Haman believes himself to be
the one in all of the Persian Empire that King Ahasuerus would
delight in honoring, so he has been asked for a suggestion as to what
should be done for the man that should receive such an award. Haman
began his answer in Esther chapter six and verse seven, and in verse
eight he adds more to his fashion aggrandizement. We read:
let royal apparel be
brought which the king uses to wear, and the horse that the king
rides upon, and on the head of which a crown royal is set:
Haman's
first suggestion is, “let royal apparel be brought which the
king uses to wear,...” Certainly the fashion statement made by
wearing the apparel of the king would make people take notice of the
man the king would honor. People are often impressed by clothing and
especially expensive royal clothing. Anyone seen in such fashion as
the king would be elevated before the people and they would honor the
man who was given this opportunity.
The
verse goes on to say, “and the horse that the king rides
upon,...” The mode of transportation for the king would be the
finest available to man so whenever the royal ride would be seen, the
one who sits upon it would be noted as special and worthy of great
honor. Thus far Haman has suggested fancy clothing and a special
ride, however there is more.
The
verse concludes, “and on the head of which a crown royal is
set:” As though dress and special transportation were not
enough for Haman, he now suggested the “crown royal” or
the royal crown for the man whom the king desired to honor. Surely
fine jewelry set apart for the king would get people's attention, and
the one whom the king desired to honor would be known as special for
wearing it.
Clothing,
transportation, and jewels. Does this sound familiar to us? It should
because it seems that Haman desired a “Red Carpet Affair” for the
one whom the king would honor. Haman thought this honor would be for
himself, so he desired to be given the finest of everything that
would make one feel valuable. Haman's problem was that he was only
thinking of himself and this life. He did not consider there was a
God who owns everything sitting behind the scenes and leading him not
only to embarrassment but also to his own demise. If we put our trust
in outward things to make us valuable before others, we have in a
sense bought in to the same fashion aggrandizement of Haman.
Clothing, cars, boats, airplanes, jewels, etc. are all temporary in
nature. They do not last, and the statements from them lasts less
time than the fashions themselves. We must have our treasure in
eternal things- the things that last, and as we do, we will make no
greater impression than the one we give to God Almighty who made us
valuable in Him through Jesus Christ our Lord and we need nothing
else to do so.
“Set your affection
on things above, not on things of the earth.” Colossians
3:2
Next
time we will see the conclusion of Haman's suggestion to the king, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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