Hey guys.
Today's post is a second study of the book of Esther.
We've talked about the lead of the story, Esther. Now it's time to look at one of the supporting characters; her cousin, Mordecai.
Now Esther was an orphan; no mother, no father. Whether or not it was a charge to Mordecai or not, he cared for and looked after Esther as she grew and treated her as he would his own child.
When Esther was eventually chosen to be Queen, Mordecai still maintained his position as her guardian and constantly checked up on her. He could always be found outside the palace gates, making sure Esther was safe. Because of his daily activity of lingering outside the palace gates, he overheard an assassination attempt which he informed Esther of and ended up saving the King from being murdered.
Later on however, Mordecai infuriated one of the king's nobles, Haman, who had been promoted to a position of high authority. He refused to bow or pay homage to him, and after the servants pointed this out to Haman, he began plotting to destroy him and all the Jews.
After Haman had successfully persuaded the King to destroy all the Jews (at this point, the King wasn't aware of Esther being a Jew or of Haman's real intentions for killing the Jews), a date was set. Mordecai, along with all the Jews, immediately began mourning and he informed Esther of what was going on. He was able to successfully persuade her to go to the King, whilst he and all the Jews prayed and fasted for a breakthrough.
Despite all this chaos, it was at this point after Esther had gone to the King that things started to take a turn for the better. And this is when God's divine planning can be seen. The King became restless one night and ordered the book of the records of the chronicles to be read to him. It was then that he was reminded of Mordecai's act of exposing an assassination, and decided to reward him. Haman unknowingly described the exact reward for Mordecai to the King and instead of witnessing his death as he had intended to ask the king for, he ended up orchestrating the honouring of Mordecai throughout the whole province.
Haman's downfall began then, and he was eventually exposed by Esther and killed by public hanging, the way he had intended for Mordecai to die.
There are many lessons to be taken from this perspective of the story of Esther.
1. Take care of the less fortunate
Despite not being father and daughter, Mordecai took care of Esther like his own, teaching her in the way that she should go. There are people around us who may need a parental figure or just someone they can confide in and who can help them as they grow. We shouldn't turn a blind eye to those people in our life.
2. Don't take advantage of someone's success for your personal gain
Mordecai didn't take advantage of Esther's position to gain benefits for himself. He however took care of her, not even asking for things in return. We shouldn't assume that just because someone close to us has become big that we deserve a portion of their success, especially if we didn't help them get to where they are. Even if we aided in their success, it's not right to blackmail them into giving us privileges too.
3. Maintain integrity, despite the consequences
Even when Mordecai found out about Haman's plot to kill the Jews, it didn't change his principles and he still refused to bow before him. What do you do when you're in a critical situation? Do you hold on to your principles and beliefs or you change them to avoid the consequences that you may face for standing for what is right?
4. In times of trouble, turn to God
Mordecai and the rest of the Jews' immediate response to this persecution was to turn to God. They prayed, fasted and cried out to God for deliverance. Despite having been exiled from Israel, they still believed that God answered them when they called out to him and so they put their faith in God. And God, as always, delivered them, eventually turning their mourning into celebration. Who do you turn to in times of trouble? Remember, God is able to save you from everything.
5. God is working everything for your good
Looking at the whole book of Esther, it's very clear that God really put things into place at the right time, which goes to show that in everything we may be going through, God is working in the background, making sure that all things are working for our good. So don't lose hope, trust in the process. There's always light at the end of the tunnel.
Source: Ron Smith
6. Pride comes before a fall
The clear contrast between Esther and Haman can be seen when it comes to their attitude after gaining a high status. Esther stayed humble whereas Haman let pride and arrogance cause his downfall. No matter where we are in life or what level we've attained, humility is always key.
Hope you learnt something from these lessons and that you can go out today remembering that all things work for the good of those who love God and have been called according to His purpose. Read the story of Esther (17th book of the Bible, 10 chapters) when you get the chance. You may end up learning something other than the points I mentioned above.
Feel free to share your views in the comments section below or email/message me. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of the day.
Stay blessed and stay a blessing.
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