1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangei, and today we're in Esther chapter three, 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the message. Sometime later, King 6 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: Xerxes promoted Haman, son of Hamatatha the Agagite, making him 7 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: the highest ranking official in the government. All the king's 8 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: servants at the king's gate used to honor him by 9 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: bowing down and kneeling before Hayman. That's what the king 10 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: had commanded, except Mordecai. Mordecai wouldn't do it, wouldn't bow 11 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: down and kneel. The king's servants at the king's gate 12 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: asked Mordecai about it. Why do you cross the king's command? 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: Day after day they spoke to him about this, but 14 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: he wouldn't listen. So they went to Haman to see 15 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: whether something shouldn't be done about it. Mordechai had told 16 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: them that he was a Jew. When Haman saw for 17 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 1: himself that Mordechai didn't bow down and kneel before him, 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: he was outraged. Meanwhile, having learned that Mordechai was a Jew. 19 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: Haman hated to waste his fury on just one Jew. 20 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: He looked for a way to eliminate not just Mordechai, 21 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: but all Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. In 22 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: the first month, the month of Nissan of the twelfth 23 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: year of Xerxes, the purr that is the lot was 24 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: cast under Hayman's charge to determine the propitious day and month. 25 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,320 Speaker 1: The lot turned up the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, 26 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: which is the month of Adar. Haman then spoke with 27 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: King Xerxes. There is an odd set of people scattered 28 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: through the provinces of your kingdom who don't fit in. 29 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: Their customs and ways are different from those of everybody else. Worse, 30 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: they disregard the King's laws. They're in affront. The King 31 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: shouldn't put up with them. If it pleases the King, 32 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: let orders be given that they be destroyed. I'll pay 33 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: for it myself. I'll deposit three hundred and seventy five 34 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: tons of silver in the royal bank to finance the operation. 35 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: The king slipped his signet ring from his hand and 36 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: gave it to Haman, son of Hamatatha, the Agagite arch 37 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: enemy of the Jews. Go ahead, the king said to Haman, 38 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: it's your money. Do whatever you want with those people. 39 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: The king's secretaries were brought in on the thirteenth day 40 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: of the first month. The orders were written out word 41 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: for word as Hayman had addressed them to the King, satraps, 42 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. 43 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: They were written in the script of each province and 44 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: the language of each people, in the name of King Xerxes, 45 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: and sealed with the royal signet ring. Bulletins were sent 46 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: out by couriers to all the King's provinces with orders 47 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: to massacre, kill, and eliminate all the Jews, youngsters and 48 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: old men, women and babies on a single day, the 49 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, 50 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: and to plunder their goods. Copies of the bulletin were 51 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: to be posted in each province publicly available to all 52 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: peoples to get them ready for that day. At the 53 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: King's command, the couriers took off. The order was also 54 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: posted in the palace complex of Susa. The King and 55 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: Hayman sat back and had a drink while the city 56 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: of Susa reeled from the news. Let's pray, Lord, we 57 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: thank you for your word, and we thank you for 58 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: the privilege of being able to look at it today. 59 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: And Lord, when we look at this portion of scripture, 60 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: we see a pattern that's been repeated throughout the course 61 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: of history. We see people that have risen up against 62 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: the Jewish people for no other reason other than the 63 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: fact that they have followed your laws and stood out 64 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: as peculiar among the other nations. Lord, we know that 65 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: Satan inspires these kinds of attacks against the Jewish people. 66 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: Here in the Old Covenant we see this taking place, 67 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: and we recognize that as Satan was attempting to do this, 68 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: he was trying to eliminate the people through whom the 69 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: Messiah was prophesied to come. So, in one respect, this 70 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: was an attack on the Jewish people, but in another respect, 71 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: this was an attempt to go against what you had 72 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: prophesied would take place, that, namely, a son of Abraham, 73 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: a son of David, would come and would offer salvation 74 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: to the nations. Lord, we can see your hand at 75 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: work in this passage of scripture, and throughout the course 76 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: of this book, and we could see your hand at 77 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: work throughout the course of human history. And Lord, it's 78 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: been your desire and your effort to draw mankind unto yourself. 79 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: And we thank you Lord that nothing can get in 80 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: the way of your plan and succeed. That you always prevail, 81 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 1: no matter what the obstacle or the opposition. So we're 82 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: grateful that we have the privilege to see this take 83 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: place in this book, and we pray Lord that we 84 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,720 Speaker 1: would be reminded of these things as well throughout the 85 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: course of our lives. We love you, Lord, We commit 86 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: this day to your care, and we thank you for 87 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.