ESTHER 4 - THE CALL TO STAND

4:4-11

Esther Gets The News

Mordecai went up to the king’s gate, but he could not go in dressed in sackcloth because of the king’s order. So, he sat out in the gate crying and grieving. His intent was to get Esther’s attention, believing that only she could save the Jews from genocide.

And it worked. The women who attended Esther and the eunuchs heard what Mordecai was doing and told Esther. She was deeply distressed since Mordecai was her relative and advisor and father figure. She sent him clothes so that he might change and come to her so they could talk face to face. She, evidently, could not leave the castle.

But Mordecai refused the clothes. Here again, we see that Mordecai has drawn a line. After a life of blending in and disguising his his Jewishness, he had decided to stand. 

So, Esther sent a trusted eunuch out to see Mordecai and find out what was going on. The eunuch reported back the story that led to the edict to annihilate the Jews. There is emphasis on the money Haman gave to the king to get the edict. Mordecai even had a written copy of the decree to show Esther. He basically told Esther she had to go the to the king and plead for the Jews.

That sounds easy enough: the queen could just go see the king and ask him to spare the Jews. But it was not that easy. No one could come to the king of Persia in the inner court of the palace without being called, not even the queen. If you did, you would be killed unless the king held out his golden scepter to them as a sign you could come in. It was a daily reminder to all of the king’s power and sovereignty. 

Esther pointed out that she had not been asked into the king’s presence for 30 days. That could have meant that the king’s affection for her had already began to lessen and she would be unlikely to succeed in approaching him. And that would mean her death.

4:12-14

Mordecai’s Reproach

Mordecai would not take “no” for an answer. He sent a message back to her that was life and death. He told her she should not think she would escape the fate of the Jews because she was the queen and living in the palace. The edict called for the death of all Jews.

Further, Mordecai believed that God would bring deliverance from another source if Esther refused, but that she would still perish. (14) The implication is that God would punish her and her family for family to act. 

But, even more importantly, Mordecai said she may have come to be queen just for this time! We should never assume that we have received a place of honor or responsibility simply because of our talents and good looks. The Bible is full of stories of men and women raised up by God to carry out his purposes. We see this in the stories of Joseph, Moses, and Daniel, among others. It is the case with us and it was the case with Esther. She finally realized that when she received Mordecai’s message. 

4:15-17

Esther Goes into Action

Upon hearing this last message from Mordecai, Esther made up her mind to act. But, she would not rush into it or in her own power. Instead, she told Mordecai to gather all of the Jews in Susa to fast for her. She and her attendants would do likewise. And, of course, they would fast for three days. 

Three days in the Bible often stands for a period of trial or darkness, after which God intervenes to redeem his people. God intervened to prevent Abraham for sacrificing Isaac on the third day of their journey, Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, and God appeared to the Israelites on the mountain three days after they arrived. Saul was blinded for three days. And, of course, Jesus remained in the grave for three days before being resurrected. 

This again shows an acknowledgment of God and his sovereignty. Esther urges a fast by all of God’s people to get God to intervene on their behalf. At the end of that time, she promised to go to the king, even without an invitation, and she would accept her fate. If she perished, she perished. She surrendered to mission given to her even at the cost of her own life. 

Esther and Mordecai were not perfect. The certainly do not measure up well compared to Daniel, who was in a similar circumstance. But, God uses flawed people. 

We are all flawed. We struggle with sin. We are afraid of those who oppose the church. We doubt God at times and we certainly doubt ourselves. But the time may come for all of us when we must stand for Christ. It may be uncomfortable, maybe even painful. Yet we are called to follow him even to death. Therefore, we should prepare ourselves now to be strong in the faith and to serve Christ.