Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Esther 3 and Psalm 28

There is no specific Old Testament Law forbidding us to kneel down in honour of a human ruler or authority. But Mordecai refused to kneel to Haman. Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who had refused to bow to the king’s idol decades before him, Mordecai refused to bow to the king’s official. He clearly felt that this was giving a level of honour to a mere human being that actually belonged to the LORD alone. Hence, when pressed for his reasons, Mordecai explained that he would not bow because he was a Jew (3:4). His commitment to honour the LORD came first! We can learn an important lesson from Mordecai’s commitment to worship the Lord only, and not to give to a human being a level of honour which rightly belongs only to God.

As the account unfolded in chapter 3 it soon became evident that Haman was governed by his pride, and that he held a deep-seated hatred of the Jewish people. Mordecai’s refusal (as a Jew) to pay homage to him didn’t just injure his pride, it “enraged” Haman, and in his rage he hatched a plot to annihilate the entire Jewish people from the Persian Empire. From Hamman we learn how important it is to examine our own hearts for any signs that selfish pride has taken control. His genocidal over-reaction to his injured pride shows us that we dare not underestimate the danger of allowing pride to rule over us.

Almighty and Ever-loving God, I bow in surrender to You today, for You alone deserve my worship. Lord Jesus Christ, You alone deserve to sit on the throne of my life and to rule over me. I humble myself in fresh surrender to Your good and life-giving reign. Amen.