Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Competency
- Competency: Being able to accomplish what one is called to do.
There is one thing that is true about Mordecai. He may not have chosen wisely by not bowing
down before Haman – even if he had his reasons.
But from that moment on – from the moment that he learned about the
destruction of the Jews – he has made every step count. He has been obedient to God’s will at every
step. He has been a competent follower
of God, waiting upon God to lead his actions.
Even here in this chapter we see Mordecai’s competence. Mordecai is promoted through Esther’s
influence. But look at what he does with
that promotion. For the record, note
that Esther is a part of this as well, revealing her competence as a follower
of God as well.
Mordecai and Esther don’t force the king to admit that he had made
a mistake. They don’t force the king to
repeal his edict. In fact, in many
cultures kings were looked upon as infallible, so for a king to admit they had
judged something incorrectly was an admission that they were unfit to
rule! No. Mordecai and Esther go before the king and
ask that something be done about the edict.
They are competent in that they achieve what needs to be done and allow
the king to save face.
The Jewish people are allowed to defend themselves. Anyone foolish enough to attack them would have
to pay a heavy price. King Ahasuerus
does not need to repeal this edict, but he is allowed to make life miserable
for anyone desiring to act upon his earlier edict.
All of this brings me to perhaps an even greater truth. What is it that we see Mordecai and Esther
being truly competent at doing here?
They are competent at being gracious.
Everyone knows that the king messed up and listened to bad advice. But they are gracious in that they don’t
humiliate the king. They are gracious in
that they allow the king to make a mistake without rubbing it in his face. They are gracious in that they still allow
the king to go on and move forward in spite of the mistake. That’s a truly Christian calling right
there. People will always make mistakes
around us. The question is whether we
will allow them to continue on and give them a second chance with our support
or will we humiliate them and cause them to lose face? Grace allows mistakes to be made while still
being able to support the one who made the mistake.
Mordecai and Esther are great models of competency in this chapter, especially when it pertains to grace.
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