Mordecai And God’s Providence

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Scripture

His great achievements and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai… are recorded…Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants.
~Esther 10:2-3, NLT

Quote

Trust the past to God’s MERCY, the present to His LOVE, and the future to His PROVIDENCE.

~Augustine

Commiphora

Mordecai is the George Washington of the Jews, a highly respected iconic figure. His name comes from two words ‘pure myrrh’. Myrrh is a resin extract from the Commiphora plant which comes in the form of a shrub or small tree. It is a tropical plant that grows in Arabian Peninsula, Africa, India and Viet Nam. Myrrh was highly valuable import to the Jews. They used it for perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mixed with wine was a pain-killer. You may recall that this concoction was offered to Jesus at His crucifixion. The priest used myrrh daily in the temple on the altar of incense.

Before Nebuchadnezzar took Mordecai as a captive to Babylon, he was a member of the Sanhedrin. The fact that he emerges as the chief Jewish leader among the exiles is not shocking. He was a man of character and bold as a lion. He was the only Jew in the court of Ahasuerus who refused to compromise his convictions, even though it could have cost him his life. The Jews in Babylon would have been exterminated had it not been for Mordecai’s wisdom and courage. But there is more to this story, much more.

Mordecai was mixed: on his father’s side, he was of the tribe of Benjamin and a descendant of Shimei {Saul’s family}. Through his mother’s side, he was a descendant of Judah from whence he got the Lion gene. If you recall, Judah eventually emerged as the leader of Jacob’s 12 sons. Shimei was the guy who followed David out of Jerusalem when Absalom took the throne. He cursed David, threw rocks at him and called him a murderer. Abishai, David’s nephew and a member of his body-guard, wanted to cut Shimei’s head off but David wouldn’t allow it. Deep down, David knew that some of the things Shimei was saying were true. David gives Shimei a period of grace. David doesn’t touch him during his life time but he does give Solomon instructions to settle the score after his death. Eventually, Solomon has Shimei executed. Here is the fascinating point: the son of Shimei who becomes the descendant of Mordecai was born after Shimei cursed David. In other words, had David not shown mercy, Mordecai would never have been born. A triple hallelujah for God’s providence, right!

I’m sure David’s nephew was thinking to himself, “Uncle David has lost his mind. Why don’t he let me whack this guys head off which will put a stop his vile mouth?” There is no way that David or his nephew could have known what God had in mind. Sometimes strange things happen that we cannot figure out but God has a reason. We may not know what the reason is for another 500 years but there is a reason.

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