HAMAN THE BULLY | Northstar Church

“When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.” – Esther 3:5–6.

Have you ever been bullied? Has your child ever been bullied? It can be devastating when someone out of the blue decides that they don’t like you, and they are going to attack you physically, verbally, and mentally. Bullying has been around for a long time. In fact, several well-known figures in the Bible were bullied. One of those examples is the story of Esther and Haman.

Esther is a book of the Bible that reads like a novel. It’s got heroes and villains, romance, intrigue, drama, you name it. Esther is a beautiful young woman being raised by her uncle Mordecai after the death of her parents. Esther wins an extended beauty contest to become the next wife of Xerxes, the King of Persia. Esther is chosen to be the new Queen. Life should be good for the queen, right? As the queen, you should surely be immune from bullying, right? Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, was being bullied by another leader named Haman. Haman hated Mordecai because of his truthfulness and because Mordecai would not bow down to him.

Haman was determined to kill Mordecai. And not just Mordecai. Haman wanted to kill everyone else who was Jewish. How does Esther deal with her bully? Queen Esther is brilliant. She makes sure that she has the attention and favor of the King. Many times, others will overlook bullying. They don’t realize what is going on, or they just choose to look away. Queen Esther goes to the person who can stop the bullying and pleads for help. God is at work, and Queen Esther, Mordecai, and all the Jewish people gain victory over those who want to bully them and kill them.

While this may be an extreme example, bullying happens in every walk and every season of life. The bully is not your real problem. The real problem is a spiritual force. It’s called evil. The bully is just being used by Satan. You’re not fighting against human beings. You’re fighting against wicked spiritual forces. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” All evil and hatred come from Satan. You may not have the power to stop that bully, but God does.

Esther’s role also reminds us of the fact that God has a unique purpose for each and every one of our lives. As a young orphaned Jewish girl living in Persia, Esther could have never imagined she would become queen and save all the Jews in Persia. Yet, God uses the least of us to accomplish His will, reminding us that it is in His strength, not our own, that we can succeed when faced with bullying and harassment.

Discussion Questions:

What do you do when someone is bullying you?
In what ways does your perspective shift when you see the spiritual forces at work behind bullying?
How does prayer connect us to God’s power?