"Be Careful When You Correct Your Wife"

Esther 7.5-6 AMP

“Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, ‘Who is he, and where is he who dares presume in his heart to do that?’

And Esther said, ‘An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman.’

Then Haman was afraid before the king and queen.”

“I was wrong.” These are undoubtedly the three hardest-to-declare words in the English language. Try them on for size and you’ll see what I mean. I had an opportunity to say them a few years ago. My wife, Adonica, brought something interesting to read to the kids and me after dinner. It was a Fox news article.[1] Here’s an excerpt:

“It was a ginormous year for the wordsmiths at Merriam-Webster. Visitors to the Springfield-based dictionary publisher’s Web site picked ‘ginormous’ as their favorite word that’s not in the dictionary in 2005, and Mirriam-Webster editors have spotted it in countless newspaper and magazine articles since 2000. That’s essentially the criteria for making it into the collegiate dictionary – if a word shows up often enough in mainstream writing, the editors consider defining it. ‘There will be linguistic conservatives who will turn their nose up at a word like “ginormous,”’ said John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president. ‘But it’s become a part of our language. It's used by professional writers in mainstream publications. It clearly has staying power.’”

This article was significant because I had recently corrected my wife on the use of this word. She described an event as “ginormous” and, in front of the children, I said, “There is no such word as ‘ginormous.’” I knew I was taking my chances. My wife was literally (almost) always right. But I was certain I had her this time. How could I have known that at the very moment I was correcting my dear wife, Merriam-Webster was adding “ginormous” to the next edition of their Collegiate Dictionary? This was a clear case of the providential humor of God. I was forced to admit I was wrong.

Haman was also wrong and he picked the wrong people to annihilate. Haman did not reckon with the Providence of God.[2] His plan to destroy the Jews was a political blunder of ‘ginormous’ proportions and set the stage for his own demise. Imagine his shock and terror as “they covered Haman’s face” and led him to the gallows he had built for Queen Esther’s cousin, Mordecai (Esther 7.8-10).

Thankfully my mistake was not as serious as Haman’s. Our kids had a good chuckle, at my expense, of course, when Adonica produced and read the article about Mirriam-Webster’s new word. The consequences of my wrong were minor and I hope, by the ‘ginormous’ grace of Jesus, to keep it that way.
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[1] “New dictionary includes‘ginormous’”, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/2007-07-10-dictionary-new-words_N.htm?csp=34.

[2] No reference to “God” is made in the book of Esther, however God’s providential care and protection for His people is evident throughout the book.