We all have times when striving to do the right thing and serving the Lord feels too hard or like a burden. We get caught up in the unfair circumstances life hands us, and wallow in self pity. We wonder where God is and get impatient waiting for answered prayers. Mordecai could have felt this way too. An exiled Jew, he could have grown weary of persecution and of waiting for God to fulfill His promises. But instead he lived a life of faith and obedience. Whatever God asked of him he did. He never gave up and never compromised; even when his life and the life of the Jewish people hung in the balance.
The book of Esther tells us that Mordecai was living in Susa caring for his orphaned cousin Hadassah (Esther). That couldn’t have been an easy thing to do. A single man trying to take care of himself along with raising a young woman. Yet that’s just what he did. He stepped up and embraced his obligations under the Law of God. And he did so fully. Instead of treating her as a burden, we are told Mordecai loved Esther as a daughter and cared for her as he would his very own. No matter what God asks us to do; no matter our circumstances or the inconvenience, we are to do it faithfully and cheerfully with joy in our hearts. The last thing He wants is for us to serve Him begrudgingly or out of a sense of duty. The Bible tells us to do everything “heartily, as to the Lord” (Col. 3:23), and to serve Him “with gladness” (Ps. 100:2).
After queen Vashti was removed from the throne because of her refusal to come at the king’s command, King Ahasuerus issued a decree that all the young beautiful virgins in the region be brought to him; from which he would choose a new queen. Imagine Mordecai’s distress. He wouldn’t have wanted his dear Esther to be taken to join a gentile King’s harem. What kind of life would that be for a young Jewish girl. Could you imagine having to give up your child to enter into a lifestyle that went against all you believed in? But walking in faith, Mordecai sent her to the palace to be prepared and presented to the king with the advice to use wisdom and not reveal that she was a Jew.
After Esther was taken Mordecai didn’t give up and go home leaving Esther to her own devices. Instead he continued to do the right thing by loving her as a father and walking, “back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.” (vs. 2:11) Unknown to Mordecai, God was working behind the scenes to deliver His people of Israel. And in verse 2:17 we learn, “The king loved Esther more than all the women and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.”
In yet another example of the character of Mordecai, we learn that sometime later while sitting at the king’s gate, Mordecai learns of a plot against the king which he then shares with queen Esther. And Esther, “told the king in the name of Mordecai” (Esther 2:22) You’d think that this would earn Mordecai some sort of reward, but instead it was merely recorded in the king’s Book of the Chronicles and soon forgotten. If that had happened to me I might have felt sorry for myself and thought, “See if I ever save the king’s life again!” But not Mordecai. He remained loyal and steadfast. Especially when faced with going against what he knew was right.
Later in the story we learn of a wicked man named Haman who was in the king's service. Haman wanted to be worshiped and demanded that the people bow to him by order of the king. But because of his strong faith, Mordecai wouldn’t compromise against God’s commandment to never bow down in worship to anyone but Him. And so at the risk of losing his life, he refused to get on his knees before the newly elevated Haman. Even when day after day other officials tried to get him to change his mind, Mordecai refused to disobey God. This caused Haman to despise Mordecai, who not being content with only killing Mordecai, “sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” (v. 3:6) But as we’ll see later, God had other plans. And we know that nothing can stop the plans of God.
Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of a man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.” When we fear the Lord we have no need to fear anything this world can throw at us. We too can stand in the face of opposition, remembering that the most brilliant diamonds are created under the greatest of pressure. So be like Mordecai. Never give up. Be the diamond that God created you to be; strong, uncompromising in faith, and shining brightly for the world to see.
