I was revisiting the story of Esther in Scripture for my devotions (which, if you haven’t read it lately, you should…it has more plot twists and turns than the best roller coaster) and I came to the part in the story where Haaman, the obvious villain in the story, had just finished telling his wife about his exclusive dining experience with the king and queen and how he had another royal invitation for the following evening. But at the conclusion of the dinner, as he exited to head home, there was Mordecai, a Jew who wouldn’t bow to him. Let’s pick up the story in Esther 5.
Then Haman gathered together his friends and Zeresh, his wife,
11 and boasted to them about his great wealth and his many children. He bragged about the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over all the other nobles and officials.
Esth. 5:12 Then Haman added, “And that’s not all! Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her and the king again tomorrow!” 13 Then he added, “But this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just sitting there at the palace gate.”
Isn’t that just like us? We can be in the middle of a plethora of great things happening…but we focus on the one small galling thing we might have in our lives. Or we could be getting tons of compliments—but there’s that one critical remark that our mind goes back to. Over and over again we may restrain ourselves outwardly, but that thing…that one miserable thing…keeps showing up to ruin everything else. Our hearts are not happy. Our spirits are unsettled and like a festering sore, our attention keeps returning back to that one thing. We just can’t seem to be happy until that thing is dealt with. And not just dealt with, but in a decisive way so that WE win BIG!
Zeresh comes up with a plan. Check this out.
Esth. 5:14 So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feeta tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.
Does that blow your mind as much as it does mine? “You’ve got a problem with Mordecai? Kill him and then go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” Let that sink in for just a second. Impale him and then go on your merry way…WOW!
Yet, isn’t that how we tend to treat things in our culture today? If you can just kill him or her…oh, maybe not their body…but his influence, her reputation, his credibility, her relationships…if you can just take them out of the running…gut them…impale them, as it were, then you can go on your merry way to dine with the king.
How many times have I been guilty of dropping a word here, or an accusation there, an assassination attempt of their character and reputation, so that I can go on my merry way to the banquet?
Jesus taught another way to deal with those people who really annoy you—and it really is counterintuitive! Not impaling—but in loving them.
Luke 6:27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
“But that’s hard!” you might be thinking. Yes it is…but it can spare you from a plot twist that only comes back to haunt you. To be continued…
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