ESTHER 6
Providence. If any chapter in the book of Esther reveals the providence of God, it is this one. (Providence [pro, “before”; video, “to see”] means “to see beforehand.”) God kept the king awake, led the reader to the record about Mordecai, and had Haman arrive at just the right time. All of that happened behind the scenes, so Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews did not know about it. God is working on your behalf today, so trust Him (Rom. 8:28).
Conceit. Haman hated Mordecai so much that he got up very early to ask for his enemy’s death. And Haman loved Haman so much that he could not imagine the king honoring anyone but himself! The proud man has a mirror in which he sees himself; the humble man has a window through which he sees others (Rom. 12:10;
Disgrace. What a humiliating experience! Haman had to dress Mordecai in the robes he wanted to wear, put him on the horse he wanted to ride, and then lead him—a Jew—through the busiest part of the city! That should have been a warning to Haman that his plot would fail, and his wife’s words only confirmed it. Had he heeded the warning and humbled himself, his life would have been spared, but pride does not easily give in to truth.
“Humility is the source of all true greatness: pride is ever impatient, ready to be offended. He who thinks nothing is due to him, never thinks himself ill-treated.”
Fenelon