Esther
Esther 4
When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
After years of following evil kings and disregarding God’s presence and laws, the descendants of Abraham find themselves living in exile under the rule of oppressive captors. Even though Esther is living as a queen, she is also in exile and must follow a strict set of laws and customs in order to survive in this foreign land. These customs include only speaking to the king when spoken to and certainly not advocating for those considered to be enemies of the state, whose own customs, language and religion were not just strange, but considered by some to be dangerous.
And so Esther’s first response to Mordecai is completely understandable. Appearing before the king, especially with a request to save the Jewish people, seemed to be a suicide mission. Mordecai appeals to Esther’s sense of family and faith. He seems sure that God will deliver the Jewish people. Perhaps he had in mind the ancient promises - that Abraham’s descendants would be a blessing to the whole world and that David’s descendants would rule forever. Those promises seem a bit blurry in the context of exile and oppression. And yet, just as Mordecai predicted, God brought deliverance through Esther’s brave choice to appeal to the king.
Sometimes God’s promises seem blurry in our lives too. Sometimes the things that we feel God calling us to do make no sense or seem doomed to fail. Perhaps, in those moments, we need to remember Esther’s faith-filled courage to do what’s right even when it’s difficult.
Prayer:
Talk to God about any situations that you’re facing that require faith-filled courage. Ask for God’s peace and strength to guide and support you through the challenges that you are facing. Thank God for his faithfulness even when it’s hard to see his promises.