Esther 4:1-17--Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

Esther 4
English Standard Version

Esther Agrees to Help the Jews
4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

​12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “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.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

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Mordecai heard Haman's edict read in the citadel of Susa, and when he heard it, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes (an outward sign of a soul that was greatly troubled).  He went into the middle of the city and wept bitterly with a loud cry.  He even went up to the king's gate to mourn but was not allowed inside as no one wearing sackcloth was allowed into the king's presence.  Jews all across the empire in every province responded in a similar manner by mourning publicly when they heard the news of the edict--not only mourning, but mourning accompanied by weeping, fasting, and prayers of lament--often with the mourners wearing sackcloth and sprinkling ashes on their heads like Mordecai had done.

Esther heard about Mordecai mourning outside the king's gate from her eunuchs, and she was greatly distressed.  She tried sending clothes to Mordecai so that he could take off his sackcloth and enter the palace, but he refused.  When she couldn't get Mordecai to change clothes so that he could come in, she sent one of the king's eunuchs that attended to her out to speak to Mordecai to learn what was going on.  Mordecai told this eunuch named Hathach all that had happened, including the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews (while the king opened up the royal treasuries last time, Haman had promised to reimburse the royal treasuries with a payment of 10,000 talents of silver so that Haman was personally paying for the cost of the elimination of the Jews).  Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the decree that he could read it to Esther and explain it to her.  The eunuch was also to pass along the message the Mordecai commanded Esther to go before the king and plead for him and his people since he could not himself appear before the king (notice that they are still hiding the fact that these are Esther's people and that she is a Jew from the king and Haman).

Esther sends Hathach back with a message to say that it is well-known that no one--man or woman, not even the queen herself--can appear before the king uninvited, with the exception of if the king extends his scepter to them.  If the king does not extend his scepter to someone who comes into his presence uninvited, then it is the death penalty for them.  It is at this point the Mordecai sends the message back that I quoted at the end of yesterday's journal article, and I think it's one of the most important passages in the entire book.  I'll quote it in its entirety here again.

​13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Mordecai knows that the LORD will save them, but Plan A is for Esther, a Jew who had been placed in the position of queen, to use her position to speak to the king about this matter.  If she will not, then the LORD will certainly judge her and her household (including her uncle Mordecai, who was like a father to her).

Esther receives the message loud and clear and asks Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa to fast and pray for her for three days.  She would ask all of the women who attended to her to do the same--though they probably would not understand why they were fasting other than that the queen was fasting, and they were honoring her by fasting with her.  She said that after the three days, she would go into the king's presence, and if she perished, she perished.  It would be up to the LORD to save her.  She needed to be strong and very courageous, just like the LORD told Joshua.  "Do not be dismayed, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9).  Mordecai left and did everything that Esther asked.  We'll see what happens to Esther when she goes before the king next time.