SEARCHLIGHT
Do you bow under pressure to people or things you do not uphold or agree with? Do you ever cave in?
SCRIPTURE
All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded regarding him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage. Esther 3:2 NASB.
SPOTLIGHT
I was a young pastor when I had to decide if I was going to bow to the pressure of friends. The children of two families in our church decided they were going to get married. Of course, they made the decision before they spoke to their parents for advice. Both sets of parents were opposed to the marriage for a variety of reasons. I told the young couple I could not marry them until they had their parents’ blessing. I could see why the parents wanted them to take a slower walk to a life ling commitment.
As time went on, the children gave their parents an ultimatum. They were going to get married when they wanted to even if their parents did not agree with it. At this point I had to decide whether I was going to marry them. I knew that the parents did not bless this marriage but yet they were bowing to the pressure of their children. As I prayed and pondered, I knew 2 things. The parents were not yet ready to bless this union, and this marriage was probably going to end in disaster. I came under a great deal of pressure from one set of parents to marry them. Should I bow to the pressure or face the consequences of not marrying them? I decided that I could not do it because I knew that down deep in the heart of the parents, they knew that this was not right. And I also knew this union was headed for a train wreck.
Let me say again, the pressure was immense. It was a small church. People talk and take sides. As a minister I was being asked to bless this couple in God’s name. How could I do that when I did not believe that. Foremost, I had to answer to God and not to people. As a result, one set of parents left the church because of my decision. The other set remained. The church people learned I was committed to pleasing God before pleasing people. And as for the couple, it happened just as I had expected. Soon there was much arguing, anger, and a great deal of physical abuse. Soon the wife and children left the husband in order to save their lives.
In today’s Scripture focus, we read about a God-fearing man who was put under immense pressure even to the point of death. Conflict arose because Mordecai, a Jewish believer in Almighty God, refused to bow and show reverence toward Haman. The Bible forbids a believer from bowing down to someone as an act of reverence. [Exodus 20:4-6] In this story, the king had promoted Haman and then ordered people to bow down to him. From that time on, Haman demanded that people do just that. Also, Mordecai’s associates began pressuring him to bow.
Haman was a very proud, arrogant man. He was driven by selfish ambition. He sought honor, although he was undeserving. He poised himself like a peacock as he rode through the city. This man was driven by his power-hungry ambitions. He had a deep-seated prejudice. In his heart, he considered himself better than other people. As a result, he did not want just Mordecai to be disciplined for his so-called disobedience. Haman decided the whole Jewish race should be annihilated. What does that remind you of?
It is one thing to bow to someone or something out of worship but quite another to bow out of respect. During Roman times, Caesar required people to greet each other by saying, “Caesar is Lord” because he wanted to be considered divine. Christians could not do that because they believed “Jesus is Lord.” Hitler required people to greet people by saluting and saying, “Heil Hitler” because he wanted to be considered all powerful. Throughout history, Christians have been persecuted and lost their lives for not doing various forms of bowing. And let me add, this is vastly different from a man who proposes to a woman. Out of respect and honor, he may choose to bow down on one knee as he asks her to become his wife. In addition, bows and curtsies given to the British Royal Family are a form of respect, not a form of worship. Don’t forget. Certain cultures bow as a way of greeting. This is practiced in Japan, Korea, China and Vietnam. And what about the military? Soldiers pay honor and respect to commanding officers with a hand salute.
Mordecai bowed in reverence to only God. He worshiped God Who alone is divine. The 3 Hebrew children did the same and ended up in the fiery furnace. [Daniel 3] The Bible says, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” [Psalm 95:6,7] As a Christian, you declare like the Apostle Paul, “…I kneel before the Father.” [Ephesians 3:14 NIV] In humility, you are confessing your belief that God is deserving of all your reverence, worship and submission.
There are 4 Haman like pressures all Christians face. Believers should never bow to:
- Political pressure – Just because politicians say this is the law of the land, that does not make it Godly. The fight for the sanctity of human life was held up by Christians who did not bow to political pressure.
- Public pressure – Just because society says, “This should be the new norm”, that does not make it OK in the eyes of God.
- Peer pressure – Just because the people you mix with say, “This won’t hurt you. Try it,” does not make it moral or beneficial in God’s eyes.
- People pressure – Just because family says, “This is our tradition. We must do it,” does not mean that it is honoring to God.
SOMETHING TO DO
Avoid caving into pressure. Read Isaiah 45:22-24, Philippians 2:5-11 and Romans 14:9-11.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, I humbly bow my head and my heart in your presence as a symbol of my surrender and allegiance to You only. I choose to obey You as my Savior and Lord. I will only honor You and worship You with my life. AMEN