Esther is now in the best
place for the women in the palace of Shushan. She is undergoing
beauty treatments that will prepare her to be presented to King
Ahasuerus who is looking for a new queen. While Esther is being
prepared she obeyed her older cousin Mordecai by keeping a secret
about her nationality and family. Mordecai cared for Esther when her
parents died, and now she is within the palace of the king. In
chapter two and verse eleven we see the continued care and concern of
Mordecai for Esther where we read:
And Mordecai walked
every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther
did, and what should become of her.
Our
verse begins, “And Mordecai walked every day before the court of
the women's house,...”. When we think about Mordecai's
position, we might well understand his concern for Esther. He cared
for her during one of the toughest parts of her life. He made sure
she was fed, clothed and housed after her parents passed away, and
now that she was taken by the kings servants to be prepared for
presentation before the king, he was all the more concerned. Every
day, that is, every day he walked before the court of the women's
house. It was his practice, his habit, and as we shall see in the
next part of our verse it was his passion for Esther that drove him
there.
The
verse continues, “ to know how Esther did, and what should
become of her.” Mordecai could not contain himself when it came
to knowing about Esther. He had to know how she did. He was driven to
know what should become of her. Can we imagine his thoughts before he
went to the court of the women every day? “I wonder how Esther is
doing? I hope she is okay? Is she eating okay? Are they treating her
right? I hope they don't spoil her or destroy what a wonderful girl
she is. I hope they don't find out who her nationality or family is.
I better go see about her. I'm going up there.” And every day
Mordecai went to check on her. What passion he had. What love he
contained.
If we
are ever to know people in their finest state, we are to pursue and
discover what it is they love. When we find out what a person loves
and help them get it legitimately, we will win the person. People are
driven by love, and Mordecai loved Esther. There are no additional
words that tell us that it was a drudgery for him to go to the court
every day. Going to the court of the women to find out about Esther
was Mordecai's habit. It was his practice, and although there was
some effort to continue this practice, it was a nothing compared to
his deep commitment to Esther. Perhaps our meditation today should
consist of two parts: First, what is it that we love that we would
find it no effort on our part at all to practice every day? And
Secondly, what is it that those around us love that we might help
them get legitimately? Let's allow Mordecai to be our example, and as
we consider the source of his love for Esther, we might just discover
that the Lord Jesus is passionately in love with us too.
Next time we see how long Esther
prepared for her entrance before the king, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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