In Esther, chapter three, verse eight, one of God’s purposes in giving the law to Israel was to make them different from all the other people. Haman recognized something different in the people of God and hated them for it. He attempted to persuade King Ahasuerus by convincing Him.
Haman was relating King Ahasuerus to the people of God as mean and contemptible, not worthy to be named. He continues to converse to say who, if tolerated, may poison all thy subjects with their pernicious principles. Haman continues to the king, “with whom thou mayst easily crush without any great noise or difficulty.”
Haman further tells the king in this manner, “In all the provinces of thy kingdom,” meaning that though many of their brethren returned to their land, a number of them stayed behind, either because they preferred their ease and worldly commodities before their spiritual advantages, or because they wanted convenience or opportunity for a remove, which might happen from divers causes. Haman explains, “Their laws are diverse from all people,” meaning they have peculiar and fantastical rites, customs, and religion. Therefore, justly offensive to all thy people and may either infect them with their conceits or occasion great dissensions and distractions among them.
Haman further comments, “Neither keep they the king’s laws,” as is manifested by Mordecai’s bold contempt of thy late edict concerning me done by him as a person for God, the whole nation is involved in his crime, and are prepared to do so when they have occasion. Hamam advises, “It is not for the king’s profit to suffer them to live in his kingdom. I do not seek herein so much my revenge as thy service.”
Under the new covenant, God still wants His people to be separate and different from the world, a holy people for His possession, as in First Peter two, verse nine. Today, the world will hate God’s people because they are holy, different, and righteous, as in John fifteen, verses eighteen through twenty-five.