Part 6- Haman the Astrologer
Esther 3:1-2
Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.
We are continuing with our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Part 6 is called, “Haman the Astrologer”, and we discuss how Haman won the confidence of King Xerxes. The question we will address today is, who is Haman?
Several years have passed since Mordecai saved the king. During this time, King Xerxes promoted Hamen over all the other nobles.
Who is Haman?
We know who the other nobles were, they were named in the first chapter of Esther. Haman is now superior to all of the nobles who were once King Xerxes right hand men.
Haman’s roots:
Just as the author recorded Mordecai’s Jewish roots, he also recorded Haman’s family roots.
Haman, the Persian vizier, means “magnificent” (1). His father’s name was Hammedatha which means “double”. The father of Hammedatha bestowed on his son double the attributes and double the legacy. What line does Haman and Hammedatha come from? They are Agagites. The Bible records the Agagites as far back as the Book of Numbers (Numbers 24:7) and again in 1st Samuel 15, which is approximately 600 years before the time of Esther (3).
What are the attributes of the Agagites?
During the time of Prophet Samuel, King Agag ruled the nation of Amalek. Samuel was told by God that King Saul, a descendant of the Tribe of Benjamin, was to destroy the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they made their exodus from Egypt. So, the people of Amalek had a long history of antisemitism. Their hatred for the Jews ran so deep that God ordered that the nation be completely destroyed, including all the people and all of the cattle.
What is the legacy of the Agagites?
Saul did not completely obey Samuel. He killed the people but kept the best of the cattle for himself. Most egregious of all, he spared Amalek’s ruler, King Agag. It was a little while before Samuel found out about how Saul disobeyed God’s command. But when he did, he met Saul and slaughtered King Agag before his eyes. Unfortunately, King Agag had time and opportunity to produce offspring and Hamen was his direct descendant.
What was Haman’s occupation?
According to Rabbinical literature, Haman was an astrologer, which is why he was in the practice of casting lots or pur (4&5). He communicated with occult spirits by studying the movement of the planets and stars. It was his belief that planetary and stellar positions influenced the lives of people and were a predictor of future events. Casting lots would indicate whether or not a certain date would produce a negative or positive outcome.
Haman was good at his job:
What it looks like is that the nobles of Chapter 1 had given King Xerxes some very bad advice and that he experienced some really negative outcomes. In turn, Xerxes had to have been very impressed with Haman’s predictions, so it is safe to say that his accuracy rating was very high. Xerxes realized that Haman’s information came from very powerful and otherworldly sources and he was not someone who could be easily replaced or tampered with.
Haman tests Xerxes tolerance:
King Xerxes was definitely intimidated by Haman’s powers of the occult, his ability to reveal men’s intentions, and his accuracy in predicting the future. A master of manipulation, Haman tested the boundaries of the King’s tolerance towards him. Haman required that the king demanded his officials to bow down to him as an act of worship. And… King Xerxes allowed it! What king does that?!?! But, he feared Haman and was willing to suffer this humiliation. Xerxes was totally dependent on the information that only Haman could provide.
Mordecai’s reaction:
Just 100 years earlier, there were three Hebrew children who refused to worship a statue of Nebuchadnezzar. They were thrown into the fiery furnace and were rescued by God, Himself. Haman was a man, an Agagite, who hated the Jews. His descendants actively participated in their annihilation. Evil spirits operated through this man to predict the future, but, they are nothing compared to the wisdom and power of the God of the Hebrews. Mordecai, who hid the fact that he was Jewish all of his life, finally reached his tolerance level and refused to bow down and worship this idol.
Let’s pray:
Father,
It is not Your will for me to be fearful or intimidated by people who are master manipulators. Remove all idols from my heart. Cause me to stand for You and Your righteousness. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.
