Haman was a high government official in the mighty Persian Empire. The Persians ruled over virtually all the known world at the time, including the land of Israel—and there were many Jews living in Susa, the capital of the empire.
Haman had recently been bestowed with high honor within the government, and his heart was completely puffed up with pride. Everyone was required to bow in his presence.
When a Jew named Mordecai refused to bow down, Haman became furious and made plans to exterminate all the Jews in the empire. Unbeknownst to Haman, however, the new queen, Esther, was a Jew— and she was related to Mordecai. When Mordecai and Esther learned of Haman’s evil plot, the queen hatched a plot herself to inform the king.
At a grand banquet hosted by the queen, she revealed Haman’s wicked plan to exterminate her people. In the end the Jews were saved, and Haman and his sons were killed instead.
It may be tempting to think that we are above something so wicked as Haman’s plot, but we are all susceptible to sin—any sin—and given the right circumstances we can be led to do things we never imagined we were capable of. What sins are lurking in your heart?
Do you secretly harbor prideful thoughts? Sinful desires? Hateful grudges? Expose them in prayer before God and repent of them before your sins expose you and lead you to certain destruction.
From lying about our accomplishments to driving ourselves into debt to “keep up with the Joneses,” there is no limit to what pride can make people do. Given enough opportunity, pride could probably even lead us to do something even as sinister as what Haman did.