Esther 3:1-7a — Where’s Your Focus?

READ THIS: Esther 3:1-7a

1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. 3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. 

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. 

7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?
 
Yesterday, we learned about how Mordecai saved Xerxes’s life by revealing a plot made by others to have him assassinated. While Mordecai wasn’t rewarded for this, a man named Haman was. We can assume that Haman was likely someone who was leading over Mordecai to begin with since he was given credit for Mordecai’s actions, and this leads Haman to be placed in one of the highest positions in all of the kingdom! However, that wasn’t enough for Haman, and this passage shows us the depths of his pride. 

Haman wants everyone around him to see him as powerful, and for most people, that isn’t a problem! But Mordecai refuses to kneel down or honor Haman. We don’t know exactly why, but it could possibly be because of his faith, similar to how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to anyone but God in the book of Daniel. Because of this, Haman decides to take out his anger not just on Mordecai, but on the entire Jewish population. Haman was so consumed with himself and the way that others saw him that he is willing to completely destroy an entire group of people because one person doesn’t give him the excessive praise he desires.

It can be easy for us to look at Haman and judge him heavily… after all, what he’s doing is certainly not right! Mordecai was focused entirely on pleasing God, but Haman was focused entirely on pleasing himself! But at times, we can be so focused on seeking the approval of others and raising ourselves up that we may look a lot more like Haman than Mordecai.

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. When you think, act, and speak, is your focus on yourself, others, or Jesus?
 
2. Why is it dangerous to constantly be seeking the praise of others? What is something more valuable than personal praise?

TRY THIS:

Tonight, take some time to pray before God! But when you do, actually kneel down as you pray. When we take some time to remember who we should be serving, it can change how we see and do a lot of things!

SONG OF THE WEEK:

This week, we will be reading one of the most famous verses from the book of Esther:

Esther 4:14 — For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

This week’s song focuses on this exact idea! Check it out on YouTube or Spotify!

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