Mordecai: A Lifetime of Selflessness, Advocacy and Faith
Queen Esther’s story in the Old Testament is simply one-of-a-kind. So many emotions, so many highs and lows. The Jewish people go from having their very existence threatened to standing in victorious celebration by the end of the book. And while the book is aptly called “Esther,” since she is the one who boldly approaches King Xerxes to plead for the safety and wellbeing of her people, Mordecai is the driving force behind Esther’s heroism.
From the very beginning of this story, we can tell Mordecai is a good guy because we learn he has raised Esther, his cousin, after she was orphaned. When Esther ends up getting swept up into the king’s harem, she has no choice but to leave her home, move to the palace and now live at the pleasure of the king. But “out of sight, out of mind,” was not the case for Mordecai.
Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. -Esther 2:11
One day as he was sitting at the king’s gate, Mordecai overheard information about an assassination plot against the king, and he passed this along to Esther, who reported it to the king.
Later in the story, Mordecai caught a high ranking official’s eye because he refused to bow down to him like everyone else. This official, Haman, was so angry he began a plan for destroying all of Mordecai’s people—the Jews. I’ll let you read all of the details on your own, which you totally should because it’s an incredibly dramatic story. Bottom line, Mordecai ended up persuading Esther to risk her life and approach the king to beg for the lives of the Jewish people. And by the end of the book, Mordecai had been appointed head of Haman’s entire estate and also received the king’s signet ring, yielding him a great amount of power and authority.
But although Mordecai’s story ended on a big time high point, that certainly does not negate the struggle along the way. In the midst of the challenges and victories, God’s sovereign hand was at work. Every little detail was under His control, and ultimately, God’s grace and favor vaulted Mordecai to his place of influence in the kingdom where his people, the Jews, were being held as exiles.
My favorite line about Mordecai is the very last verse of Esther. It says:
Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. -Esther 10:3
There’s so much to Mordecai’s unique and intriguing story. But even just a quick overview like this one gets my mind spinning as I think about what I can learn about God and myself from his story in Esther.
What can we learn about God from Mordecai’s story?
- God is always working behind the scenes. He’s doing so much more than we think He is.
- God protects and preserves His people.
- His will goes forward despite the evil plots of sinful people.
- God has the final say over Satan.
- Nothing is impossible for Him—not even situations that seem hopeless and impossible to us.
- God uses people to move His plan forward.
What can we learn about people/ourselves from Mordecai’s story?
- When we choose to live with integrity, even when it seems like no one sees, God sees us. He knows!
- We can trust God even when we don’t understand why things are happening in a particular way in our lives.
- Any earthly favor, power or influence we have is because of God’s underserved grace bestowed upon us.
- We are called to care about other people and act on their behalf whenever possible.
- If we don’t respond in obedience to God’s call on our lives, we will miss out on the privilege of serving Him and receiving blessing from that service.
- Our lot in life is secure in God’s hands. He has won the final victory, enabling us to move through life with peace and hope.
What else do you learn about God from this story? What do you learn about yourself? How can you apply that to your life today? Pick out the one lesson you’re learning from Mordecai in the book of Esther—you know, that one that’s resonating in your heart right now—and talk to God about it in prayer. Write it down somewhere where you’ll see it, and let that lesson move you forward in faith.