Part 9- Mordecai Mourns for His People

July 26, 2020 by Cee Maria in Esther:The Story of Purim

Esther 4: 1-3

When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.

We are continuing with our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Part 9 is called, “Mordecai Mourns for His People”, and we discuss why the Jewish people would rent their clothes, put on sackcloth, and cover themselves with ashes. The question we will address today is, what does godly mourning produce?

The right place at the right time:

Mordecai was a palace official for several years at this point. As such, he was able to hear the story in its entirety of how Haman convinced King Xerxes to turn against the Jews. Yes, this news was hard to bear, but he needed to know the accurate details. God will put you in the right place, at the right time, to hear the right information.

The renting of clothes, wearing of sackcloth, and covered in ashes:

There are several instances recorded in the Bible of people expressing their deep distress and sorrow by publicly wearing burlap or sackcloth and covering their bodies with ash.

Joshua 7:

The Israelites were in a battle with the men of Ai. Although the city had a small population, this small group of men were slaughtering the Israelites. Terrified, Joshua knew that if the news of their defeat spread, the surrounding cities would swarm down on the Israelites. In desperation, he and the elders ripped their clothes, scooped dust on their heads, and sought after God for a miraculous intervention. God answered Joshua by revealing why his army was defeated and giving him directions on how to win the battle.

Jonah 3:

Another famous incident occurred with Jonah, who was instructed by God to warn the people of Nineveh that if they did not repent, they would be destroyed. Everyone, young and old wore sackcloth and fasted. The king himself removed his royal robes and humbled himself by wearing sackcloth and sat in ashes (Jonah 3:6) . This happened between 900-800 BC, well before the time of Esther. Of course, Mordecai and Esther would have been familiar with this text. Nineveh was a Gentile city, and God in His mercy, heard the cries of the people who were not in covenant with Him and spared them.

Esther 4:

Mordecai, a palace official of the Persian Army, humbled himself before God by removing his uniform, donning mourning clothes of sackcloth, and covering himself in ash. He readied himself to appeal his case to God in the courtroom of heaven.

Mordecai cried a loud and bitter wail:

The word cry in this verse means: “an outcry, a cry of exclamation for aid” (1) .

This is the same word for cry that is used in Genesis 18:20. God heard the cry that came out of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was so extreme that all of heaven stopped to listen to it and two angels were immediately dispatched to investigate the matter.

I want you to notice the word “wept” In John 11:35. The verse reads, “Then Jesus wept”. The word for wept not only means the shedding of tears, but to mourn, to bemoan, to bewail (2) .

Sounds exactly like what Mordecai was doing, doesn’t it?! This was not a wail that came only from the human soul. Only with the aid of the Holy Spirit, can man express what cannot be put into words.

Romans 8:26-27

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

The Holy Spirit descended upon Mordecai and interceded through him. That cry parted from his lips, landed on God’s ears, and caught the immediate attention of heaven.

Keeping the laws of the land:

Notice that Mordecai complied with Persian laws and did not break any, not even “in the name of God”. He remained outside the palace gate while wearing mourning clothes just as the law required.

Esther 4:4

When Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it.

Of course, Esther was shocked to hear that Mordecai was in mourning clothes. First of all, this practice pertains only to the Jewish culture and she may not have known that Mordecai had already disclosed to the public the fact that he is a Jew. A short while ago, he admitted it to the other palace officials when confronted as to why he disregarded the king’s order to bow down to Haman.

Secondly, Esther realized her foster father was deeply distraught. Raised as an observant Jew, she was well acquainted with this practice and what it meant. Only in extreme cases did the Jews put on sackcloth and ashes. Blind sided and unprepared, something devastating had just happened and Esther realized that her people needed a miracle.

Haman points out the Jews are scattered:

Let’s take a look at how Haman began his case against the Jews and God’s response to this accusation.

Esther 3:8

Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire that keep themselves separate from everyone else.”

Scattered and divided:

Unlike satan, God is omniscient and He was well aware of Haman’s conversation with King Xerxes. Haman observed that the Jews were scattered geographically, so that made them an easy target. Not only that, but it is safe to assume they were divided in their approach of how to express their faith. Like Mordecai, a good percentage of Jews hid their nationality and divorced themselves from their own people. Others, like Esther’s family, were open about their beliefs.

Miraculously united:

History tells us that the Jewish people have reacted in a number of different ways when they found themselves in a dire state of affairs. Notice that when they read the verdict in their respective provinces, they didn’t respond by signing a suicide pact or organizing a rebellion. No! Mordecai’s intercession activated the Holy Spirit to move on the hearts of all the Jewish people. The Holy Spirit descended upon them and they prayed God’s will through loud and bitter groans. Although the Jews were scattered geographically, miraculously, they became united in spirit.

God softened the hearts of His people, causing a unity of purpose. And that purpose is to paralyze the forces of darkness from annihilating them.

Let’s pray:

Father,

When something devastating blindsides me, soften my heart so I can pray in line with Your will and purpose. May the Holy Spirit descend on Your Church and unite Your people so we can be one in spirit. And together, I pray that we advance Your purpose which is always to paralyze the forces of darkness that come against us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

References:

Part 7- Mordecai Takes a Stand

June 27, 2020 by Cee Maria in Esther:The Story of Purim

Esther 3:3-6

Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.

We are continuing with our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Part 7 is called, “Mordecai Takes a Stand”, and we discuss how Haman reacted when Mordecai refused to bow to him. The question we will address today is, why did Haman plot revenge?

Mordecai’s colleagues:

The palace officials who were Mordecai’s colleagues were astounded that he wouldn’t obey the king’s orders and bow down in worship to Haman and acknowledge him as his superior. They were terrified that they would all be punished for his act of defiance. Apparently, Mordecai was not one to defy the law, so the men approached him about his behavior. Bowing to Haman was Mordecai’s tipping point and it is because of this command that he reveals to his colleagues that he is a Jew; and Jews do not bow down to idols. Remember the three Hebrew children who wouldn’t worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar? This may have happened 100 years earlier, but the fame of the God of the Hebrews and their miraculous rescue still resonated with the people.

Testing Haman’s powers:

So, in order to distance themselves from Mordecai and clear themselves of any blame, they decided to speak to Haman about Mordecai’s “lack of reverence” and his search for “spiritual truth”. And these guys aren’t entirely innocent. Since Haman is the most famous astrologer in the world and the hearts of all men lay bare before him, why didn’t he intuitively know that Mordecai was Jewish? And, why didn’t he realize that Mordecai wouldn’t bow down before him until it was pointed out to him by these palace officials?

Is Haman all he claims to be?

Doubt had set in the minds of these men, so they tested Haman to check his tolerance level about this situation. Carefully word crafting their case, they presented the facts to Haman and keenly observed his reaction. Would he fly into a rage and have Mordecai interrogated? Would he let on that he was aware of the situation and would take care of it in his own time? Was he going to make Mordecai suffer the consequences for not following the king’s orders and bowing to him? Mordecai’s bold stand and lack of reverence towards Haman became contagious!

Haman’s got some problems:

Like King Xerxes, Haman was in the habit of investigating the matters presented before him and he found the intel to be true. Yes, he could not believe that Mordecai didn’t tremble at his presence and yes, this realization did cause him to be filled with rage. But amazingly, he refrained from reacting impulsively in order to look at the bigger picture.

Doubt leads to loss of control:

Mordecai was a man who was respected and he already planted seeds of doubt into the minds of the palace officials about Haman’s supernatural abilities. Mordecai’s attitude and act of defiance against worshiping him will spread like wildfire among the rest of the Jews. If the Jews won’t worship him, the other citizens will follow suit. If Haman lost control of the people he would also lose his control over the king and this has got to stop! Instead of just aiming for Mordecai, Haman decided that it was necessary to expand his target against all of the Jews throughout the entire Persian empire.

Haman is an Archetype of satan:

Haman is an archetype of satan, the greatest enemy of God’s people (1). In these verses, we are given some characteristics of satan and how he operates. Let’s take a look at them.

1). Satan is a glory hound:

Haman loves the respect of men and needs to be feared and worshiped. Satan is a glory hound and needs mortal men to be in fearful worshipful awe of him.

2). Satan is not omniscient:

Haman is not all knowing. Mortal men, out of fear of being punished themselves, had to bring to his attention that Mordecai would not bow down to him. Satan is not omniscient. It would be wise to keep our mouths shut and not accommodate satan by voicing our observations about others or ourselves.

3). Satan needs to feel superior:

Haman was filled with rage when fear did not intimidate Mordecai into bowing down to him. He couldn’t believe that Mordecai didn’t perceive himself as weak and inferior. Satan needs to feel superior. Nothing enrages satan more than for mortal man to perceive himself as strong in the Lord and not intimidated by him or his tactics.

4). Satan does the research:

Haman does not have a knee jerk reaction but investigates the matter presented to him. He realized that the palace officials were self preserving and that Mordecai just recently publicly revealed his nationality. Satan also takes his time to do the research. He probes us to discover our vulnerabilities and tolerance levels.

5). Satan has a scorched earth policy:

Haman made sure that the outcome of the punishment would make the greatest possible impact. He wasn’t just going to get rid of Mordecai, but annihilate the entire Jewish population!

Satan explores the situation at every possible angle. He is the author of the “scorched earth policy”. He will not only destroy you, but everyone and everything connected to you.

Let’s pray:

Father,

You are the only One Who is deserving of my worship and only You are omniscient and know the hearts of men. Give me the grace to be careful of what I say. I don’t need to fear anyone used by satan or be intimidated by evil tactics because my trust is in You. No matter what weaknesses satan might find in my life, or plans he may devise in his attempts to destroy me, You are my strength and shield. You are my very present help in time of trouble. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

References:

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haman

Part 5- Mordecai Saves the King

June 05, 2020 by Cee Maria in Esther:The Story of Purim

Esther 2:21-23

One day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh—who were guards at the door of the king’s private quarters—became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him. But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. 23 When an investigation was made and Mordecai’s story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes’ Reign.

Today we continue with Part 5 of our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Our fifth blog, “Mordecai Saves the King” is about the assassination plot against King Xerxes. The question we will address is, why is Mordecai so loyal to King Xerxes?

The King’s most trusted bodyguards:

Bigthana, and Teresh, were two of the best body guards in the Persian Empire. They were brave, ninja trained, and completely trusted by King Xerxes. Stationed to guard the most vulnerable area of the palace, the king’s private quarters, their duty was to take a bullet for the king.

Evidently, Xerxes did something to these boys that made them so angry, they decided to assassinate him. Airing out their rage, they formulated an ingenious plot so they would never be caught in the act. One or several others caught wind of their conversation and reported it to Mordecai, who quickly relayed the information to Esther. Immediately, Esther informed the King about the intentions of his personal bodyguards.

Loyalty to King and country:

Mordecai’s family were exiled out of Jerusalem to Babylon. The Prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles which explained the attitude and actions they should take as they lived out seventy years of captivity.

Jeremiah 29:4-7

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

Mordecai’s relatives took heed to Jeremiah’s prophecy. They built homes, married, and had families. They also made sure that they served the city where they inhabited by being law-abiding citizens and an asset to their society. Following the example of his forefathers, Mordecai also obeyed the word of the Lord. By reporting the plan for a violent overthrow of the king to the proper authority (Esther), he preserved the peace and prosperity of the Susa. He understood that his own welfare was dependent upon the peace and prosperity of the city.

Esther, in turn, followed Mordecai’s example. Her own welfare depended upon the safety and preservation of the king. Immediately, she informed the king and credited Mordecai for disclosing the assasination attempt.

Make sure it's good intel:

Before Xerxes have the guys picked up by the police, he checks out the information given to him. This shows us something about his character. Xerxes is a very careful man who no longer gives into knee jerk reactions. A lesson he learned the hard way when he banished Vashti.

Just the facts:

However, once the facts were proven true and the assassination plot was revealed, Xerxes made a swift and decisive judgement call. Declaring them traitors to the King, he made an example of them. The consequences fit the crime and Bigthana and Teresh were publicly impaled.

Documentation:

Xerxes also liked to document information. It was his way of writing his autobiography and keeping records of his legacy. Mordecai’s loyalty and heroism was noteworthy enough to be written into Persia’s permanent history. The name of Mordecai will always be embedded in Xerxes mind and he will never forget how this brave soldier preserved his life.

Let’s Pray:

Father,

It is Your will for us to work for the peace and prosperity of the city we live in and to pray for its welfare. As our city, our leaders and our citizens prosper, everyone benefits. We lift up our city, our leaders and its citizens to You this day. We ask for Your blessing of prosperity and safety, in Jesus name, Amen.

Part 3: Mordecai- The Soldier

May 19, 2020 by Cee Maria in Esther:The Story of Purim

Esther 1:5-7

At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai, son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Shimei and Kish. His family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.

Today we continue with Part 3 of our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”, and our third blog will be about one of the main characters of our text, Mordecai: The Soldier. The question we will address is, what kind of man was Mordecai?

A Jewish Man:

Here, we are introduced to Mordecai and the first descriptor of him is that he is Jewish. This is very important to the narrative because at this point in the story, no one in Susa knew of his origin and assumed that he was a Persian.

Also, the scriptures recorded his ancestral line dating back from the time of Babylon conquering Jerusalem, approximately 100 years prior. During this raid, his great-grandfather Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, was captured along with King Jehoiachin of Judah. One can assume that after the 70 years of captivity were complete, Kish’s son, Shimei, or grandson, Jair, moved to one of the 127 Persian provinces and concealed their Jewish identity. At least several generations have lived in Susa and assimilated into the Persian culture for Mordecai to successfully hide his Jewish roots.

Lived in the Fortress of Susa:

In order to live in the fortress, you had to be a soldier or related to a soldier. The Fortress of Susa is in fact a military post located in the capital city of Persia. Military posts had warehouses for battle equipment, buildings and fields allocated for training, stalls for horses and other animals used for battle, and base housing for the soldiers. Mordecai and his family lived in the equivalent of base housing on the Fortress of Susa Military Post, which would be considered the most secure fortress in the world at that time.

Mordecai was a Soldier:

What did the life of a Persian soldier under the rule of King Xerxes entail?

Training & Battle

“Training for the army began at the age of 15. Youths were divided into 50 classes for military training under instruction included horse grooming and horsemanship, hunting, running, swimming, archery, javelin-throwing, swordsmanship, martial arts, military discipline (such as forced marches, long watches, battle drills, living off the land). Trainees were also expected to contribute to the community by developing agricultural skills. Sons of the king and nobility were also taught to cultivate administrative skills. Military service began at the age of 20 and professional soldiers were allowed to retire at 50; conscripts served for the duration of an engagement or campaign and then, if they survived, could return home until called up again.” (1)https://www.ancient.eu/Persian_Warfare/

What does all that mean? It means that Mordecai could kill a man with his thumb! He was a highly skilled soldier in the Persian Army.

Meaning of “Mordecai”:

The name Mordecai is considered a hypocorism, in other words, a word with a double meaning. Since Mordecai never revealed his Jewish origins, we can assume that the Persian translation of his name would apply, which means “Marduk is their lord”, and the nickname or hypocorism would be “little boy” (2). Marduk was actually a Babylonian deity, which is interesting because verse 6 informs us that his family was exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. Evidently, it was the parents of Mordecai that named him after a Babylonian deity. It would stand to reason that his father, Jair, taught his son that, in order to avoid persecution and advance in life, it would be best to keep their Jewish identity hidden. Mordecai was a brave warrior, but when it came to the God of the Hebrews, he was like a little boy keeping secrets.

Mordecai adopts his cousin:

When his cousin died, it was probably prearranged to leave their only daughter to him because he was the next of kin. This would indicate that he had close emotional ties with his cousins who did not live in Susa. The girl’s name was Hadassah, but only the people from the area she was born and raised knew that. Hadassah means “myrtle” which is the Hebrew emblem of marriage (3 & 4). When Mordecai relocated her to Susa, he changed her Jewish name to a Persian name, Esther, which means “star”. Interestingly, “in the Hebrew, the first three letter root of Esther is s-t-r (סתר), and it means "hide, conceal".” (5)

Just as Mordecai’s parents hid his identity with his name, he hid Hadassah’s identity by providing her a Persian name so others would presume she was a Gentile.

Hadassah’s family:

Hadassah’s family were more than likely observant Jews. They called their daughter a very Jewish name so there was no doubt about their ethnicity, their beliefs, their Hebrew God, and their customs. Very aware of their religious stance, Mordecai ordered the girl not to reveal her origin.

Esther 2:10-11

Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.

Everybody knew Mordecai:

Esther knew Mordecai as her adopted father. She had great love and respect for him, trusted his wisdom, and followed his instructions. Just as her name implied, she hid behind her new image and allowed everyone to presume that she was one of them. Her dad was a big deal in these parts. When Mordecai walked the palace grounds, all of the servants knew who he was and informed him of her daily progress. As Mordecai's daughter, Esther would be elevated in the eyes of the servants who attended to her.

Mordecai, the man:

Mordecai was Jewish, a race of people who worshiped God. His great-grandfather, a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin, was exiled to Babylon when Jerusalem was besieged. Eventually, probably in the last 30 years after the 70 years of exile was completed, most likely his father, Jair, moved to Susa and assimilated into its society. Given a Gentile name, Mordecai was taught that in order to avoid persecution and to advance in this world, he was not to disclose their ethnicity. Mordecai was a skilled, brave soldier in King Xerxes' army who was recognized by the people of the palace as someone of status. He lived in the fortress of Susa with his adopted daughter, provided for her, and raised her as his father raised him. Though they were model citizens of Persia, they were both secretive about their Jewish identity.

Let’s pray:

Father,

Give me the courage never to deny You. I am Your child, and I will not be afraid to let the world know that I belong to You. In Jesus name, Amen

References:

https://www.ancient.eu/Persian_Warfare/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1919&t=KJV
Dream Encounter Symbols, Barbie Breathitt Ministries, www.BreathoftheSpiritMinistries.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_(given_name)