Glory to God! Hallelujah! The Lord has been so, so good to us during the very first full week of this New Year, which means we have had a great ending of the year 2025 and a grand beginning of the year 2026. Normal human tendency is to try and forget the past things [both the good as well as bad] and keep up with the present life [whether it is happy or unhappy] hoping a bright future awaits for us in the storeroom of time [though we are not very sure about it]. We are human beings and we have limitations as created beings. The reality is that we are created in an extraordinary way by an extraordinary God who created the universe and everything in it out of nothing [ex-nihilo], which includes the heavens and the earth and everything in them (Genesis 1:1-2:3). Heaven [the abode of the Sovereign God / the Creator and the Ruler of the universe], where God is seated, is filled with His angels [the ministering spirit-beings] and the saints of God who died in the Lord; the firmament [the sky] is filled with sun and moon and stars and planets and other celestial bodies; and the earth [including dry landmass and the waterbodies] is filled with the human race and animals and other living and nonliving things. Though we [that is, you and I] have limitations as created beings, the fact is that we are created in the image and likeness of the Lord God who created us and we can do all things through Christ [the embodiment of the God who created us] who gives us strength (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1; Ephesians 4:24; Philippians 2:5-8; 4:13; James 3:9). As we are created in the image and likeness of God, we have the God-given [instinct] ability and wisdom and power to differentiate life and death, heaven and hell, right and wrong, good and evil, joy and sorrow, and so on. The privilege of being created in the image and likeness of God makes us extraordinary among the other creations of God and the privilege of being called and separated as God’s chosen people from within the human race enables us to live a godly/righteous life, which all enable us to choose the right things at the right time for a greater value and greater purpose in life. We have the ability to forget and the ability to remember; we have the ability to give up and the ability to press/move on; we have the ability to destroy and the ability to build; we have the ability to be grateful and the ability to be ungrateful; and so on. Despite bothering about the outcome of various life-situations we face in life, we need to learn to trust in the Lord our God and wait upon Him. One of the most fitting examples to discuss regarding staying closer to the Lord our God and holding fast unto Him in times of crisis is the life-story of Job, the person who remained blameless, upright, feared God, and shunned evil (Job 1:1-2:13; 42:1-17), which we discussed in our last week’s SftW meditation (01/04/2026), where we discussed [as part of our meditation] about Job’s life and how he reacted and responded when the disaster struck his life due to the false accusations Satan made against God and Job. Satan’s false claims against God in connection with Job was that if God did not bless the work of his hands, blessed his flocks and herds and put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has, Job would not have remained blameless and upright the way he was and would not have feared God and shunned evil; if not he would have trusted God faithfully (Job 1:9-11). And, of course, Satan was proved wrong at the end as Job did not take God’s name in vain or sinned against God (1:20-22; 42:1-6). And, the Lord his God blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part (Job 42:12-16). Remember, when Job lost everything he had in the world including his children, wealth, health, and so on, and went through a lots of painful situations like rejection from his wife, his servants, the people whom once loved and respected him in the city (2:9; 19:13-20; 30:1-15); and the accusations of his close friends (Job 16:2), and all the crisis that hit his life that was not because of his faults; he remained calm in the presence of God, he trusted the Lord his God all the more, he did not sin against God (Job 1:20-22), he did not blame or accuse anyone else, he did not try his way out using his worldly resources like his influence, might, wealth, and other resources, he did not ask anyone to help him except God, rather he depended upon God and waited for God’s deliverance in his life knowing that only God can help him and deliver him from all such situations and bless him again and we read in the Scripture that God did it for Job (Job 42:12-16). In the similar way, when any disaster strikes our life, we need to trust and depend on God and wait for His deliverance and blessings in our life. For only God is able to bring a permanent solution for the troubles of any kind [health, wealth, rejection, etc] that comes upon the humanity – individually or collectively. The Scripture states that remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to gain wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today (Deuteronomy 8:18); and it is mentioned elsewhere that The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22; also refer to Ecclesiastes 5:19; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19).

The Lord has blessed us with a very encouraging Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which is taken from the book of Esther 10:3 (mentioned above). There are uncertainties  about the authorship of the book of Esther. As the author’s name is not particularly mentioned in the book, the Bible historians and scholars and others suggests different people’s name as the author. For instance, some think that the book of Esther is written by Mordecai [based on Esther 9:20] who is also one of the key persons mentioned in the book along with queen Esther and king Xerxes. Yet some others think that the book of Esther is written by Ezra the priest, a scribe and teacher of the law (Ezra 7:5, 11; Nehemiah 8:1-3) or Nehemiah the governor (Nehemiah 2:6-9; 5:14-15). One of the very interesting parts of the book of Esther is that the term ‘God’ in any form is not mentioned in the book but we can understand [as we read through the book] that God is fully involved in the entire episode that happened in the life of His people in the whole kingdom of king Xerxes, as God predominantly worked through Mordecai, queen Esther, king Xerxes, and so on. As we dive into the contents of the book, we can see that the main focus of the book encircles around describing the life of …

• • King Xerxes, one of the most powerful kings ever ruled the Medo-Persian empire (Esther 1:1-8);
  • Mordecai, a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who served as a Jewish official in the administration of king Xerxes (Esther 2:5-6, 21-23; 6:1-12; 8:1-2);
  • Hadassah [the cousin of Mordecai who brought her up as his own daughter after the death of her parents / Esther 2:7, 15] whose other name is Esther who [with the help extended to her by her cousin Mordecai / Esther 2:10] is chosen to be the wife of king Xerxes in the place of queen Vashti (Esther 1:9-2:1) and came to be known as queen Esther (Esther 2:7-18) who, with the help of Mordecai, saved the Jewish remnants from destruction and annihilation (Esther 8:7-17);
  • Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, a high ranking official in the administration of king Xerxes who hated Mordecai [for the reason Mordecai neither kneel down before him nor pay him honor the way others do / Esther 3:2; ] and plotted to annihilate the Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes (Esther 3:5-6); and, finally, he himself being annihilated, as he was impaled to the pole that he prepared to impale Mordecai the Jew.

As faithful followers of Christ, it is important for us to learn in a detailed way about everyone whose names are mentioned above for the purpose of our spiritual rejuvenation, but, in our case, as time and space permits us, we will limit our discussion mainly to Mordecai’s life and draw attention on others as needed. When we learn about Mordecai’s life, we can understand that he was a person who courageously took his stand to uphold the truth and principles of his faith [Jewish faith] even though he was an exile in a foreign country – who would neither bow/kneel down before Haman nor honor/praise him with his lips. Mordecai not only looked for his own benefit but also the welfare of his fellow-men-and-women while upholding the values of his faith in the God of his fathers and honored the Lord his God while being in a foreign land as an exile. He is one of the best examples of the people who has selfless concern for the welfare of others. Mordecai took care of Hadassah/Esther very well as if she was his daughter, and cared for the entire Jewish population whose lives were in danger as exiles. He never approached queen Esther, though she is his cousin, nor king Xerxes, though he is his cousin’s husband [that is, his brother-in-law], for his personal benefit but he did it for the benefit of the entire population of Jewish community. When he first heard about the harm being plotted against his people by Haman, one of the high officials in the administration of king Xerxes, he was troubled within and invited the his people to seek God earnestly in fasting and prayer (Esther 4:1-3). As Haman plotted against the Jews and worked hard for their annihilation, Mordecai neither kept quiet nor sought to protect himself and his cousin queen Esther the wife of king Xerxes, rather he urged queen Esther to plead with king Xerxes and try to save not only his or her lives but also the lives of the entire Jewish remnant scattered throughout the Medo-Persian empire that spread across between India and Cush (Esther 1:1), which indicate the fact that he was not a selfish person rather he proved himself as a selfless person who spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

Mordecai came to king Xerxes’ attention as he brought into the light an assassination plot against king Xerxes by two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway (Esther 2:21-23). According to the guidance of Mordecai, queen Esther courageously but with fear in her heart presented herself before the king [though she was not invited/called by the king to come to his presence] with the intention of revealing Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews to king Xerxes across his kingdom. Thus, Queen Esther interceded and pleaded with king Xerxes for her life and the lives of her people (Jews) who lived in his kingdom. When Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews was uncovered before the king, and as the king realized the fact that he was misguided by Haman to support Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews across his kingdom and issued an edict regarding it, he became furious and ordered the execution of Haman; and the kings attendants impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai (Esther 7:9-10). The king issued another edict in favor of Jews, as it is mentioned:

King Xerxes said to Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew … Now you may write in the king’s name as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring … a decree that … cannot be revoked … So, Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers … The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies (Esther 8:7-11).

As the new edict was issued in all of 127 provinces of Medo-Persian empire, the Jews were happy but their enemies were terrified because the new edict gave them permission to defend themselves and protect their people. Thus, upon the prayer and counsel and timely intervention of Mordecai made queen Esther bold enough to despise the order of king Xerxes, her husband [that without his permission no one should approach him], to approach him to seek his help in sparing her life and her people’s lives in the entire Medo-Persian empire. As a result, [of course, with the help of God] her life and Mordecai’s life and the rest of their people’s lives were spared as they were able to defend themselves from their enemies. The victory brought happiness and joy and celebration in the Jewish camps praising the God of their fathers who delivered them from being annihilated (Esther 8:15-17). In order to commemorate their victory over their enemies and celebration followed it, the Jewish festival of Purim was instituted and celebrated year after year ever since (Esther 9:20-32).

As we have mentioned earlier, though God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, God’s concern and care for His chosen people, especially for the remnants who were scattered throughout the Medo-Persian empire that spread across all the way to India from Cush, will be revealed in and through the incidents that took place during the reign of king Xerxes that are recorded in the book of Esther (Esther 1:1-10:3). Some of those pivotal incidents that were taken place are mentioned below for our reference and spiritual benefit:

• • Bringing king Xerxes into power and authority who ruled all the 127 provinces of the Medo-Persian empire that is stretching from India to Cush from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa (1:1-2)
  • The lavish banquet king Xerxes gave for all his nobles and officials that includes the military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and nobles of the provinces (1:3-5)
  • The king’s command to queen Vashti to present herself of before the king and his nobles during the banquet king organized wearing her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles (1:9-11)
  • Refusal of queen Vashti to appear before the king and his nobles during the banquet king organized (1:12)
  • The king’s disposal of Vashti as his wife as well as the queen of Medo-Persian empire (1:19-21)
  • The service of Mordecai the Jew in the administration of king Xerxes as one of the Jewish officials at the king’s gate (2:5-8)
  • Mordecai’s role in sending Hadassah who is also called Esther, his cousin, in order to be chosen as the wife of king Xerxes and the next queen of the Medo-Persian empire (2:7-9)
  • Selection of Esther as king’s wife and the next queen of Medo-Persian Empire (2:15-18)
  • Mordecai’s role in uncovering the plot to kill the king by two of his officers who guarded the doorway and letting the king knew about it through queen Esther (2:21-23)
  • The king’s realization that Mordecai saved his life by uncovering the plot to kill him by two of his officials and rewards Mordecai (6:1-11)
  • The rise of Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, one of king’s nobles, into a higher level and the king giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles in his kingdom (3:1-2)
  • The plot of Haman to kill Mordecai and annihilate all the Jewish people in all the provinces of the Medo-Persian empire from India to Cush with his approval of king Xerxes (3:3-11)
  • Mordecai’s prayer to the Lord his God and persuasively demanding queen Esther [herself being a Jewess] to appeal to the king to save her and the entire Jewish community [which includes Mordecai] across his kingdom from being annihilated (4:1-14)
  • Queen Esther’s courage to appear before the king before her being invited by the king (4:15-5:8)
  • The uncovering of Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews across the kingdom before the king by Esther (7:1-7)
  • The destruction and death of Haman upon king’s order (7:5-10)
  • The king’s order to release another edict that gives power to Jews to defend and protect themselves from their enemies (8:1-13)
  • Mordecai became instrumental for the deliverance of the Jewish remnants in the Medo-Persian empire that ruled by king Xerxes from being annihilated (8:15-17)
  • The Jubilation of Jewish community across Xerxes’ kingdom and the establishment of the Jewish festival called Purim to commemorate God’s faithfulness in delivering the remnants from the situation [from being annihilated] they went through during the reign of king Xerxes (8:14-9:32)
  • Mordecai’s rise to power in the Medo-Persian empire as second in rank to king Xerxes benefitted the entire citizens of the kingdom (10:1-2)
  • Mordecai’s service in the Medo-Persian empire under king Xerxes as well as his ministry among his people helped the Jewish remnant to thrive in the kingdom despite being captive or exile (10:2-3)
  • Mordecai’s selfless thoughtfulness and service enabled him to speak up for the welfare of all the Jews (10:3).
  • Mordecai remained loyal to his God, the God of his fathers, and to his person even though he was living in a foreign land as a captive and God honored him for his loyalty towards God and His people.

Mordecai’s life is an example for everyone who serves the Lord with a heart of integrity and serves his/her people selflessly. As we have read in the Scripture passage we chose for our meditation (Esther 10:3), God honored Mordecai and he was elevated to second in rank to King Xerxes, he became a preeminent figure among the entire Jewish community, and he was held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews (Esther 10:3a). This happened because he honored the Lord his God and worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all his people (Esther 10:3b).

Dear friends, as we are about to conclude our SftW meditation this week, in the light of our meditation from the book of Esther, let us consecrate our life for the service of God and extend help to our people [near and far] as Mordecai and queen Esther selflessly served their God and their people simultaneously. Both of them together, in one way or other, honored and glorified God through their life and the responsibilities given to them to accomplish and selflessly served their community in order to improve the welfare of their people. Similarly, as the faithful followers of Christ, we care called to do similar things in and through our lives – that is, live to glorify God and serve selflessly for the welfare of the people who are around us. This is what God commanded us to do and this is what God expects us to do. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ set an example for us to follow, as Jesus said: I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (John 13:15; also refer to Matthew 11:29). If we think that we are going through a difficult situation, remember that Christ also went through a similar situation, as Apostle Peter stated: To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). Apostle Paul stated: Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2; also refer to Matthew 5:48; Philippians 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 John 2:6).

May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!