I waited tables all through high school and college. Once I had a customer who told me they were a photographer and insisted on giving me one of their photos. I accepted, but when they brought it into the restaurant… it was a 11×14 high definition picture of a spider sitting on its web waiting for some fly to become his lunch. You could see each of the eight hairy legs and all the nasty details of a spider. Don’t get me wrong I love photography. I also love nature and can appreciate that spiders serve a purpose in our ecosystem. But, like most every other woman I know, I have a slight case of arachnophobia and certainly don’t want an up close and personal photograph of one for my own art collection.
I was reminded of this photograph as I reread the story of Haman in the book of Esther. Haman was the top official to the King Xerxes in Persia. Despite his honorable position to the king, he was a man with many faults: pride, arrogance, cruelty and dishonesty. Because of his position, civilians were required to bow to him just as they would the king. Haman let this feed his overblown self-image. However, when Mordecai the Jew (Esther’s cousin) refused to bow to Haman he was enraged (Esther 3:5). His rage led him to draft a plan to annihilate the Jews that had been scattered in the region. How he decided to carry out his evil plan was where dishonesty begun to spin its web. He told the king that “a certain people” would not obey the king’s laws and that he had a plan to protect the kingdom from the rebels. Xerxes, being deceived and thinking Haman was being loyal to him, permitted Haman to follow through with his plan and gave him his signet ring in order sign the decree. Then Haman had gallows built that stood 75 feet high in the air. He envisioned these gallows as perfect way for the Jews to meet their death, namely, the insubordinate Mordecai. Esther, who was queen possibly, “for such a time as this” revealed his plan to Xerxes and when the king realized that Haman had deceived Him, he immediately sent Haman to the gallows instead of Mordecai and his people.
My mom used to always say, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” I can almost see Haman, like the spider in the photograph, sitting proudly on his web. He wove lie after lie to feed his ego and for a time, may have seemed to rule his web. In the end, however, HE was the one who fell victim to its deadly trap and unfortunately, it cost him his life. When we lie, no matter how big or how small, we cause ourselves great amounts of pain and hurt. Being honest is not always the easiest thing, but the alternative of getting stuck in a web of dishonesty is much more difficult than the merely telling truth.
- What could Haman have done instead of lying to King Xerxes?
- You may not be deceiving someone in order to annihilate a group of people, but in what ways do you weave webs of deceit that could eventually entrap you?
- Recall a time in the past when you lied and it hurt you more than if you would have told the truth?
- How can the Lord still work through situation when we have been dishonest?
Prayer: Father, we confess that even though we love you, we too sometimes think like Haman did and trick ourselves to believe that dishonesty is acceptable. We may not lie in big ways, but Lord the slightest dishonesty can snowball to become a bigger, more impactful lie. Help us to be people who tell the truth, Help us to avoid getting caught in webs of lies that can hurt us. In Jesus’ name….Amen.
Michael Drake and Patricia Sanders getting silly stringed on stage by two KQers.
the Kindergarteners getting caught in a web of lies!
Reciting the memory verse and throwing a ball of yarn to one another with each word of the verse. Clever Kids!
Another group creating a web of truth by reciting the Word of God.
