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Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate.
Esther 6:12
How interesting that all that honor and fanfare didn’t seem to give Mordecai a big head. He went back to his daily position and duties. I believe he knew his true value came from his God, and not from men, and that’s all he needed. What a difference humility and faith makes in a person’s life!
Then there was Haman. Obviously, honor from the king fed his self-centered pride so it meant everything to him. But the honor went to the “other guy!” Esther 6:12b, “But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief,” How frustrating, depressing, and embarrassing for Haman. What could be more defeating than to have his plans for destruction completely reversed, and perhaps begin to fall on him!?
Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.
Proverbs 29:23
Esther 6:13 (NLT), “When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, ‘Since Mordecai–this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.’” In his arrogance, Haman expected some sympathy from his wife and his “wise” friends but instead they foretold of his demise. They told him two things which turned out to be prophetic.
The first was based on a fact: “Mordecai is a Jew, and because of that fact your plan will fail.” They were implying that the Jews’ God was watching over them, and He was more powerful than any human plan.
I found this very intriguing. Here was the Jewish Nation defeated in war, their cities destroyed, and the people taken captive to serve in foreign lands. In spite of those facts, the citizens who lived around the Jews recognized that God was with them. They saw the resilience, strength, and confidence of the Jews that could only be explained in reference to their worship of and their trust in their God.
This raised questions in my own mind: Do others see the evidence of resilience, strength, and confidence in my life that demonstrates my faith that God is taking care of me? Do I live a life of humility so that my life points others to my God?
What “great“ friends these guys were, and they weren’t finished with Haman yet! They barely took a breath when they hit him with the second prophetic statement: “You, personally, will be ruined!”
Without a chance to think that through, a knock came at the door and Haman was escorted, as was the custom, to the second of Queen Esther’s banquets. I imagine in light of what his friends had just told him, he had many conflicting thoughts as he went. Would this be his chance to make more “brownie points” with the king and queen and receive more honor, or was doom lurking in the very shadows of the queen’s banquet hall?
Our author, Darlene Schacht says, “This entire chapter has a strong focus on the dangers of pride and the blessings of humility. It is further exemplified here as Mordecai is exalted and Haman is cut down.” We talked last week in chapter five about pride and humility, and Tonya talked about the dangers of pride on Tuesday. Oh my, here we are again today. Over the years I’ve heard Bible teachers say that if God’s Word repeats something more than once God must consider it important enough for us to stop and reflect on it. (Okay, Lord, I’m listening!)
Humility: Mordecai is our example of humility. He was meek, having a quiet, gentle spirit. He was more concerned about others than he was for his own welfare. True humility is more than an outward act of service. It is also an attitude that comes from the heart. Colossians 3:12, “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
Pride: There are two kinds of pride. We can take “pride” in a job well done; that is to be happy for the accomplishment. We see the other kind of pride that the Bible refers to in Haman; pride in himself, giving himself all the credit. Like humility, pride is an attitude of the heart. We, too, can have this pride which convinces us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. This pride can be subtle. This pride is self-righteousness, not giving credit to God for the good in our lives and what we’ve accomplished, and that is sin.
I Corinthians 4:7, “For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?”
Darlene asks, “What are some of the ways you might protect your heart against pride?” I’ll share a couple and then please add your thoughts as you share today:
- I remind myself regularly that any gifts and talents that I have, and the fruit of the Spirit, all come from God.
- I must recognize that whatever is good within me is only because of Jesus.
- Your turn!
I would like to use some of John Piper’s quote that Darlene shared with us as part of our prayer today.
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Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord, we are once again confronted with the sharp contrast between humility and pride, two very opposing forces in our own lives. You want us to be clothed in humility, and to be alert to protect our heart against pride. Holy Spirit, we can’t do this without You. Please help us “to cultivate a joy in Christ, His wisdom, power, justice, and love that is more satisfying than the pleasures of human praise. We pray that we will experience the miracle of self-forgetfulness in the admiration of Christ, and in love toward people.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.
