Belligerent fabulist

Belligerent fabulist

“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.” – Psalms 83:4

Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them. – Esther 9:24

Esther 3:1-11

 1 King Xerxes promoted Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire.

 2 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.

 3 Then, the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?”

 4 They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.

 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage.

 6 He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

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 8 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.

 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”

 10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

 11 The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”

Alex Jones is a familiar name to many, while others have no idea who he is. Alex Jones considered the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in 2012 a hoax. He spread this belligerent fable on his radio show “Infowars.”

Jones called the shooting “completely false” and accused grieving parents of being “crisis actors,” or people acting as victims of a tragic event to sway public opinion. He claimed that it was “staged” by the government so they could “go after our guns” and “start a civil war.” As with most any conspiracy theory, Jones had many believers. But the heartbroken parents of the 20 slain children were outraged. They took legal action.

A lawsuit was brought by Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, the parents of slain Jesse Lewis, for damages for their pain and suffering. While it made its way through the court, the parents of 6-year-old victim Jesse Lewis endured years of harassment and death threats. Neil Heslin, Lewis’ father, described it as a “living hell.”

In August 2022, Alex Jones was found guilty of defamation by a jury of his peers in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Alex Jones was dubbed a belligerent fabulist. A belligerent fabulist makes up stories and fables to influence and poison the minds of others. Finally, his false fable regarding Sandy Hook was exposed for the vile lie it was for all to see. During the trial, Jones apologized and said the 2012 shooting at the school was “100 percent real.”

In the Scriptures, the words and deeds of many belligerent fabulists are chronicled. The target is most frequently the Jewish people. This is clearly seen in the book of Esther through the attitude and actions of Haman. He had received a mild “insult” from Mordecai, who refused to bow down before him. He became enraged and sought revenge. He had special gallows built to hang Mordecai. However, destroying Mordecai would not be enough. Haman was so furious; he was determined to eliminate all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire.

Esther 3:5-6

 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage.

 6 He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

In due time, after due diligence, he hatched a plot to exterminate all the Jews throughout Persia. For him, it would be a win-win situation. His enemies would be destroyed, and he would become even more wealthy and powerful.

Esther 3:8-11

 8 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.

 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”

 10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

 11 The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”

Haman overlooked one “small” detail. He was about to touch the Apple of God’s eye. The God of Israel is the living God, the one true God. He does not take kindly to those who would bring harm, death, and destruction to His beloved chosen people.

Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Zechariah 2:8 For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.

“The ‘apple’ (literally, ‘gate or opening’) probably refers to the pupil of the eye, that part of the eye most easily injured, the most demanding of protection. Here it symbolizes Israel under God’s protective care” (BKC). The Hebrew word translated as apple is bavah. Bavah is the Hebrew word for a gate. The expression means, “He who harms you harms what is precious to God” (UBS).

Zechariah 2:8 Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. (NLT)

Only fools would attempt to harm that which is precious to the heart of God.

REFLECT & PRAY

The pupil of the eye is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body. When the Father refers to Judah as the “pupil” of His eye, her value is incalculable (cf. NLT “my most precious possession”) (NET, notes).

Father, thank You for protecting what You consider special and valuable.

INSIGHT

The Father has made an unequivocal, unconditional covenant with the nation of Israel. He swore to protect them. He has their back.

Genesis 12:2-3

 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.

For four millennia, this drama has played out. History is replete with Haman-like anti-Semites. Their end is always the same. Anyone who cursed Israel was cursed by the living God. And at the same time, the Father has blessed those that blessed Israel.

Israel is not consistently a pure and innocent character in the pages of the Old Testament. But the Father’s relationship with them and promise for them is not based upon their performance. He has chosen them, and they are very special to Him.

Isaiah 49:16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

Deuteronomy 7:6-8

 6 Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

 7 The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!

 8 Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors.

What would it take for God to change His mind, disassociate Himself from them, and allow their destruction? Could this ever happen?

The Father has spoken to this question. There is a way. But it involves the destruction of the laws of nature and the universe as we know it. Using hyperbole, the Father makes this clear.

Jeremiah 31:35-37

 35 It is the LORD who provides the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night, and who stirs the sea into roaring waves. His name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and this is what he says:

 36 “I am as likely to reject my people Israel as I am to abolish the laws of nature!”

 37 This is what the LORD says: “Just as the heavens cannot be measured and the foundations of the earth cannot be explored, so I will not consider casting them away for the evil they have done. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

It could never happen!

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