Esther: Silent but Sovereignনমুনা

There is a gap of around five years between the events at the end of chapter 2 and the start of chapter 3. It was, therefore, about five years after Esther’s coronation as queen that King Xerxes honored Haman and commanded all the officials at the king’s gate to kneel down and pay honor to him (vv. 1–2). 

The second commandment states that we should not bow down to or worship any God other than the Lord (Ex. 20:4–5). But in the same way that we show respect to royals or rulers today by bowing or curtseying, it wasn’t considered a violation of this commandment for the Jews to bow to those in positions of authority as an expression of respect. Why, then, did Mordecai refuse to honor Haman in this way? (v. 2) 

Verse 1 tells us that Haman was an Agagite. Earlier passages in the Old Testament tell us that the Agagites (a clan of the Amalekites) were long-standing enemies of the Jews. For example, back in Deuteronomy 25:17–19, God commanded the Israelites, through Moses, to destroy the Amalekites because they showed no fear of God and attacked the Israelites when they were vulnerable. 

Later, in 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was told by God to kill all of the Amalekites, along with their animals. However, Saul disobeyed and spared King Agag’s life, so Samuel ‘put Agag to death before the Lord’ (1 Sam. 15:33). Consequently, the Agagites hated the Jews and, as the story was passed down through history from one generation to the next, Haman would have inherited this grudge against the Jews. 

Verse 4 suggests that Haman’s hatred of the Jews was known by the palace officials because they told him about Mordecai to see if his ‘behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew’. But Mordecai refused to honor an Amalekite, an enemy of the Lord. He was prepared to risk disobeying the king’s order rather than compromise in this way. In contrast to King Saul, who lost his crown by refusing to obey God’s commands concerning the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:26–28), Mordecai refused to ignore God’s commands and ultimately this would win him a crown. 

The Bible is clear that obedience to Christ will result in persecution. Jesus himself tells us this in John 15:18–21. Are you prepared to risk rejection and punishment for the sake of Christ? In what situations do you face pressure to deny or disobey Jesus? Read 1 Peter 4:12–19 and Matthew 5:10–12. How do these verses encourage you to respond to such pressure?

Reflection

Pray for Christians who face persecution for their faith in Jesus on a daily basis.