humble pie

I was reading in my quiet time this morning, in the book of Esther. That old Haman he sure was a high and mighty dude, well at least in his own eyes. He thought he was so wonderful that everyone in the kingdom should bow down and pay him honor every time he walked by. I bet he walked by quite often, just to watch those poor schmucks bend down, "lower" he probably said, as they almost touched the ground. Can't you just see him now, strutting around like a peacock. Then lowly Mordecai came into view. Oh how Haman hated him. Loathed him because Mordecai wouldn't bow the knee, as a matter of fact, flat out refused to get down at all for the "great" Haman. Every time good old Haman saw this, it boiled his blood! Boy was he mad, so he told his wife and his friends, the whole sob story. Of course, they wanted him to be happy so they said kill him, no better yet wipe out his whole family, no the whole tribe, that should make you feel much better. What a great idea, so Haman went to the king, whose wife happened to be the niece of Mordecai, but no-one knew this bit of information. Haman was sneaky, he didn't want to seem arrogant to the king, so he slyly said, there are certain people who don't honor you, King and they should be destroyed off the face of the earth. Then you will be able to rest easier knowing that everyone in your kingdom does as you say. So unknowingly, the king set into motion, a murder plot for his wife and her whole tribe.
Well, Haman was so quick that he immediately put out the papers that told how when and where this unsuspecting tribe was to be slaughtered.
Then that Mordecai, he found out that someone was plotting against the king. He told his niece Esther, which in turn notified the king. The king took care of the traitors and had Mordecai's name written in the book of the annuals for when he couldn't sleep. As it happened Esther got wind of Haman's wicked plot to kill her tribe of people. So she went before the king, unannounced, fearing for her life, he welcomed her, because he loved her and wouldn't harm a hair on her beautiful head.
He said "what would you like, I will give you up to half of my kingdom." She said, would you please come to dinner tonight and bring Haman along too. Then she invited them back for a second dinner. Boy! Now he really had a big head, all swelled up with pride!
That was easily granted so they went. Well that Haman sure did think he was pretty awesome, he got to go to dinner with the King and the Queen. Wow! Oh boy! He was flying high as a kite! On his way home, he noticed that Mordecai blatantly refused to obey his order of bowing down to him, he was livid, to say the least! So his wife, Zeresh and his friends, said take care of him tomorrow. Hang him on a gallows 75 feet high. That will fix him. So he put his men to work and they built the gallows. That night, the King couldn't sleep. Maybe God had stirred his mind. So he had his night time servant read him the book of the annuals. Lo and behold there was a passage about Mordecai. What! He had saved the life of the king and nothing had been done to honor him, well, and then Haman came in, ready to ask to kill Mordecai. The king asked what should be done for the man he wished to honor. Right away, Haman's pride hopped on the ban wagon and boy he said all kinds of great things that he thought the king should do for Him, the great one. Then his bubble burst with a big ol' pop when the king said now go do this for Mordecai, the man I wish to honor. So everything that Haman said should happen did and he had to honor Mordecai in the public square, nice and loud so everyone could hear it. Wow! Ow and double ow.
So the king and Haman attended the second dinner,with Esther. The King again asked Esther what is it that you would like, I will give you half of everything that I own. She was very pleasant and beautiful, I know he would have done anything she would have asked.
She said "spare my life and the life of my whole tribe." He gasped and probably said, what on earth are you talking about? Then she told the whole story of how that wicked Haman had plotted to kill Jews and that she herself was a Jew. The king flew into a rage, at Haman. He fled to the palace garden to cool down, and when he went back into the palace,there was Haman throwing himself on the queen begging for his life. When the king saw this, he was so angry he was ready to kill Haman himself, saying "now you would even rape my queen in my own home." The onlookers called to the king, "he built a gallows to kill Mordecai on, it's 75 feet high." The king ordered "Hang Him on his own gallows!' They did and then the king calmed down.
To me this whole story is one of pride and humility. One man who thought he was all that had a good dose of humble pie to eat and the one who was truly humble was exalted to one of the king's highest positions in the kingdom and he had never said a word about being great.
I wonder how we view ourselves, high and mighty, we're all that and a bag of chips or do we realize that we are just a breath of air, like a flower here today and gone tomorrow.
But there is good news, we can rest easily knowing that once we become a child of the King of Kings, one day we will be lifted up to sit with the God of the universe at his right side.
So have a great day and the next time you see someone who doesn't look exactly the way you think he or she should look, don't view them as less than yourself. Look at them through the eyes of Our Lord Jesus, because I don't know about you but I don't like eating humble pie.