Mordecai’s Moment
Pride, Praise, and Poetic Justice
Purim is a Jewish festival which commemorates the actions of Queen Ester saving the Jews from ultimate destruction.
The story of Ester is ultimately a story of divine justice and reversal. It is a story that highlights the overarching message throughout scripture of pride and humility.
The message is that God tears down the prideful and lifts up the humble.
One needs not look far in the bible to see examples of this message:
Psalm 138:6
eOne’s pride will bring him low,
fbut he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
Matthew 23:12
12 mWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Luke 1:52
52 jhe has brought down the mighty from theirs thrones
land exalted those of humble estate;
James 4:6
6 But dhe gives more grace. Therefore it says, e“God opposes the proud but dgives grace to the humble.”
In the Story of Ester, we are introduced to Haman, a court official for King Xerxes. Haman is the personification of all things power hungry and prideful.
Haman wants to be feared, bowed down to and idolized by those around him. It eats him alive that Mordecai, a palace worker, refuses to.
You might know a Haman in your life. One perhaps in a position of power or authority that seeks constant attention, admiration and accolades but doesn’t deserve any of it.
Today, we call these people narcissists.
Unfortunately, the word is full of people like Haman.
What I absolutely love about this story is how God turns things around for both Haman and Mordecai.
Haman orchestrates a plan for Mordecai’s death by impalement. He literally erects a spiked pole in the palace courtyard at the advice of his malevolent and enabling wife.
His plan is to use his position and influence on King Xerxes to have Mordecai killed.
The backstory to this though is that Mordecai once stopped a plot on the King’s life, but was never formally recognized or awarded for it.
Like many of us, in our lives, perhaps we did things that went unnoticed. Maybe others have unfairly persecuted or even plotted against us. This is all too common in the workplace and life in general.
You might be wondering why someone would go out of their way to see your downfall. At the root of all this is evil. Unfortunately also many times jealousy and believe it or not…even fear.
But why would someone be afraid of you?
The truth is that they see something in you that threatens them. Most of the time this is your authenticity, talent, and overall potential.
You see, a person like this, many times lacks legitimacy and character. They seek to exploit and expose other people’s weaknesses, in order to cover up their own. They will often stop at nothing to see your downfall.
Your legitimacy threatens to expose their fallacy. Because they don’t have an active relationship with God, they let their pride lead and faith fall.
Ultimately this is a faith issue.
Ephesians 4:31 warns:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
And believe me when you are dealing with a Haman in your life, it’s hard not to become one yourself.
Scripture says that we ought not to think more highly of ourselves than others(Romans 12:3)
And to:
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.” 1 Colossians 12:3 NLT.
As difficult as this is to do with someone persecuting you, the enemy can easily seize this opportunity for bitterness to grow in your own heart.
But the good news is that if we remain humble and faithful, God is quick to keep his promises in the scriptures above.
Not only did Mordecai get recognized by the King; he was dressed in Royal robes and allowed to ride the king’s horse.
In an act nothing short of divine poetic justice, Haman even had to publicly honor Mordecai in front of the entire village declaring “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!”(Ester 6:11 NLT)
Scripture says Haman went home “dejected and completely humiliated.” (Ester 6:12 NLT)
Now I know some of you are probably day-dreaming and drooling at the thought of your arch nemesis being forced to sing your praises in front of others. This is a reminder however that praise can sometimes be more dangerous to a Christian than persecution.
The lesson here is God’s throne is made of righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14) and he can turn the tables on any situation.
In the end it was Haman who ended up impaled on the very spike that was meant for Mordecai.
This story is a reminder that “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18.
I leave you with a promise from scripture:
“ So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes. 1 Peter 5:6 ESV