May 28, 2026

Business by the Book

Psalm 7:15  He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

Reading this verse always reminds me of a man in the Bible named Haman. This man was promoted by King Ahasuerus above all the princes of the land. He was mighty in power and he hated Mordecai who was Jewish. As Haman passed, everyone in the kingdom would bow down and worship him, except Mordecai. As a Jew, Mordecai, knew that the Law of Moses forbid him to worship anyone except the true God of Israel.

Haman became enraged and devised a plan to kill Mordecai and all the Jews. He had a special gallows built on which to hang Mordecai. However, Esther (being made Queen to Ahasuerus) was related to Mordecai, she herself was also a Jew. Through a bold and shrewd maneuver Esther exposed to her husband the King the awfulness of Haman which enraged the King tremendously. To make a long story short, Haman was hung on the same gallows he had built for Mordecai.

Truly if anyone digs a pit (figuratively speaking) to trap another they best beware, for God will intervene and see to it that the pit digger winds up in their own ditch. This happens in business every day. The corporate world is filled with tragic souls that find it difficult to move ahead based upon their own merits so they resort to character assassination of others. This is in part why the term “rat race” is so popular. People act as rats, climbing over and even devouring their coworkers. If you are in the rat race remember this, the winner of the rat race is just the best rat!

Psalm 75:6-7 states: For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. This is the kind of promotion that brings true prosperity. God promotes individuals that demonstrate to Him the character needed to warrant His blessings. Promotion, prosperity, or success obtained by devious means does happen, everyone knows that, but it always comes with collateral damage and usually much hurt.

If you happen to find yourself in a ditch ask yourself the question “Was this pit dug by my own actions?”

Dr. William Howe