December 10 Daily Discovery- Read Esther Chapter 6

This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).  

Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.

[1] On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
[2] And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
[3] And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
[4] And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
[5] And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
[6] So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
[7] And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,
[8] Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
[9] And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
[10] Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou has spoken.
[11] Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
[12] And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
[13] And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
[14] And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Forcing a Fool

In his pride, Haman had set himself against the godly man Mordecai.  Mordecai, the Jew, had refused to bow before him and Haman's wife suggested a devilish plot to have Mordecai hanged.  In so doing, Haman literally hung himself.

Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.  ~ Proverbs 27:22

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.  ~ Proverbs 26:3

Fools only do what they should when they are forced.

A fool despises and rejects God and His Word.  Haman was a fool.  God is going to force him to do something that he does not want to do.

The Cat's Meow

So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

~ Esther 6:6

We are cautioned by Paul to NOT think more highly of ourselves than we should. 

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

~ Romans 12:3

Haman had recently been promoted by the king.  He was set above ALL of the other princes in the kingdom.

When the king asked Haman, "what should I do for a man that I delight to honor", Haman KNEW that the king MUST be speaking of him, and Haman was envious of recognition so he offered his suggestion to the king.

The problem was that God was wanting to honor Haman's #1 enemy.  He was Haman's enemy because Haman had determined so.  Mordecai was not out to hurt Haman, he was only being faithful to God.

All the people had been required to bow to Haman in an idolatrous way, and of course, Mordecai, being a faithful Jew refused.

Haman was determined to destroy ALL of the Jews. (Esther 3:6-7)

God's Deliverance

Haman was preparing to get his revenge on Mordecai, and at his wife's suggestion had a gallows made just for Mordecai.  (Esther 5:13-14)

Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

~ Proverbs 26:27

This proverb reminds me of a cartoon I watched as a child called The Roadrunner Show.  Every episode had the same plot.  Every episode had the same end.

The coyote was trying to catch the roadrunner and he ALWAYS got caught in the trap that he had set for the roadrunner!

A common trick was the coyoted rolling a large stone down a mountainside at the roadrunner just at the right time, which would for some reason NEVER hit its intended target and ALWAYS return upon his own head.

We should remember that God said "vengence is mine"!  NEVER seek to take God's place and seek revenge upon another.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

~ Romans 12:19-20

"Heaping coals of fire upon his head" refers to giving him coals that he could take home to warm himself, NOT setting his head on fire!

Jesus taught us the same - to love our enemies and do good to them.  

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

~ Matthew 5:43-45

How did this story end?

Haman was hanged on the gallows he made for Mordecai.

Do good to your enemies and leave the vengeance where it belongs; with God.

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Continue Your Search

Do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?

See: Berean Fellowship Bible Study Method