Esther 3:1-15

If the book of Esther was a movie – it would be high drama, friends.

Here, in chapter three, we have a man named Haman rising to power in the kingdom. It is noted that he is an Agagite. This is noteworthy because the Agagites had been sworn enemies of Israel for generations.

The king instructs everyone to bow and give honor to Haman whenever he appears, but Mordecai refused to do that. This was not a religious objection. This was a matter of personal integrity.

It was brought to Haman’s attention that Mordecai doesn’t ever bow and he discovered that Mordecai was a Jew. Haman’s solution? Kill all the Jews.

Here is what happens when we refuse to bow to the enemy…

• he will try to destroy us (v 6)

• he will accuse us (v 8 )

• he will recruit others to his plan – often through offering them financial gain (v 9)

• he will seek to kill, destroy, and plunder our lives (v 13)

• he will attempt to cause great fear and confusion (v 15)

We can’t miss the magnitude of this chapter. When we stand up (literally in Mordecai’s case) for what is right – there aren’t usually pats on the back and parades in our honor waiting for us.

When we refuse to give our allegiance to the enemy, he will come at us with a vengeance. We better have the full armor of God in place when he does (Ephesians 6).

You are loved.