Esther 5:13 (NASB)
Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.
Bible Commentary
Esther 5:13 is a Bible verse in the Old Testament, where Haman, the enemy of Queen Esther, exposes his ungrateful and prideful attitude as he complains about Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him.
Haman was a very powerful man. He was second in command to the King of Persia, a great empire of the day. He was accustomed to all the king’s servants bowing down to him, for the king commanded it.
No doubt, Haman was used to royal treatment, eating the choicest foods and drinking the best wines at the king’s table. He was at the top of the food chain with the elite, both professionally and socially.
And yet, there was a Jew named Mordecai, Esther’s uncle who raised her, who would not bow down to Haman as he entered the king’s gate. Despite the friendly warning from the other servants at the king’s gate, Mordecai would not bow down to any man because as a Jew, he worshipped God alone.
Haman had all the fame, prestige and wealth he could want, but as you can see from Esther 5:13, his arrogance far outweighed any sound judgment he might have had, and because of one man who did not bow down to him, he sought the destruction of the all the Jews in Persia.
A Little Leaven
Jesus said it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to produce great fruit in God’s kingdom, and so it is with pride and greed, which accomplishes excessive evil for the devil’s kingdom. Galatians 5:9 says, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”
Just a little bit of pride and arrogance can cause a monumental downfall. Proverbs 6:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
For Haman, what probably started out as a small amount of pride grew into a “greed monster” big enough to influence the king in ordering the destruction of a whole race of people, and be pleased about it. But true to God’s Word, Haman ended up losing much more than his pride.
So how do we safeguard our hearts from turning black with pride and greed like Haman?
Unlocking the Truth – Thankfulness
We must turn… click to continue
Next
