THE ENEMY WITHIN (Esther 3:6-15)
INTRODUCTION:
The unsaved person has only one nature, the saved person, the one who has repented and by faith believed that Jesus died for their sin and rose from the dead on the third day, this person has two natures. He has his old fleshly nature, which is called the flesh, the sin nature, the old nature and he has the new nature given when one is born of the Spirit as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:6. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:17, NASB95)[1] It must be understood that the old nature can never be eliminated while we live in the flesh. Because of this there is a constant battle between the old and new natures. We have seen this truth pictured for us in the third chapter of Esther in the animosity that exists between Mordecai and Haman. Remember Mordecai represents for us the Holy Spirit, the One who indwells us at the new birth. Haman represents the old nature, that enemy within that sets it desire against the Spirit. There is an old saying that says, “Never underestimate the power of the enemy!” which simply means that we must understand the strategy of the flesh in its unending battle with the Spirit of God. Paul had learned to live in victory over the enemy within, and like him we must learn to not be ignorant of Satan’s schemes, so that we give him no advantage over us. (2nd Corinthians 2:11) Last week we learned the evil character of Haman the Agagite and that he is the enemy of God, from a people that God declared He would never make peace but that He will have war against from generation to generation. My message ended with Haman filled with rage because Mordecai would not bow down to him or in any way show him the respect he craved. Before turning to our passage for this morning let’s pray and ask God’s Spirit to speak to our hearts this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Esther 3:6-15. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along while I read.
Esther 3:6-15,
“But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Pur, that is the lot, was cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, until the twelfth month, that is the month Adar. Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.’ Then the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. The king said to Haman, ‘The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.’ Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder. A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion.” (Esther 3:6–15, NASB95)[2]
HAMAN’S DISDAIN (Esther 3:6)
In his rage we read that Haman disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. This word disdained has the idea of despising someone, or scorning them, or considering them unworthy or beneath yourself. Because Haman despised and hated Mordecai for his disrespectful attitude towards him, he was determined to use the king to destroy Mordecai, but instead of just coming to the king and lodging a complaint against this man for his display of disrespect, Haman wants to make Mordecai pay dearly for his attitude and actions. So instead of launching a frontal attack and just dealing with the man, Haman wants to destroy all of the Jews in the Persia-Media empire. Those who had gone to Haman and told him about Mordecai had made known to him the people of Mordecai. Haman the Agagite saw this as an opportunity to get revenge for what Saul had done to his people so long ago.
As a Christian you would never believe that you would reject God’s influence outright. You would be shocked and appalled at any suggestion that you tell the Holy Spirit to buzz off, to leave you alone. So, the old nature controlled by Satan never starts there with us. He does not begin in the center, where he must ultimately go if he is to take back control. Satan through our old nature begins out on the fringes of our life, in the area of our attitudes rather than our convictions. In the same way, Haman does not begin with Mordecai, but instead with the people of Mordecai, the Jews. The history of the Jews that we have recorded for us in the Bible is the revelation of God at work among men. The whole purpose of this nation chosen by God is that in their history we might see the unquestionable evidences of God at work. Because of this, in the history that we have recorded for us in Esther, Mordecai’s people, the Jews, represent that which gives evidence to the world of God at work.
How do others around you know that God is at work in your life? It is not necessarily your words, because words can lose their meaning if they are not supported by deeds. Those deeds cannot be simply religious activities which at times are nothing more than pious hypocrisy. There are, however, some unmistakable signs that God is at work in your life. Paul lists what they are in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23, NASB95)[3] These are the true signs that God is at work in a life. There are imitations of these out there, but they will only last for a while, the true quality of this fruit can never be produced apart from the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit. It is this fruit which is seen in the things that we do that are represented by Mordecai’s people. It is here that the enemy, the flesh within begins its attack. The strategy of the flesh is to convince us that when we display this fruit in our lives it makes us look weak, that by producing this fruit it is not really for our good. The enemy within tries to convince us that we would get along much better without them, that it is the opposite attitudes and actions that will pay off for us. If the enemy can lead us to distrust and reject the attitudes and actions of godliness, we will hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
HAMAN’S DAY OF DECISION (Esther 3:7)
Verse seven begins by giving us a date when all this was taking place. It is in the first month of the year, the month of Nisan, the beginning of the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus’ reign over the Persia-Media empire. This date lets us know that Esther has been queen for four years since she became queen in the tenth month of the king’s seventh year in power. In this first month of the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the Pur, that is the lot was cast before Haman. The word Pur most likely comes from the Babylonian word for lots. This may seem strange to us but the casting of lots to determine a lucky day on which to do something was common practice in oriental kingdoms. When it says that the lot was cast from day to day and from month to month until the twelfth month, that is the month Adar, this does not mean that they cast the lot for a full year before Haman. It means that every cast made stood for a different day. A cast was made for each day of the calendar and if a favorable cast fell on a certain day of a certain month that day was regarded as a lucky day. Here we are only told the month that was chosen, the twelfth month, the month called Adar.
This process made it possible for Haman to go to the king and offer him some good luck and all it requires is that you get rid of these certain people. In other words, he might tell the king that on this certain day of this certain month the gods will be smiling on you, because Haman had consulted the Pur, and this is what it told him. We learn from this that Haman is superstitious. Are you superstitious? Do you ever knock on wood when you speak of good health or prosperity? Maybe you think of it as a funny ritual, but you feel if you don’t knock, something bad might happen to you. Do you ever throw salt over your shoulder, or refuse to walk under a ladder, or avoid the number 13, or alter your course should a black cat cross your path? Why do we do these superstitious things? Is there a lingering fear that some jealous spirit may take away our prosperity or bring bad luck upon us? Satan and his kingdom want us to believe that God is not truly concerned about our welfare, so we do these things in an attempt to take care of things ourselves. Our fear of losing our prosperity or having bad luck makes us distrust the goodness and kindness of God.
Haman knows that if he can get the king to believe this superstition, then he will have succeeded in driving a wedge of distrust into the king’s heart. His first move is to make him distrust the people of Mordecai, to fear them and regard them as a threat instead of a blessing. In the same way our enemy within makes us afraid to show love and compassion; he tells us to do so is to show weakness and tries to make us distrust them.
HAMAN’S DISHONESTY (Esther 3:8-9)
After securing a day through the casting of lots, Haman now approaches the king. This scheming prime minister speaks of Mordecai’s people as a people that cannot be trusted and with this lie he couples a concern for the king’s welfare. In verses 8-9 we read of Haman’s pitch to the king, “Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.’ ” (Esther 3:8–9, NASB95)[4]
Haman makes it sound as if these people are a threat to the throne and when you speak to a king about someone who threatens his throne, you are touching something that is very close to his heart. But Haman has a plan to remove that threat and to make the king an enormous amount of money, the king is listening. Haman is not being honest; he does not know if all the Jews in the kingdom do not observe the king’s laws. Certainly there were more Jews in Susa than just Mordecai and Esther and he knew of no other Jews that were not bowing down to him. But he will say what he must to get the king to believe that Mordecai’s people are not only a threat to the king’s throne, but they are also unprofitable for the king to allow them to remain in his kingdom, and if he will remove them and trust Haman, Haman will make him richer than he is already.
Has Haman been talking to you lately, has your enemy within suggested to you that it is not to your advantage to practice the fruit of the Spirit, and if you persist in doing so people are going to walk all over you? Maybe he has suggested the keeping your temper and giving a soft answer to those around you never really get you anywhere, especially at work, it’s those who are loud and who make themselves heard that get the promotions. Has he suggested that if you are not willing to stand up for your own rights you will never get anywhere and you will just get walked all over. Maybe he has hinted to you that honesty isn’t the best policy, at least when you are doing your taxes. What the government doesn’t know won’t really hurt them, and you can save a lot of money with a few short cuts. He may say that love is okay for some, but it you really want to defend the faith you must go to extremes to make yourself heard. Has the enemy within suggested that good manners and courteous words are needed for business and strangers but at home you can let your hair down and say what you like to your wife and kids; they will respect you all the more for it. Has your Haman been talking to you? Does what he says make sense and sound good? Especially if he can show you that you have a lucky day coming up. Don’t believe him, he is not being honest with you, he is simply trying to set his desire against the Spirit who indwells you. If you don’t believe me look at the next verses and what happens when we give into our Haman.
HAMAN’S DECREE OF DESTRUCTION (Esther 3:10-15)
Haman’s deception had worked, and the king gave into Haman’s request believing that Haman had his best interests in mind. Little did he know that it was a minor squabble between Haman and Mordecai that would mean the destruction of a whole people group. We read these words in Esther 3:10-11, “Then the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. The king said to Haman, ‘The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.’ ” (Esther 3:10–11, NASB95)[5]
Nothing can be done in a person’s life without the consent of your will. You cannot pass the buck to someone else . You alone must bear the final responsibility for what happens, for nothing can be done either good or bad apart from the consent of your will. You may be completely sincere and confident that you are doing the right thing, just as King Ahasuerus was, but sincerity is never any defense against error. If evil, if the enemy within, gains control in your life it is because you have permitted it to do so. It is also clear from these verses that when we make a decision, we hand the authority to act to another. The New Testament teaches that man can do nothing by himself. Paul in our Scripture reading this morning in Romans 6 declared that we are either instruments of righteousness or of unrighteousness; in either case we are merely the instruments. The power to act belongs to another. The tragedy of evil choices is that when we commit ourselves to such forces within us, they often act far beyond our desires. Even so, the decision to permit them to act is ours alone.
The decision made by the king in giving his signet ring to Haman allowed Haman to do whatever he wanted and by sealing it with the king’s ring it was authorized in the king’s name and by his authority and power. This decision on the part of the king was immediately followed by a widespread disturbance. Listen to the words of Esther 3:12-15, “Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder. A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa…” (Esther 3:12–15a, NASB95)[6]
The whole kingdom is immediately involved in whatever the king does. The effect of this decision was felt in the days and weeks ahead throughout the entire empire. What we do is never done in a corner. What we decide in the depths of our heart affects everyone who knows us. Our decisions sooner or later touch the lives of everyone within our circle of influence. Disturbance is always the result of some inner decision.
The final step in this program of defeat by the flesh is one of delusion. Look at the end of verse 15, “… and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion.” (Esther 3:15b, NASB95)[7] The king is quite confident that he has taken a wise step, but he is totally deluded. He thinks that he is acting in his own interest. He is grateful to Haman for his concern for the king’s welfare so the two sit to celebrate with a glass of wine or two. But outside in the city there is nothing but confusion. This strange edict from the king makes no sense and it has thrown the whole city into confusion.
CONCLUSION:
For many of us this ending phrase is all too familiar. You meant to do right, you tried to do right, you thought that you were making the right decision on the basis of what seemed to be the right thing to do, but in the end, there was nothing but confusion. Many Christians live right here, defeated, deluded, and disappointed, and they don’t know why. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23, NASB95)[8] Such darkness in Christian lives is what the Bible calls the reign of sin. The king (your will) is fully under the influence of your evil prime minister (the enemy within). The result is that your kingdom is in confusion, despair, and darkness. The king never meant this to happen, but as long as he does not know the true nature of Haman, he is helpless to correct this condition. For the king to be delivered and for the empire to be delivered, the king must be made aware of the true evil character of Haman.
Now is the time for Mordecai to act. When he acts, we shall fully understand the statement in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:17, NASB95)[9] Is there any hope for deliverance? All hope for deliverance from the enemy within, the subtle sinful flesh is found in that sovereign activity of the Spirit of God in the life of God’s child.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.