Esther 3:3

All the king's servants bowed down and paid him honour. They gave him the honour due to a god. Nearly all these Eastern rulers claimed divinity... As the king's representative, Haman received this same worship. But Mordecai did not bow down, because such reverence involved recognising a false god and went against the commandment of God.

Haman was the son of Hammedatha the Agagite... That is, Haman was an Amalekite. This explains why Mordecai refused to bow down before Haman. He was of that race with which the Lord had sworn to have war for ever, and which Saul was directed to completely destroy. Ex. 17:16; Deut. 25:19; 1 Sam. 15:3.

He will not bow down before the Agagite any more than Daniel would bow down before Darius. The only difference is that Daniel was forbidden to bow down before God, while Mordecai was ordered to bow down and honour Haman... This attitude is in no way pride in Mordecai. He fully recognises the rights of the ruler of the nations over him and over his people. God ordained those rights as chastening. But he does not recognise the rights of Amalek at all.

People might charge him with arrogance, blind stubbornness, stupid bigotry, and contemptible narrow-mindedness. But none of that concerned him at all. It might look like senseless folly to refuse the usual mark of respect to the highest noble in the kingdom. But that noble was an Amalekite, and that was enough for Mordecai. The apparent folly was simple obedience.

Someone might argue: "What good is it to hold up the standard when everything has fallen apart? You are only making your humiliation more obvious by your stubborn refusal to bow your head. Would it not be better to give just one nod? That will settle the matter. Haman will be satisfied, and you and your people will be safe."

"I have nothing to do with consequences. They are in the hand of God. Obedience is my path, the results are with Him. It is better to die with a good conscience than to live with a bad one."

Mordecai was ready to give a reason for the hope that was in him; and his simple answer was, I am a Jew! God had not forgotten His oath of old (Ex. 17), even if Israel were reaping the fruit of their sins under the Eastern kings... Mordecai refuses to give up this basic truth in the calling of Israel.

To be faithful when everyone else was unfaithful is a great thing in God's eyes. "You have not denied my name" is high commendation when everyone else was doing so... To stand firmly for Him in an evil day of temptation is to do great things!

Israel is enslaved, defenceless and rejected. All alone, the descendant of a rejected royal family resists the Agagite... Haman hates the whole people, but he aims his anger at their head — the only man who refuses to bow down before him and honour him. Here is a dim picture of Him who, at a time still future, would refuse to acknowledge Satan, when Satan showed Him the kingdoms of the earth from the mountain top.