Topical Bible: Love: Mordecai for Esther

◄ Love: Mordecai for Esther ►

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Mordecai, a central figure in the Book of Esther, exemplifies a profound and selfless love for his cousin Esther, whom he raised as his own daughter. This love is characterized by protection, guidance, and sacrifice, reflecting a deep familial bond and commitment to her well-being and success.

Background and Relationship

Mordecai was a Jew living in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, during the reign of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus). He was from the tribe of Benjamin and a descendant of Kish, making him a relative of King Saul. Esther, originally named Hadassah, was Mordecai's cousin. After the death of her parents, Mordecai took her in and raised her as his own daughter (Esther 2:7: "Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, the daughter of his uncle, because she had no father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and features, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her in as his own daughter.").

Protection and Guidance

Mordecai's love for Esther is evident in his protective nature and wise counsel. When Esther was taken to the king's palace as a candidate to become queen, Mordecai instructed her not to reveal her Jewish identity, understanding the potential dangers she might face (Esther 2:10: "Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so."). His guidance was rooted in a desire to shield her from harm and ensure her safety in a foreign and potentially hostile environment.

Mordecai's vigilance is further demonstrated by his regular visits to the palace gate to learn about Esther's welfare (Esther 2:11: "And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn about Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her."). This daily concern underscores his unwavering commitment to her well-being.

Sacrifice and Advocacy

Mordecai's love for Esther also manifests in his willingness to sacrifice for her and their people. When Haman, an official in the king's court, plotted to annihilate the Jews, Mordecai urged Esther to use her position as queen to intercede on behalf of her people. He challenged her with the possibility that she had attained her royal position for such a time as this (Esther 4:14: "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?").

Mordecai's appeal to Esther was not only a call to action but also a testament to his faith in God's providence and his belief in Esther's potential to be a vessel of deliverance. His love for her was intertwined with his love for their people, motivating him to encourage Esther to take a stand, even at great personal risk.

Legacy of Love

Mordecai's love for Esther is a model of selflessness, courage, and faith. His actions throughout the narrative of Esther reveal a deep-seated commitment to her welfare and the greater good of their community. Through his guidance, protection, and advocacy, Mordecai played a pivotal role in the preservation of the Jewish people, demonstrating that true love often involves sacrifice and a willingness to act for the benefit of others.

Nave's Topical Index

Esther 2:7
And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Queen Esther's Love for Her People
... she became his favorite and won his love, so that ... to all his officials and servants
in honor of Esther. In those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king's ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/queen esthers love for her.htm

Hebrew Captives; Or, Mordecai and Esther.
... The way was now clear to Esther, and so the ... beauty inflaming the ardent monarch with
love and desire ... he was swinging on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai. ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/hebrew captives or mordecai and.htm

Concerning Esther and Mordecai and Haman; and How in the Reign of ...
... cast the memory of his wife, and his love for her ... she was brought up with her uncle
Mordecai, for that ... proved that this damsel, whose name was Esther, was the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 concerning esther and.htm

Esther's Venture
... It is very striking that Mordecai makes no attempt to minimise Esther's peril in ...
It is grand when love exhorts loved ones to a course which may bring death ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/esthers venture.htm

The Net Broken
... not by appeals to his justice or royal duty, but to his love for her ... Ahasuerus, Haman,
Esther, Mordecai, are His instruments, and yet each of them is the doer ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the net broken.htm

Adoption
... Mordecai adopted Esther, because she was fair. When we were in our blood God adopted
us. When I saw thee polluted in thy blood, it was the time of love.' ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/4 adoption.htm

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness," &C.
... we go out we may find bread." And so the poor soul, with Mordecai and Esther, comes
to ... xi.12) and this is written upon his using of means, "How love I the ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xv but seek ye.htm

The Blessed Privilege of Seeing God Explained
... As their love to God, so their sight of God shall be ... will it be when (as it was said
of Mordecai) we shall ... a great crown of gold upon his head' (Esther 8:15). ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/17 the blessed privilege of.htm

Appendix. The Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament.
... alms on which it insists so earnestly flow from inward faith and love. ... edict for
the destruction of the Jews; the prayer of Mordecai and of Esther in view ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/appendix the apocryphal books of.htm

The Feast of the Lord
... people escaped from the plot which was laid by Haman, through the wisdom of Mordecai
and Esther, they ordained ... "Who shall separate us from the love of God ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/the feast of the lord.htm