Haman's suggestion has been
made to the king that his royal clothing, horse and crown be given to
the man in whom the king delights. He added that there should be one
of the king's most noble princes to parade him through the streets
and cry out, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king
delights to honor.” In chapter
six and verse ten we discover a surprise for the prideful and
arrogant Haman where we read:
Then the king said to
Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as
you have said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sits at the
king's gate: let nothing fail of all that you have spoken.
Our
verse begins, “Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and
take the apparel and the horse, as you have said,...” If we use
our mind's eye to see the king, we may watch as he begins his answer.
Haman has thought himself so brilliant for conceiving this act of
honor, and now as the king begins to speak, he is probably
anticipating his great reward. With great expectation Haman hears the
command to get the apparel and horse just as Haman suggested, but
then things changed.
The
verse continues, “and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sits
at the king's gate:...” Can we imagine how Haman's countenance
fell? “Do even so to Mordecai”? Mordecai? He was to do his
for the man whom Haman hated more than any other in the world?
Mordecai the Jew, that sits at the king's gate was to be the one in
whom the king delights? Oh how embarrassed Haman must have been. Oh
how Haman must have been filled with regret for his suggestion, and
Oh how Haman's heart must have overflowed with unbelievable
disappointment. However, that wasn't the end of the king's command
because there is more.
The
verse finishes, “let nothing fail of all that you have spoken.”
Haman's suggestion for honoring was so thorough that King
Ahasuerus didn't want him to miss one aspect. Nothing that Haman
thought would be great for the man whom the king would honor was to
be missed. Haman had given the king specific instructions believing
that he would be the one receiving the honor, however the tables were
turned upon him and he was now to give this reward to Mordecai.
Can we
not see the hand and humor of God in this part of our story? God is
so involved behind the scenes that He has used the very enemy of
Mordecai to bless him. Haman thought he had everything in control. He
thought himself to be superior to everyone else in the kingdom to the
extent of being better than the most noble princes, and now he was
going to suffer the embarrassment of leading Mordecai, his
arch-enemy, through the town while crying out, “Thus shall it be
done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” If we will
ponder this verse for a while and think about the turning of
direction for what Haman had planned, we may realize that God will
also deal well with our enemies. Mordecai had rebelled against Haman
and he was hated by Haman for it, but God stood in Mordecai's stead
and brought shame upon his enemy.
Next
time we will see Haman fulfilling the king's command, 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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