When we read the story of Haman, our initial response to what happened to him is that he got what he deserved. But, if we remain focused on Haman without reflecting on ourselves, we miss the main point, for he Bible actually leads us to ask ourselves deeper questions: What part of Haman is in me? Do I desire to control others? Am I threatened when others don’t appreciate me as I think they should? Does my heart boil up with desires for revenge when my pride is attacked? My brother, my sister, always keep in mind, that God’s justice does not allow arrogance to stand! Indeed, the most arrogant people are often those who measure their self-worth by the power or influence they think they have over others. That’s what we see through Haman’s attitude.
Now, let’s describe Haman’s character a bit: this man was extremely arrogant. He recognised the king as his superior but he could not accept anyone as an equal to him. So, when Mordecai refused to bow in submission to him, he could not bear it and he wanted to destroy Mordecai. Besides, Haman was a man consumed with hatred for the Jewish people, just because of a long-standing hatred between the Jews and his ancestors, the Amalekites. My friend, do you see what is revealed here? That your character could be influenced by evil that started when you were not even born!
Now, looking into today’s topic, arrogance, we also need to understand that Mordecai was dedicated to God, which made him to refuse to give Haman the kind of honours he wanted. And we, Christians of today should learn from this man, for many people end up serving a man than serving God in their service to man! When our character is weak or self-centered, that’s what happens. Sometimes you hear people saying “I am doing it for God”, yet inside of them they are burnt with hypocrisy that comes from anger or frustration just because, they do not have the courage to say “no”, like Mordecai did. Anyway, the result is that Mordecai’s refusal exposed Haman’s true character: his self-importance was under attack, which also brought out his own insecurity: the jews was a threat to his power!
My friend, what is interesting for us is to know that when someone is preparing to do us harm, God is also preparing something for them! Indeed God was preparing Haman’s downfall and the protection of his people long before this man came to power. Only that he did not know it. In the end, his desire for revenge turned out to be helpful for the Jews and God’s plan was to be fulfilled through Esther who became Queen and Mordecai who exposed the assassination plot made the king to become indebted to him. In the end, not only was Haman prevented from killing Mordecai, but he also had to suffer humiliation by publicly honouring Mordecai. Can you imagine the feelings of this arrogant man? It must have been harder for him than when he died on the pole he had built to kill Mordecai. The Bible says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).
My friend, God has an incredible record for making evil plans backfire on their planners! Today’s passage should therefore remind us that uncontrolled weaknesses and mistakes can lead us to humiliation and death (physical and/or spiritual)! And the fact is that when someone is consumed by weaknesses or is self-sufficient despite his mistakes, that person might not even realize it. Therefore, the only way to avoid our mistakes and our weaknesses to take over our actions is by observing our character and our desires in light of the mirror of the Word of God. You know, our prejudices grow out of our personal pride and before we know it, we can begin to consider ourselves better than the others (even if we do not acknowledge it ourselves, sometimes our actions show it). As we look at what happened to Haman, we see that he was punished for what? Not for his hatred for the Jews, but for his arrogant attitude (Esther 7:9-10). Yes, Haman had wealth and power, but he wanted something that money could not buy: respect and honour. And this became an obsession. My friend, never let your desire for approval, applause and popularity to drive you to immoral actions. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.