So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”–Esther 6:6
Haman was so filled with pride that he thought in his heart that there was no one his equal in the eyes of the king and as a result he was going to be honored by the king so he proceeded to present a plan to the king (Esther 6:7-9). Little did he know that the man the king desired to honor was Mordecai, a man Haman despised greatly (Esther 3:5, 6:9, 13). Haman’s plan was accepted by the king and Haman had to honor the man he despised (Esther 6:10-12). Haman’s prideful heart brought to him a measure of deep sorrow and mourning. Sort of reminds me of Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”.
Thinking for oneself is something that should be an integral part of all of our lives. Yet because this is an action that is usually concerned with what is convenient, enjoyable or liked, we must also exercise great caution in what and how we think. We need to watch our thinking because it is much more difficult to re-adjust our thinking after we draw a false conclusion.
As important as all this is in the temporal realm it is, perhaps, much more important in our spiritual lives. The ingenuity of man is marvelous and as a result of his thinking, some his accomplishments are astounding. But in the area of directing his own steps spiritually, man is a failure (Jeremiah 10:23).“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my way saith the Lord (Isa. 55:8). We walk by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) and that faith comes only from hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Faith does not come by “I think” but by “What the Bible says”. Millions upon millions of people thinking something will not change the word of God. Those who are seeking to one day have that home in heaven prepared by Jesus (John 14:1-3) must be willing to follow only the thinking of God as revealed in His word (Heb.1:1-2; Prov.8:32-35; John 8:47; John 6:68). Never, never think that God’s way can be replaced or improved on by man’s thinking (Isa. 55:9; Matt. 15:8-9; 2 John 9).
Charles Hicks