Character Study: Mordecai, Part 2

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:28-29

Today, I want to expand a little on the last point I touched on yesterday - that Mordecai was of Jewish nobility. If Mordecai can trace his family line back to King Saul through Jonathan and Mephibosheth, we can see that as evidence of God's mercy even as God's wrath is being expressed. In past studies of the book of Esther, I've learned that Haman the Agagite who sought the destruction of the Jews was descended from Agag the Amelikite whom King Saul spared when he had been commanded to wipe out all of the Amalekites and their sheep and so on. Because of his disobedience, the kingdom is taken away from Saul. Saul's family line is almost completely wiped out. He dies. His sons die. Most of his grandchildren are wiped out too. Eventually a descendant of Agag wansts to wipe out the Jewish people. How fitting is it that Mordecai is descended from Saul's family line. Though Saul disobeyed and lost his kingdom and his actions led to the eventual near genocide of the Jewish people, God through His wisdom and mercy preserved a remnant of Saul's family line to save His people.

Character Study: Mordecai

Today, I'm going to start a bit of a character study of Mordecai whom I had the pleasure of reading about this week as I read through the book of Esther. I've read the book of Esther at least 20 times and always my attention seems to turn to Esther (I know, big surprise). However as I read through Esther this time (as part of my read the entire Bible in year that I've been doing each year for nearly 20 years), a few things about Mordecai jumped out and caught my attention. From the Biblical account, he was quite a man and there is much worth noting about him as well as much worth emulating. So, I'm going to take some time and pore over some of these things this week.

⁵ Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, ⁶ who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away.

Esther 2:5-6 (ESV)

There's several things I want to note from just this introduction to Mordecai:

1. He was living in exile - Mordecai was a Jew living in exile in Persia. Though he was living in exile, he still maintained his Jewish identity and remained loyal to God. Much like several others whose lives may have overlapped his (Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), he remained true to his God even in a foreign land.
2. He may have been a Persian official - He was living in the citadel and we find out later was found at the city gate. Like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he had probably been trained as a government official.
3. His name may have been Babylonian in origin - We remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by their Babylonian names given to them in exile. Though his name may have been a tribute to a Babylonian god named Marduk, we know where his loyalty lay.
4. He was probably of Jewish nobility - Though the genealogy presented in Esther may contain gaps, it is clear that Mordecai was a Benjaminite descended from the youngest (and second most beloved son) of Jacob. Some Rabbinic literature gives more detailed account of his ancestors showing that he is descended from Kish (mentioned here in Esther) through his son Saul (the first king of Israel) and Jonathan (Saul's son and BFF of David) and his son Mephibosheth. The fact that Mordecai's family was carried away with Jeconiah (King Jehoiachin) may also indicate that he was of the Judean nobility.

Just from his introduction in Esther, we can see that He was probably a notable important man at the time. We will start delving into his character tomorrow.

Much to learn

For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?"

Esther 8:6 (NIV)

Haman the Agagite was defeated, but the plan he set in place for the destruction of the Jews was still in place. Esther was distraught. She approached the king once again. He extended his sceptre to her once again. She pleaded for her people.

There are times that I think I should be more like Esther. She was bold in approaching the king over and over again. She had true compassion and love for her people and did not want to see evil befall them. Do I find myself being bold like Esther? Does my heart truly break over the suffering of those around me? I can only answer these questions by hesitating and mumbling "sometimes." There is a lot of Christ's character seen here in Esther. There is much for this forty-something man to learn from this young queen.

Pride

When Haman entered, the king asked him, "What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?"

Now Haman thought to himself, "Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?"

Esther 6:6 (NIV)

Thanks to the movie One Night With The King, every time I read Esther and passages about Haman, I see Gaius Baltar from Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica. James Callis played both roles splendidly. Because I recognized him from one of my favorite TV shows, it made the part of Haman even more memorable to me.

Haman was an enemy of the Jewish people. He had risen to the top of the heap of advisers to King Xerxes. He was quite proud of himself. When the king sought to honor someone, he turned to Haman. Haman, of course, thought the king wanted to honor HIM and thus recommended the honor that he wanted. Haman was crushed when he found out it was his enemy Mordecai who the king wanted to honor and was humiliated as he had to honor Mordecai.

Imagine if you were up for an Academy Award. Not only were you up for the award, but all of the press are saying that you are a shoe-in for the award. Your bitter rival is up for the same award, but nobody saw that movie and the few who saw it hated it. You actually saw that movie, too, and definitely thought there was no way your rival would win the award. You have your acceptance speech all planned. You call the Academy and ask that since it's such a prestigious award you would like to present it. They agree. You're up on stage beaming with pride and in your best Shakespearan drama voice you say "The Award goes to..." You open the envelope... You see your rival's name. In front of a worldwide TV audience of 99 million you're supposed give the award to your rival, but you don't move because you're in shock. That's probably a little like how Haman felt. He was devestated.

⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James 4:8-10 (NIV)

Do You Know It All?

Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times

Esther 1:13 (NIV)

King Xerxes was one of the most powerful kings of his day. He's been in the background as I've read through Ezra and Nehemiah. He moves to the foreground here in Esther. He's one of the most powerful men in the world and his queen doesn't respect him. I'm sure the 24-hour news channels and gossip websites of his day were all over this story. Scandal in the first degree! He knew exactly what to do... talk to his counselors and seek their advice.

Sometimes I think I know exactly what I should do. I think I may understand a situation perfectly and the right course of action is obvious. Sometimes I think it may be obvious that the Bible says... and I should take a specific course of action. But sometimes I don't see the whole picture. Sometimes I don't see how other situations that I may not be aware of are influencing the situation I'm looking at. Sometimes, I may forget that there are other passages in the Bible that speak to the situation I may be in - not just the one that I interpret to mean what I like. I am thankful to God that there are others in my life who can speak into my life without my feeling threatened: my wife - who sees the big picture differently than I do; other men in my church who have walked with the Lord longer than I have and have seen God work in ways that I haven't; even men who have walked with the Lord less time than I have but God has still blessed them with experiences, knowledge, and wisdom that I don't posess. Seeking wise counsel is a good thing. I trust that God will guide me to the right counsel when I need it.