How Did Mordecai Help Establish Purim?

Purim, a Jewish holiday originating in the book of Esther, is a day of joy and celebration. On the Gregorian calendar, it generally falls between late February and late March and is the 14th of Adar in the Hebraic/biblical calendar. 

It is a day to remember God’s mighty hand displayed to His people in the days of Esther and Mordecai—a time to commemorate His saving grace and protection. But how did Mordecai help establish Purim?

What Do You Know About Mordecai?

Most people who have heard of Purim know Esther’s story, but many forget the key role of Mordecai, the cousin who adopted her. 

If it were not for Mordecai, Esther likely would have been completely abandoned after her parents’ death. Mordecai raised her from a young child. At Esther’s most defining moment as queen, Mordecai prompts her to go to the king, expose Haman, and seek relief and deliverance for the Jewish people. 

At the end of the story, Mordecai is alongside Esther, bearing the king’s signet ring and operating in authority with her to make decrees in the land.  

He is there all along, reminding us that God often works through pairs and groups of people and that none of us were meant to carry our calling alone! 

The Book of Esther

In this overview of Esther’s story, notice the key role Mordecai plays….

Esther’s Upbringing: Esther—then Hadassah—was orphaned at a young age and raised by her cousin Mordecai as if he were her father. She trusted him, obeyed him, and only appeared to revere God above him. Yet, when the king of the land took away the power and position of his then-queen, Vashti, Hadassah’s life would change forever.

Esther’s Transformation: Now a grown woman, she was brought along with an untold number of other beautiful virgins to the citadel in the city of Shushan. There, she underwent a full year of beauty treatments before she was brought before the king and became queen. During this time, Mordecai requested that she change her name to Esther to hide her Jewish identity. 

Esther Steps into Her Calling: After she had been queen for a while, a man known as Haman was put into a high position of power. Through trickery and the omission of certain facts, Haman quickly convinced the king that a certain group of people in his kingdom—the Jewish people—needed to be destroyed. Mordecai tells Esther of this wicked decree and implores her to take action against it, giving her courage and directing her to wholly trust in God, no matter the cost.

Esther’s Bravery: Esther chooses courage and obedience to the God of Israel, praying and fasting for three days, then appears before the king unsummoned—an act punishable by death should he not hold out his golden scepter—to try to save her people. Mordecai joined in praying and fasting for a miracle. 

Esther’s Favor and Victory: God gave favor to Esther, and she won the audience of Haman and the king to request whatever was on her heart. She invited Haman and the king to dine with her for two days in a row, and she pleaded for her people, exposing Haman’s plot. Her people were saved, and she, along with Mordecai, authored a decree establishing Purim. 

How Mordecai Positioned and Supported Esther

As you can see, in pivotal moments of Esther’s story, Mordecai was there comforting, challenging, and supporting her as she lived out her divine purpose. 

• “And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.” —Esther 2:7

He raised her as his own daughter and helped build the foundation of her calling. He raised her to be a person of faith, conviction, and courageous obedience to the God of Israel. 

Mordecai also held a position in the king’s palace, so during Esther’s year of beauty preparations, he visited her daily and provided godly wisdom. 

• “Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.” —Esther 2:10-11

He cared for her and charged her with keeping her identity a secret—a directive that protected her and eventually allowed God’s people to be saved through her. He put his words into action and visited her every day, pacing in front of the court’s quarters until he learned what was happening to her and how she was. 

Mordecai remained engaged and had keen situational awareness. He caught two doorkeepers who planned to assassinate the king and reported them. He protected the king’s life and Esther’s. 

• “In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name.” —Esther 2:21-22

Esther informed the king of what Mordecai had done, and it was recorded in the king’s chronicles. He was not initially honored, but it would be in God’s perfect timing. 

Mordecai’s Role in Defying and Exposing Evil 

Mordecai did not cower to man but was dedicated to the one true God. When wicked Haman rose to chief advisor, second only to the king in power, he demanded everyone bow to him. Mordecai refused.  

Haman’s anger burned within him. Instead of striking out against Mordecai alone, Haman decided he would not be satisfied unless all the Jewish people in the kingdom suffered. He erected a gallows for Mordecai and, using fear to get what he wanted, tricked the king into signing a decree calling for the destruction of the Jews. 

Upon hearing of the edict, Mordecai mourned greatly and refused to be quiet or comforted. He tore his clothes and sent an urgent message to Esther, calling her to rise and see she had been created for “such a time as this”—to approach the king and seek relief for her people.  When Esther responds by telling him how dangerous it would be for her to appear before the king unsummoned, he sends her these now-famous words,

• “… ‘Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’” —Esther 4:13-14 (emphasis added)

Mordecai spoke words of truth, life, and courage. His message empowered Esther, restoring her resolve and faith in God as she surrendered the outcome into His hands. But Mordecai did not leave Esther to face her fears alone. He went to war for her in the spirit, interceding, fasting, and praying alongside many for a miracle for her and the people of Israel.

Remembered by the King

Esther was spared when she entered the king’s presence and was given the opportunity to invite the king and Haman to two banquets. Between these banquets, the king was divinely reminded of Mordecai’s noble deed to save his life. Ironically, he seeks Haman’s advice on how best to honor a man of valor. Haman did not know what man the king referred to and, assuming it be himself, proceeded to describe the best way to honor such a man. 

He is horrified when he learns the person is Mordecai, the Jewish man who defied him. Haman is commanded to dress Mordecai in a royal robe that the king had worn, place him upon a royal horse the king had ridden, with a royal crest… and parade Mordecai throughout the city. 

• “So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’” —Esther 6:11

Can you imagine Mordecai’s surprise and Haman’s humiliation? This was the beginning stages of a divine turnaround–the glory and honor Haman hoped for was being rightfully handed to Mordecai. Mordecai’s past act of righteousness was being publicly acknowledged, strengthening the king’s heart for the Jewish people and increasing the fury he would have when he learned of the evil plotted against them.

At the second banquet, Esther reveals her heritage and relation to Mordecai. She exposes Haman and his plot, and the king immediately orders him to be hung on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Haman’s signet ring is removed and given to Mordecai, establishing him as the new second in command in the kingdom. 

Decrees of Righteousness and Remembrance | Mordecai’s Legacy

Together, with godly wisdom, Esther and Mordecai author another decree allowing for the Jewish people to defend themselves from the coming destruction. Because of this, the Jewish people had victory over all who hated them, and fear of Mordecai fell upon the king’s palace.

• “…all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for… Mordecai became increasingly prominent.” —Esther 9:3-4

In a moment of divine reversal and recovery, Mordecai rose alongside Esther to a place of authority and honor. To remember God’s wonders forever, they issued a decree instating the feast of Purim. They wrote…

“These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.” —Esther 9:28 (emphasis added)

Mordecai played a faithful role in the deliverance of God’s people and the establishment of Purim. God honored him as a man of integrity, righteousness, and great faith.

• “ For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.” —Esther 10:3

This is the legacy of Mordecai, a man of God, who was chosen to raise a woman of God, whose footsteps were ordered by God. In remembering his story, we rejoice in the mighty power of King Jesus, who turned mourning into dancing in the Feast of Purim. We celebrate God’s love, His ability to work through people to display His goodness among the nations, and His powerful Word that never returns void.