Esther 6:6 NKJV

So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?”

Pride and arrogance are dangerous things that we should not give a place to in our hearts. This is what led to Haman’s downfall. After he was elevated by the king, Haman wanted people to bow down before him but Mordecai would not. This was the reason Haman convinced the King to sign a decree declaring that all the Jews were to be killed and plundered.

But even that was not enough, he wanted to destroy Mordecai and thus his wife convinced him to have gallows made and suggest to the king to have Mordecai hanged the very next day.

While he planned all this, the invisible active God was at work. The king could not sleep that very night, and thus he had the book of chronicles read to him. It just so happened that whoever was reading read about how Mordecai had revealed a plot to have the king killed. The king then inquires what was done for Mordecai, and it is revealed to him that nothing was done.

It also just so happened that Haman had entered the king’s courts at that very time to propose that a gallows be made to have Mordecai hanged. Before he does so, the king asks him what can be done to honor someone the king is delighted in. Haman, being the proud and arrogant man thinks the king is talking about him, and he thus answers;

Esther 6:7-9 NKJV

And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ”

The king orders Haman to do thus for Mordecai. Talk about having egg on your face.

While the enemy is out planning your downfall and to do you harm, always remember that God has gone ahead of you. God had all the pieces in place even before we were introduced to Haman in this story.

Focus on God and his purposes. He can reverse for your good what the enemy planned for your downfall. No good thing you do will go unrewarded.

As all this was happening, Mordecai had no idea his God was fighting for him.

As we will see tomorrow, the same gallows that Harman built to have Mordecai hanged were the same gallows he was hanged on.

Reflections.

• What do you do when you cannot sleep?
• What are some things that pride or arrogance have driven you to do, and what was the outcome?
• In what area of your life are you seeking divine reversal against evil committed to you?