“And when
Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full
of wrath.” Esther 3:5
Oftentimes, simply standing, in the face of
adversity, in the face of compromising pressures; in defense of truth, in
service to Almighty God. Simply standing
when it all seems to be falling around you, is not just the only thing you can
do, but the thing you must do. The scripture tells us as sanctified Christians
to “stand therefore” having your loins
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Standing when
everyone is kneeling draws distinction, standing separates, standing for Jesus,
brings glory to Jesus.
Mordecai was of Jew in a foreign land. He was a pilgrim in a strange land.
God’s people were living in a nation that was not their own, they were under
cultural influences, worldly pressures, and outright temptation of every kind. Haman was in a position of trust, and he
influence over the king in Persia. Haman
was not a pilgrim or stranger. He was in
love with his status and intoxicated with the position of power he possessed
within it. Obeisance and reverence would have been second nature to the
people of the land and something Haman would have expected; not unlike a handshake
or similar type of greeting in our culture.
In the case of Mordecai, much like that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego;
the simple act of standing, i.e., not bowing, separated them from the people
around them and put them in a position of peril. I imagine, excuses could have been made,
Mordecai could have justified it, maybe took the “just this once” road, but he
didn’t. He was a child of God and God
had said thou shalt have no other gods
before me. He could not bow to another god or a man that thought he
was god. It’s unlikely he woke up that morning
and thought “how can I offend someone today?”
“How can I be different than the rest of the world?” I like to imagine he simply woke up that
morning did what he always did. Asked
himself, “How best can I serve God today?” Taking a stand for Jesus every
day will separate you from the world and make you a pilgrim and stranger
here. You probably won’t offend
everybody, but you will offend somebody.
You may not lose everything, but you will lose something. Mordecai took a stand for God. The
reaction from Haman was wrath, wrath that lead him to convince the king to decree
to kill all the Jews. However, God had
Esther strategically place to counteract the evil of ego, and she took a stand along
with Mordecai for truth and right. God takes
care of his people.
It is not for us to do a risk assessment, character
evaluation, and popularity polling. It is not for us to try and determine
who we will alienate and who we will accept by standing for Jesus. This
is worldly business, not Christian business.
Sanctified people are dedicated and devoted to the service of God.
No matter what. We take a stand
for Jesus through the strength of the Holy Spirit. In standing we divided, but also, we draw, or
rather, allow Christ to draw the lost into himself. When simply stand for Jesus, we are set apart
for the glory of God, and we lift Him up so he can draw all men unto him.
