“For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people, and spoke peace to all his people.”
-Esther 10:3
What a great description of Mordecai at the close of this book. We’ve seen him in so many different ways throughout the book of Esther, working for the good of his people behind the scenes, when nobody else was watching. And so now, at the end of the book, he’s second in rank. What a picture even of God-exalting those who humble themselves. And he’s described as great and popular with a multitude of his brothers. Why? Because he sought the welfare of his people. He sought the good of others, and he spoke peace to all his people.
Esther 10:3 Calls Us to Live Differently
Don’t you want to live like that? Today, and tomorrow, and to be marked by a love for the people around you? Don’t you want it to be said, or not even just to be said, because we’re really not living for the applause of others. Don’t you want it to be true of you, that you sought the welfare of the people around you? And you spoke peace, that you didn’t speak divisively or dishonorably, or you didn’t stir up strife, or you didn’t speak anger. That you speak peace to the people around you.
Asking God to Help Us Seek the Welfare of Others
God, we pray for these things in our lives. Pray for these things in my life. God, help me, help us to seek the welfare of the people around us. Forgive us, oh God, for our selfishness, for our self-centeredness, for our tendencies to look out for ourselves, to seek our welfare over others. God, help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to seek that which is best for them, to go out of our way to care for them. To consider their interests above our own, Philippians 2.
A Reminder to Speak Peace
And God, help us to speak peace today. Help us not to stir up strife or division or dissension. God, help us to speak with kindness and gentleness and honor toward all. We pray that our speech would be seasoned with salt in a way that reflects your goodness and your wisdom and your kindness and your peace. God, we praise you for the way you used Mordecai in Esther 10, and we lay our lives before you today.
We pray that in small ways, behind the scenes, when nobody else is looking, not just when we’re in front of others. God, we pray you’d help us to seek the welfare of others, even when you’re the only one who sees us doing it. And to speak peace to everyone around us. God, we pray for this, based on this picture of Mordecai in Esther 10, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
