Now King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the
land and on the coastlands of the sea. And all the accomplishments of his authority
and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the
king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King
Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who
sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole
nation.
Second only to
the king! Like Joseph was second only to the pharaoh in Egypt. See Genesis
41:40-42. "You shall be over my
house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the
throne I will be greater than you." Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I
have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took off his signet
ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of
fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. God blessed Joseph
with discernment and wisdom—and now He blessed Mordecai with wisdom so that the
Jews could gain mastery over those who hated them.
Do you ever want wisdom? God has a lot to say about wisdom in 216 verses in the Bible (NASB translation). The Book of Proverbs is especially rich in wisdom advice. Here are a couple of favorites:
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and
understanding. - Pro 2:6 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man
who gains understanding. - Pro 3:13
The fear (respect) of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding. - Pro 9:10 NASB
It is good to
seek wisdom and understanding. It will never be a wasted effort. It doesn’t
tell us in the Book of Esther that either she or Mordecai sought wisdom, but
Mordecai knew scripture—and that he should not bow down to worship a man rather
than the true God—so he was blessed with wisdom and understanding. He used his
wisdom to help others—seeking the good of his fellow Jews and the welfare of
his whole nation.
Solomon was said
to have been the wisest man ever—he asked for wisdom rather than riches. God said to Solomon, "Because you had
this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those
who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for
yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made
you king, wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you
riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has
possessed nor those who will come after you." 2Chronicles 1:11-12 (NASB).
Lord, we ask that you would give us wisdom
and with it give us understanding that we would be able to apply it to our
lives, draw others to you, and serve you all the days of our lives.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment