When King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite to a position above all the other officials in the Persian kingdom (Esther 3:1), it was decreed that all the king's servants would bow down and pay homage to this new "head honcho" (3:2). When Mordecai refused to do so, Haman was "filled with fury" (3:5). Mordecai's refusal to worship this man proved to be the catalyst for Haman's plot to eradicate the Jewish minority from the Persian empire (3:6).
In the end, the very gallows that Haman prepared for the hanging of Mordecai were used against the man himself (7:9-10). The fury and lack of self-control Haman displayed drove him to his own downfall.
Uncontrolled anger is:
- Evidence of fleshly desires (Galatians 5:19-20).
- A characteristic of fools (Proverbs 12:16).
- Forbidden by God (Matthew 5:22; Romans 12:19).
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down upon your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27, ESV
My friend, anger will arise from within every man from time to time. It is a lack of self-control in dealing with that anger which will inevitably lead to one's downfall. The 50-cubit-high gallows of Haman stood as a testament to that truth!
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