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 show him honor.

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 whether he would let Mordecai get away with it. When Haman found out about Mordecai’s refusal to honor him, he was furious and began looking for a way to kill him and wipe out all the Jews.

Is it wrong to bow to an important person?

In some cultures, when greeting someone or leaving a gathering, it is polite to bow. For some people, bowing is as common as shaking someone’s hand, while for others it is something you would only do in 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 tells us not to bow down to idols or false gods (Leviticus 26:1), but it does not forbid us from bowing to a person as a sign of respect. However, bowing to a person as an act of worship is just as wrong as bowing 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