Strange Story: Esther 3 Did Mordecai bow down before King Xerces or just to God?

Many Christians believe that Mordecai, uncle of queen Esther, refused to bow down before Haman because he only bowed to God, not to any man.

That brings up the question – Did he bow down to king Xerxes, or not even to him? There are lots of examples of a Jew bowing down to his king. There are also some examples of a Jew bowing down to an authority figure that was not an honorable follower of God. For more information on Jews bowing down to various authority figures, see my story called ESTHER 3  DID THE JEWS BOW DOWN TO A KING?

Therefore, I believe Mordecai did bow down to King Xerxes when it was required.

So, if he bowed down to King Xerxes, why was he not willing to bow down to Haman?

This is a very pertinent question because Esther 3:2 specifically says that the king commanded all the officials should bow down to Haman. In other words, King Xerxes was clearly sharing some of his authority with Haman, which is the same thing God does with authority figures.

My opinion is that Mordecai knew what kind of man Haman was and knew of his hatred toward the Jews. So he protested the promotion of Haman to a high position, hoping to get the king’s attention and have the chance to explain his concerns. This was a risky thing to do, but he felt he needed to do something.

In one way of looking at it, this was the wrong thing to do. He should have respected all the authority figures over him by bowing to the king and whomever the king shared authority with.

But Mordecai saw the bigger picture. He was concerned for the future wellbeing of his people. He knew that Haman was capable of unspeakable atrocities, so he wanted to do what he could to stave them off.

At first this protest did not work out very well. All it did was make Haman mad.

But I expect that you know the rest of the story. God honored Mordecai’s protest and did step in to do more than forestall the atrocities Haman had in mind – He eliminated them and made Haman pay the ultimate price for planning them.

I hope you are not saying to yourself, – “I liked the other interpretation better – the one about only submitting to God.” I know that saying “I only submit to God” sounds more spiritual, but in reality God always places authority figures over us and wants us to learn respect for Him by learning respect for them. Even the ruler of a nation has over him the authority of the people, either through their votes, or at least through the expectation of concern for their wellbeing. We are never truly free from all authority over us, so we should not wish we could be. If I tell myself, “I only answer to God,” I run the risk of not honoring people that God has placed over me, and that is disgraceful to God.