Haman’s exceedingly great hubris stands out like a sore thumb. He is wealthy, and honoured by the king, and the only other invitee to the queen’s banquet beside the king. ‘What an utterly marvellous person I am!’ he tells his friends (vs 11,12). His attitude towards himself explains the great rage he has towards Mordecai: ‘How on earth could such a great person as I am not receive respect from absolutely everyone else?’

His family and friends pander him and encourage him in this attitude, and the plan to have Mordecai killed the following day is suggested, enthusiastically received, and prepared (v 14). Haman’s importance in his own eyes, and presumably in the eyes of those who are fawning upon him, has blinded him to the precarious position he is actually in. He believes his supposed enemy Mordecai is going to be defeated. He believes Mordecai’s people are going to be annihilated. He believes he is highly esteemed by the king and the queen. But as noted earlier, he doesn’t know all the facts, and the whole truth is not on his side.

‘My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people.’¹ 

As with everything else described in Esther, there is no editorial comment here: readers are left to draw their own conclusions. The portraits of the different characters are superbly drawn. It is worth reading through the various mentions of both the king and Haman; they all provide clear illustrations of how leadership ought not to be! In this section Haman’s ongoing fury at Mordecai sits alongside his prideful boasting. Even total conviction of his own importance and value in his ‘I am the greatest’ style speech was not enough to set aside his anger. Everyone must acknowledge his greatness! The Greeks would have called this attitude ‘hubris’, would have seen it as challenging the gods and would be expecting the inevitable downfall that follows. What is also clear in verse 14 is that his wife and friends were co-conspirators in backing up Haman’s claim to supremacy. 

The rest of Scripture affirms God’s sovereignty and it is clear that elevating oneself in a proud way is completely unacceptable. The downfall of those who take this attitude is often pictured, Nebuchadnezzar and Herod being notable examples.² This chapter stands as a clear warning to all leaders that leadership is always about service, not about status and being honoured by everyone around. What Haman needed was friends and family who would question his ‘hubris’, not back it up! Paul’s warning in Romans does that for us. ‘Do not think of yourself more highly that you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you’.³ Jesus told us to pray that God’s ‘holy name be honoured’.⁴ If we hear ourselves or others talking about ‘getting the respect (or honour) we deserve’ then be warned: downfall might not be far behind. 

‘There is nothing wrong in taking delight in the things God has enabled us to achieve. There is everything wrong in thinking we deserve all the credit!’ Discuss!

¹ Ps 62:7,8  ² Dan 4; Acts 12:19–23  ³ Rom 12:3  ⁴ Matt 6:9, GNB