Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.
There is no evil end to which a man will not go when fueled by resentment. It is a hard idea to grasp, but so clearly displayed in a person’s life and throughout history. It is a feeling that rises up within a person and distorts their perspective and their mind. It is a deep sense of rancor toward another who has something you don’t or who won’t act the way you know they should. Yet, it is so much more than just mere jealousy or envy. It is undergirded with bitterness and anger. It is the antithesis of gratitude. Those who are resentful of others often find themselves on a seek and destroy mission. The consequences are grim. The effects are long lasting.
Haman has all a man could want. Wealth. Prestige. Influence. Except, of course, the one thing that truly cannot be gained by force – the respect and submission of another person. The bending of another man’s will. Mordecai fears God and will not bow in submission to any man who exalts himself to god-like status. Mordecai’s fear and respect for God trumps all other. He will worship no other god and Haman cannot bear this apparent insubordination. Haman will show Mordecai who is the boss. And, as has often happened throughout history, resentment toward a person becomes resentment toward all who are like him. God’s people have endured this throughout time. Those who respect both God and truth often become the target of resentment and the evil that it motivates in a person. Resentment is often triggered by the holy behavior of another person. Maybe the contrast simply cannot be accepted.
Consider this in both Haman and in many evil rulers throughout history: One man’s resentment brings destruction and death to many other innocent victims and, eventually, brings about his own death. Millions were killed by evil, resentful leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and countless other hate filled men and women. There is only one natural consequence for a heart filled with such a powerful emotion: death. Some believe even the ultimate evil one himself, satan, was powered by this emotion and we know that his ultimate destination is the place of destruction, Hell.
There is an antidote to resentment and I alluded to it earlier. It is an easy fix but requires an inner change and a strong resolve. Be grateful. Fill yourself with thankfulness. In all things give thanks. I am not insinuating that it is easy. Nor do I mean to say that it comes natural. It does not. In some ways it is the opposite of our basic nature. We are not inherently thankful people. It must be learned, so at a very young age our parents teach us to say, “Thank you”. We have to be taught and if we never learn gratitude, the consequences are grave. A culture that is fueled by resentment loses gratitude and eventually decomposes and collapses from the inside. A grateful remnant brings hope to a nation.
May the generous, gracious God of Heaven, the creator of all things, give us the strength and resolve to reject resentment and to live in gratitude. As much as resentment reflects the heart and motive of the enemy, gratitude reflects the heart of God Himself.
Let me just end by saying, “Thank you for reading my article”.
Ventanas 