CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL OCTOBER 11, 2021 (NEVER SAY, “IT CAN’T WORK HERE” (II))
TOPIC: NEVER SAY, “IT CAN’T WORK HERE” (II)
Read Esther 2:7-11
7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
8 So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.
9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.
10 Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.
11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
MEMORISE: And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter (Esther 2:7)
EXPOSITION
Joseph remains a challenge to us regarding standing for God’s holiness in foreign lands; an indictment on those claiming that avoiding sexual sin can’t work in foreign lands. Today, we want to learn from the attitude of Mordecai to godly child-upbringing in a foreign land. The Benjamite Mordecai was one of those exiled to Babylon. He was divinely favoured to be in the king’s palace as a gateman. Nothing is said of his own children, but we are challenged by his attitude toward his niece, Esther, an orphan who was also with him in exile.
That Mordecai brought up Hadassah, a girl child, even as today is the International Day of the Girl Child, in the way of Yahweh is implied in the account of their relationship in the book of Esther (v. 7). Instead of abusing this young woman who was lovely and beautiful, added to the fact that she was vulnerable, being an orphan, he gave her proper upbringing. Mordecai didn’t say that God’s injunction to His people regarding godly upbringing of their children (Deut. 6:1ff; Prov. 22:6) couldn’t work in that difficult exilic condition.
We can conveniently say that he instructed, disciplined and supervised Esther as the need arose (vv. 10,11; 4:13ff). It was difficult representing what it meant to stand for Yahweh in Persia then, as seen in how God’s name isn’t mentioned in the book of Esther. Yet, Mordecai defied the odds to bring up Esther in God’s way.
Where are you living presently? Is proper up bringing in terms of chastising/rebuke (Prov. 13:24; 22:15; 23:13,14; 26:3; 29:15) somehow downplayed or even legislated against where you are? Would God or the consequences of poor upbringing excuse you because you live in the land of licentiousness? If Lot was able to raise 2 chaste daughters in that most corrupt foreign land (Gen. 19:8a), should you do less? Don’t raise monsters who would come back to consume you.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lord, help me not to compromise Your standard for training my children.
2. I break lose from the ‘It-doesn’t-matter’ attitude ravaging so many parents in relation to their children’s upbringing, in Jesus’ name.
3. Lord Jesus, thwart all policies the devil is bringing up among nations to bastardize proper upbringing of children and raise more monsters in the society.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 16:10 – 21:6; Philippians 1:10 – 2:1
HAVE A FRUITFUL WEEK………………. SHALOM