This morning as I was reading the book of Esther, the Holy Spirit came to a stand still on chapter 6.
The King Honors Mordecai
1On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.
In the next verses the king then sees that Haman is in the court, but doesn’t know that he has a hidden agenda to do the very opposite to Mordecai than what the desire of the king is.
Haman in his pride begins to think the king is talking about him in verse 6, which is a very dangerous way of thinking and it is important we don’t allow this same stronghold pattern of thinking to be a part of our own lives, always thinking with an inward focus. How can we increase ourselves, make sure we are honored, and be recognized by the people? Instead having a focus to bless others above ourselves, honor others above ourselves, and promote others above ourselves. Having the confidence that we are already sitting at the highest honored position as co heirs of the kingdom of God. We don’t need to be recognized by man; however, when we are recognized by man, you will know with out a doubt it was the hand of God, and it will draw you closer to Him, not man.
Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he? Isaiah 2:22
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD that to trust in princes. Psalm 118:8-9
Thus says the LORD; “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. Jeremiah 17:5
Rejection from man is God’s protection for us. It keeps us from worshipping man, so I encourage you to learn to be thankful for God’s protection through the rejection that you face from man.
Previously in chapter 5 of the book of Esther, Haman began declaring to his wife and friends how great he was.
11And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 12Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king.
As Haman placed himself first in the eyes of the king, he soon realized he was actually last.
Pride will blind you to the reality of what the will and desire of the king actually is.
I’m reminded of the parable about the vineyard Jesus spoke about in Matthew chapter 20;
Laborers in the Vineyard
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first last.”
If we shift our mindset to the heart of the Father, we will always position ourselves last, allowing God to position ourselves first. We don’t take first, we are positioned by God to that position, but only through the process of being last can we be first. You can’t choose last with any other heart posture than true desire and love to be last. It’s not about an action of the flesh, but a posture of the heart to actually see others succeed you.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 17:7
10Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”
Can you imagine how Haman felt having to dress Mordecai? And not only dressing him with the robes and honor Haman thought were his own, but then lead him through the square of the city yelling out “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”
They had all seen Mordecai refuse to pay homage to Haman, and now they were seeing Haman pay homage to Mordecai. The faith that was built in God’s people because one man refused to bow his knee to anyone but Jehovah.
If people had to do this today, I guarantee there would be a lot less pride and more loving your neighbor.
12Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 13And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”
Haman returns to his wife and friends, and the very people who plotted with him in the destruction of Mordecai were the same one’s who revealed the truth about his own destruction.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8
You can see in the response of the wife and friends that the fear of the Lord was now applied after the testimony of how God had honored the Jews. It is very important that we evaluate every thought before we act, to be sure that we are sowing life and not death and destruction.
I know so many who pray vengeance, and use scripture to justify it; however, I have seen the result of Galatians 6:7-8 applied after such proclamations. The error is that they are using scripture against flesh and blood and not against the enemy. They see flesh and blood as their enemy while the devil is standing in the back ground watching one get stoned, and the other fighting mankind while he is untouched because their focus is out of alignment with the word of God that says love your neighbor, and that we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood.
We as the church need to die to our prideful thinking that everything is about us and allow God to shift our focus back on His goodness allowing our trials to reveal a deeper level of intimacy to who He is, crucifying our worship of man.
I want to end with this challenge. We can worship man by bowing down to man like everyone else did in this book, doing everything they say to keep “peace.” But also we can worship man by continuing to focus on those who are persecuting us, hurting us, mean to us, cursing us, you fill in the blank for your situation. That focus is also worshipping man, why? Because your focus is not on God but man. This was the tactic Satan used on Eve in the garden. He shifted her focus away from God.
So where is your focus going to be in 2025? Satan, the enemy and all that he is doing? Man? Or God?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8
If it’s not true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise all according to the word of God, then DON’T ALLOW it to have room in your thoughts. Take it captive child of God!
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5
A WORD FORM THE LORD
The Lord says to you today, “I have seen and remember the honor in which you deserve reward for, and it is me and me alone who will bring back the remembrance of the wages in which your acts of kindness deserve. I will pay you rightfully for the time lost in receiving the honor ordained to you. For you have refused to bow your knee before the gods of this world, and it has not gone unnoticed before me. I have been keeping a storehouse for you for such a time as this. Watch as your enemies begin to transform from death to life because of your obedience to my word. For the time you call lost, I call found. Nothing is wasted in my kingdom, yet only awaiting to be released upon the sound of my command.”
In His GRACE,
Codie Cobb
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