WOMEN OF CHRISTMAS - ESTHER CHAPTER 4 - FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

ESTHER CHAPTER 4

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Esther 4:1 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; 2 And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

Mordecai went into extreme mourning which may also reflect the idea that he knew his refusal to bow to Haman was at the center of this edict. He tore his clothes, put on the clothing of the poor, and put ashes on his body symbolic of death. He wailed in public! Mordecai was faced with the annihilation of ALL of his people and saw himself as the source of the cloud of anguish that had enveloped them. He took his mourning to the place where he had sat as one of the king’s officials, the king’s gate. Mordecai may have been hoping that Esther would hear the cries of his distraught and heavy heart. However, he could not enter in his mourning attire. There was a law that you could not appear in such a state in the court. No one could show a sad face in front of the king or disrupt the party spirit of the court. Nehemiah encountered this same rule when he approached the king of his day about returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 2:1-6).

Esther 4:3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Mordecai was not the only Jew responding to the news of their coming destruction in this way. The entire populace of Jews “fasted, wept, and screamed out in misery.” What Mordecai and many of the Jews did was a demonstration of the intense helplessness that they felt. They feared they had no advocate to turn to. Once something was set down as a law in Persia, it could not be repealed or revoked. A seemingly hopeless situation. Many of them, like Mordecai, were assimilated into the Persian community. No wonder Susa was thrown into confusion. Their Persian neighbors may have been quite distressed by this edict as well. They had become friends with Jews and may have not even realized who among them were of this nationality. Now they were being told on a certain day in the future they were to kill these neighbors and their children!

Esther 4:4 So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.

Since Mordecai displayed his grief publicly, the maids and the eunuchs in charge of the king’s harem reported his distress to Esther. Mordecai knew that Esther could not see him because as queen she was protected. But he also knew her maids and the keepers of the harem would report his seemingly bizarre behavior to Esther.

At this time, the queen had no knowledge of what had taken place. She must not have seen or heard of the edict, or she would have been able to figure out why Mordecai was mortified. Esther sent nicer clothes to Mordecai. Some propose that she wanted him to be fit to enter the court so she could speak with him in person and hear his explanation.

Esther 4:5 Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was. 

Since Esther did not know about Haman’s order, she did not understand Mordecai’s refusal to accept the appropriate court attire. Esther sent a representative to find out the cause of Mordecai’s wailing and wearing sackcloth and ashes. She charged him to report everything he found out to her.

Esther 4:6 So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate. 7 And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. 8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan (Susa) to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.

Mordecai explained the entire situation to Hathach. Mordecai provided evidence in the form of a copy of the edict proclaiming that the Jews were to be annihilated on a certain date. He asked the eunuch to relay the story to Esther and be sure she understood the order. He wanted Esther to understand the full magnitude and weight of this order written by Haman and approved by the king. Hathach was instructed to persuade Esther to beg the king for the lives of the Jews and her own life as well.

Esther 4:9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;

Esther 4:11 All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. 

Esther sent back a reply explaining the difficulty of meeting with the king. She had not been called into the king’s inner room in a month’s time. The king had commanded that anyone who entered uninvited was to be put to death unless he held out his scepter to them. Esther knew that if the king did not hold out the gold scepter to her, that she would be instantly executed. Guards were posted to make sure this rule was obeyed. However, even though Esther had not been called by King Ahasuerus, she was about to discover that she had been called by the King of kings.

Esther 4:12 And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.

Esther 4:13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

The Voice Bible Comments:

Of all the books in the Bible, Esther is unique because God is never once mentioned explicitly. Still, for those who know God and who know history, God is in the story, behind it, above it, beneath it. He is the main actor in history, even if He is not acknowledged. Here, Mordecai shows great wisdom. The Jews, God’s chosen people, will be delivered whether Esther involves herself or not. Divine Providence has ways and means that go beyond human understanding. Still Providence has made Esther queen for a purpose, a purpose she cannot easily escape.

Mordecai reminded Esther that her position as queen would not spare her from the edict because the order was to kill ALL the Jews. Mordecai expressed his faith that God would deliver the Jews with or without Esther’s help. He told her that the Jews would be saved even if she chose not to be the instrument of deliverance. He also prophesied that if she refused, she and her family would NOT be delivered but would die. Then he made the most often quoted statement of the book of Esther, “And who knows? Perhaps you have been made queen for such a time as this.” God’s providence had arranged for her to find favor and be queen for God’s specific purpose.

Esther 4:15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan (Susa), and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Esther 4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. 

Esther sent word to Mordecai to organize a fast on her behalf. Most translations of the Bible do not use the words “and pray” or “intercede”. However, prayer always accompanied Jewish fasts in the Old Testament. This was to be longer than the usual one day fast which denotes the gravity of the situation. She and her maids would also fast for three days. When Esther would go before the king this time, she definitely would not be donning her fashion face but her fasting face. After three days of fasting, she would look tired and weak; and Persian kings wanted healthy women. She determined that after this time of fasting and prayer, she would take the risk of entering the king’s presence without being summoned. She fearlessly resolved within her heart to obey Mordecai even though that meant disobeying the king and the possibility of her own eminent execution if she did not find favor with the king. She courageously stated, “And if I die, then I die!” She made this declaration despite her fear to show that she was willing to risk her life to save her people. When Mordecai received this message from Esther, he left the king’s gate to gather the people and do as Esther had instructed him.

Ponder this: Mordecai was confident that God would deliver the Jews from destruction one way or another but believed Esther was the most probable answer to the dilemma. God’s sovereignty has been at work in each of the “Women of Christmas” we have studied, and we certainly see Him working in the life of Esther even though He is never mentioned by name, somewhat incognito, in this book of the Bible.