Proud Haman

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Esther 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes." Esther 3:5,6

Haman smiled as he walked around the palace. It made him feel good when everyone knelt to him as he went by. Lately life had been altogether excellent. King Xerxes had given him a position above all the other officials. He had even passed a law that everyone should bow to him. He really was pretty special!

Just then he caught sight of someone who wasn’t kneeling. He glared at the man but still that man wouldn’t bow. This must be Mordecai, that Jew he’d been told about. He’d heard that these Jews wouldn’t bow to anyone but their God.

Now his day was wrecked. He couldn’t get that picture of Mordecai out of his head. How could he get back at him? He could have him killed. But that was too easy. Suddenly he had an idea. He would go big. He would take care of all these Jews.

First he wrote a law that said on a certain day everyone in the land should kill all their Jewish neighbors - even the children and babies. Next he showed it to the king and got him to stamp it with his ring. Finally he sent the new law out by messengers. They read it in every part of the kingdom.

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Tags: pride peer pressure Esther