ESTHER - 3

ESTHER - 3

Chapter 3

Worship

Esther 3:1

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman,

the son of Hammedatha the Agagite,

and advanced him and set his seat

above all the princes who were with him.

Haman, the wicked enemy of the Jews

was given the promotion

that should have been given to mordecai

who exposed a plot against the king.

How often do people promote

the enemy of their souls to rule in their lives?

Do I give the devil authority in my life

by bowing down to his evil ways?

Esther 3:2

And all the king's servants

who were within the king's gate

bowed and paid homage to Haman,

for so the king had commanded concerning him.

But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.

As a devout Jew, Mordecai knew

and obeyed the commandment of GOD.

Exodus 20:2-5(a)

"You shall have no other gods before Me.

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image-

-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,

or that is in the earth beneath,

or that is in the water under the earth;

you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

Revelation 22:8-9

Now I, John, saw and heard these things.

And when I heard and saw,

I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel

who showed me these things.

Then he said to me,

"See that you do not do that.

For I am your fellow servant,

and of your brethren the prophets,

and of those who keep the words of this book.

Worship God."

Do I worship anyone or anything else other than the LORD?

Do I unconditionally, unquestioningly obey anyone or any worldly system?

Esther 3:5-6

When Haman saw that

Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage,

Haman was filled with wrath.

But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone,

for they had told him of the people of Mordecai.

Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews

who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus

--the people of Mordecai.

The devil is furious

And is against GOD’S people

who worship GOD alone.

The devil desires to be worshiped.

Matthew 4:9-10

And he said to Him,

"All these things I will give You

if You will fall down and worship me."

Then Jesus said to him,

"Away with you, Satan! For it is written,

'You shall worship the LORD your God,

and Him only you shall serve.' "

Revelation 12:12-17

"Therefore rejoice, O heavens,

and you who dwell in them!

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!

For the devil has come down to you,

having great wrath,

because he knows that he has a short time."

Now when the dragon saw

that he had been cast to the earth,

he persecuted the woman

who gave birth to the male Child.

But the woman was given

two wings of a great eagle,

that she might fly

into the wilderness to her place,

where she is nourished

for a time and times and half a time,

from the presence of the serpent.

So the serpent spewed water

out of his mouth like a flood

after the woman,

that he might cause her

to be carried away by the flood.

But the earth helped the woman,

and the earth opened its mouth

and swallowed up the flood

which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

And the dragon was enraged with the woman,

and he went to make war

with the rest of her offspring,

who keep the commandments of God

and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.