Esther 3:2
And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
Although the king had commanded his servants at the gate to bow to Haman and show him reverence, Mordecai would neither bow nor show him reverence. The reason was that the reverence Haman demanded belonged to God alone.
His refusal did Haman no harm, yet it wounded Haman's pride and vanity. That refusal made Mordecai a target of Haman's malice and hostility and became the occasion for Haman's plot against Mordecai and the Jews. Mordecai's stand is a model and example of faithfulness under a human decree for those who remain loyal to God's law.
Like Mordecai at the gate, Sabbath keepers by loyalty to God's law rebuke those who reject the fear of God and disregard and trample the Sabbath. That faithful rebuke leads those who disregard God's law to seek the removal of the faithful minority. The episode is a pattern for a future decree enforcing false worship, when God's people will likewise refuse to comply and will face persecution, but by trusting in God and His power will see their persecutors' schemes defeated as in Mordecai's time.