The King of Persia had many servants who sat at the gates of the city, but he promoted one prince above all others—the Agagite, Haman. The Agagites were descendants of the Amalekites, God’s arch enemy. This man was a Jew-hater with murder on his mind. All the king’s servants reverenced Haman by bowing down to him, that is, all except one—Mordecai the Jew. A worshiper of Jehovah, he was among the Israelite captives living in Persia.
It is believed that Haman wore in idol around his neck in the form of a medallion or one embroidered on his turban. Mordecai’s obedience to the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them, for I the lord God am a jealous God,” would have prevented him from bowing down.
He had stayed under the radar, not telling anyone that he was a Jew, and advising his young niece, Hadassah, not to divulge her Jewish heritage, giving her the Persian name Esther. By an extraordinary turn of events, during a beauty pageant, the beautiful Esther was chosen to be queen after the king had exiled his former wife. Life seem to be kind to these Jewish captives and foreigners in a pagan country. Until the day Mordecai’s faith was put on the line.
He could bow down to Haman and go with the status quo, and not make himself a target. Or he could honor God’s Word and refuse to bow to the ungodly and their unholy decrees. He chose to obey God and not bow down.
When Haman was told “Mordecai would not bow down to him, nor reverence him,” he was enraged. The Hebrew for “bow” simply means “to bend the knee, by implication, to bow down or kneel.” But the Hebrew for “reverence” is stronger and means “to bow down to royalty, to God in worship, or to idol gods.” Haman, now wanting all Jews eradicated, concocted a plan and cunningly got the king to give him the authority to decree that all Jews throughout Persia’s 127 provinces would be killed on Adar 13. The king unwittingly signed off on it, and notices were sent throughout all the provinces.
Meanwhile, God was doing His thing—working on His boomerang. Earlier, Mordecai had overheard two of the king’s servants discussing a plot to kill the king. He sent word to Esther to report it, and she did, and the men were hung. It was recorded in the official Book of the Chronicles of the Kings. One night, the king got a case of divine insomnia and called for his servants to go to the royal library and choose a scroll to read to him. They happened to read the account when Mordecai reported the assassination plot. When the king heard that nothing had been done to honor Mordecai for saving his life, he asked Haman for ideas on how to “honor the man in whom the king delights.” Haman’s haughty heart thought he spoke of him, and he quickly described a one-man royal parade on the king’s horse through the city, wearing the king’s royal robe and crown. Then to his incredulous dismay, he had to carry it out for Mordecai, leading him through the streets of the city, declaring: “This is the one in whom the king delights!”
When Mordecai learned of the murderous decree against the Jews, he sent word to Queen Esther to go to the king to intervene for the lives of her people. Backed by the prayers and fasting of the Jews of the city, she risked her life by entering the King’s presence without summons. Esther found favor in his eyes and was accepted, and after a two-night banquet with the King and the treacherous Haman, she exposed his plan to destroy her people.
That very day God had been working on another divine boomerang. The day of the second banquet with the King and Queen, Haman had ordered a set of gallows to be built upon which to hang Mordecai. His hatred against him had intensified so that he could not wait until Adar13 for him to be executed with the Jews. When the king was told of the gallows, he ordered Haman to be hung on them. Mordecai was promoted to Haman’s place, because he would not bow down in the face of compromise to save his life.
We Will Not Fall Down!
Perhaps Mordecai was inspired by three courageous Jews who were captive in Babylon about 100 years earlier, who refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were young colleagues of Daniel who had gained favor with the king through his gifts of wisdom and interpretation of dreams. Daniel had acquired positions for his three friends as overseers in the affairs of the province of Babylon. But it can be safely said that Satan always attacks those who are promoted by God. But if they will remain faithful and not bow down to worldly pressures and satanic threats, they will be promoted again.
The day came when their faith was put on the line. Nebuchadnezzar had built an image 90 feet high and 9 feet broad, overlaid with gold and set it up in a plain. When the sun gleamed off this golden idol, it would have been seen for miles. The command was given that at the sound of certain instruments, “all nations, and languages, were to fall down and worship the golden image.” Whoever would not fall down and worship the image, would be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. The three Hebrews remained true to their faith and did not bow down to the image, and it was reported to the king.
The king decided to give them another chance. He was not going to condemn three honorable men who were valuable in his government on hearsay. He personally instructed them that at the sound of the music, they were to fall down and worship the image; if they did, it would be well with them. If not, they would be cast into the fiery furnace. Then with a haughty heart akin to Haman’s, he boasted: “And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand?”
They answered, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image—We will not bow down!”
They did not doubt God’s ability, but they did not presume to know His will. Like Job declared: “Though God slay me, yet will I trust him!” They stood true to their God.
There had been an issue when they and Daniel were first introduced to the king’s palace to be educated in the ways of the Chaldeans. The king appointed a daily provision of meat and wine for them to be nourished on three years before they stood before the king. But these foods were unclean for Jews, and “they purposed in their hearts that they would not defile themselves” by partaking of them. When the prince in charge of their care, pressured them, Daniel asked that they be tested and given ten days to eat nothing but vegetables and water. It was agreed, and at the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends appeared fairer and healthier of face and body. They were no longer forced to eat the king’s unclean foods.
Perhaps it seems like a small thing; what would it matter under the circumstances to eat the food? But staying true to their convictions in this matter helped them to stand true when they faced the idol and their faith and lives were on the line. Some people of faith today are compromising on what they deem to be small, no-harm matters, but when they face the demands: “Bow down and worship…. Fall down and worship!” will they stand? I think not. The more a person compromises, the easier it is to compromise, and the harder it is to stand, because the temptations are greater, and the hand of God is not present to deliver.
When the last note of music sounded, they did not fall down, and an enraged Nebuchadnezzar commanded the fire be turned up seven times hotter. You would think when they stood true to God, things would have turned in their favor, but before the threats of a haughty king, God moved in a way to magnify His power. The men who opened the furnace door to push the bound Hebrews in were immediately slain by the heat of the flames. At first, the three fell down in the flames. I can hear the taunts of the adversary, “Now you’re falling down! You should have fallen down to the idol and saved your lives.”
Moments later an astonished king saw four men walking around in the fire loose, and the fourth was mighty in appearance like the Son of God. He went to the mouth of the furnace and cried out: “Servants of the Most High God, come forth!” They came out with no harm, because “the fire had no power over their bodies.” Then the king promoted them again. When you don’t bow down to the world, God will raise you up!
Satan’s Most Audacious Move
Hundreds of years later, when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, the Jewish Messiah, to redeem His people and become the Savior of the world. His ministry was launched at His public baptism by John at the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit descended from Heaven alighting upon Him in the form of a dove. In public affirmation, God spoke from Heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” It was the last thing Jesus heard Him say before He was driven by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.
Being the coward that he is, after Jesus had not eaten for 40 days and was hungry, Satan showed up taunting Him: “If you be the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.” He mocked His identity as God’s Son, but notice, he left out “beloved.” He didn’t want Jesus to be reminded God loves you! He did not care about seeing Jesus do a miracle, but to create doubt in his mind of who He is. This attack was against His most basic belief—His identity as God’s Son. And we will face the same attack casting doubt of who we are as His children.
Satan used the same MO for the second temptation, taking Him to the pinnacle of the Temple, once again taunting, “If you be the Son of God, jump! See if God will send angels to catch you,” referring to Psalm 91:11-12. Note, Satan could tempt Him, but He couldn’t push Him. He can tempt us to sin, but he can’t make us! He can threaten us to bow down, but he can’t make us.
For his third attempt, he took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said, “All these things will I give you, if you bow down and worship me.” Jesus rebuked him: “Get out of here, Satan! It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve!” Then God sent angels to minister to Him.
If Satan was audacious enough to tempt the Son of God to bow down to him, he will surely try to get us to bow down, and in this time of faithlessness, many do.
Scripture references: Exodus 20, Esther 1-4, Daniel 1 & 3, Luke 3-4
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