If you haven't read An Unlikely Valentine's Post, Part I, head over there to catch up!
“Then Haman described for them his glorious wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king had honored him and promoted him in rank over the other officials and the royal staff. ‘What’s more,’ Haman added, ‘Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am invited again tomorrow to join her with the king. Still, none of this satisfies me since I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate all the time." (Esther 5:11-13)My next few points:
3) Don’t be boastful about what God has given you, be boastful about God.
4) You cannot share a blessing and a burden in the same breath.
5) Don’t let one person ruin your perspective.
Never once do we read that Haman attributes these incredible gifts to anyone other than himself. He talks about his wealth, and his sons, and his seat at the table the Queen prepared. It makes sense, then, that since he cannot recognize gifts given to him by Someone greater, he would not be satisfied with those and would still need to bring defeat to others to be happy. Haman would soon learn that just as quickly as things can be given, they can be taken away, and that is why we should always find our joy in Christ alone.
God created us with an intricate design, but that design does not include the lung capacity to hold enough air to speak about the joyful arrangements He has placed in our lives and that with which we are discontent at the same time. So if you can only choose one of those things to share with others, which words will you breathe?
My ex taught me many things during our four years together, and I’ll never forget a conversation we had where he lovingly called me out and said “why are you letting one person affect your entire day?” And he was completely right. I was being a bitty if ever you’ve met one, all because of something that had no place between the two of us. I cannot remember the specific situation that brought about that discussion, but it has happened enough times (shameful to admit, before and since then) that I can apply it wherever it fits.
Haman was living the life, as far as he knew it, and he was still concerned with the one person who would not do what he wanted. We cannot control other people. We can’t even control our circumstances a majority of the time. We do have the option, however, to control how we react to those events. Allowing negativity to consume us will surely take all the beauty out of the blessings God has bestowed upon us and make us ungrateful, bitter and discontent.
The last few pieces of wisdom I gleaned from Haman this morning come from the sixth and seventh chapters of this book. In an act of divine intervention, the king learned that Mordecai was the person who leaked information about the assassination two of the kings eunuchs planned, which allowed the king to live. King Xerxes also learned that nothing had been done for Mordecai to thank him (there is much to be learned from Mordecai’s character in these pages, as well). The king called for whomever he trusted that happened to be in the courts at the time to come so he may ask their advice and lo and behold, it was Haman.
When the king asked Haman “what should be done for the man the king wants to honor?” (Esther 6:6), Haman gleefully answered with exorbitant requests, thinking he was going to be the recipient of the extravagance, only to be commanded to do those very things for Mordecai.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, after he finished showering the thorn in his side with the gifts that were "supposed" to be for him, Haman was sentenced to the death he had planned for Mordecai when the king learned of his evil scheme from Queen Esther.
And here is where I'll end:
6) When you can’t sleep, it’s either God or the tacos you ate right before bed — but probably God.
7) Do for others as you want done for yourself.
8) The destruction you plan for others will be your downfall and demise.
I’m straying a little from my “Wisdom from Haman” post, but I think it’s so important to note that no one told the king about Mordecai’s deed. It was in the middle of the night, when the king could not sleep, that he learned of Mordecai’s loyalty.
I used to be quite annoyed when I would wake up in the middle of the night and could not go back to sleep, and I would often blame it on eating right before bed and pray prayers of desperation, pleading to God for rest to come. It wasn’t until I realized that God was using those times to talk to me, in the stillness of the night, without any other distractions to pull me away.
It is also noteworthy to discuss the timing of this. Mordecai helped thwart the assassination plans long before he was ever recognized for this deed, and remained steadfast in his actions afterwards, but it was the very night before Haman was to ask the king that Mordecai be hanged that the king learned of Mordecai’s faithfulness. God’s timing is so intentional.
And with the same intentionality God uses, so should we use in our interactions with others. My last two points go hand-in-hand. What Haman wanted for himself, he ended up giving over to Mordecai, and what he had planned for Mordecai, became his own fate.
The only plan we can truly trust is the plan God has for our lives. It rarely, if ever, looks the way we imagine, but it is always best for us and more incredible than our wildest dreams.
Since we do have control over our actions, though, we need to remember that "treat others how you want to be treated" is not just the Golden Rule for the elementary school playground. If you think you deserve the king’s robe, bend over backwards to give it to someone else. Because as surely as good things come to those who are generous and pure of heart, destruction comes to those who plan evil.
You may not think God sees your struggle, or you may think He is too busy blessing other people to worry about you and you can’t figure out how “someone who is so [insert whatever negative characteristic you think about that person you don’t like], can have it so good” but trust me, in due time you will experience the blessings He has planned for you. He does not like to give any of us these good gifts if we are not ready, so rushing God is futile. Giving up is also a shortcut to reach Destination Destruction.
Had Haman recognized God, and allowed Him to avenge rather than taking matters into his own hands, the outcome may have been different and he may not have met death at the same gallows he built for someone else. Although, if Haman had recognized God, I have a strong feeling (or at least, I hope) that he wouldn’t have been so upset with Mordecai in the first place and tried to destroy an entire race.
6) When you can’t sleep, it’s either God or the tacos you ate right before bed — but probably God.
7) Do for others as you want done for yourself.
8) The destruction you plan for others will be your downfall and demise.
I’m straying a little from my “Wisdom from Haman” post, but I think it’s so important to note that no one told the king about Mordecai’s deed. It was in the middle of the night, when the king could not sleep, that he learned of Mordecai’s loyalty.
I used to be quite annoyed when I would wake up in the middle of the night and could not go back to sleep, and I would often blame it on eating right before bed and pray prayers of desperation, pleading to God for rest to come. It wasn’t until I realized that God was using those times to talk to me, in the stillness of the night, without any other distractions to pull me away.
It is also noteworthy to discuss the timing of this. Mordecai helped thwart the assassination plans long before he was ever recognized for this deed, and remained steadfast in his actions afterwards, but it was the very night before Haman was to ask the king that Mordecai be hanged that the king learned of Mordecai’s faithfulness. God’s timing is so intentional.
And with the same intentionality God uses, so should we use in our interactions with others. My last two points go hand-in-hand. What Haman wanted for himself, he ended up giving over to Mordecai, and what he had planned for Mordecai, became his own fate.
The only plan we can truly trust is the plan God has for our lives. It rarely, if ever, looks the way we imagine, but it is always best for us and more incredible than our wildest dreams.
Since we do have control over our actions, though, we need to remember that "treat others how you want to be treated" is not just the Golden Rule for the elementary school playground. If you think you deserve the king’s robe, bend over backwards to give it to someone else. Because as surely as good things come to those who are generous and pure of heart, destruction comes to those who plan evil.
You may not think God sees your struggle, or you may think He is too busy blessing other people to worry about you and you can’t figure out how “someone who is so [insert whatever negative characteristic you think about that person you don’t like], can have it so good” but trust me, in due time you will experience the blessings He has planned for you. He does not like to give any of us these good gifts if we are not ready, so rushing God is futile. Giving up is also a shortcut to reach Destination Destruction.
Had Haman recognized God, and allowed Him to avenge rather than taking matters into his own hands, the outcome may have been different and he may not have met death at the same gallows he built for someone else. Although, if Haman had recognized God, I have a strong feeling (or at least, I hope) that he wouldn’t have been so upset with Mordecai in the first place and tried to destroy an entire race.
As we go forth on this declared "Love Day," I pray that you are able to show each person you encounter a display of love that either introduces them to Christ or reminds them of His goodness, not just today but every day you draw breath.
This is a bit different than my normal posts, but I hope it gave someone out there a fresh perspective on an old favorite! I just love that we can open up the Bible and see new things even as we read the same old words. God’s word is truly alive and active!
Happy Valentine's Day!
