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Good morning my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
June is often a month of great transitions in most societies of the world, right? Graduations and weddings propel young people to new adventures! June is a month of vacations and often people visit places they’ve never been before. June is a month of relocation as many, many people move to a new place to start a new season of life.
Today we come to the close of Esther’s story in the Bible. We have no detailed records of what happened in either Esther’s life or Mordecai’s after the events of Purim which we saw yesterday. But the closing comments of Esther’s record seem to leave us with a wonderful legacy, and it causes me to wonder what your summer and mine will be and how these days will add to or refine our personal legacies.
Esther 10:1,2 leaves us with this comment about the legacy of King Xerxes: “King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to the distant shores. And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media & Persia?” This summary makes sure we understand that King Xerxes’ unquestioned authority spanned the entire kingdom during all the days of his reign. His power was sovereign and memorable. King Xerxes reigned from 486bc-465bc.
The “Purim” event, you may recall, was March 7, 473bc. Thus King Xerxes, with Queen Esther at his side and Mordecai the Jew as his most trusted official, had 8 wonderful years together after that Purim event. It appears those were years of peace and prosperity throughout the Persian empire. And reliable, honorable leadership from the King’s throne room in Susa permeated those 8 years.
Mordecai is the central focus of the final words of Esther’s record: “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)
Mordecai’s role in the Persian Palace is nothing short of miraculous! God Himself paved the way for Mordecai to become second in rank to King Xerxes, but you’ll remember it required Mordecai remaining faithful to God and God’s Word at all times, even in the dark time when Haman was manipulating King Xerxes toward annihilation of all Jews.
Friends, do you see an amazing similarity to the story of Joseph and his determination to remain faithful to God while in Egyptian slavery and being seduced by his boss’ wife? (Genesis 39) Do you remember it was Joseph’s God honoring character, integrity, trustworthiness and resistance to sin which provided his path to the throne room of Egypt?
Do you see a similarity to Daniel and his resolve to not defile himself with the king’s food and wine while also remaining faithful to honor God at all times, which shaped the pathway for Daniel to rise from slave to trusted advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar? (Daniel 1)
Do you see a pattern here with God, my friends? Character development and integrity come before a significant opportunity from God. Have you considered this: God can only entrust to us roles which do not exceed the capacity of our character or wisdom maturity or our proven reliance upon God for His guidance?
If you desire or even have been seeking a position of great influence or responsibility or even notoriety and yet you find yourself blocked, perhaps God is showing you that He does not yet see your character or integrity or wisdom or spiritual maturity or your ability to discern God’s guidance as having yet attained a level that God can trust you with a significant position of influence or leadership!! You might want to read that again!
Mordecai, Joseph and Daniel are remarkable examples for us, aren’t they? What do you sense God showing you my friends, about your future and what God would like to do in and through you in our world which so desperately needs modern Mordecai’s and Joseph’s and Daniel’s?
It appears Mordecai served King Xerxes and Queen Esther faithfully in his ‘second in rank’ position, with great integrity. His reputation and legacy are amazing, aren’t they? That very last line of the book of Esther is a remarkable and lasting legacy for Mordecai. He was: “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) That challenges me to wonder what your legacy and mine will be?
These words seem to summarize the remainder of Queen Esther’s years and respected status in the Persian palace: “So Queen Esther, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim…Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.” (Esther 9:29,32) Clearly Esther was highly respected by King Xerxes and the royal court. While I have no doubt, she was beautiful, we have no record King Xerxes ever had any idea of flaunting Esther’s beauty before men at a party as he had done with Queen Vashti. (Esther 1:10-12) I conclude Queen Esther was treated with God honoring respect, by her King and the people.
It’s a remarkable story of God’s providence and His watching over His people Israel, isn’t it my friends, even 2400 years ago? In 465bc, only 8 years after the PURIM miracle, another king ascended to the throne of the Persian empire, following King Xerxes, and his name was King Artaxerxes I. King Artaxerxes reigned in Susa from 465-424bc. The stories of two famous Jewish men occurred during His years on the throne, as proof of God’s continued watch care over His people, as time marches on. These two men’s names are Ezra the scholar/priest and Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.
Tomorrow we’ll look at their stories and again see the remarkable hand of God in reaching to His people. For today, as we bid farewell to Queen Esther & Mordecai, I urge us to spend a little time considering what paragraphs will be written to summarize the remaining years of our lives, no matter how much longer you and I have to live.
And here’s a worship song that might help us reflect on that as we consider the legacy of Jesus…
Today’s Scripture: Esther 10.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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