Esther (Greek) 3:1-6: a reflection

1After this, King Ahasuerus highly honored Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Bugaean. He exalted him and set his seat above all his friends. 2All in the palace bowed down to him, for so the king had given orders to do; but Mordecai didn’t bow down to him. 3And they in the king’s palace said to Mordecai, “Mordecai, why do you transgress the commands of the king?” 4They questioned him daily, but he didn’t listen to them; so they reported to Haman that Mordecai resisted the commands of the king; and Mordecai had shown to them that he was a Jew. 5When Haman understood that Mordecai didn’t bow down to him, he was greatly enraged, 6and plotted to utterly destroy all the Jews who were under the rule of Ahasuerus.

When the king exalts the proud Haman and commands all to bow down to him, everyone at the palace gate complies, everyone except Mordecai. Day after day the others urge Mordecai to conform, to bow like everyone else, but he refuses, revealing that he is a Jew, unwilling to give to Haman the homage his conscience would not allow. His lone refusal, standing while everyone else bows, enrages Haman and puts Mordecai, and his people, in grave danger.

Notice Mordecai's stand. Everyone around him bowed; the pressure to conform was immense, and the cost of not conforming was real and dangerous. Yet Mordecai would not bow, holding to his conviction even as he stood alone against the whole crowd, even at great personal risk. He did not bend to the pressure of everyone doing otherwise, nor to the danger his refusal invited.

That is a picture of costly conviction worth pondering. There are times when everyone around us bows, conforms, goes along, and the pressure to do the same, to avoid standing out, to escape the cost of refusing, is enormous. Mordecai shows the courage to stand firm on conviction even when standing alone, even at real risk. When you face pressure to bow to what your conscience will not allow, to conform because everyone else does, remember Mordecai standing while the crowd bowed. Faithfulness sometimes means being the only one still standing. Ask God for the courage to hold your convictions when it would be far easier, and safer, to bend.

Lord, when everyone at the gate bowed to the proud Haman, Mordecai alone would not, holding to his conviction even as he stood alone and at great risk. Give me that courage. When everyone around me bows, conforms, and goes along, and the pressure to do the same is immense, keep me from bending to what my conscience will not allow simply because everyone else does. Help me stand firm on conviction even when I stand alone, even when it is costly. Faithfulness sometimes means being the only one still standing; give me the courage for it. Let me fear you more than the crowd, and hold my convictions when it would be far easier to bend.