And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
Haman was filled with wrath and became enraged when he saw that Mordecai would not bow to him nor show him reverence. The reverence Haman demanded belonged to God alone, so Mordecai reserved it for God and, in faithfulness to God's law, would not flatter Haman's vanity and pride. That refusal did Haman no harm and was no injury to him.
Mordecai's faithfulness to God's law made him a rebuke to those who rejected it. Haman's wrathful malice then turned that refusal into the occasion for a plot against the Jews, God's people.
The verse thus illustrates how offended pride can stir hostility toward those who remain faithful to God. Mordecai's example represents Sabbath keepers, whose obedience to God may likewise provoke hostility and persecution.
Haman was filled with wrath and became enraged when he saw that Mordecai would not bow to him nor show him reverence. The reverence Haman demanded belonged to God alone, so Mordecai reserved it for God and, in faithfulness to God's law, would not flatter Haman's vanity and pride. That refusal did Haman no harm and was no injury to him.
Mordecai's faithfulness to God's law made him a rebuke to those who rejected it. Haman's wrathful malice then turned that refusal into the occasion for a plot against the Jews, God's people.
The verse thus illustrates how offended pride can stir hostility toward those who remain faithful to God. Mordecai's example represents Sabbath keepers, whose obedience to God may likewise provoke hostility and persecution.