March 5, 2021
“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. Esther 4:16-17
There is an interesting dynamic here: Esther, even though she is in a position of authority as queen, submits to her uncle Mordecai and agrees to speak to the king at risk of her own life; and Mordecai submits to his niece and agrees to rally all the Jews in Susa to fast (and presumably pray) on her behalf. It’s a great illustration of godly cooperation between genders and generations. This is what Paul has in mind in Ephesians 5:21 when he exhorts the church to mutually submit to one another.
It is no different, today. “For such a time as this,” all of us need to work together, cooperating for the wellbeing of the body of Christ.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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