Iron Sharpens Iron: Life-to-Life® Mentoring in the Old TestamentSample

Day 5: Mordecai and Esther

Earlier we looked at Naomi and Ruth’s story and saw how a mother-in-law could play a key role in mentoring her daughter-in-law. Here we see how God can use us to impact the lives of other family members for eternity’s sake, even a young cousin (or a daughter) of the opposite sex. 

Mordecai lived in Susa, Persia, during the exile period of God’s people. He began to mentor his orphaned cousin, Esther, who became like a daughter to him. In the process, we see how he was the right person to come alongside Esther at the right time, and she was the right person to stand in the gap between God’s people and their adversaries “for such a time as this”! 

In the ten chapters of the book of Esther, we see how this unlikely young lady rose to become queen. Because of her youth and inexperience, and also being a Hebrew captive, Esther needed the guidance only a seasoned elder could bring. 

Esther’s cousin Mordecai guided her along the way, and as she listened to him, she found favor in the sight of those around her. When an evil plot arose to annihilate all Jewish people in the land, Mordecai led Esther each step of the way to trust God and intercede on behalf of God’s people. 

God intervened! Not only did Mordecai’s mentoring change Esther’s life, but it also changed a nation. God not only preserved His people, but He also protected the eventual coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! 

Truth is, we never know what God is up to when He leads and uses us to walk Life-to-Life with another person. Yes, God loves each individual and desires to see him or her ever-growing toward greater godliness. At the same time, as we’ve seen in all of the Life-to-Life relationships we’ve looked at, it’s clear that God is always working in wonderful ways to carry out His purposes in this world—using people like you and me in the process! 

May this review of Life-to-Life mentoring relationships in the Old Testament inspire you to invest in those around you—where you live, work, and pray! 

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We would like to thank Dean Ridings, author of Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day, for this reading plan. Please also visit, The Navigators.