"Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways
the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and
officials." - Esther 5:11
On the morning of June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte massed his French troops on
the fields near the Belgian village of Waterloo, just about 9 miles south of
Brussels. Under his command, Napoleon had some 72,000 battle tested men. His
enemy was an Allied army of 113,000 British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian
troops. Napoleon had planned to have a surprise attack the day before, but heavy
delayed his attack. But even without the element of surprise, the French
dictator was confident in his victory.
As morning dawned on the 18th, Napoleon boasted he would bring a sound defeat to
the Allies. Writing in his journal that morning, Napoleon called the Duke of
Wellington 'a mere sepoy general' (i.e. one fit for nothing better than fighting
in India), and boasted that he'd win the battle by lunchtime.
As the morning dragged on, the soggy field delayed the positioning of the French
cannons. Finally near noon, the French cannons erupted. The British were well
fortified by this time and prepared for the worst. Throughout the battle, the
tide ebbed and flowed. Then the Prussians, who had remained in reserve, rushed
to the battle. By 9 p.m., the French had suffered their worst defeat in history.
Has pride and boasting entered into your life? Today in prayer, confess any sin
of boasting and let your strength and confidence be in Jesus Christ.
"Grace puts its hand on the boasting mouth, and shuts it once for all." -
Charles H. Spurgeon
God's Word: "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may
bring forth." - Proverbs 27:1
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH,
AND ESTHER pkennedy@devotional.com
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