Generational Assignments from God – Saul’s Failure and Its Fulfillment Through Esther and Mordecai

In my writings on the Book of Esther, I’ve explored the concept of generational assignments—divine mandates God calls individuals to fulfill and assigns to families or lineages, rooted in Israel’s covenantal history. God calls people and assigns duties to families, requiring each to complete their role in His eternal plan, reflecting His thoughts, intents, image, and ways. When fulfilled, these assignments bring blessing; when failed, they can lead to calamity or transfer to others, as seen in the priesthood given to Aaron’s line, the kingship transferred from Saul to David, and the persistent threat of Amalek.

King Saul (a Benjamite) failed to eradicate Amalek as commanded, allowing this danger to resurface through the Benjamite-Agagite enmity, hovering over the Jewish people like a shadow until resolved by Esther and Mordecai, fellow Benjamites and descendants of Kish, Saul’s father.

Below, I outline my thoughts and writings on this theme, tracing God’s family assignments, the failures and their impacts on nations, and the ultimate fulfillment of Saul’s uncompleted duty.

1. The Origin of the Generational Assignment: God’s Command Against Amalek

Exodus 17:8–16 recounts:

"Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

Deuteronomy 25:17–19 commands:

"Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it."

This perpetual command, symbolizing the defeat of persistent evil, became a generational assignment entrusted to families like the Benjamites, requiring each to fulfill their role in God’s plan.

2. God’s Assignments to Families and Saul’s Failure

God calls individuals and assigns duties to families, as seen in the priesthood given to Aaron and his descendants:

Exodus 28:1: "And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons."
Leviticus 21:1: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people;"

Kingship was similarly assigned, initially to Saul, a Benjamite and son of Kish:

1 Samuel 9:15–17: "Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is."

But Saul failed his assignment:

1 Samuel 15:3: "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."
1 Samuel 15:23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king."
1 Samuel 15:28: "And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel."

Saul spared Agag and the best livestock, allowing Amalek’s lineage to survive. This failure left the generational assignment incomplete, creating a lingering threat that would resurface in the future.

3. The Resurfacing Danger: Haman as an Agagite

Centuries later, during the Persian exile, this unresolved threat resurfaced with Haman, “the Agagite” (Esther 3:1):

"After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him."

And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. -Esther 3:2

Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? -Esther 3:3

And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. -Esther 3:5

Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews demonstrates how incomplete obedience in one generation can leave lingering dangers for future generations (Esther 3:6, 13):

Esther 3:6: "But Mordecai sat at the king’s gate."

In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. -Esther 3:7

And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. -Esther 3:8

If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. -Esther 3:9

Esther 3:13: "And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey."

God, in His providence, allows unfinished assignments to persist until His redemptive plan addresses them.

4. Esther and Mordecai’s Fulfillment of the Assignment

As Benjamites (Esther 2:5–7), descendants of Kish like Saul, Esther and Mordecai inherit this mandate:

Esther 2:5–7: "Now there was a certain Jew in Susa the palace, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter."

Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman (Esther 3:2–4, 5:9) was a deliberate stand against an ancestral enemy:

Esther 5:9: "Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate."

Esther’s courage (Esther 4:16) led to Haman’s execution on the gallows intended for Mordecai (Esther 7:10) and the Jews’ deliverance (Esther 8–9):

Esther 4:16: "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
Esther 7:10: "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified."

By doing so, they fulfilled what Saul could not: “blotting out” the Amalekite threat, turning Purim into a celebration of divine justice.

5. Patterns That Follow Descendants Unless Dealt With

The Benjamite-Agagite enmity illustrates how patterns of evil or curses can follow descendants unless confronted. Unfinished assignments manifest as recurring challenges:

• Barren wives in the patriarchs required God’s intervention to overcome infertility, including their husbands:

  • Sarah and Abraham (Genesis 16:15, KJV): "And Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar."

  • Rebekah and Isaac (Genesis 25:21, KJV): "And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived."

  • Rachel and Jacob (Genesis 30:1–2, KJV): "And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?"

This pattern highlights that though one might love God, bloodline patterns can hinder or delay God’s blessing in one’s life until they are dealt with through prayer and the Word of God. In these cases, the husbands also faced obstacles in having children with the wives they loved.

• Family sins or misfortune—sickness, poverty, or relational conflict—can persist if not addressed spiritually.

• The principle is clear: confronting generational patterns through faith, prayer, fasting, and obedience is essential (Esther 4:16, James 4:7).

6. Consequences of Failure in David’s Line

Even after Saul, unfaithfulness in family assignments had consequences. Kings like Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21–24) and Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1–9) led Judah into idolatry, resulting in invasion, exile, and suffering (2 Kings 24:1–4, 25:1–7). Solomon, initially faithful, later compromised (1 Kings 11:4–6).

1 Kings 11:4: "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father."

My reflections emphasize that failure to steward God’s assignments affects entire nations, not just individuals.

7. Modern Implications

The biblical principle remains: unresolved spiritual, physical, or relational issues in families can continue to impact generations. Confronting these issues requires:

• Recognition of God-given assignments

• Faithful action in alignment with His will

• Spiritual resistance to persistent evil

Mordecai’s resistance, coupled with Esther’s obedience, demonstrates how faithfulness breaks generational curses and aligns with God’s providence.

8. Conclusion: God’s Eternal Victory

The Benjamite-Agagite enmity, rooted in Saul’s failure, finds resolution in Esther and Mordecai’s triumph. Haman’s downfall (Esther 7:10) and Mordecai’s elevation (Esther 8:2) complete the mandate to erase Amalek’s memory:

Deuteronomy 25:19: "Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it."

This narrative shows that God’s providence weaves human action into His redemptive plan, breaking patterns of evil when families fulfill their duties. Faithfulness, even across generations, aligns with God’s eternal principles, ensuring His purposes prevail and blessings flow to His people.