Esther 3:8
‘Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not comply with the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain.”‘
There is little known about Haman. However, here he shares his plot to extinguish a people, the jews. He does so in terms that don’t appear that threatening. The words are so vague I’m curious if the king knew that it involved genocide. When I see the last part, “it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain”, it sounds more like he would usher them out of the land, not kill thousands. The king is busy. It’s as if Haman quickly handed the document to him and asked him to sign it without the king knowing what was happening.
Why did Haman do this? In the previous chapter the king told the people to bow down to Haman. Mordecai didn’t. His reason was that he was a jew, they bow only to God. That was enough reason for Haman to kill thousands of innocents. This is so petty. His pride was wounded, therefore he seeks to kill them all, women, children and men. All because some wouldn’t bow down.
Do we do wrong when our pride is wounded? Maybe. It might be as simple as gossiping. It might be private as harboring ill will against them. I John 3:15 says, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.” It might not seam like a big deal to us, but God does.
We are capable of evil. Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.” Allowing wrong thoughts to reside in us can lead to sin. We may recruit others to our way of thinking and pass on our sin and attitudes to others.
We need to bring all to God. Psalm 139:23,24 says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
Lord, help us not to take things personally. Help us to keep our eyes on You. Thank You.