Esther 3: The Vanguard of Destruction is Pride
Esther 3: The Vanguard of Destruction is Pride
4 Every day they urged him, but Mordecai would not listen. He had made it known that he was a Jew, and so they told Haman about Mordecai's behavior to see what would happen.
5 Haman was furious when he saw that Mordecai would not kneel or pay him honor.
9 "If it pleases the king," Haman said, "issue a decree to destroy them. I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those who carry out this business, to deposit into the royal treasury."
◇ A few days ago, I watched the movie "The Outlaws 4". The villain in the movie would do anything for money, treating human lives as if they were flies to be swatted. To him, money is more valuable than life itself. This made me realize I’ve seen all four movies in the "The Outlaws" series. A common trait among the villains in all four movies is their willingness to do anything for money, completely disregarding the lives, pain, and suffering of others.
This suddenly reminds me of Jesus' words that one cannot serve two masters. In the story of Esther, a villain appears as well. His name is "Haman". He devises and executes a plan for mass slaughter, akin to an ethnic cleansing. Like the villains in the movies, he regards human lives as insignificant as the lives of flies.
However, Haman is different from the movie villains in one key aspect. He does not commit evil acts for money. He is already very wealthy, excessively so. He offers ten thousand talents of silver to kill the people he hates. How much is ten thousand talents? One talent is equivalent to 16 years of a laborer's salary, accumulated without taking a single day off. Ten thousand times 16 years' worth of salary!
With wealth as vast as the sands of the sea, why does Haman seek to take so many lives? It's because of pride. He is enraged that someone would not kneel before him or pay him homage. While everyone else bows and kneels before him, the mere Jewish captive Mordecai does not, and this infuriates him. Haman cannot stand the thought, "How dare such an insignificant person not bow to me?" He has no interest in why Mordecai refuses to bow. Even if he knew, the existence of God would mean nothing to him. That's why he was willing to spend ten thousand talents to kill all the Jews in the Persian empire.
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)
"Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 18:12)
People easily become prideful because of money, power, or status. Even without vast wealth, great power, or high status, if someone is not considered superior, they are often looked down upon and dismissed. This prideful heart grows like a snowball until God is no longer in their consideration. Such pride is the vanguard of destruction, the forefront of ruin.
♧ God, before you, I am a sinner; who am I to stand proud before anyone? Yet, the sprout of pride grows incessantly. Have mercy and forgive me! Make me humble! Holy Spirit, lead me in truth, amen.