A Tribute to Mordecai

10 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.² And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? ³ Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.
(Esther Chapter 10 NIV)

The author ends the story by paying tribute to Mordecai and the good he did for the Jewish people.  God used Mordecai to watch over His people while serving a gentile king.

God raised up Mordecai to the office of Prime Minister (second-in-command only to the king), similar to Joseph under the Egyptian Pharaoh, and Daniel under the Babylonian rulers.  Like Joseph and Daniel, Mordecai served well under the king, and brought peace to the land during his tenure.  The Jewish people had not experienced peace with their captors / neighbors in a very long time, so this was truly a blessing from the hand of God.

Verse 1 states that the king instituted a “tribute” (tax) from one end of the kingdom to the other, even to the remote islands.  While this statement seems a little out of place, it was likely mentioned because the king put Mordecai in charge of collecting the tax from the various provinces.  Mordecai likely made sure the tax was administered fairly, and there was no corruption or scandals within the governmental ranks.

Throughout this book of Esther, we have seen God’s Providence, His quiet movement behind the scenes to protect and provide for His own.  How much that applies to us today, as we go about our daily lives, where the Lord uses people and places and things and circumstances to bless others and protect and provide for His own.

God is working all around us; most of the time, we are not even aware.  As we lay down our busy schedules at the foot of the cross, we make way for “divine interruptions” where God can use us to encourage and love and care for those around us.  God doesn’t need our skills or abilities (although He often uses them) – rather, He is mainly interested in our availability to serve Him and humbly be part of His plan and work.

May we have eyes to see, and ears to hear God at work around us, and faith to step into His calling.

Blessings,
~kevin