in particular, at least not any more than anyone else. After all, the Romans crucified Jesus too. Both Jew and Gentile killed Him. The Jewish people have contributed greatly to Western society despite their small numbers and the horrible persecution they have suffered over 2,000 years. And as Adventists, we can still learn from them.
My reaction is perhaps too strong, but I have seen so much anti-semitism lately, including from so-called Christians and it is often rooted in Matthew 27:25. I think we should stay far from that.
If I have to choose, I would rather be like the TenBooms who protected the Jews because they were "God's chosen people". And Romans 9-11 is greatly valuable as we consider how God relates to the Jewish people. I don't think Paul regarded them as eternally cursed (after all, he was one!) and we shouldn't either.
We have the prophecy of “the final solution” that will be decreed for Seventh-Day Adventists of which Haman’s decree is referred to as a type. But other genocidal types have been happening in history one of which was Hitler’s “final solution”.
Behind all actions by man stands a spirit. Haman offers a powerful example of the corrupting spirit of this world moving the heart and mind. At its core, this spirit promotes ruthless, self-serving efforts to preserve life on one’s own terms - 1 John 2:16.
We know that it is not merely an individual mindset — it permeates society as a whole, shaping its values, beliefs, and ambitions. This spirit influences how we think, what we think, how we behave, and how we interact with others.
The mindset shaped by the spirit of this world stands in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit and God's Word. This mindset leads not to life, but to death for all who refuse the call to "come out of Babylon" - Rev.18:4.
The same corrupting influence that moved Haman continues to manifest in modern systems, institutions, and cultural norms — each subtly working to undermine God's spiritual kingdom which we are offerd to live in. We are not to conform to this world and its ways. We are called instead to the renewal of our hearts and minds - Rom.12:2.
We know who Haman listened to. The question remains: Whose name is written on our forehead? Rev.22:4
Shawn Boonstra has brought out a parallel that I had not realized before. Yes, I knew that Haman was evil to the uttermost, and the fact that men are influenced by Satan to be evil. The relationship of what Haman did, pertains to the two prophecies in Revelation of Satan's influencing men to take power to make Gods people flee to the wilderness such as the Waldensians(1200's), and the Huguenot's, both during the Dark Ages.(1500's) And in the case of Satan causing men to make people worship the beast, he is again exerting his power to go against the Maker of the universe, who loves us, and wishes that all would turn to Him and be saved, or redeemed if you prefer, being with him for eternity. John 17:3, 1 John 2:17.
The right to worship the creator of the universe is precious to us, Satan is hard at work to take that away. How you say by breaking our right to religious freedom. By making it mandatory to worship on Sunday rather than the Seventh-day Sabbath. Shawn Boonstra has a great You-tube on that, speaking from the Voice of Prophecy telecast, entitled God's Gift of Rest.
Personally, I do not see that Mordecai would have broken a commandment of God if he had bowed to Haman like the rest of that Kingdom. Haman was next in command to the King. And, maybe if he had done so, the jews might not have ended up under such a terrible crisis of near annihilation. And maybe Haman also would not have needed to be hung along with his family either. I think that sometimes God's people put God in a position where He has to work for them like he had to here because Mordecai felt he had to be "smug" about not bowing to Haman.
To the contrary I believe God was steering Mordechi and Esther and the people of Israel to bring our minds to the fact that when we turn to Him with fasting, prayer, obeying His steering, He comes to the rescue, did He not? We can look back on this story and give God the glory for the wounderist things He has done then and now. He has led our Seventh-day Adventist Church through the Haman thicket in the past and will continue to do so now and in the future.
God bless you Pete for your thoughts that inspire us to think.
Life is made of small things that pile up to bigger ones - everyday choices that can make a difference. How do we manage responsibilities and demands, and still keep up with the connection with God through prayer?
Pete, I personally don't see it the way that you do. That's your opinion and you're entitled to it. It's kind of like blaming God for Lucifer's rebellion, or blaming the three Hebrews for being cast into the fiery funace, or Daniel into the lion's den. "If only..."
I see Mordecai as having a keen perception of character. He could sense that Haman was proud, arrogant, and no good. Haman had the same attributes as Lucifer did in heaven. To blame Mordecai for causing this situation is "missing the forest for the trees." Proud and insecure Haman got his little feelings hurt because a peasant wouldn't bow to him, and therefore determined to initiate a genocide against an entire group of people. A bit of an over reaction, don't you think? I guess he didn't learn anything about God’s history of defending His People.
It's ironic that he and his family were hung on the gallows intended for Mordecai. If only more evil people would fall victim to the traps that they intend for others.
In light of current events between the remnants of the old Persian empire and their determination to exterminate the Jews today, it shows me that when mankind doesn't learn the lesson of history, they are destined to repeat them and suffer the same consequences.
What you should also consider is that Haman was an Agagite. Saul was ordered by God to destroy the Amalakites, but he saved Agag, king of the Amalakites. Haman was a descendant of Agag and hated the jews.