Pride Before the fall (Esther 6:11-7:6)

Esther 6:11-7:6

GBCCR 8/31/25

Introduction

Comments-

Prayers

We pray for Quinn’s celebration of life service this Saturday

And we pray for our celebrations tomorrow, as we rest from labor may we praise the good God who provide for us

Catch- Pride goes before the fall

This is one of the most misquoted verses as a couple of high school boys loved to point out to me every time I got it wrong

The actual verse is

Proverbs 16:18- Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

So it is the haughty spirit before the fall

But the misquote doesn’t really matter because in Hebrew poetry these two rhyme

Pride and haughty spirit mean the same thing

Destruction and fall are the same

And of course, what is worse… stumbling or destruction?

The fact is that pride is dangerous

Thomas Manton wrotes, “Other sins are against God’s law, but pride is against God’s sovereignty.”

Last week I wanted to teach you about how to fight pride,

this week I want you to see what will happen if you pursue pride

And I hope show you how to address issues without pride

Let’s remember how this whole book is about God working behind the scenes.

Act 3- The happenstance of deliverance (Esther 5–7:10)

So now we see all these threads coming together

While God’s name is not mentioned, no chance to could this happen so perfectly

While you sleep, God is at work (6:1-3)

Pride is reversed (6:4-10)

Last week I tried to show you why you didn’t need to be prideful- You do not need to work as if it all rests on you

God worked while all the fasters slept by making the king unable to sleep

And Though Haman worked through the night, we saw his efforst were in vain

Today we get the chance of saying God is an absolute control, what should we do? Repent of our pride and go humbly befor the king

So let’s see

There is contrasting end of pride and humility before the king

Recall that pride leads to disaster (6:11-14)

We see Haman receive that rebuke

Pride is rebuked while we see: (6:11-12)

Explanation

The Praise of Mordecai (11)

Haman must lead Mordecai through the city in the exact way he suggested

This ancient drawing might give an example, even with the crowns on the horses’ heads

The man who was just doing his jobthe man

the man who refused to quaket

the man Haman wanted to kill

is now being praised by Him

It shows the truth of James

James 4:6–7- But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God.

And what is shocking about these words is that they are the last we hear from Haman

Look ahead… in 7:7 we are told that he tries to beg for his life… but there are no quotes

He never speaks again

The man with a plan is now passively being forced to speak his last words

Trans: and he hates them

The Shame of Haman’s pride (12-13)

Mordecai goes back to work

Remember, nothing has changed for him

He still has the same position with the same duties

And the death threat later that year still hangs over his head

He has done his fasting and praying, and now goes trusting that Esther has been prepared for the time ahead of her

He won’t cry or mock

But Haman runs home mourning with his head covered

This is what people did when they were defeated

As David in 2 Samuel 15 is betrayed by his son Absalom, he weeps and covers his head

Haman is acting as if he has just been betrayed, and life is over

Though his defeat is coming, he is still being very prideful

This self-sorrow is just the flip side of the coin of pride

Last time he went home boasting about himself

Now he is moping about himself

Both times he’s thinking of only himself

And pride is simply spending more time thinking of yourself than other things

But this prideful response is an opportunity for Haman, one he doesn’t take

Pride is Red flagged (6:13-14)

He comments to his wife and friends, there is no longer any love

Look at verse 13, at he calls his friends, but then the narrator says his wise men speak back to him

They turn on him and says… Wow, I guess all those stories we heard about the jews is right… You’re done for.

His beloved friends and wife were so foolish to tell him to attack the jews in chapter 5

But now they’re speaking from wisdom

There is great fear of the Jews, the people of Israel

Just as Rahab said to the spies

Joshua 2:9- and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.

This is a fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham, a covenant which we’ve seen continued to Issac and Jacob

Genesis 12:1–3- Now the LORD said to Abram, … And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.”

Those who curse him would end badly

So these people know the truth… Haman’s pride is crumbling and he will not stand

Illustration point- The self-focus of pride is rebuked

God tells us this because pride is destructive

A doctor friend of mine described

A woman came to the emergency department with a mass in a small bag

She had felt pain about 6 months ago

Her flesh rotted to the point that part of the mass fell out. She placed it in a baggy in the freezer a month earlier but finally decided that day to get checked out as the smell was noticed by her family

He had to not just treat with what was in the bag, but dig out all the parts around the sickness in her

sin gets treated the same way-

placed in a baggy in the freezer with the hope that everything will resolve.

Instead of going to the Great Physician, the patient languishes at home."

We think we can care for it

Pride will end in disaster

It’s not just something sitting over here, but must be dug from within us

Application

You must see Pride has great dangers

Pride is the essence of all other sin. It appears to be the most serious sin.

Proverbs 6:16–19- There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

Pride heads God’s list of hatreds

We might think God hates divorce or immorality

But God hates pride

pride is all about self-glorification and so it refuses to give thanks to God for everything

This lack of thanksgiving is one way that sinners suppress the truth God has revealed about Himself

Romans 1:21- For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

So it is possible to do all sorts of morally virtuous things when our hearts are filled with fear, with pride or with a desire for power.

In past generations this was called hubris

Today we wrongly warn too much of low-self-esteem

Friends, watch out for the pride of self-pity that just focuses your eyes more on yourself

Nothing had changed for Haman at this point

While we know what is going to happen to him

He still has everything he boasted about in chapter 5

But he began to worship the idea of revenge against Mordecai’s insult

I’ve heard it said that if you actually have low self-esteem

You will be happy things are not going well for you… because you’d say, well, that’s just what I deserve, this is right

But because we think we deserve more than we’re discouraged

The shadowy sister of pride is what we call low self-esteem

This is the result of putting our contentment in something other than god…. We are trusting to get water out of cracked cisterns

even good things cannot hold our hope.

It is prideful to evaluate even your spiritual life on how well you’re “doing”

How often you pray or evangelize or read your bible are not the only markers of relying upon the vine of Jesus

Jeremiah Burroughs, old puritian, makes a great point about worship and contentment:

You worship God more by contentment than when you come to hear a sermon……. in passive obedience we also worship God by being pleased with what He does.

So gospel humility says I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself.

In fact, I stop thinking about myself.

Our goal is the freedom of self-forgetfulness

So if you are prideful may I give you the warning that God sees the reasons why you do the things you do

You will surely fall before him

The great commentatory Warren Wiersbe wrote, “God had warned Haman through circumstances, through his advisers, and through his wife; but the prime minister would not heed the warnings. “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (Prov. 16:5”

And this warning exists for you and me as well

But the hope is that the gospel, the good news of Jesus says you do not need to do good enough

But you do need to follow Jesus

Because Jesus died for sinners just like you and me

He took our place

So the verdict of judgment is in… he love me and accepts me

I don’t need to build up my spiritual resume, I don’t need to impress

I do not have to do things to make me look good. I can do things for the joy of doing them. I can help people to help people

The gospel is Jesus went on trial instead of you to free you to be zealous for good works in following him

The lack of anything impressive means we’ll humbly want to follow HIm

But let me give a caveat

Some of you have reasons to weep and cover your head

But do not let yourself stop there, but instead look to God as David did

Psalm 3:3–4- But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.

Crying to God is good, crying to ourselves will not goo wel

Recognize the goodness of humble petitions (7:1-6)

Everything flips now, which is what God tends to do as Mary the mother of Jesus reflects on:

Luke 1:49–52- “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. “And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.

Explanation- The queen’s time is now so she acts out her strategy

She calls her guests as planned

6:14 said that while Haman’s advisors were still talking the officals arrive and tell him, it’s time for the banquet with the king and the queen

You may recall that the whole reason Zeresh suggested Haman hang Mordecai in 5:14 was that he could go joyfully to the banquet

Do you think he’s going joyfully now with the last words in his ear being you will surely fall before him?

Still, nothing has changed, he’s still the most powerful man, but the writing is on the wall

God has been setting up the prefect timing

Queen Eshter patiently waits (7:1-2)

She sits at a table with these two men and allows them to eat and drink with her

She doesn’t remind the king about his promise to grant her petition and do as she requested in 5:8

Proverbs 27:2- Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

She waits for the king to bring up his promise before she does

This follows the great wisdom of Solomon

Proverbs 25:11- Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

Notice the wisdom of waiting for the right moment.

She doesn’t actually know if the King will help her people

He was the one who gave his approval for the order

And Haman is her favorite drinking buddy

She is being incredibly brave here

And the bravery leads her to speak as

Queen Esther updates the king (7:3-4)

Notice that she states again the diplomatically points to the relationship she has with the king

“If I have found favor in your sight” is more than mere court flattery. It is the heart of Esther’s argument.

If she has found favor in the king’s sight, then an attack on her would also be an attack on his royal person

If she is valued by king Then she should not be killed

Nor let her people be killed

She still is being very patient and hasn’t stated who her people are yet, does she?WE need to felt the weight of the patience Required here

to our modern ears to say being slaves would not be worth the kings time would be like telling the police officer being mugged is not worth his time

But This is the wisdom of

Proverbs 25:15- By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

She is telling him that slaves would get the king something, but a people killed is not worth it

She did sure hint at the people saying they are to be destroyed, killed and annihilated

This is from the exact decree

Esther 3:13- Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day….

Haman had told the king

Esther 3:8- “There is a certain people …. do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain.

Esther is giving him new information that this situation is in the king’s interest

These people do matter

The king will lose someone important if Haman’s strategy goes forth

And after all the pieces have been placed

Queen Esther places the blame (7:5-6)

The queen has been gently dangling a treat before the king and telling him to wait

Like a dog waiting for a treat, he cannot wait anymore

Because while Esther may have tried to act wiselyGod has been doing the real work

God has been doing the real work

King Ahaz-you-air-us says, who is this that has filled his heart with such ideas

The king has been thinking about the assignation plans placed against him

He could have been killed by his own guards and

his failure to praise Mordecai could mean allies would be offended and not help him

Now someone is threatening his queen

Esther once again could have come right out and said it… Husband, you gave him permission

But she doesn’t… she places all the blame on Haman

Like a successful military strategy, there once stood before Esther a united double force of these two powerful men

she wisely divides them and turns them against

Illustration point- Let us remember the importance of a gentle appeal

You may not know that my family has some broken bone issues

I’ve broken my arms 5 times

My daughters have broken bones

My mom has broken too many bones

We have bone issues

What makes that crazy is that bones are actually pretty strong

Discovery.com points out that Ounce for ounce, bone is stronger than steel. One cubic inch of bone can withstand the weight of five standard pickup trucks, give or take a few pounds.

But it doesn’t take hitting a person with 5 pickup trucks to break their bone does it?

No, it just takes the slightest hit with the perfectly wrong angle or knowing a family history

Bones can be broken gently is you break with wisdom

And so appeals can be made with wisdom

Application

Kids, this is particularly for you

The Scriptures contain a good number of appeals made by various individuals in different ways for many reasons.

Nehemiah appealed to King Artaxerxes that he might rebuild Judah (Neh. 2:1-8).

Daniel appealed to his commander not to be forced to defile himself with King Nebuchadnezzar's food and wine (Dan. 1:8-21).

Paul appealed to a higher authority, Caesar, when Festus asked him if he would like to be tried in Jerusalem (Acts 25:6-12).

We need to understand within our homes there are some rules that cannot change and there are some that should

There are biblically mandated rules

For example do not steal, do not take revenge

These cannot change

And are biblically derived rules

These are not found in scripture so they may not appply to everyone

But because they come from your authoritative parents

And scripture says obey your parents, you must.

An example of a biblically derived house rule would be: "Because the Bible says you must take care of your body (1 Cor. 6: 19-20), and it is vain to stay up late and rise early (Psalm 127:2), you may not stay up past 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, when you must get up the next morning at 6 a.m."

And there are family rules

Ie: we take shoes off inside our house

We pray by holding hands or folding hands

There is no scripture, it’s just what we do

How do I make good appeals if I think a rule should change?

Step 1. Listen to instruction by the your authority.

Ephesians 6:1–2- Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise),

So you need to listen clearly

Step 2. A request for an appeal is properly made by the child.

You have a request, so you ask, “May I appeal?”

With an obedient heart you can say I want to ask to change this

Step 3. The appeal is properly acknowledged by the authority.

If it is made in disrespect do not be surprised if you’re not heard

Proverbs 26:4- Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him.

So please do not act like a fool

Step 4. The appeal is made as additional information is presented

The King didn’t know that Esther was a jew

So you can give new information about something

Perhaps Dad forgot tomorrow is a holiday so you do not need to be in bed

Step 5. The authority reconsiders his instruction in light of the new information and grants or denies the request.

Parents need to follow the example of Jesus as well

Philippians 2:3–4- Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

We hear and then we decide

To obey means you live with whatever the standard is

Because if God moves the heart of the kings… what can he do with the heart of parents

Therefore

Since we have seen (Cohesion)-

The painful outcome of the prideful

And the wisdom of gentle appeals

We know we must (Resolution)-

Next week we’ll see Haman get his comeuppance

But it’s not quite a happily ever after with the enemies still at their face is it?

Today may we remember, what John piper recently wrote:

When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes.” Isaiah 10:12 The Lord hates arrogance. Democrat and Republican. Conservative and liberal. Rich and poor.

Pride will be destroyed, so even if you are sure you are rightGod humbly before

God humbly before others

Closing prayer

May we see the dangers of pride and be humble people, even making humble appeals for your work oh god. amen