May the mumbling commence!
Who receives our highest respect and honor? Who is number one on our list? Is it the person who just happens to be on
the top of the heap? OR is it the
Lord? To whom do we bow? Read from Esther chapter three:
Sometime later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of
Hammedatha the Agagite to prime minister, making him the most powerful official in the
empire next to the king himself.
All the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect
whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him
respect.
Then the palace officials at the king's gate asked
Mordecai, "Why
are you disobeying the king's command?" They spoke to him day after day, but still he
refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about
this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai's conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.
(Verses 1-4)
Haman was second only to the king. Haman had ascended about as high as possible
among the human hierarchy of Persia. The
king ordered that everyone should bow down before Haman and show him respect.
But Mordecai refused to do either. Why?
He refused to bow down and honor Haman at the least because he was a
Jew. Mordecai would only bow down to the
Lord. No matter how much they tried to
convince him to follow the king’s order, Mordecai would not bow down in Haman’s
presence.
Mordecai had a higher King – the King of kings. Though the Lord is not mentioned by name,
Mordecai’s actions show his devotion to the one true God. Being a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim or any
other of the world religions is not just about throwing around a name.
Being faithful is proven in the pudding of action – no matter
the immediate cost. The proof is in the
pudding, indeed. And there is a great
reward waiting for all people who make this leap of faith in action. Read from Second Corinthians chapter three:
So if the old covenant, which has been set
aside, was full of glory, then the new covenant, which remains forever, has far greater glory.
Since this new covenant gives us such confidence, we can
be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so
the people of Israel would not see the glory fading away. But the people's minds were hardened, and
even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their
minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by
believing in Christ. Yes, even today
when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and
they do not understand.
But whenever
anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the
Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can
be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the
Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and
reflect his glory even more.
(Verses 11-18)
Clear away the fog of human desire, and you will find the
freedom of the Spirit of the living God within you. With that freedom, we act in godly ways so
that we might reflect the glory of the Lord for all to see – the Shekinah glory
of God. No veils required.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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