One of the most heroic figures in
the Old Testament is the Hebrew maiden Hadassah who becomes the Persian queen
Esther. Esther demonstrates great courage and intercedes to save her people
from a high-ranking official named Haman who was determined to kill all of the
Jews. Near the end of the story, the tables are turned and Haman is sentenced
to death by hanging (likely impaled) on a pole he had prepared for Esther’s
cousin Mordecai. While we celebrate her courage in stopping a potential
genocide, many commentators are bothered that Esther did not intercede to save
Haman. They argue she would have been a more admirable figure had she demonstrated
mercy to her enemy. Why does Esther not try to save Haman’s life?
Like all of the Old Testament characters,
Esther is imperfect, just like Abraham,
Jacob, Moses, David, Peter, Paul and every other character other than Jesus
Christ. In the case of Haman, however, it is possible that that author actually intends her lack of mercy to
highlight her covenant faithfulness. There is a dynamic in the narrative that
many people do not pay much attention to that might explain her actions and the
way the author intends us to think about her.
Early in the story we learn that Haman is an Agagite (Esther 3:1). This is a fact that the author mentions 5 times at key
points throughout the book. This means that Haman is a descendant of the
Amalekite king Agag. The Amalekites were a historical enemy of the Jews having
opposed them as they came out of Egypt. From that time forward, the two nations
were in constant opposition to one another. This is probably why Esther’s
cousin Mordecai refuses to bow down to him. It may also be why Mordecai’s
refusal leads Haman to plan to kill all the Jews rather than just Mordecai. The
history between the two people was one of constant strife and Haman’s desire to
have people essentially worship him would have been particularly repulsive to
Mordecai and all other faithful Jews.
Haman, however, is not just an Amalekite;
he is an Agagite, a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag. This is a very significant
detail and helps explain how we should understand Esther not interceding to
save him. Back in 1 Samuel chapter 15, the Jews were preparing to battle the
Amalekites and God commanded that they not spare any of the Amalekites or
their animals (1 Sam. 15:3). The armies of Israel were victorious but Saul
failed to obey God and spared the life of king Agag and some of the animals.
When the prophet Samuel confronted Saul, he tried to justify his actions rather
than repenting of his sinful disobedience. Samuel killed Agag himself and
informed Saul that because of his unfaithfulness, God would strip the kingdom
from him and give it to another.
The name Agag is therefore
associated with failure to keep the covenant and disobedience. Saul was a monarch from the tribe
of Benjamin who ignored the command of God by showing mercy to Agag. As a
result, he failed to keep the covenant, failed to protect his people the way
God intended, and lost the monarchy from the tribe of Benjamin. What is
interesting in the book of Esther is that we have a second encounter between a
monarch from the tribe of Benjamin and an Amalekite from the family of Agag (Esther
2:5, 2:7).
The Bible does not include random
details and it seems almost certain that the pairing of royalty from Benjamin
with the name Agag is intended to recall the story from 1 Samuel. Saul relied on
his own strength rather than obeying God. By contrast, Esther throws herself
upon the providence of God regardless of the outcome for her (Esther 4:16).
Although Esther only becomes
queen because she married a pagan king she ends up fulfilling the monarchial
covenant requirement that King Saul failed to keep. Esther displays sacrificial
leadership, protects her people, and destroys their enemies. Although in exile,
Esther is doing what we would expect from any faithful Jewish monarch. Some may
assume that Esther should have tried to save Haman but it is likely that the
author intends us to recognize the parallels to Saul in a way that is favorable
to Esther. Ultimately, God is the hero of the story and Esther is an instrument
of God’s providence.
