So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided. Esther 7:10 (NLT)
I have heard it said that hatred is like drinking a cup of poison with the expectation that your enemy will die. Based on the experiences and observations of my own personal journey, I would expand that definition of that cup’s contents to include anger, bitterness, and prejudice.
Today’s story of Haman is a great example of this principle. Haman’s uncontrollable hatred toward Mordecai leads him to scheme, not only against Mordecai, but also against all of Mordecai’s people. The result is that Haman himself is impaled on the pike he’d set up for his enemy.
Over time I’ve come to realize just how unproductive and personally destructive negative emotions are both relationally and spiritually. Wander through Jesus’ teachings and you find that the theme is always in choosing the things of God over the things of this world: love over hatred, trust over anxiety, faith over fear, kindness over anger, life over death.
Today, I’m asking God to reveal the pikes I have set up in my own heart:
- Prejudice against entire groups people whom I don’t know or understand
- Anger towards those who’ve crossed me
- Bitterness towards those who long ago injured me
- Frustrations, fears and anxieties over those whom I cannot control
God, help me take this cup of poison in my hand and pour it out harmlessly to the ground. Then fill it with your love, grace, kindness and mercy. Make me an instrument of your peace.
Related articles
- Study of Esther, chapter 7 verse 7 through Chapter 8 verse 6 (nomads2.wordpress.com)
- Concerned? (thep31project.com)
- DANGER: Poison (jessemilani.wordpress.com)
- Unforgiveness Is Poison (womendivas4god.wordpress.com)
“Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. 10 So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.
I have an impatience problem. I also have a family that struggles with anger. It hasn’t been my cross to bear like some of my siblings, but its there none the less. I am constantly cautioning myself from “popping off” too abruptly when things don’t go my way. I wonder if the king later regretted such a rash decision or if he didn’t think twice?