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The Haman Complex: How To Betray Oneself (3)
I am continuing to pour over the ancient story of Esther in the Bible. This morning, I reread Haman’s “bad day”. (Esther 6-7) Arrogant deceitfulness eventually has its day in court. To think that in the span of just a few hours, what was built to execute a fine man, was the means for divine judgement on a pompous, self-absorbed fool.
Many suffer injustices all over the world. It seems there is no end to their pain and misery. We often ask why this is. The truth is, the suffering does not go unnoticed. There is Divine justice in the heavens, and the One who sees all, will come to the aid of the oppressed.
The Jews faced annihilation by a conniving social climber. There were only two voices that could spare them, and they were providentially positioned in the King’s court. It is often difficult to see how the events of life are arranged by the Unseen Hand of God to bring the greatest amount of blessing to a particular region of the world, in a particular time and place. Esther and Mordecai display the risky faith needed to speak when the time is right, and trust the One who promised to bless them and use them to be a blessing to others.
Haman hung from a tree in his own backyard, in full view of his family and countrymen. Even the King was not fully aware of the significance of the event. One thing surely remains for history to trumpet loud and clear. The oppressed are seen, heard, and eventually rescued by Divine Compassion. Only the blind miss it.
Questions: Do you hurt for the oppressed? Have you ever wondered why some people’s suffering goes on for so long? Does the story of Esther renew your faith in the Unseen Hand of Divine Compassion?
Posted by Bryan Prosser in Miscellany and tagged faith, God, Divine Providence, history, Bible, justice, Haman, Esther, Old Testament, Mordecai, Divine Compassion, Unseen Hand of God, oppression, divine judgement, injustices, suffering, blessing, promise, annihilation, pain, misery, social climber, King, fool, risky faith, oppressed
The Haman Complex: How To Betray Oneself (2)
” The light and careless way in which Ahasuerus handed away to Haman the lives of tens of thousands of his industrious and useful subjects is deservedly branded as ” perhaps the most shocking example of oriental despotism on record.” It ranks with the recent callous announcement of Nazi Hitler, that he was prepared to sacrifice the lives of a million Germans to invade England. Conscience and common sense alike protest the wrongness of such power being in the hands of any one man. A really sound and good man will refuse to bear such a responsibility singly. A bad man can only abuse it. Democracy may be beset with many complex difficulties, but it is immeasurably preferable to despotism or dictatorship.”This is a quote from J. Sidlow Baxter in reference to the book of Esther in Explore The Book, page 271.
Question: Have you ever face despotism in your life? What have you learned to avoid being controlled by it?
Posted by Bryan Prosser in Miscellany and tagged Ahasuerus, Bible, common sense, democracy, despotism, dictatorship, England, Explore The Book, Germans, Haman, Hitler, J. Sidlow Baxter, Nazi, Old Testament, oriental despotism, power | Leave a Comment
