Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. [Esther 3.8]
In King Xerxes defense, monarchies have to be careful. Any little thing let go could grow to the point that it attempts to dispose the king. Extreme measures must be followed then to secure the throne.
The problem with decisions made by a monarchy is that the decisions are only as "good" as those making them (or, in this case, only as good as those suggesting the decision). Unfortunately, Haman was not good.
What follows is a laying out of laws to act and counteract one another. It is a mess.
The sad thing is, what Haman told Xerxes was simply not true. Well, not all of it was true. The Jews did in fact disobey laws that would have them bow down to men (and not God). But, the king was under no threat by this.
But a king has to do what a king has to do.
Father, help us to examine our actions and reactions carefully before making decisions.
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