The Book of Esther is an incredible section of scripture. It's a scripture that I have read, studied, and even watched (shout out veggie tales.) For obvious reasons, Esther is the primary and titular character. How she leads and serves is a testament to God's work through her. She's fantastic, and I hope and pray that my daughters grow up to emulate her faith.
It's fascinating to me that the entire book is focused on Esther and the work that she was doing. Still, the last chapter was 3 verses about Mordecai.
In fact, I’m going to put the entire chapter right here.
Esther 10:1-3 CSB
King Ahasuerus imposed a tax throughout the land even to the farthest shores. [2] All of his powerful and magnificent accomplishments and the detailed account of Mordecai's great rank with which the king had honored him, have they not been written in the Book of the Historical Events of the Kings of Media and Persia? [3] Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was famous among the Jews and highly esteemed by many of his relatives. He continued to pursue prosperity for his people and to speak for the well-being of all his descendants.
While I love the focus on Esther throughout the book, there is something I appreciate about giving Mordecai a little bit of shine in this chapter. He is the unsung hero of this entire situation for the Jewish people. Esther was the MAIN part, but Mordecai plays A part that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
We discover Mordecai in Esther 2:5-7 and find that he is a Jewish captive in exile who has taken in his younger cousin. This man is the misfit of all misfits. But we see through this book that Mordecai keeps doing the next right thing.
He takes in Esther.
He sends Esther out.
He works a steady job.
He protects the king from an assassination plot
He honors God rather than man.
He mourned for his people.
He pushed Esther to use her power.
He led his people.
Mordecai went from an outcast to an outstanding leader. What can we learn from this?
Godly character leads to good results.
Every single day, we have a decision to make. Are we going to do what God wants us to do? Unfortunately for most of us, myself included, it can be straightforward to agree emphatically with that statement but then disregard that decision with our actions. There were plenty of times for Mordecai to do that, but every single time, there was that choice in front of him. He chose to do what was Godly.
Frankly, his situation was much more challenging than most of our situations. Taking in a family member? That's a big deal. Going to the king and sharing challenging information? Can't even imagine. Facing death instead of ignoring his faith? That doesn't happen in America. Potentially losing his "daughter" for the good of the Jewish nation? Talk about anguish.
But when you make your decisions based on Godly character, those decisions get a lot simpler. It doesn't make them easy, but it makes them simpler. The result of those moments leads to a really good life. For Mordecai, that led to him being second in power; for you, I have no clue what that means. But the results of Godly character are always good.
What’s a good life? Understanding that you have honored God with your life.
There will still be hardships. Heck - Mordecai had plenty of them. However, those hardships don't hold the same power because you understand you are playing the long game of eternity rather than the short game on Earth.
This will lead to you being a hero in the story of the gospel. You will help people find what matters through your influence, like Esther and Mordecai. Some people will be Esther and get the shine and the focus; you might be Mordecai, who is unsung. Either way, it doesn't matter because we are focused on developing Godly character, and that will lead to good results in life here on earth and for all of eternity.
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