Today's Meditation - Friday, September 25, 2020

 Today's Meditation

Read Esther 5:1-14

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. ²As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. ³The king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” ⁴Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the king.” ⁵Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. ⁶While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” ⁷Then Esther said, “This is my petition and request: ⁸If I have won the king’s favor, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and then I will do as the king has said.”

⁹Haman went out that day happy and in good spirits. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and observed that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was infuriated with Mordecai; ¹⁰nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home. Then he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh, ¹¹and 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 ministers of the king. ¹²Haman added, “Even Queen Esther let no one but myself come with the king to the banquet that she prepared. Tomorrow also I am invited by her, together with the king. ¹³Yet all this does me no good so long as I see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” ¹⁴Then 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 on it; then go with the king to the banquet in good spirits.” This advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

    Verse 9 tells us that "Haman went out that day happy and in good spirits."  Why?  Verse 11, 12 - "Haman recounted to them (his friends and his wife) 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 ministers of the king...  even Queen Esther let no one but myself come with the king to the banquet that she prepared.  Tomorrow also I am invited by her, together with the king."

    There is a well known phrase that says, "Pride goeth before the fall" - which is actually a contraction of the 1611 version of the King James Bible in Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

    Haman was so "full of himself" that he had no use for anyone who didn't bow down and pay him respect - such as Mordecai.  He demanded praise, honor, glory, and power.  If he couldn't receive it honestly, he would use force to gain it.  How often have we seen this play out in history?

    Queen Esther knows how to use this pride of Haman's to her own advantage and the warning from Proverbs should have caused Haman and all those who act like Haman to be very wary.  As the story of Esther plays out, we'll see just how this "pride goeth before the fall" happens.  Praise, glory, and honor are reserved for God alone.  We should be willing to humble ourselves before God and one another.

All Glory, Laud, and Honor