The Greatness of Mordecai



 

Esther 10

1 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on a the islands of the sea.
2 Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, b to which the king 1 advanced him, are they not written in the book of the c chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
3 For Mordecai the Jew was d second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, e seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his 2 countrymen.

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New King James Version (NKJV)

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Woman in Salvation History



God used various people, places and events in the Old Testament to prefigure realities later revealed in the New Testament. Guided by Church Tradition, we can discover how various Old Testament events and persons point to truths about Christ´s mother.

by Curtis Mitch | Source:

How can Catholic Tradition make so much of Mary when the New Testament seems to say so little about her? Do the unique quality of biblical passages about Mary sufficiently compensate for the lack of quantity?

Early on I learned that much of the Bible’s teaching about Mary exists in the form of Old Testament types. This means, among other things, that direct prophecy was not the only way that the Old Testament announced the glorious advent of the New. In addition to prophetic oracles about the future Messiah and His Mother (e.g. Gen. 3:15, Is. 7:14), God used various people, places, events and institutions of the Old Covenant to prefigure the mysteries He would later unveil through Christ. God was not bound to speak to His people only with words; He also adapted created things for His purposes and invested them with spiritual and prophetic significance.

In biblical language, these historical preparations for the Gospel are called types (Gk. Typos). This word was used by the New Testament writers to mean “copy,” “model,” or “figure” and literally refers to a stamp or mark made when one object strikes another. For example, an impression made in clay by a signet ring or seal would leave a mark that resembled its crafted image, yet differed from it as a copy differs from an original. Old Covenant “types” thus referred to historical persons and things that looked forward to greater realities yet to be revealed. These reflections of the New Covenant in the Old Testament were part of what made the entire Bible a living source of the Church’s teaching throughout the centuries.

Treasury of Marian Types

Catholic Tradition has culled numerous Marian gems from the rich mines of the Old Testament (cf. Catechism, no. 489). Pope Pius IX, when defining the Immaculate Conception, gave a brief index of Marian typology that figured prominently in the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Noah’s ark (Gen. 7:7), for instance, prefigured Mary’s singular purity and immunity from sin, for it alone escaped the dreadful judgment of God upon the world for its wickedness. Jacob’s ladder (Gen. 28:12) typified the Blessed Virgin as a heavenly intercessor, stretching up to the Lord and serving as the avenue whereupon angels and blessings pass between heaven and earth. The burning bush (Ex. 3:2) is a type of Mary as a mother enveloped in divine love – just as the bush burned but was not consumed, so the Virgin remained uncharred by the raging flames of God’s presence in her womb.

Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8: 10-13) likewise foreshadows the mystery of her divine maternity: As God’s glory filled the sacred building, so Mary became a sanctuary housing the glory of God’s Son. The Litany of Loreto similarly addresses Mary as the Ark of the Covenant. Just as the golden ark held within it such things as the tablets of the law an a sample of heavenly manna, so Mary bore within her womb Jesus Christ, the living law of the New Covenant and the Eucharistic Bread of Life.

In addition to the symbolism of inanimate objects, Mary is also typified by the women and mothers of the Old Covenant. These outstanding figures exhibit a real but limited likeness to the mother of the future Messiah and prepared Israel to welcome her as their most exemplary and virtuous kinswoman.

Foremost among these ancient women is Eve, the mother of all the living (Gen. 3:20). The Church Fathers, following the same trajectory that St. Paul traced when contrasting Adam with Jesus (cf. Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:22), likewise recognized Mary as the blessed counterpart to Eve. Unlike the first woman, the Virgin always obeyed God, was always at enmity with the treacherous serpent, and was made the mother of all who are spiritually alive through grace.

Rebekah prefigured Mary in her maternal concern to secure blessings for her son Jacob and shield him from the plots of his envious brother Easau (Gen. 25-27). Like this matriarch, the Blessed Mother protects her children from the tactics of the enemy, gives them wise counsel and petitions the Father to bless them.

The mother of the Maccabean martyrs (2 Mac. 7) is a striking prototype of Mary in her maternal anguish. She encouraged her sons to trust unswervingly in God despite torture, unconvinced that God would vindicate her sons and raise them again from the dead. Echoes of this event can be heard in the background as Mary stood at the foot of the Cross, pained at the spectacle of her tortured Son, yet full of motherly confidence in the divine promise of resurrection.

Precedents for the royal dignity of Mary can be traced to the prominent queens of the Old Testament era. Queen Esther (Esther 1-10) was a remarkable heroine whose privileged position in the Persian kingdom enabled her to avert a planned massacre of her fellow Jews in exile. Mary similarly uses her heavenly authority and intervention as Queen to protect God’s people from deadly schemes of the devil.

Queen Bathsheba was known as a powerful intercessor exercising great maternal sway over her son, King Solomon (1 Kings 2:13-25). Her royal advocacy in the kingdom of Israel speaks prophetic volumes about Mary’s greater and more effective intercession before Christ, the true successor and Son of David enthroned in heaven (cf. Mk. 16:19; Lk. 1:32).

We might ask ourselves, with some justification, whether these Marian types found in the Old Testament are instances of mere fanciful creativity, or examples that are firmly anchored in the inspired text of Scripture. That is, how do we know that Marian types are in the Bible and not just in the minds of its interpreters?

We will better understand the Church’s interpretive tradition when we examine how the New Testament itself confirms Marian typology and gives the Church an advantaged angle for seeing the Virgin throughout biblical history.

Blessed Among Women

When we look to Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth (cf. Lk. 1:39-56), on the surface the episode appears dwarfed and overshadowed by the towering mysteries which surround it. Nothing extraordinary seemed to characterize this event until the two women finally met. All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit descended mightily on Elizabeth, the infant John jostled with joy in her womb, and she burst out in one of the most exuberant cries in Scripture: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk. 1:42).

Were it not for the nudging impulse of the Spirit, we might have thought Mary’s cousin was overstating things a bit. How could Elizabeth have already known that Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah? How could she (and John!) have a clear picture of the mystery within her before Christ was revealed to the world? It had to be the Holy Spirit who illumined her mind and moved her soul in this way.

What did the words “Blessed are you among women” really mean? For the Catholic reader, this expression immediately recalls the beloved prayer, the “Hail Mary.” For Elizabeth and Mary, however, these words were strikingly similar to certain appellations in the Old Testament.

The first time a statement like this appeared in the Bible was centuries earlier in the Book of Judges. The story is told of a heroine named Jael who stands out as one of the most valiant women in Old Testament history (cf. Judg. 4-5). Though a humble woman without any known expertise in the art of war, she single-handedly brought low the chief enemy of God’s people. She crept stealthily to the Canaanite commander’s bedside, and drove a tent peg through his skull.

For this reason Deborah hailed her with the exalted words: “Most blessed of women be Jael…of tent-dwelling women most blessed” (Judg. 5:24). This is the first biblical echo that whispers – if not shouts - behind the words of Elizabeth in Luke 1:42.

The Book of Judith furnishes us with a second. Like Jael, Judith stands out in the Old Testament as a woman of unforgettable courage. She too lived during turbulent times in Israel’s history, when the ambitions of foreign empires posed a constant threat to God’s people. After careful planning, Judith wasted no time in seizing the moment when she took General Holofernes’ own sword and cut off his head! Quickly she slipped out of his tent with the ghastly trophy of the commander’s head tucked in a bag and returned to her beleagued city of Berthulia.

All rejoiced that the Lord wrought such an astonishing victory for Israel through the humble maiden Judith. The episode reached a climax when the city magistrate Uzziah came to her exclaiming: “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God, above all women on earth” (Judg, 13:18). In the end, Judith’s performance proved to be a turning point in Israel’s history – like Jael, she was a “blessed” vessel chosen by God to crush the stronghold of the enemy.

With this background now in the forefront of our minds, it is nearly impossible to imagine that Elizabeth could have spoken such words as “Blessed are you among women” without triggering a flood of biblical associations. Indeed the Spirit Himself - the same Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures - must have chosen such words for this very purpose. We can now see Mary standing in a long tradition of valiant biblical women whom God selected to carry forward His saving plan. Jael and Judith played such pivotal roles in the Old Testament as types that they prefigured the mission of the Messiah’s mother.

The common denominator linking together the experiences of Jael and Judith is the violent downfall of God’s adversaries. Both women were chosen to strike down the enemy forces with a lethal blow to the head. The question that immediately presents itself to us is obvious: What possible connections could such brutal details have with the quiet life of Mary? In what specific way was she really like these biblical heroines?

The Mystery of Mary

Questions like these inevitably push the attentive reader into the historical context of ancient Judaism, a world with magnificent hopes for the coming Messiah. Like any and every Jew, Elizabeth would have known many ancient prophecies foretelling the advent of Israel’s deliverer. Doubtless, then, she knew well the very first prophecy of the Old Testament: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). With this promise, God announced far in advance of its fulfillment that the devil’s triumph in the Garden of Eden would eventually end in defeat, with his head being crushed or bruised under the trampling blows of the Messiah and His mother.

We can safely say that Jews would not be prone to forget such bright promises so graphically depicted. Elizabeth was no exception. In a flash of inspired intuition, this ancient prophesy (Gen. 3:15) converged with the ancient types of Jael and Judith in the mind of Elizabeth, yielding a biblical portrait of the maiden standing before her.

She realized that this humble, expectant mother was to play a leading role with her Son in the great drama of redemption. Thus while Mary’s blessedness was prefigured in the lives of Israel’s valiant women, the comparisons worked out to her advantage – for both the enemy fought (Satan) and the victory won (over sin) would be immeasurably greater. This Mary was at one level the mirror image of women like Jael, Judith, and other memorable heroines; at another, she stood far above them as the most exemplary woman in history.

Stunned by the impact of this mystery, Elizabeth could do nothing but clothe her thoughts in the poignant words of Scripture: “Blessed are you among women” (Lk. 1:42).

The role of Mary in Sacred Scripture can seem like both a puzzle and a hurdle – for practicing Catholics, non-Catholics, and returning Catholics alike. Guided by the Church’s Tradition, however, we can be led from the surface of the Bible into the depths of its Old and New Testament teaching concerning the life of the mother of Our Lord.

This article is a condensed version of a chapter from Catholic for a Reason II: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God. Reprinted with permission from Catholic Lay Witness ( 1-800-693-2484). All rights reserved.

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Taken from:

http://catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3511&grupo=Church%20Teaching%20QA&canal=Bible%20School

Lessons from the Book of Esther

By Ken Raggio
 

 

God Can Remove Anyone Who Is In His way

God prepared the way for Esther to save Israel from genocide long before her time. Ahasuerus was king over a vast empire in the Middle East, extending from India to Ethiopia. Queen Vashti scandalously refused the kings request to appear at a state dinner at Shushan the palace. The king's wise men urged him to banish her. He did. Esther soon became the queen. God can remove anyone who hinders you from doing His will.

Esther 1:20 - "When the king's decree which he shall make shall be published, ...all the wives shall give to their husbands honour."

Esther Chosen Above All The Women

After king Ahasuerus ridded himself of queen Vashti, the search was on for a new queen. Inside the palace, a captive Jew named Mordecai heard the news and brought his uncle's daughter Hadassah (Esther) to the keeper of the women. Mordecai warned her to keep her Jewish identity secret. He knew there was a plot in the palace to exterminate all Jews. But God had already arranged to promote Esther.

Esther 2:17 - "The king loved Esther above all the women, ...so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti."

God Gave Mordecai Favor With King Ahasuerus

King Ahasuerus did not know that Queen Esther was a Jew. Mordecai told her to keep silent about it. One day, while sitting in the king's gate, Mordecai overheard a conspiracy to assassinate the king. He quickly informed Esther, who told the king. The would-be assassins were caught and executed. Meanwhile, powerful men in the palace plotted to kill the Jews. But God was plotting to save them. Mordecai's favor to the king was recorded. God orchestrated Mordecai's future defense.

Esther 2:23 - "It was written in the book of the chronicles before the king."

Enemies Would Destroy All God's People

King Ahasuerus promoted Haman above all the princes. Everyone bowed to Haman, except Mordecai. That infuriated Haman so he decided to kill ALL Jews. Haman persuaded the king that Jews threatened his kingdom, and must be destroyed. The king said, "do with them as it seemeth good to thee." Never underestimate your enemy's intentions.

Esther 3:13 - "Letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, ...and to take the spoil of them for a prey."

A Loud And Bitter Cry

When Mordecai saw Haman's decree announcing a date to exterminate all Jews, "he rent his clothes, put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry." He wore sackcloth into the king's gate, which was forbidden. Esther was exceedingly grieved and sent raiment to Mordecai, but he refused it. She sent a chamberlain to query Mordecai. Mordecai sent Esther a copy of the genocide decree. His loud and bitter cry arrested the queen.

Esther 4:9 - "Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai."

You Have Come To The Kingdom For Such A Time As This

By law, anyone entering the king's chamber unbidden must be put to death, unless the king holds out his golden sceptre. Esther feared, but Mordecai insisted that if she held her peace, "thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther knew she had to go. Mordecai called the Jews in Shushan to fast three days. Sometimes, the will of God is simply "Do or Die."

Esther 4:16 - "So will I go in unto the king, ...and if I perish, I perish."

A Three-Day Fast For Esther

Esther literally risked her life to appear in the inner court of the king's house. She had not seen the king in thirty days. If he did not raise his golden sceptre toward her, by law, she must die. But a multitude of Jews fasted three days in behalf of Esther, and God gave her favor in the king's sight. He held out the golden sceptre, and his offer was completely awesome.

Esther 5:3 - "What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom."

Esther's Petition

Haman negotiated with Ahasuerus, King of Persia and Media, to have all Jews in his kingdom killed on the 13th of the month. Mordecai saw the decree posted and sent word to Esther that she must intervene. All the Jews fasted and prayed for three days with great consternation. Esther and her maidens fasted likewise. Miraculously, the King totally reversed his decision, and killed Haman instead.

Esther 5:6 - "What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed."

Esther Planned To Trap Haman

Ahasuerus happily received Esther to his throne and offered her request up to half his kingdom. All Esther wanted was for the king and Haman to come to a banquet she planned to prepare. Haman's ego swelled because he was invited with the king. But Haman's delight soured when he saw Mordecai in the king's gate. His wife and friends said, "Build a gallows a hundred feet high, and ask the king to hang him tomorrow!"

Esther 5:14 - "The thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made."

God Can Force Your Enemy To Bless You

King Ahasuerus was sleepless, so called someone to read aloud from his chronicles. He heard about Mordecai foiling a plot to kill the king. "What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?" "Nothing, sir." God was about to deliver Mordecai and all the Jews from annihilation. With shrewd irony, God used the very man who wanted most to kill Mordecai, to set him free.

Esther 6:4 - "The king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come ...to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows. ...the king said, Let him come in."

Blindness To God's Will Is Fatal

Haman wanted permission from the king to execute Mordecai. But God had other plans. Mordecai, Esther and a multitude of Jews had been fasting, because they knew Haman planned to kill them all. Haman was totally ignorant of the plan and purpose of Almighty God. He expected to be honored, and Mordecai to die. Instead, Mordecai would be exalted, and Haman would die. It is dangerous not to know God's prophetic will.

Esther 6:6 - "Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?"

God Turns The Table On Haman

King Ahasuerus asked Haman what he thought should be done for "the man whom the king delighteth to honour." Haman vainly expected the king wanted to honor him, and spelled out a lavish public ceremony. Ahasuerus then shocked Haman. "Do even so to Mordecai the Jew."

Esther 6:11,12 - "Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour. ...But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered."

Esther Intercedes For The Jews

Haman despised Mordecai, and was mortified as he escorted him through the city streets on the king's horse. His wife and friends warned him that if Mordecai was a Jew, he would never prevail - he would surely fall before him. Haman attended a banquet with the king and queen. Esther bravely announced, "We are to be destroyed, to be slain," and begged the king for the lives of her and her people. "Who presumes to do this to you?" the king asked. Esther indicted Haman.

Esther 7:6 - "And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman."

You Will Pay Dearly If You Persecute God's People

When Esther revealed Haman's plot to exterminate the Jews to her husband, King Ahasuerus, Haman was terrified. Ahasuerus was so angry, he stood up and walked outside. While he was out, Haman fell on a bed where Esther was, and pleaded with her for his life. Then the king accused him of attempting to force his wife. One of the chamberlains informed the king that Haman had built gallows 100 feet high to hang Mordecai on.

Esther 7:10 - "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified."

The Enemies of God's People Are God's Enemies

God promised "I will be an enemy unto thine enemies," (Exodus 23:22). God put down Haman. Ahasuerus removed Haman's ring and gave it, and his entire estate, to Mordecai. Then Esther asked the king to reverse Haman's decree to exterminate the Jews. The king gave the task to Mordecai.

Esther 8:8 - "Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."

Great Rejoicing After Haman's Demise

Haman planned to hang Mordecai on the gallows, but God helped Esther expose his plot to exterminate the Jews, so the king ordered Haman hanged on the gallows instead of Mordecai. The king ordered Mordecai to publish an order through all provinces for Jews to resist every assault or attempt to spoil them, post-haste.

Esther 8:16,17 - "The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day."

The King Of Persia Defends God's People

Persian law fordade Ahasuerus from reversing his own law. Haman's genocide order could not be nullified. To countermand it, Ahasuerus ordered Mordecai to command the Jews to defend themselves. When the Jews mustered, everyone feared them. "The day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, ...the Jews had rule over them."

Esther 9:2 - "The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people."

Great Tragedies Can Be Averted By One Intercessor

Mordecai became great in the King's house, and the rulers throughout Persia favored him and showed favor to the Jews. Ahasuerus' ordered the Jews to fight against anyone who tried to harm them. Their casualties included ten of Haman's sons, 500 in Shushan the palace, and 75,000 others nationwide. The Jews faced extermination in Persia until Mordecai intervened. Will YOU stand up for God's people?

Esther 9:5 - "Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them."

The Feast Of Purim Celebrates "Hidden Miracle"

After Mordecai and Esther intervened to prevent genocide of the Jews, and 75,000 enemies died, the Jews made two days of feasting and gladness. Since Haman cast lots (or "Pur") for the date of their execution, the Jews called the holiday the Feast of Purim. God is never mentioned by name in the book of Esther, but He is called the "hidden miracle" in their victory.

Esther 9:28 - "These days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews."

Esther And Mordecai Rule In Persia

In the end of the story of Esther, the queen issued a decree that all Jews should celebrate the Feast of Purim throughout every generation. Her decree was written into Persian law. Mordecai became the second most powerful man in the Persian empire - the largest empire in antiquity. You never know how far God might promote you if you do your best.

Esther 10:3 - "For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed."

 

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Taken from: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=376048328085020268#editor/target=post;postID=6147228492066856701