Emotional Roller Coaster

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of his baby daughter, “When she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad she was horrid.” It’s understandable that a small child might quickly rotate emotions, but we do not encourage roller-coaster behavior continuing into adulthood. Haman, tragically, had an inclination to switch uncontrollably from ecstasy to anger. He couldn’t have been happier with his lot after two invitations to wine and dine with the king and queen. He couldn’t have been more outraged by Mordecai’s lack of deference. All his boasting about his great honors was negated by one Jew at the king’s gate, and he only just managed to contain his fury until he arrived home.

Venting his frustration to his wife and friends elicited their cruel idea for immediate disaster for Mordecai. This way Haman didn’t have to wait months for the planned pogrom to be rid of his worst enemy. Impaling him on an extremely tall pole, out of all proportion to the task, would be a highly visible act. It would make a very public statement about Mordecai’s misdemeanor and Haman’s authority to deal with it. Pleased with the idea, he returned to high spirits again, gave orders for the execution to be prepared–and then got ready to enjoy himself at another royal banquet!

The undermining of Haman’s relentless pursuit of power, wealth and honor not only wounded his pride but provoked an overwhelming sense of personal dishonor. It’s no wonder that the New Testament commands us to discard our natural instincts of greed, rage and malice, and instead to embrace the godly virtues of humility, forgiveness and love (Col. 3:5-14). We might be amused by Haman’s fickleness, but we must be disturbed by the unfolding folly of his evil ways. 

Think about your instinctive emotional responses to extreme circumstances. Confess any Haman-like tendencies that may lead to out-of-control, destructive or un-Christ-like behavior. Pray for wisdom and integrity like Esther’s.