Esther 3
gives us several more examples of how pride can get in our way when God seeks
submission. Let’s start with Mordecai.
Mordecai
It might
seem at first that the scriptures are supporting Mordecai’s choice to not bow
before Haman as the king requested. From
one angle, this can certainly be true.
If Haman was showing genuine devotion to God and refusing to bow before
anyone else, then his piety must at least be acknowledged.
However, I
personally find this unlikely, because time and time again we find good
examples of Hebrew people submitting to legitimate worldly authorities. We even have the story of Daniel, who had a
very good relationship with both Babylonian and Persian leadership. At this point in the story, we are told no
reason to think that Haman is anything but a legitimately appointed leader
under King Ahasuerus. Haman foesn’t
actually do anything bad until he responds to what Mordecai actually does to
Haman.
There is
another more probable reason for Mordecai’s act. Not only was Haman not a Jew, he was an
Agagite – a descendant of the Amalekites, whom God told King Saul to
eradicate. (See 1 Samuel 15) Because of
Saul’s disobedience from God in letting some Amalekites live, a centuries-old
rivalry existed between the descendents of the Amalekites and the descendants
of Abraham. Especially considering that
Saul was a Benjamite and Mordecai was also a Benjaminite, it is quite likely
that this blood feud is actually the source of Mordecai’s refusal to bow to
Haman. It is likely that Mordecai
understands his genealogy and how it is in a centuries-old feud with Haman.
What this
does is set up an interesting conundrum for us to think about. The conundrum is about how we as humans go
about asserting our religious preferences.
Certainly the Bible is filled with examples of people who took a stand
for their faith in God. See Elijah and
Daniel as two really famous examples from the Hebrew Scriptures. See Jesus along with 11 of the original 12
disciples as great New Testament examples.
So when necessary, we are called to stand up for our beliefs and not
compromise. If Mordecai is refusing to
bow to Haman because he will only bow to God, then his heart is in the right
place.
However,
we are also told not to make a stink about what we are doing. When Daniel and his associates go against the
king’s wishes, they always do so humbly and in such a way as to not make a big
deal about it. Quite often they talk
openly and honestly with the king about why they are having trouble following
the king’s rules. As followers of God,
we are not to make a stench out of ourselves so as to turn people away from God
and to make our fellow Christians lives in danger, That’s precisely what Mordecai is doing as we
see here in Esther 3! We are supposed to
find subtle ways to live out our faith without drawing undue attention to
ourselves.
I personally
think Mordecai is guilty of pride here.
Mordecai refuses to bend his knee to Haman, and in the end I have to
believe that it is not out of spirituality but rather out of personal pride. I believe that the fruit of his action points
to a mistake on Mordecai’s behalf rather than a tough decision that God will
honor. Mordecai’s refusal to bow puts
his whole people in jeopardy.
Haman
But
Mordecai is not alone here in terms of pride.
Haman is also guilty of pride.
Esther 3:4 reads as though Haman doesn’t really even notice Mordecai’s
action until people keep bringing it up day after day. Haman seems to let other people pull him into
the trap of getting angrier about it than he would have on his own. Haman lets the world bring him down as he
focuses on his own status and other people’s refusal to honor him.
While I
believe Mordecai was in the wrong of pride, I also believe that Haman is just
as wrong for the same reason. Haman
turns to punish every Jew for Mordecai’s disobedience. Sure, it is likely that Haman and his
associates didn’t want to single Mordecai out; but it is also likely true that
some very innocent people are going to have their lives significantly altered
because of Haman’s pride.
In fact,
so much has Haman been taken by his pride that he personally offers to pay for
the act. The king is moved by Haman’s
suggestion and the decree goes out. Two
men, both struggling with their own issue with pride, run the risk of
destroying an entire race of people. We
see again that the consequences of sin are not limited to the people who
perform the sin. The consequences of sin
seep out into the people around us like an invisible and poisonous gas ready to
choke out any susceptible victim.
Civil
disobedience is sometimes necessary. And
when necessary, we must be ready to pay the price. But before we act in disobedience we must
also weigh our hearts. Is the
disobedience really from God, or is it really on account of our pride? Are we disobedience in the manner that we
choose because that is God’s will, or because it makes our point?
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