Read ESTHER 10:1–3

What makes a man great? What distinguishes him from the ordinary? Ralph Waldo Emerson connected greatness to humility: “A great man is always willing to be little.” Winston Churchill observed, “Good and great are seldom in the same man.”

Mordecai, was a man who was not only great but also good. What factors contributed to Mordecai’s success? First, Mordecai was devoted. He took care of his cousin, Esther. He raised her and loved her as his own daughter (2:7). Even when she was grown and entered the king’s palace, he would visit every day to see how she was doing (2:11). He demonstrated his love toward Esther with consistent, unselfish actions.

Second, Mordecai was brave and a person of decisive and courageous action. He uncovered the conspiracy against the king and saved his life (2:23). He learned of Haman’s plot to execute the Jewish people and devised a plan to save them. Third, Mordecai was a person of integrity and humility. Even though he knew the consequences, he refused to bow down to Haman (3:2). When he learned of the fate of his people, he did not sulk privately but put on sackcloth and ashes and mourned at the king’s gate (4:2).

Mordecai earned the respect of the Jewish people and the king because he was caring, decisive, humble, and consistent. He was a man of honor. Esther 10 says King Xerxes left behind a tremendous legacy that included “his acts of power and might.” But those records also featured the “greatness of Mordecai” (v. 2).

God worked through the good lives of Mordecai and Esther for the good of His people. They would not be forgotten.

APPLY THE WORD

How is God working through your life? As we conclude the study of Esther, ask God to use you, as He did Esther and Mordecai, as His faithful servant. Ask Him to humble you, challenge you, and stretch you as you follow Him through the twists and turns of your own life story. Ask Him for the courage to be a great man or woman of God.

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