After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. – Esther 3:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2023): Esther 3

Part of the struggle with fights in the Middle East is that centuries of hurt and prejudice always creep into the conflict. It is not just the hurt of today that fuels the hate, even if that might be what begins the conflict. It is about generations, centuries, and even millennia of discrimination and hatred that keep the battle going. And under those conditions, atrocities often result. The fight between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip turns into a conflict between Lebanon and Israel, and even the reason behind the murder of a boy in Chicago at the hands of his landlord. All of this is a result of centuries of racial and religious discrimination.

I have to admit that the murder of children and babies doesn't make any sense to me unless we consider the generational hatred. And as the murder in Chicago showed us, the generational hate extends far beyond the borders of the regions involved. We understand that it is hard to fight against generational hate, and the extent of that hate often goes far beyond what is logical, at least to me.

Antisemitism is one example of this generational hatred, and it seems to frequently rear its head even thousands of miles away from Israel. But that is not the only generational hatred. During the opening moves of the Israel-Hamas conflict, I received a message that advocated "driving all Muslims into the sea so that this could never happen again." The note advocated more generational hatred. My response to the email was, "I remain in prayer for Hamas and all of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, just as I am in prayer for Israel." I don't want to see anyone "driven into the sea" but for peace to reign in the region. If this world is going to experience real peace, we need to find a way to solve our generational conflicts.

Haman has risen to power in the government, and the text of Esther informs us that Haman descended from Agag, an early King of the Amalekites. The Amalekites were generational enemies of the Jews.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven."

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, "Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation" (Exodus 17:14-16).

So, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Haman, as soon as he comes into power, proceeds with a plan to exterminate the Jews. He launches a scheme in which he spreads his generational hate among the people of the Empire and develops a plan to have the citizens of the Empire kill his centuries-old enemies.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Esther 4