Mordecai came with history. He was a Jew, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, so you couldn’t mistake who he was.
He adopted the daughter of his uncle Abihail, a little Jewish orphan girl called Hadassah, or Esther as she was known in Babylon. She grew up in a foreign culture removed from Israel and Mordecai advised her on how to survive in her hostile environment. Eventually she was taken to Susa, the capital of Babylon, to the palace where she was groomed to become queen.
Faithfully, Mordecai followed and every day for the next year while she was being groomed, he walked past the women’s quarters to make sure Esther was all right. He had watched over her since babyhood, taken her into protective custody, guided her and treated her as his own special project. Nothing happened to Esther that he was not aware of.
Eventually, Esther was chosen as queen and Mordecai was an attendant at the court. He heard of a plot to assassinate the king and told Esther so that she could give the warning.
However, a story of intrigue follows and it seems that Mordecai was kept outside the court for not bowing before a nasty enemy of the Jews, Haman. Still, he kept watch over Esther.
With ears open he heard of plots going on in court and with eyes open he kept her in his protective custody.
He gave warnings to Queen Esther when she wavered, reminding her of her faith and responsibilities and he taught her to make right decisions.
In the Old Testament, we see Mordecai representing the Holy Spirit and doing for Esther exactly what the Holy Spirit does for God’s people in the New Testament. In the New, Jesus said the Father would send the Holy Spirit to His people in His name. And, as Mordecai guided Esther, the Holy Spirit will reveal what God has prepared for those who love Him, 1st Corinthians 2:9,10.
The Holy Spirit keeps faithful watch over us, prompts us every time we need to recall our faith and guides us to make right decisions. He reminds us of all that Jesus believed and taught, John 14:26.
Esther listened to her Mordecai and through his advice she was able to show her people the way to salvation. As Esther was guarded and guided by Mordecai, we are guarded by the Holy Spirit who sees and hears all that is going on around us. Through following His advice, we might show many people the way to salvation.
Let us be as faithful in listening to Him as He is faithful in keeping us in protective custody.
Elizabeth Price
(To access the entire “The Book of Esther” mini-series, please click here.)