Walk Of Life – Day 14, November 2020, Thoughts From The Book Of Proverbs
In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. Proverbs 14 : 26
Mordecai is first mentioned in Esther 2:5 as the son of Jair and a Benjamite. He brought up his cousin Hadassah as his own child after she lost her parents. Esther 2:19 tells us that Mordecai served “within the king’s gate.” He helped protect the king by exposing a plot against his life. Although his act that saved the life of king was recorded, Mordecai was not rewarded for it. He did not receive any honor for foiling a plot against the ruling king. Instead of complaining about it, however, he remained content to do his job within the king’s gate.
There was a man that King Ahasuerus promoted to a high degree, to the extent that all men in the citadel of Susa should bow and pay homage to him. This man, Haman, was the son of Hammedatha, an Agagite. He was an Amalekite. While all the people bowed down to him every time he passed by, Mordecai wouldn’t. His reason? He was a Jew.
Amalekites are enemies of the Jews. Exodus 17:16 tells us, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Mordecai would never bow down to God’s enemies and this is the confidence that comes out of fearing God.
Moreover, when there was a decree passed out to destroy all the Jews scattered over the land by the cunning wickedness of Haman, the Amalekite he calls out the queen who is his cousin and tells her straight forwardly “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14).
We are aware of all that happened later. All the Jews of Susa and Esther, along with her maids observed the fast for 3 continuous days and nights. Then Esther confidently appeared in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the King’s hall (Esther 5: 1)
This task of Esther is completely not possible without the confidence that comes by fearing the Lord. To appear before the king without his summon is a life-threatening act and that is possible only with the confidence given by the Lord.
Both Mordecai and Esther feared the Lord and that is the only answer for their confidence.
“The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” – Oswald Chambers.
“If you kneel before God You stand before any man” – Leonard Ravenhill.
“Men who fear God face life fearlessly. Men who do not fear God ends up fearing everything.” – Richard Halverson
