The malice of Haman

10/7/2011 9:20:41 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                                                      Focus:  Malice

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                                  Reference:  Ester 5:9b, 13-14

                Message of the verses:  “but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate and that he did not stand up or tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai.”

                “13  "Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate." 14  Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, "Have a gallows fifty cubits high made and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet." And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.”

                The malice that Haman had deep within his being is what this last SD on the fifth chapter is about, and this will be the forth force that will work against Haman.  In this SD I will copy and paste the definition of what malice is according to Warren Wiersbe, and will also talk a bit of how this is affecting the life of Haman, but first I would like to express something about Mordecai.  I have had in the past and do so today have trouble with some of the officials who are in office, and one of the things that I try to remember is that I must respect the office even if I do not respect the person in the office.  There is another thing that I have learned and that is that God is the One who has put those in office who are in office.  There are two verses in the book of Daniel that have greatly encouraged me in this area and both verses were the words of Nebuchadnezzar, but one must remember that the entire Bible has been inspired by the Holy Spirit:  “"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.”  “"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ’What have You done?’” (Daniel 2:21 & 4:35)

                Dr. Wiersbe writes this about malice:  “Malice is that deep-seated hatred that brings delight if our enemy suffers and pain if our enemy succeeds.  Malice can never forgive; it must always take revenge.  Malice has a good memory for hurts and a bad memory for kindness.  In 1Corinthians 5:8, Paul compared malice to yeast, because, like yeas, malice brings very small but gradually grows and finally permeates the whole of life.  Malice in the Christian’s heart grieves the Holy Spirit and must be put out of our lives (Eph.4:30-32; Col. 3:8).”

                One can see how malice had penetrated every part of the life of Haman and had blinded him so that in the end this malice would actually be the cause of his death.

                Now a word about the gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecia as there is probably a bit of confusion as to what it looked like and how it was used.  When one looks at the old movies that were about the old west and saw someone hanged on a gallows in order to execute them, but this was probably not what is being written about here.  It was written in earlier parts of the Bible of how people were executed and then hung on a tree of a post if their crimes were really bad, but this is probably not that either.  The Persians were known for harsh punishments and would hand their criminals on metal polls until they would die and this is probably what is spoken of here.

                One more point I want to bring up from this section and that is to look back at the importance of how Ester had delayed telling the king about Haman on the first banquet, as we can see the sovereign hand of God in all of this for if she would have spoken of it at the first banquet then it would not have been so effective because the king would not have the opportunity to read of how Mordecia saved his life and would have probably gone along with Haman killing Mordecia.  That delay seems to be one of the most important parts to this story and we can see God’s hand in it to be sure.

                Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of the things that I have found hard to do in my life is to be patient but God has been teaching me this through a series of difficult times, as patience goes hand in hand with contentment.  To see this story unfold, and especially the delay and how God used it shows me the importance of patience.

                I want to quote Proverbs 5:21-23 now in order to get a more insight into the heart of Haman, and how malice was working in his life:  “21  For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths. 22  His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. 23  He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       As I continue my quest to locate a good used car my prayer is that I will continue to show patience in waiting on the Lord before I purchase it.

2.       Continue to learn contentment.

3.       Avoid having malice in my life.

10/7/2011 10:15:58 AM