Esther 6

No wonder King Solomon wrote: "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud." (Prov 16:18-19) This chapter begins the demise of Haman, which has to be one of the most ironic stories in the Bible—perhaps in all of literature! By this time, Haman is so blinded by his own pride that he is completely taken in by its trap and, unfortunately for him, will not escape.

In a great reversal of fortune, Mordecai goes from being the hunted to the honored, and Haman is literally forced by the circumstances to unwittingly carry out the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." (Lk 6:31) In his state of pride and arrogance, he assumes the king is interested in honoring him. So, he lays out exactly how he would like to be honored: "For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'" (vs 7-9)

The king likes Haman’s suggestion and decides to do just that—for Mordecai. And who is the most noble prince who must lead Mordecai’s horse through the streets? Haman himself. And all because Haman was in the palace court so very early in the morning—to engineer Mordecai’s demise. Oh, how deadly pride is!

On the other hand, how comforting it is to trust in the Lord. He can do anything—including reversing our "fortunes." Think of this story from Mordecai’s perspective. Not only is he being unfairly targeted by Haman, but as a Jew, he has also been condemned to die by royal decree. Things aren’t looking very good for him. Yet, he is still going about his daily business, trusting that God’s hand is working in and through all circumstances for the right outcome.

And then, all of a sudden, Haman meets him in the court again. Only this time, he’s not teasing and taunting Mordecai. Instead, he’s offering him a leg up on the royal horse and then begins parading him around town, proclaiming the king’s favor and blessing. What a turn of events! What a reversal of fortunes! But Mordecai must have known that his God was capable of that.

It’s not always easy to remember that God specializes in reversing fortunes, but he does. As David said in Psalm 23, He prepares a feast for us in the presence of enemies. He causes those who despise us to bless us. He turns misfortunes into miracles. He turns obstacles into opportunities. So, no matter what your "fortunes" look like today, remember that with God, today’s fortunes don’t determine tomorrow’s fortunes. He can turn everything around in an instant!