Esther Chapter 10

Mordecai’s Promotion
A. Epilogue.

1. (Esther 10:1–2) The glory of the reign of King Ahasuerus.

“And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?”

a. And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.
The book of Esther closes by reminding the reader that King Ahasuerus ruled a vast and powerful empire. The imposition of tribute indicates political stability, administrative control, and imperial reach. From the mainland to the distant islands, the king’s authority was firmly established. This setting underscores the magnitude of what God accomplished on behalf of His people. Israel was preserved not by weakness at the margins, but within the heart of one of the world’s greatest empires.

b. And all the acts of his power and of his might.
The narrative does not deny the strength or accomplishments of the Persian king. Scripture acknowledges legitimate earthly authority while simultaneously showing that such power ultimately serves God’s purposes. Ahasuerus exercised real power, yet even that power was directed by providence to protect God’s covenant people.

c. And the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him.
Mordecai’s greatness is placed alongside the king’s own acts of power. This is remarkable. A Jewish exile is mentioned in the same breath as imperial achievements. God not only delivered His people, He elevated one of them to a place of historic significance. Mordecai’s advancement was not a footnote, but a matter worthy of official record.

d. Are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
This rhetorical question affirms the historical reality of these events. The story of Esther is not presented as legend or moral tale, but as history. God’s providence unfolded in real time, among real rulers, and was recorded in official archives. Scripture points beyond itself to confirm that God’s hand operates in the public record of nations.

2. (Esther 10:3) Mordecai is promoted to the position of second in the kingdom.

“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.”

a. For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus.
The final verse emphasizes Mordecai’s identity. He is repeatedly called Mordecai the Jew. His elevation did not come through assimilation or denial of his people, but alongside faithful identification with them. He stands as second in command of the empire, yet remains openly Jewish. God honored faithfulness, not compromise.

b. And great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren.
Mordecai’s authority did not distance him from his people. He was respected not merely because of his position, but because of his character. Leadership grounded in righteousness earns trust. The text highlights unity between Mordecai and the Jewish community, contrasting sharply with leaders who rule for personal gain.

c. Seeking the wealth of his people.
Mordecai used his authority for the benefit of others. The word wealth here carries the idea of welfare, prosperity, and well being. He governed with the interests of his people in view. This reflects a biblical standard of leadership where power is exercised in service, not exploitation.

d. And speaking peace to all his seed.
Peace is the final note of the book. After threat, fear, conflict, and deliverance, the outcome is peace. Mordecai’s leadership promotes stability, reconciliation, and security for future generations. God’s providence ends not in chaos, but in ordered blessing.

e. The book of Esther closes without explicitly naming God, yet His presence is unmistakable. He preserves His people, judges their enemies, elevates the faithful, and secures peace for generations to come. Mordecai’s promotion stands as testimony that God is sovereign over kings, empires, and history itself.

B. Observations on the Book of Esther.

1. The Book of Esther shows how the hand of God can move in a supernaturally natural way.

a. Charles Spurgeon accurately captured the distinctive character of Esther when he observed that the book records wonders without a miracle. God is never mentioned by name in the book, yet His presence is unmistakable. Unlike the dramatic signs seen in the plagues of Egypt or the parting of the Red Sea, God works here through ordinary events, political decisions, human emotions, and seemingly random circumstances. The absence of overt miracles does not indicate the absence of God. Instead, it highlights His sovereign ability to govern history quietly, invisibly, and irresistibly.

b. When the narrative is considered as a whole, the accumulation of God arranged circumstances becomes overwhelming. No single event appears supernatural on its own, yet together they form an unbroken chain of providence that leads precisely to the deliverance of God’s people.

God arranged for Queen Vashti to lose her position, removing one queen to make room for another.
God arranged for a competition to replace Vashti, a process that would elevate a Jewish woman to the throne.
God arranged for Esther to enter that competition, though she was an orphan and a member of a minority people.
God arranged special favor for Esther among the women, ensuring her selection by the king.
God arranged for Mordecai to maintain access to both Esther and the affairs of the kingdom, positioning him as a watchman.
God arranged the casting of the lot so that eleven months elapsed between the decree and its execution, providing time for intervention. “Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month… to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews… upon one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.”
(Esther 3:12–13)

God arranged that the decree required private citizens to act, rather than the Persian military, making resistance legally possible.
God arranged that Haman restrained his rage and did not immediately kill Mordecai, preserving the key human instrument of deliverance. “Nevertheless Haman refrained himself.”
(Esther 5:10)

God arranged for Esther to delay her request, first inviting the king to one banquet and then another, building tension and timing the exposure of Haman perfectly.
God arranged for Haman’s pride and anger to peak on a single night, leading him to construct the gallows meant for Mordecai.
God arranged for King Ahasuerus to be unable to sleep.
God arranged for the king to request the reading of the chronicles.
God arranged for the exact passage concerning Mordecai’s unrewarded loyalty to be read at precisely that moment.

Taken together, these events leave no room for chance. The book of Esther demonstrates that God governs details as surely as He governs miracles. Providence is no less powerful because it is subtle.

2. God’s hand in history never rules out human responsibility.

The Book of Esther also demonstrates that divine sovereignty does not cancel human action. Esther and Mordecai were not passive observers waiting for God to act apart from them. Their courage, wisdom, restraint, and obedience were essential instruments in God’s plan.

a. God’s will is accomplished, yet human beings act freely and are fully accountable. Haman plotted out of pride and hatred. Ahasuerus ruled according to his impulses and political instincts. Mordecai acted with integrity and courage. Esther chose obedience at great personal risk. No one was coerced. Each person did exactly what he or she desired, yet God’s eternal purposes advanced flawlessly through those choices.

This truth guards against two errors. It rejects fatalism, the idea that human choices do not matter. It also rejects human autonomy, the idea that history unfolds independently of God. Scripture holds both truths together. God reigns absolutely, and man remains responsible.

b. Spurgeon expressed this tension with clarity and humility. Man is a free agent, morally responsible, guilty when he does evil, and justly punished for sin. Yet above human action stands the sovereign God, who without participating in sin directs even wicked actions toward righteous ends. The inability to fully reconcile these truths intellectually does not negate their reality. Scripture affirms both without apology.

The Book of Esther therefore teaches a mature theology of providence. God rules history without negating responsibility. He accomplishes redemption without violating justice. He works invisibly without being absent. His purposes advance even when His name is unspoken.

3. God, in His wise and providential plan, allows His people to be tested, sometimes severely. Trials are not evidence of abandonment, but instruments within God’s design.

The Book of Esther makes it unmistakably clear that divine favor does not exempt God’s people from hardship. God’s providence does not eliminate trials, it governs them. The testing of the faithful is not accidental, nor is it punitive. It is purposeful. Scripture consistently teaches that God refines His servants through pressure, opposition, and moments of apparent vulnerability.

a. It was a great trial for Mordecai.
Mordecai refused to bow before Haman, not out of personal stubbornness, but because such homage conflicted with his convictions. His refusal placed not only himself, but his entire people, in jeopardy. This trial forced Mordecai to bear the weight of responsibility for consequences that extended far beyond his own life. Faithfulness sometimes brings danger before it brings deliverance. God did not shield Mordecai from the immediate cost of obedience, yet that obedience became the very hinge upon which Israel’s preservation turned.

b. It was a great trial for Esther.
Esther learned of the decree that sentenced her people to death, while she herself lived in comfort and safety within the palace. The test she faced was not merely fear of death, but the moral crisis of silence versus obedience. She was required to risk her position, her security, and her life in order to act. Approaching the king without invitation was a capital offense. God did not remove that danger. Instead, He required Esther to walk through it in faith. Her trial shaped her courage and clarified her calling.

c. These trials reveal an essential truth. God’s people are not preserved by avoiding hardship, but by walking faithfully through it. Trials are the means by which God matures faith, exposes motives, and positions His servants for greater usefulness. The deliverance in Esther comes only after fasting, fear, courage, and costly obedience. God’s design includes the test as surely as it includes the victory.

4. The exaltation of Christ gives greater hope than Esther ever gave Israel.

Charles Spurgeon captured this truth with pastoral clarity when he observed that every Jew in Shushan must have felt hope knowing that the queen was a Jewess. Esther’s presence near the throne meant that someone who identified with them had access to power on their behalf. That reality brought comfort, confidence, and expectation of deliverance.

For the believer today, that hope is magnified beyond comparison. Esther stood before an earthly king with limited authority and uncertain favor. Jesus Christ stands exalted at the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and on earth. Esther interceded at risk to her own life. Christ intercedes having already laid down His life and taken it up again in victory.

The lesson of Esther ultimately points beyond itself. God’s people are not alone, not forgotten, and not unrepresented. We have a mediator who is nearer to the throne than Esther ever was, and whose favor is unchanging. Because Christ is exalted, believers may rejoice with confidence, knowing that our deliverance rests not in chance, not in human rulers, but in the sovereign rule of God accomplished through His Son.