We Have to See the Real Enemy

Esther 3:1-6

After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

In order to rise up, we have to see the real enemy.

Mordecai saw the enemy for who he was—an age-old enemy of the people of God.

In fact, just a few verses later we read this:

Esther 3:10

So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

Haman, the physical villain in the book of Esther, was an Agagite—and the Agagites were an age-old enemy of the people of God. Therefore, Haman is a personification of the age-old spiritual enemy who desires (and still tries!) to take out the people of God to this day. 

Haman was a human representative of a spiritual enemy—and Mordecai had eyes to see him from the very start.

And we have to do the same.

We have to have eyes to see our spiritual enemy, or we will bow down to him without realizing it.

We cannot rise up fully if we do not recognize our enemy. We cannot rise up if we bow down to our enemy.

Our enemy is not the other political party, the person in power, the person who has hurt us, the person we are in conflict with, etc. If it were, Jesus would not have told us to love our enemies.

Our enemy is the one behind all of that.

Our enemy is the age-old spiritual enemy of the people of God (Ephesians 6:12). And if we don’t see our real enemy (the one who is not flesh and blood), then we will bow down to him without realizing it. 

We bow down to him when we hate, slander, gossip, and accuse. We bow down to him when we become enamored by people, positions, and possessions. We bow down to him when we submit to his tactics of fear, anxiety, and worry.

We have to see the enemy for who he is and what he’s trying to do—and we have to stand against him.

How?

By using the authority we’ve been given through Christ—by speaking and acting in accordance with God’s Word. Just like Mordecai did.

Oh Lord, thank You that Your Word promises we have authority over the enemy. Please give us eyes to see beyond the conflict in front of us to the true enemy behind it—and give us the courage to stand in authority against him. Amen.