Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What's a Haman Heart?

I'm teaching a women's Bible study this fall on the Old Testament book of Esther.

We studied Esther 3 today. That's the chapter where Mordecai (who raised the orphaned Esther) refuses to bow to honor Haman. The King promoted Haman to special status in the kingdom. Everyone is commanded to bow when Haman comes around. Everyone apparently bows except Mordecai.

And then the trouble boils over in a raging tumult!

Haman is enraged that Mordecai dares to defy him and refuses to honor him.

Haman then spins his diabolical plan to kill Mordecai and also to annihilate all the Jews in the vast Persian Empire.

Haman manages to convince King Xerxes to actually give his own signet ring to Haman and thus authorizes Haman to broadcast across the empire the date and time for the execution of all Jews in Persia. It's all scary and very terrible!

Haman's heart is a very dark place filled with sin, anger, hatred, and disdain for both God and others. It would be so easy to look so much darkness in the face, take a step back and feel better or something.

The problem is that this "Haman heart" beats within my own chest and yours as well. None of us is as bad as we might be but the potential for great hearts of darkness exists and thrives! It is a sad reality of life in a world gone wrong!

The radical solution for a Haman heart is heart transplant surgery. Only Jesus Christ can give a heart of flesh in exchange for Haman's heart of stone! Only God's amazing grace can change Haman's heart and mine and yours!

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