Pride & Prejudice.

And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made. – Esther 5:9-14 ESV

The Proverbs of Solomon have a lot to say about pride:

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. – Proverbs 16:18 ESV

One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. – Proverbs 29:23 ESV

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. – Proverbs 11:2 ESV

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 18:2 ESV

Even James quotes from Proverbs 3:34 when he writes, “But he [God] gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6 ESV).

Here in the story, we are given a photo-realistic image of what a prideful, haughty man looks like. Haman is the epitome of the arrogant, conceited, self-seeking and pride-filled man who lives for nothing more than the vain pursuit of prominence, power and possessions. Haman was a ladder-climbing, boss-flattering, limelight-seekingopportunist. He was in it for himself. He was obsessed with recognition and rewards, respect and his own reputation. He is the anti-Mordecai. Mordecai seems to remain behind the scenes, adopting his orphaned niece and raising her like his own daughter, discovering the plot against the king’s life and making it known – never expecting a reward for his efforts. But Haman is busy promoting himself and planning what he believes to be his well-deserved rise to fame and fortune.

When Haman left the feast given by Esther for he and the king alone, we are told he “went out that day joyful and glad of heart” (Esther 5:9 ESV). He was ecstatic, thrilled at having been the only one invited to this private party thrown by the queen herself. He was so elated that when he got home, he told his wife and friends all about it. “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king” (Esther 5:12 ESV). He even made it a point to brag to them, recounting “the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king” (Esther 5:11 ESV). This man was insufferable. He was nothing more than an egotistical, self-promoting, pretentious fool. But he was also dangerous because he was godless and wicked. He fits the profile of the wicked described in Psalm 10:

O Lord, why do you stand so far away?

Why do you hide when I am in trouble?

The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.

Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.

For they brag about their evil desires;

they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

The wicked are too proud to seek God.

They seem to think that God is dead.

Yet they succeed in everything they do.

They do not see your punishment awaiting them.

They sneer at all their enemies.

They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!

We will be free of trouble forever!” – Psalm 10:1-6 NLT

Haman walked out of the queen’s party on cloud nine, but he was quickly brought back to earth when Mordecai refused to bow down before him. One man’s refusal to acknowledge his obvious superiority was enough to throw him into an emotional tailspin. Even after he arrived home and recounted his amazing good fortune at having been the honored guest at the queen’s private banquet, he lamented, “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate” (Esther 5:13 ESV). This statement, and Haman’s subsequent plot reveal the real issue. Mordecai was more than just a single individual who refused to honor Haman as his superior. He was a Jew and Haman was an Amalakite. These two people groups had a long track record filled with animosity and mutual hatred. Since the days when the Israelites were making their way to the promised land, the Amalakites proved to be their enemies. God even commanded King Saul, the very first king of the Jews, to completely wipe out the Amalakites, but he disobeyed. And since that day, the Amalakites had been a proverbial thorn in the side of the Jews. And now all that long-held tension was going to spill over as the result of a dispute between two men: Haman and Mordecai.

For Haman’s wife and friends, the solution was quite simple. All he had to do was kill Mordecai. Just eliminate the problem. And do it in a way that would send a signal to all the rest of the Jewish population in Susa. So they advised Haman to build a gallows, what was really more of a tall stake or spike on which the body of Mordecai would be hung for all to see. But it was essential that Haman waste no time. He needed to move quickly and build the gallows right away, before the party the next day. That way he could eliminate Mordecai and go feast with Esther and the king unperturbed by his arch-nemesis. And the passage simply tells us, “This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made” (Esther 5:14 ESV).

But this brings us back to Psalm 10. The psalmist writes:

Their helpless victims are crushed;

they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.

The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!

He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!” – Psalm 10:10-11 NLT

Haman believed he could do whatever he wanted to do. His arrogance was so great that he truly thought there would be no repercussions for his actions. He was greater than God. His wealth, power and prominence gave him permission to do whatever he wanted to do. But he was going to be proven sorely mistaken. God was watching. His eyes were not closed. He was seeing everything that was going on. And He was in full control. The wicked believe they can act with impunity. And, too often, the godly wrongly assume the wicked are right. Because that is how it appears. As the psalmist says, “they succeed in everything they do” (Psalm 10:5a NLT). But “They do not see your punishment awaiting them” (Psalm 10:5b NLT). Haman believed he was in control. He thought he had the power and authority to do whatever he wished. But he was wrong, and God was about to show him just how wrong he truly was. Haman was about to learn a painful lesson: “The Lord is king forever and ever!” (Psalm 10:16 NLT).

Pride Before Destruction.

Esther 7-8, James 3

For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. – James 3:16 NLT

Over in Proverbs 16:18, we find the sobering warning: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” That statement could have been the epitaph for Haman. This ambitious, greedy, manipulative man had gone out of his way to secure a place of highest honor in the kingdom, and had been willing to destroy an entire people group along the way. There is no doubt that Haman prided himself in his accomplishments. At one point, he “gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other nobles and officials” (Esther 5:10-11 NLT). Haman had it all. He had made it to the top and wanted everyone to know about it. But sadly, his rapid rise to fame was not enough. He was not only driven by pride, but by hatred and a self-destructive need for revenge. As great as his new-found success was, he desired something even more. “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate” (Esther 5:13 NLT). Mordecai was the one man who had refused to bow down before Haman and show him the honor he believed he so richly deserved. In spite of all his wealth, power and honor, Haman would not be satisfied until Mordecai was destroyed. Driven by his pride and motivated by his insatiable need for revenge, Haman was susceptible to the advice of his wife and friends. “So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, ‘Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.’ This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up” (Esther 5:14 NLT).

What does this passage reveal about God?

As has been the case throughout this story, God was working behind the scenes, orchestrating events and organizing affairs in such a way that His divine will would be accomplished. Haman prided himself in his wisdom. He was certain that his plan would prove to be successful. Not only would he have all the power and prestige his heart desired, he would be able to see his enemy, Mordecai, put to death for his insolence. But the apostle reminds us, “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’” (1 Corinthians 3:19 ESV). Haman's grand plan was no match for the sovereign will of God Almighty. The writer of Proverbs gives us a similar reminder: “No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:20 NLT). The book of Job contains another warning regarding man's wisdom and God's sovereign will: “He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted” (Job 5:13 NLT). Haman was no match for God. His plans and power were futile against the sovereign God of the universe. James writes in his letter, “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic” (James 3:13-15 NLT). True wisdom – godly wisdom – is always accompanied by humility, not pride. Jealousy and selfish ambition are not the byproduct of godly wisdom. They are of this world. James goes on to write, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble” (James 4:6 NLT). We see the grace, mercy and favor of God clearly in this story. Mordecai and Esther experience it. The people of Judah are the undeserving recipients of it.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Haman is a picture of man without God. In the absence of God, man always worships himself. He becomes the center of his own universe. His desires become central. His plans become the focus of his life. Others become the tools to achieving his desires or roadblocks that require removal. One of the key ways in which man's pride and arrogance shows up is in his use of his tongue. Haman couldn't keep from bragging. He couldn't prevent himself from saying what was on his mind. When he mistakenly thought the king wanted to reward him for his faithful service, he brazenly offered the king the following recommendation: “If the king wishes to honor someone, he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king’s robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!’” (Esther 6:7-9 NLT). Little did he know that his pride-fueled words would end up rewarding the very man he wished to destroy. Haman would find himself leading his arch-enemy, Mordecai, through the streets of Susa, as Mordecai basked in the glory and honor Haman had mistakenly thought were to be his. James described the tongue as “a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself” (James 3:6 NLT). Jesus put it this way: “But the words you speak come from the heart – that's what defiles you” (Matthew 15:18 NLT). Haman's real issue was a heart problem.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

James closes out chapter three with these words: “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17-18 NLT). Godly wisdom has a different character about it. We see godly wisdom revealed in the lives of Mordecai and Esther. They were both willing to wait on the Lord. Rather than seek the destruction of Haman, they sought the salvation of the Lord. Esther appealed to the mercy of King Ahasuerus. She was willing to leave the fate of Haman in the king's hands. Her greatest desire was that her people be spared. She asked that the king reverse his decree and protect the Jewish people from the destruction ordered upon them by Haman. Mordecai, who remained a somewhat invisible character in this part of the story, seemed to willingly wait on the salvation of the Lord. He didn't rail against Haman. He didn't call down God's wrath upon his enemy. He simply waited to see what God would do. And both he and Esther reaped “a harvest of righteousness.” They would see God move in miraculous ways, not only destroying the plans of Haman, but orchestrating his death on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. And Mordecai would find himself wearing the king's signet ring, once the property of Haman, and running the former estate of his mortal enemy. God had done a mighty work. He had accomplished the impossible. And as a result, “The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere.  In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them” (Esther 8:16-17 NLT).

Father, no one has any right to boast before You. There is no place for pride when standing before the God of the universe. The idea of any man being “self-made” is ludicrous. You govern the affairs of all men. You put kings and leaders on thrones and You take them down. You are in complete control of all human affairs – whether it looks like it or not. Help me to remember Your sovereignty whether I recognize it or not. Help me to remain humble and to understand the danger of pride and the destructive power of the tongue. May I remember the words of Paul: “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD” (2 Corinthians 10:17 NLT). Amen