Esther

August 17

Esther 3:2-6

The VIP (Very Important Person)

Mordecai had saved King Xerxes from being murdered, and although the details of what happened were written in a book, the king soon forgot about it.

Some time later, the king promoted a man called Haman to a position above all the other officials. The king ordered that everyone should bow down to Haman as a sign of respect. But Mordecai would not bow down to him or honor him in any way.

The other officials asked Mordecai why he refused to bow down to Haman, and tried to persuade him to obey the king’s command. But Mordecai refused to bow or kneel before Haman. So the officials went and told Haman to see if he would let Mordecai get away with it. But when Haman found out about Mordecai’s disrespect for him, he was furious and started thinking of a way to kill him as well as getting rid of all the Jews.

Is it wrong to bow to an important person?

In some cultures, when greeting someone or leaving a gathering of people, it is polite to bow. For some, bowing is as common as shaking a person’s hand, while for others bowing is something you would only do if you entered the throne room of a king.

Bowing to a person is a sign of respect. However, when we bow before God in prayer, it is more than a sign of respect; it is an act of humble surrender. It is a way of showing that we accept God’s authority.

The Bible does tell us not to bow down to idols and gods (Leviticus 26:1), but it does not forbid us to bow down to a person. Yet it is just as wrong to bow down in adoration of a person as it is to bow down to an idol. Only God deserves to be worshipped because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Verse for today     

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalm 95:6