Scripture:
Esther 3:2 “All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.”
Observation:
Esther had been made queen of the Persian Empire and wife of King Xerxes. King Xerxes had appointed Haman as his highest official in the kingdom. By royal decree all people were to bow and honor Haman as he passed them. Whenever Haman passed Mordecai, Queen Esther’s cousin, he refused to bow and honor Haman. This news was reported to Haman, who became enraged at Mordecai’s defiance and sought to destroy the whole nation of Israel dispersed throughout the empire.
Application:
Many people may ask why Mordecai didn’t bow and honor Haman. Paul told us, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities, that exist, have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). Thus, Mordecai’s actions would seem contrary to God’s word. However, we must look at the specifics of what was going on in regards to Haman.
The King had appointed Haman, as the 2nd highest official in the empire. Royal decree ordered everyone in the empire to bow down and honor Haman. The Hebrew word used her to honor is shachah meaning to make oneself prostrate as to worship. Mordecai, being a Jew, knew the Law of Moses and how it said that they were to have no other gods before Yahweh. If Mordecai had bowed down to “honor” or more correctly worship Haman, as he passed by each time, Mordecai would have been serving a human god (at least a man who thought he was a god) rather than honoring and worshiping the one, true living God of Israel – Yahweh. He would have sinned against his God and, at that time, invoked the wrath of God against him. Here we have an example of when man’s law violates God’s law, which requires a true believer to stand up for one’s beliefs in God and resist.
The three Hebrew boys, Meshach, Shadrach, and Obed-Nego, were also exiles taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar as had been Mordecai’s father, Kish. Nebuchadnezzar had set up his statue of himself and ordered all in the empire to bow and worship it when the signal was given. These three Jews would not bend the knee to bow and worship the king’s statue. They would not worship anyone or anything other than the God of Israel, Yahweh. They, too, knew the Law of Moses and would not sin against their God. Because they refused to bow, they brought judgment on themselves, as Paul said. However, God saw that they honored and obeyed his law above the law of man and were saved from their fiery death. They didn’t even smell like smoke when they emerged from the flames. They were unscathed and unharmed.
In the essence of the just passed celebratory weekend of our nation’s freedom, we have to look at this tale of Mordecai in a modern light. We enjoy the freedom and liberty of worshiping God, as he desires with no inhibitions or legal interference. However, the day soon approaches when Americans will no longer be allowed to stand on the street corner and proclaim the goodness of God without being incarcerated or even killed. These days may not come under President Obama’s watch, but they are coming and coming soon. President Obama’s actions to nationalize every facet of our lives is setting up the day when our individual freedoms and liberties will be revoked in the name of “peace and safety.” Paul warned us that when we hear such things, not to believe them for sudden destruction would soon follow. The big questions is, should that day be today or tomorrow or soon thereafter, are you ready to give your life in honor of the King of Kings, your Savior, Jesus, who gave his life for you? If soldiers stormed your next church service and arrested all those who love God, would you be one of them? Are you going to stand up for Jesus and hoist high his banner so it won’t suffer loss, or will you bend the knee and turn from God when the heat of the fiery furnace looms over you?
Prayer:
Father, we are faced with the decision every morning of waking up and choosing to serve you each and every day. We are faced with temptation to be drawn away from you by the things and cares of this world, which can be idols to which our knees bend and honor/worship. Help us to be like the three Hebrew boys and Mordecai and say that we will not bow to anything or anyone that would exalt itself against you, as did Haman. He got his just reward for exalting himself to the status of a god. Raise up this generation to be one that will stand strong in the face of opposition and serve you to the end even if it means we give our lives for you. You said he, who keeps his life will lose it and he who loses his life for your sake would find life everlasting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
