EXCELLENCE OF MORDECAI

“For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen" (Esther 10:3 NKJV).

Most folks see Esther as the hero of this story. However, Mordecai was an even greater hero. He, more than Esther, helped bring about the deliverance of the Jews. Esther would have nothing without Mordecai’s insistence. Here in the last verse of the Book of Esther is a summation of the excellence of Mordecai. It speaks of his promotion, his praise, and his performance.

His promotion - “Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus.” This was a very important position because Persia was one of the most powerful nations in the world at that time. Mordecai’s promotion is a demonstration what God can do with an impossible situation. Joseph and Daniel are other illustrations of this truth. It is also important to note that before God promoted these men they first had to prove their faithfulness with simple duties. If we are not faithful with small responsibilities, God will not promote us with greater responsibilities.

His praise - “Great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren.” Mordecai was truly great, and was justly praised because of what he did in delivering the Jews and in protecting the king. Today we praise sports stars and Hollywood entertainers; we even call them great when they are nothing of the sort. The same is true of many politicians who are called great in their advertisements and by the news media.

His performance - “seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.” The word “good” means here refers to something that is appropriate, pleasing and beneficial. Mordecai, unlike so many politicians, used his position to help the people, not himself. He did not use the people to advance his position as is the case with many politicians today. May his tribe increase.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The man who humbly bows before God will walk upright before man!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Devout

In Luke 2:25 we read, “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (NKJV).

Devout is the Greek word eulabēs (εὐλαβής = yoo-lab-ace'). It is made up of two words: “eu” which means well, and “lambano” which means to receive, take hold. Literally, the word means taking hold of well and hence to be cautious, reverent, devout, and pious. It means pious, holy, religiously right, sanctioned.

In the Septuagint the basic meaning of eulabēs is devout, pious, reverent. In Biblical writings eulabēs is almost always used of reverence directed toward God. This reverence concerns separation from ritual defilement and is often associated with awe or fear of God. In the New Testament eulabēs is reserved for describing religious reverence, godliness, or piety. Further, its use in Luke and Acts is limited to devout Jews. Devout Jews were those who responded to the gospel and became believers.

It should also be noted that the word “waiting” here in Luke 2:25 is present tense indicating a continual waiting. And so our verse depicts “just and devout” Simeon as eagerly waiting for the Messiah; waiting for the Messiah was his daily, continual delight. We too should be anxiously waiting and looking for our Lord’s return.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matthew 27:57, 60

Bible Facts

Strong and weak nuclear force explained (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). Physicists do not understand what binds the atom’s nucleus together. Yet, the Bible states that “all things consist” or are held together by the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible Quiz

What led the Children of Israel by day while they were in the wilderness?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: What was God’s solution to the Israelites hunger problem in the wilderness? He rain down bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4).

That’s in the Bible

"Lamb to the slaughter”

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth” (Isa. 53:7 NKJV).

“Lamb to the slaughter” - The expression “lamb to the slaughter” means to go quietly in the face of punishment. The Lord Jesus silently endured brutal treatment. Throughout His life, the Lord was oppressed, afflicted, and treated cruelly by unbelievers. But He never opened His mouth to take vengeance or to react violently toward His oppressors. In his patience and silence, the Lord Jesus was like a lamb; John the Baptist calls Jesus “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 35). He willingly suffered so that we might become acceptable to God. He willingly went to the cross to die for the sins of the human race.

Did You Know - Christian History

Thomas à Kempis was born around 1380 in the town of Kempen near Düsseldorf in Germany. He was German priest, monk and author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular and best known Christian books on devotion.

The school that Thomas attended was started by Gerard Groote, founder of the Brothers of the Common Life. These were men devoted to prayer, simplicity, and union with God. Known as Thomas of Kempen at school, he was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. At age 19 he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes and then spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery.

The pattern of Thomas’s life remained the same over the years. He devoted his time to prayer, study, copying manuscripts, teaching new converts, offering Mass, and hearing the confessions of people who came to the monastery church. Although given a position of authority in the community of monks, Thomas preferred the quietness of his cell to the challenge of administration.

Thomas wrote many sermons, letters, hymns, and information about the lives of the saints. The most famous of his works by far is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. This small book has had great appeal to anyone interested in probing beneath the surface of life. According to Thomas, “a poor peasant who serves God is better than a proud philosopher who … ponders the courses of the stars.” The book advised the ordering of one’s priorities along religious lines. “Vain and brief is all human comfort. Blessed and true is that comfort which is derived inwardly from the Truth.” The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature. Thomas died in the same monastic obscurity in which he had lived, on July 25, 1471.

A Little Humor

One day an old country deacon was caught in an alley taking a little drink. A fellow deacon said to him, “You know you ought not to do that…you know the Lord will see you.” “Yes brother deacon, but He ain’t a big blabbermouth like a lot of people I know.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Freedom starts by kneeling at the cross!”