[Ephes. 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; ] 

[When you find yourself in the most difficult situations of your life, God will take you a step farther and cause you stand.  How will you stand?] 

[Mordecai had possibly hidden his heritage and instructed Esther to hide hers.  Now, God brings him to the point of deciding whether he will not only hide his faith, but will he live his faith.] 

[Christians may often act like Mordecai and strive to hide their faith in our secular world.  But beware, for God will often bring upon you circumstances that will demand an answer from you.  In those circumstances will you not only hide your Christianity, but will you hide your faith and deny Christ?]

A.  THE PROMOTER OF THE CAMPAIGN  

[Now the wicked and ruthless Haman comes into the story.   As we work our way through the book of Esther we will discover that Haman is power hungry and proud.  His desire to be prominent will bring him to desire about all else to stamp out the Jewish race because Mordecai refused to bow down and worship him.  The lusts and pride of wicked men bring ruthless ends into life and culture.  So now let us meet this vile wicked man.]

1.   Haman’s Ancestry (v. 1; 1 Sam 15.32-33; Gen 27.41;36.12; Deut 25.17-19) [- After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite. . . ]  

a.   [Of the Amalakites (1 Samuel 15:32,33) - The ancestry of Haman is associated in tradition, and perhaps even in fact, with evil against the Jews. We have no information concerning Hammedatha the father of Haman; but the Jews, according to F. C. Cook, generally understand the expression "the Agagite" to mean a descendant of Agag who was the Amalekite king whom Samuel killed with the sword.] 

b.   [But if Haman was a descendent of Agag and hence of the Amalekites, it adds much impetus to his campaign against the Jews. The Amalekites were longtime enemies of the Jews. ] 

1)   [This hatred goes back to Esau's hatred of Jacob (Genesis 27:41), for the Amalekites were descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12). Any attack on the Jews by the Amalekites was simply a continuation of the great conflict between Jacob and Esau. ] 

2)   [Also we need to note that many centuries prior to this anti-Semitism problem in Persia, the Amalekites had come under the curse of God for their cruel attack upon the Israelites when the Israelites were in the desert after fleeing Egypt. The Divine curse commanded that they be blotted out (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).] 

[Deuteronomy 25:17-19 ¹⁷ Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; ¹⁸ How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. ¹⁹ Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it. ]

[If the Israelites had only fully obey God, then this Haman would not be present to bring this vicious hatred against the Jews.  Disobedience always brings evil and corruption.]

2.   Haman’s Advancement (vs 1, 9; Eccl 10.6-7) [-  After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.]  

a.   [The extent of the advancement (vs 1) -  "above all the princes that were with him."   This made Haman next to the king. He was, therefore, the second ruler of the empire-the very position Mordecai will eventually be given by King Ahasuerus (Esther 10:3)]  

1)   [But though evil is legalized by man's laws and given great prestige and power by man, God still can defeat it easily; for man's power is never a match for God's mighty power.] 

b.   [The explanation for the advancement (vs 9) – If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. - The strongest hint as to why he was promoted is found a bit later in Scripture which records Haman's offering King Ahasuerus a great sum of money in order to gain permission to slaughter the Jews. Offering a huge sum of money to Ahasuerus to be permitted to slaughter the Jews suggests very strongly that another great sum of money got Haman his high post in government. ] 

This happens all the time in government in every nation. There is nothing unusual about it-but there is nothing right about it either.] 

c.   [The effrontery in the advancement. With Haman being a wicked man and his advancement not being attributed to any great meritorious service, his advancement was a great effrontery to good people. Anytime wicked and undeserving people are promoted, it is an effrontery to good people.]  

1)   [The advancement would be a great insult to Mordecai, as an example, for he had saved the king's life, yet some tree to four years afterward he had still not been recognized or promoted.] 

[Eccles. 10:6-7 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich [in character] sit in low place. 7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes [in performance and character] walking as servants upon the earth. ] 

a)   [So we find John the Baptist in the dungeon of a castle where wicked King Herod sat in glory and power. ] 

b)   [So we find Jeremiah in a miry pit while the wicked political officials live in fine houses. So we see Joseph thrown in a pit while his wicked brothers sit down and eat a meal.]  

c)   [The worst effrontery of all is, of course, the low place that Jesus Christ is given compared to the high place wicked men are given in this world. ] 

2)   [Do not worry if you are passed over and miss some promotions. Your day is coming, if not in this world then in eternity.]

3.   Haman’s Adoration (vs 2; Rev 10.19; Acts 10.25-26; Gen 41.43; Prov 28.4) [- All the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him - Haman's advancement was accompanied by public adoration. 

a.   [The character of the adoration (vs 2) - The king's servants . . . bowed, and reverenced Haman ] 

1)   [Word Studies ] 

a)   [Bowed - kara` kaw-rah' (hb) - 1) to bend, kneel, bow, bow down, sink down to one's knees, kneel down to rest (of animals), kneel in reverence.  Emphasizes physical posture.] 

b)   [Reverenced - shachah shaw-khaw' (hb) -  is found about 175 times in the Old Testament and is translated "worship" (or worshiped, etc.) 99 times. This helps us understand the "reverenced" meaning in the word. Thus the adoration of Haman was more than a salute like we salute officers in the military. It was an adoration which included recognition given a Divine person. It was customary for kings in those days to make Divine claims. Here we have Haman advanced high enough that he is given Divine worship.]

2)   [The World and Worship - Giving Divine claim to some men is still done in our age. ] 

a)   [Japan as late as World War II considered their emperor Divine, and this complicated the war's ending. ] 

b)   [The Masonic lodge continues to give Divine titles to some of its officers such as the title "Worshipful Master." ] 

3)   [The Word and Worship - We must worship only Almighty-God.] 

a)   [When the Apostle John fell down before the angel and worshiped him, the angel said, "See thou do it not . . . worship God" (Revelation 19:10). ] 

b)   [When Cornelius "fell down at his [Peter's] feet, and worshiped him . . . Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man" (Acts 10:25,26).] 

4)   [Mordecai's dilemma - To worship Haman or God.] 

b.   [The command for the adoration (vs 2) - . . . For the king had so commanded concerning him . . . -  We note: ] 

1)   [The cause of the command. "Since the prostration of an inferior before a superior was a general rule" (Rawlinson), there had to be a cause for this command. The cause was obviously that Haman was a newcomer and was not easily recognized as one who should receive high honors. If the climb of Haman to high office was sudden (and it certainly would be if money was how he got there), he would not be readily recognized for high honors. ] 

a)   [Joseph also had an identity problem when he was promoted from prison to the second ruler of Egypt. So when Pharaoh promoted Joseph, Pharaoh gave him a chariot with runners going before him who cried, "Bow the knee" (Genesis 41:43). The order for the people to honor Joseph was necessary because Joseph had been a slave and in prison for many years and so would be a man of no reputation to the public.] 

2)   [The condemnation of the command. In commanding the people to bow down before Haman, King Ahasuerus is condemned like most governments in that he decreed honor where honor does not exist. Governments are forever honoring the dishonorable while the honorable (such as Mordecai here) are not honored. ] 

c.   [The crowd giving the adoration (vs 2) - "All the king's servants . . . bowed, and reverenced Haman" ] 

1)   [It was not just a few who bowed and reverenced Haman, but it was "all" the king's servants (except Mordecai as we will see more about shortly) who "were in the king's gate" (v. 3). This "all" adoration of Haman illustrates that evil men and causes will be more popular and more quickly honored by the world than righteous causes. ] 

2)   [The world will honor wicked Haman before they honor Mordecai. This shows up in elections in which those of putrid character are often voted into office while those of much better character are shunned by the voters. Who we praise says plenty about what sort of person we are. Evil praises evil, not righteousness ] 

[Proverbs 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them. ]

B.  THE PROVOKING OF THE CAMPAIGN 

[Here we look at the actions of Mordecai which provoked the campaign against the Jews. Had Mordecai not agitated Haman by his conduct, the campaign would not have happened. But as we noted earlier, Mordecai's provoking of this vicious campaign against the Jews does not fault him anymore than Christ can be faulted for provoking men to crucify Him. It was good conduct which provoked bad conduct in both cases. And when good conduct provokes people to bad conduct, it really exposes how bad are those people who are provoked to do evil because of someone else's good conduct.]

1.   The Refusal by Mordecai (vs 2, 4; Exodus 20.5; 34.14; Deut 6.13; 10.20; Matt 4.10; Matt. 10.32-33; 5.14-16) [- ". . .But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence."  ] 

a.   [The stimulant of his refusal. Why did Mordecai refuse to bow to Haman? What inspired him to refuse to obey the king's command? ] 

1)   [Mordecai perceived the Divine worship aspect of this bowing and would obey the Word of God about not worshiping anyone but God. ] 

a)   [We have already noted that the bowing before Haman was more than just the usual courteous recognition of a superior, for it involved Divine worship of man, which is forbidden by God. ] 

[Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; ] 

[Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:]  

[Deut. 6:13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. ] 

[Deut. 10:20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.]  

[Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ] 

2)   [The bowing before a superior in recognition of his rank, such as the saluting that goes on in the military, was not prohibited by God.]  

a)   [Abraham bowed in courtesy to others (Genesis 18 and 23)] 

b)   [Jacob's family bowed before Jacob's elder brother Esau (Genesis 33)] 

c)   [Joseph did not stop his brothers from bowing to him in Egypt (Genesis 42)] 

d)   [Ruth bowed before Boaz (Ruth 2:10)] 

e)   [David bowed down before Saul (1 Samuel 24)] 

f)    [The woman of Tekoa bowed before David (2 Samuel 14). ] 

3)   [The verification that the Word of God was indeed the stimulant that caused Mordecai to refuse to bow when others bowed before Haman is in the fact that when Mordecai was pressed about his refusal to bow, he told them he was a Jew. ] 

[Esther 3:4 ⁴ Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. ]

4)   [If we are going to be inspired to take the right and proper stands in life, we must know and be loyal to the Word of God. Nothing will help us better to take the right stands than God's Word. Base your convictions on God's Word, as Mordecai did, and you will stand for the right things.] 

b.   [The steadfastness of his refusal (vs 4) - "They spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them" - Mordecai was steadfast in his refusal to bow before Haman. It was not a one day thing, but day after day he refused to bow to Haman. ] 

c.   [The stoutheartedness of his refusal (vs 2-3). It took much courage for Mordecai to refuse to bow to Haman. Two factors which especially showed that much courage was required to take this stand are:] 

1)   [The law of the king. Mordecai dared to go against a royal edict. Thus he was going against the king of a great empire. ] 

2)   [The location of the stand (vs 2-3). Much courage would also be required for Mordecai's stand inasmuch as the location of his stand was the "king's gate."  ] 

a)   [It is not difficult to take a stand when you are away from others where few will notice and the place is insignificant. But to take a good stand right under the nose of those who have forbidden your stand is going to require much, much courage. ] 

d.   [The saliency of his refusal. With everyone but Mordecai bowing, Mordecai's refusal to bow would be very obvious. ] 

1)   [No one had any doubt about Mordecai's attitude and convictions. He hid nothing here in this stand as he had been doing earlier about his Jewish identity. ] 

2)   [Taking a salient stand is the only way to take a stand for truth and righteousness. Our Christian faith should be most apparent to others by the way we act and speak. Secret discipleship does not go over well with the Lord ] 

[Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ] 

[Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ] 

e.   [The singularity of his refusal. Mordecai's refusal to bow to Haman was a singular act, for Mordecai was the only one in the crowd who would not bow to Haman. Mordecai stood alone against Haman. One of the hardest tests in taking a stand for anything is the test of popularity].  

1)   [Many other famous men in the Bible besides Mordecai had times when they stood alone. ] 

a)   [Elijah stood alone on Mount Carmel as the "only . . . prophet of the Lord" against the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:22). ] 

b)   [Jeremiah said, "I sat alone" (Jeremiah 15:17). ] 

c)   [Paul said, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me" (2 Timothy 4:16).]  

d)   [Popularity is seldom on the side of right. Those who would stand for Jesus Christ and the Bible will find they will often be alone in their stand. ]

2.   The Reproving of Mordecai (vs 3-4) [- "The king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them." ] 

a.   [The indictment in the reproving (vs 3) - "Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?" -  The indictment of Mordecai by the king's servants who were at the gate with Mordecai is twofold:] 

1)   [The indictment of disobedience.   Mordecai's obedience to God (his refusing to worship anyone but God) is called disobedience by man. This wrong characterizing of Mordecai's conduct is not unique, for it has been a habit with men down through the ages to call good things evil names. ] 

2)   [The indictment of disloyalty. The reprovers of Mordecai reminded him it was the king's commandment he was disobeying, and so their indictment also said Mordecai was disloyal to the king. But his refusal to bow before Haman certainly was not an act showing hidden scorn for the king, "for he had recently given a most signal proof of his loyalty in discovering the plot of the conspirators against the king's life" (Dinwiddie).] 

a)   [The concern by the king's servants that Mordecai was not obeying the king's edict, though he was obeying God, is another case of people getting more upset over men's laws being broken than over God's laws being broken. ] 

b.   [The insistence in the reproving (vs 4) - "They spake daily unto him" -  These servants of the king at the king's gate would not leave Mordecai alone. Day after day they got on his case and reproved him and urged him to conform. ] 

1)   [This is the way temptation works. It does not leave us alone. Temptation will come day after day. You may defeat it one day, but that will not stop it from coming back the next day and working on you again]

3.   [The Reporting of Mordecai (vs 4) - . . .they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand . . .   Mordecai's fellow servants went to Haman to report Mordecai's refusal to bow down to Haman. We note:] 

a.   [The issue in the reporting. The issue was "to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand" (vs 4).   Mordecai's fellow-servants wanted to know if his reason ("matters") for not bowing would be accepted ("would stand"). ] 

1)   [You will discover in life that your devotion to the Lord will not be appreciated by the world nor accepted as a legitimate reason for your actions which are contrary to society. But if you act differently because of some carnal reason, the world is likely to accept you and shield you from trouble. Why does the world act this way? The answer is that the world is sinful and so will not defend righteousness but will defend evil. As an example, ] 

a)   [If you come to work drunk, the ungodly at work will protect you.] 

b)   [If you come to work with Gospel tracts which are forbidden at work, the ungodly will quickly report you to the authorities.] 

b.   [The ill-will in the reporting. Reporting Mordecai to Haman was a very mean deed, for those reporting him to Haman knew it would get Mordecai in big trouble with Haman. "Small minds, that bend before every breeze of authority or fashion, readily become ungenerous, and conceive malice towards those who are stronger than themselves in principles" (Dinwiddie). ] 

c.   [The incentive in the reporting. Those reporting Mordecai to Haman would, of course, see opportunity in reporting Mordecai. ] 

C.  THE PLOTTING OF THE CAMPAIGN

1.   The Indignation in the Plotting (vs 5; 5.9) [- "And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath." ]  

a.   [The plentifulness of the indignation (vs 5; Esther 5.9). Twice Scripture reports that Haman was "full" of anger over Mordecai's refusing to bow to him.   This is indicative of a full wrath.] 

[Esther 5:9 ⁹ Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. ]

b.   [The pride in the indignation. Being angry here showed the pride of Haman. He was slighted an honor and could not take it.  That is a bad case of pride. He was more concerned about being respected than about being responsible. So many of the politicians of our land are just like Haman in that they are filled with pride and self. Everything they do is aimed at promoting themselves.] 

c.   [The prejudice in the indignation. When Haman's wrath is examined, it is evident that it involved much prejudice against the Jews. His angry plotting against all the Jews confirmed his deep-seated prejudice against the Jewish race. ]

2.   The Injustice in the Plotting (vs 6) [- "He thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had showed him the people of Mordecai; wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai."  -In his rage against Mordecai, Haman planned a vicious revenge. He did not want to punish Mordecai "alone" but to punish all the Jews in the kingdom.]

3.   The Irrationality in the Plotting (vs 7) [- In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. - To determine the actual date on which the vicious attack against the Jews in Persia would occur, Haman did a very irrational thing; he cast Pur (lots).]

D.  THE PERMISSION FOR THE CAMPAIGN

1. The Message for the Permission (vs 8) [- And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.  - Haman concocted quite a message to give to King Ahasuerus to endeavor to obtain permission from Ahasuerus to kill the Jews. The message was a twisted, lying, and cruel message which Ahasuerus did not dispute much to his shame (we will see more about this shame of Ahasuerus later).  Haman accused,]

a.      [An unnamed people - There is a certain people . . .] 

b.      [An unlike people - . . . and their laws are diverse from all people . . .] 

c.       [An unsubmissive people - . . . neither keep they the king's laws . . .] 

d.      [An unprofitable people - . . . it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.] 

e.      [An Unwanted people - . . . it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.] 

[As in all false accusations there wasn’t a word of truth in any of these accusations.  But isn’t this how gossip works and thrives.  This vile king didn’t think for a moment about the truthfulness of these accusations for if he had he would have discerned the truth quickly.  If they were unlawful then where were the magistrates?  If they were unprofitable then where will the soon to be promise bounty come from?  If they were insurrectionist then where were the riots and unrest?]

2. The Money for the Permission (vs 9) [- I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. - Haman offers the king a bribe to get permission to kill the Jews.  Nelson’s New Open Bible notes that this is the equivalent of 12 million ounces of silver.  The Ryrie Study Bible states that this is 375 tons of silver.  Herodotus claimed that this was two-thirds the entire annual revenue of the kingdom.  Hence, a kingdom recently defeated in an expensive war, in need of revenue will bend to any wicked plan to satisfy its need and greed.]
   

3. The Mandate of the Permission (vs 10-11) [– And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. ¹¹ And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. – The kings rings, when once it seals a law made the law unchangeable.]

E. The Proclamation of The Campaign 

1. The Dispatch in the Proclamation (vs 12-13) [- Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, . . .  ¹³ And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, . . .  -  Haman, like all evil and wicked men in power is not satisfied to deal with the Jews in the capitol.  He demands to reach out to all the provinces of the kingdom.]
   

2. The Details of the Proclamation (vs 12-13; 1Pet 5.8) [– . . . and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded . . .  to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. – The cruelty of the haters of God and God’s chosen people is as vicious as mankind can imagine.  The Bible tells us that the wicked prince of the this world,]

[1 Peter 5:8 ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:]

[Our Lord said,]

[John 8:44 ⁴⁴ Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.] 

1. [The cruelty in the proclamation (vs 13) - . . .  to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, . . . ]
   
2. [The crowd in the proclamation (vs 13) - . . . all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, . . . ]
   
3. [The calendar in the proclamation (vs 13) - . . .  in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar . . .]
   
4. [The confiscation in the proclamation (vs 13) - . . . and to take the spoil of them for a prey. ]
   

3. The Distribution of the Proclamation (vs 13-14) [– And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. ¹⁴ The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. – As the proclamation was written, sealed with the kings ring and sent out to all the provinces the wicked deed seemed all but done.]
   

4. The Drinking after the Proclamation (vs 15; Amos 6.6) [– The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; . . . – Wicked Haman, after contriving and setting in motion such a cruel and contemptable plan as the one He has ordered, then sat down to find the only source of peace and fulfillment he could.  He lost his senses in drunkenness.]

[Amos 6:6 ⁶ That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.]

5. The Dismay from the Proclamation (vs 15; Gen 12.3) [- The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed. – Rulers like Haman, who work against the people of God cannot and will not bring peace and contentment to their people.  God says,]

[Genesis 12:3 ³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.]

CrossRoads Baptist Chruch, Sunday February 28, 2010, Evening