Last time we were in the book of Esther we were introduced to Haman. If there was one thing we learned about Haman just from verse 1, it was that he hated Jewish people. The verses we will see today will help Haman hate the Jews even more.
In this passage, Haman has been made second in command over the empire. Haman was in such a high position that everyone was expected to bow before him as he rode or walked by.
Now, we do not know why Mordecai did not bow, but the passage clearly states that he did not bow. This passage seems to imply that Mordecai had bowed down to other authorities in the past. The other servants were curious and asked why Mordecai did not bow to Haman. If this (not bowing) would have been a regular occurrence for Mordecai it is safe to assume that his co-workers would not need to ask him now why he wasn’t bowing. Is it possible that Mordecai did not bow because he knew of Haman’s reputation of hating Jews? possibly.
Whatever the reason, Mordecai did the right thing in this passage. He did not bow. This one act puts Mordecai among the likes of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. This one act of bravery sets in motion the rest of the events of this book. So much happened all because one man did not bow.
Haman’s wrath was kindled against Mordecai all because he would not bow.
I think there are a few lessons we can learn here. First, Haman would have been a whole lot better off if he had just swallowed his pride. It really wasn’t a big deal that one man wasn’t bowing. He needed to get over himself. The second lesson we can learn from this passage is the importance of standing up and doing what is right. You never know what kind of an impact you will by simply doing what is right.
Great job at explaining!