Haman was not okay with Mordecai being honored. In fact, he was so uncomfortable with it that he devised a plan to kill all of the Jews.
The fact was that Haman was so upset
for how Mordecai wouldn’t bow to him, which caused him to act
irrationally by plotting to kill millions of people -- This probably seems
extremely absurd for many of us. Why go to such drastic measures? Why not just
"dust your shoulders off" and keep moving?
But the problem was -- Haman’s pride. He
could not stand someone not bowing down to him.
This was Haman’s mindset: Esther
6:6 "“Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?”
Haman things to himself “who is greater
than me? Surely, there is no one.” We cannot say - that Haman lacked
confidence. For it appears he was very confident in his own capabilities, glory
and recognition due to him. It was when these things were THREATENED that he
appeared to show his weakness. How does he respond when Mordecai receives
honor?
Esther 6:12 "But Haman rushed home,
with his head covered in grief"
Most people would potentially look at
these passages and say, “Wow that Haman guy he was wrong.” And never see how
the very actions and responses he had are very typical to our sinful nature.
I mean – don’t most people like
recognition? Don’t most people feel good when they are ‘thanked’ or appreciated
for things that they have done. We would be liars to say those comments or
actions mean nothing. We love them. We are just like Haman in that. We believe
we deserve recognition for actions and if we don’t get it we often hang our
head in grief. We may look at someone else who receives the honor we believe we
deserve and think, “why them?” We may spend hours of our day comparing
ourselves to others and desiring for someone somewhere to recognize us – for who
we are.
We may not result in drastic actions of
killing someone. We may not devise a plan for the demise of a group of people.
Praise God if we never get to that point of evil in the human mind. But we are
just as sinful as Haman. We are no greater than his sinful nature. We are just
as rotten.
Yet – Isn’t it funny that the one thing
many of us desire to receive God freely gives? We desire to receive recognition,
praise, honor or acceptance. We search long and hard for the people of this
life who will offer those things to us. We look around for it everywhere and
then we become downcast and mournful when we can’t find it. Yet --- There is a
God who sent his son to die on behalf of our sinful ways. He gave up the thing he
loved that was essentially a part of his being so that we could have a
relationship with him.
We easily forget this – we become selfish
like Haman and want more. We say, “it’s not enough that Jesus died for me – I want
the world to accept and recognize me for who I am.” We ignore the fact that not
only did Jesus die for us but God created us.
Psalm 8:4-5
“What is mankind that you
are mindful of them?
Human beings that you care
for them?
You have made them a little
lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory
and honor.”
God
made us. God gave us glory. We were crowned a little lower than heavenly
beings. We were created in his image.
How
can we desire the world’s recognition enough when all of these things whisper:
You are precious.
You are recognized.
You are redeemed
You are appreciated.
You are mine.
&
You are worth it.
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