• What questions do I have?
DAY 2
1. Tell of a time when you anticipated being recognized for a job well done, but you were overlooked.
Haman Is Promoted (Esther 3:1 and 1 Samuel 15:1–35)
Note : Understanding the heritage of Mordecai and Haman is critical to under- standing the narrative of Esther. You will soon see that Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman because Mordecai, a Benjaminite, and Haman, an Agagite or an Amalekite, are enemies. When God’s people left Egypt, the Amalekites were the first to attack them (Ex. 17:8–13). They were vicious, evil people who hated God; and God’s anger burned against them. In Exodus 17, Israel defeated Amalek by God’s power. At the conclusion of the battle, God swore this to Moses: “I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” From that time on, Amalek was a persistent enemy of Israel (Num. 14:45; Judg. 6:3); hence, this enmity is fully represented by this relationship between Mordecai and Haman. In Lesson 2, we learned that, when Israel demanded a king, God gave them Saul, Israel’s first king. Like Mordecai and Esther, King Saul was a Benjaminite, and Benjaminites were known for their military prowess. Today we will look back to King Saul to help us understand more about this hostile relationship between Mordecai and Haman. 2. How did King Saul fail to obey the command of God (1 Sam. 15:1–9), and what excuses did Saul make in response to Samuel’s strong rebuke? (See 1 Sam. 15:15, 20–21, and 24.)
3. Based on Samuel’s response to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22–23, what is the rela- tionship between obedience and sacrifice?
146 | Lesson 14
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