Esther 10 is one of the shortest chapters of the Bible. It’s about Mordecai and his greatness. Mordecai was considered great among the Jews and had their favor. Mordecai is described as seeking the good of the Jewish people and spoke for the welfare of his nation.
When it says that he sought the welfare of His people and His nation, does it mean that He supported those in Jerusalem as well?
Remember that Mordecai and Esther hadn’t returned to Jerusalem with the other Jews who returned home. They remained in Babylon and settled there, establishing themselves there in a very significant way with Mordecai becoming second to the king, reminiscent of Joseph being second to Pharaoh.
As a leader of Babylon and trusted by the king, it would seem that he would have had to seek the welfare of Babylon as well. This wasn’t wrong.
The prophet Jeremiah had spoken to them to seek the welfare of the city God had put them in. The Lord instructs them to pray for the city they are in because as the city prospers, they will prosper. The land’s welfare would affect them.
We should be praying for our nations, where the Lord has put us. We should pray for its welfare, for its protection, for its blessing. In the New Testament we’re told to pray for our leaders that we would be able to work quietly with our hands. We can pray for righteous leaders to be above us, ones that will carry out God’s justice. We can pray for righteous laws that will enable us to continue freely to meet to worship.
But we should also seek the welfare of Israel. All believers are part of Israel, so they are our people and we should seek their good. It’s our good. We should seek the welfare of the land of Israel, it is our homeland as the chosen people of Israel. Jesus will be coming back to Jerusalem to rule. The land will belong to His people as promised. His promise can’t fail.
We aren’t against Palestinians or Iranians, or other enemies of Israel as they are children created in the image of God, and God desires their salvation. We are against dividing the land of Israel and measures that allow Islam to take over God’s holy places.
God is still at work in Israel, which at times means great hardship for them. But it will always mean their protection and the protection of a remnant. We’ve seen in Esther that even when they aren’t really living according to God’s laws and they’re mixed in with a pagan people, God is still at work defending and preserving His people.