Ester 4: 1 – 17
Real Men Do Cry
1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. 7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. 9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have 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 who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” 17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.
I was talking with a brother who was having problems and he says this to me, ‘God helps those who help themselves’. I said to him that the statement that he referenced is not from God. The phrase is often mistaken as scriptural, but it appears nowhere in the Bible The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is a popular motto that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and humanistic philosophy.
The phrase originated in ancient Greece and may originally have been proverbial. It is illustrated by two of Aesop's Fables and a similar sentiment is found in ancient Greek drama. Although it has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the modern English wording appears earlier in Algernon Sidney's work.
I told him that a better thought would be that ‘God helps those who trust in Him!’Today we are going to look at how people should deal with a critical situation that eliminates any possible human solution. For all instances this response is what we should do in all problems – God to our God for His help!.
The reaction of Mordecai and his fellow-Jews was to enter into a period of fasting and mourning. That this was a cry to God can hardly be doubted. The prophet Isaiah 58 spoke about this in verse 3, ‘what have we fasted and you have not seen, why have we afflicted our soul and you take no knowledge?’
To a Jew fasting was a religious exercise. And whilst in verses 1-3 it might be seen simply as an expression of grief and despair, it can certainly not be seen in that way in 4.16 where it is quite apparent that Esther considers that fasting will affect events in her favor. And that could only be because she saw it as affecting the One Who controls events. Ahasuerus, did not know that she was a Jewess, and would not therefore be persuaded by Jewish fasting to accept her petition. He would not connect the two.
4.1 ‘Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai tore 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,’
Mordecai’s reaction to the publishing of the decree in Susa was to tear his clothes, put on sackcloth with ashes, and cry out. This was a typical way of expressing deep feeling. It was an outward manifestation of inward grief. In the Near East men did not hide their feelings as we do. Real men can and do cry.
‘Went out into the midst of the city and cried with a loud and a bitter cry.’ He would not be allowed in such a garb into the palace area for the king’s presence must not be affected by grief. Thus he went out into the city itself; among the people who were perplexed by what was happening. It may well be that one of his aims was to win the sympathy of the inhabitants, who would recognize him for what he was, a Jew and a king’s official. But the parallel situation in Jonah 3.5-9 suggests that it was also a cry to God. Indeed, it is hardly conceivable that in such a situation a Jew would not cry to God.
4.2 ‘And he came even before the king’s gate. For none might enter within the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.’
He approached the palace as closely as he dared, entering the public square which would be in front of the gateway to the palace. But he could not enter the palace area itself where the wearing of sackcloth was forbidden. Such manifestations of grief were not to be allowed to affect the king. His probable reason for doing so was in order to attract the attention of Esther, who, secluded in the harem and ignorant of events, would hopefully hear of this strange event, that the official who was her friend was behaving in such a way. Her attendants would know that he wanted to have contact with Esther as 2.22 makes clear.
4.3 ‘And in every province, wherever 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.’
And throughout the empire, in province after province, wherever the decree was issued, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing, and many lying in sackcloth and ashes. It is not surprising for their situation was desperate and totally unexpected. Total annihilation lay before them. This behavior could only have been with a view to moving God to action, for no one else could alter the king’s decree.
4.4 ‘And Esther’s maidens and her close servants came and told it her, and the queen was exceedingly grieved, and she sent clothing to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him, but he would not accept it.’
When news reached Esther in her seclusion, by means of her maidens and her close servants, who would know that Mordecai had her sympathy and that she was his patroness (2.22), that he was behaving in such a way, she was very upset and wanted to discover why. So she sent clothing to him so that he would be able to remove his sackcloth and enter the palace area.. But he blatantly refused to accept it. This alerted her to the seriousness of the situation. It had to be something very serious which prevented him from fulfilling his guardianship duties. This personal reminiscence, so unnecessary to the story, and so irrelevant, indicates an original source close to the action. To suggest that Mordecai’s refusal was discourteous is to overlook how deeply he felt about the situation. At this critical stage he was more concerned with what God thought, and with moving God, than with what man thought.
Aware that something was seriously wrong, Esther sent her most faithful servant to enquire as to the problem, and in consequence learns about the king’s edict. It is noteworthy that Mordecai not only knows about the decree, and indeed has a copy, but that he is also aware of the more intricate details. This would appear to confirm that he was a high level official.
4.5 ‘Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s palace officials, whom he had appointed to attend on her, and charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was.’ 6 ‘So Hathach went forth to Mordecai to the broad place of the city, which was before the king’s gate.’
Ester wanted to know what he was doing, and why he was doing it. So she sent her own personal male attendant to Mordecai in order to discover the reason for his actions. There was clearly a risk in this, but it was a risk that she was prepared to take. The man whom she sent was Hathach, one of the palace officials, and one who had been put at her disposal by the king. She seemingly saw him as trustworthy. She charged him to go and discover the facts.
4.7 ‘And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.’
Once Hathach was there, Mordecai told him of everything that had taken place. How he had refused to treat Haman as some kind of super-god. How the leading officials had sought to get him to change his mind. How he had stood firm, and how they had then taken up the matter with Haman. Finally how Haman had persuaded the king to destroy the Jews. Mordecai especially stressed how Haman had promised to put an exact and massive sum of money into the king’s treasury as a benefice of the destruction of the Jews, without explaining to the king that it was the Jews who were in mind. He wanted Esther to recognize what kind of man Haman was.
4.8 ‘He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree which was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.’
He then handed to Hathach a written copy of the decree which had been given out in Shushan concerning the destruction of the Jews which he was to hand to Esther as evidence of what he was saying. Hathach was to: ‘show her; declare it to her; and charge her’. The threefold verbs stress the vital importance of what he was asking. He was to show her the decree, to explain to her the circumstances, and to give her Mordecai’s charge. There was to be no doubt about the seriousness of what was happening, or of his ‘charge’. And that charge was that she should approach the king; make supplication to him; and make request before him’ on behalf of her people, the Jews. Again the threefold assertion stresses the urgency of the situation. She was to urge her appeal on the king. She was the only one who could deliver the Jews.
Consider also Mordecai’s statement –‘By his words ‘on behalf of her people’ Mordecai was now for the first time revealing the fact that to the servants that Esther was a Jewess. Personal considerations were no longer important. The existence of a whole nation was at stake.
4.9 ‘And Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.’
We will see now that after Hathach returned to Esther and told her what Mordecai had said. She will send him on a return trip back to Mordecai.
Esther then sent a message to Mordecai pointing out that what he was asking would put her life in danger. Approaching the king in the way required (was dangerous in the extreme. Anyone attempting it would be subject to the whim of the king, and at present she did not appear to be in high favor, not having been summoned by the king in the previous thirty days.
4.10 ‘Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai (saying) 11 ‘All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, know, that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except for those to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live. But I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.’
She pointed out what was well known by all, both king’s servants (the officials who served the king), and peoples of the provinces. And that was that a direct personal approach to the king without previous representations was fraught with danger. To personally approach the king in the inner court, without having been authorized to do so, or without having been summoned, was to court death. The only exception was in cases where the king was pleased to extend his golden sceptre towards someone, indicating that he was ready to receive them, with the consequence that they would be allowed to live. Such an approach would thus only be made in the direst of emergencies. And she then pointed out that at that time she did not appear to be in favor with the king, for he had not summoned her for ‘thirty days’, that is for over the equivalent of a moon period. Thus she would have no certainty of acceptance. The ‘thirty days’ was probably a general indication rather than an exact figure.
It is true that we know from Herodotus that it was possible to submit a petition requesting the privilege of coming into the king’s presence, in which case the above would not apply. Permission would already have been granted. But this course was, of course, excluded for Esther, for that petition would have had to include within it the reasons for the approach, and as Esther recognized, her only hope of obtaining deliverance for her people was through her own personal intercession in intimacy with the king. She would be attempting to overturn the king’s decree, and she recognized that such a petition to approach him in order to alter the king’s decree would have been rejected out of hand. And she would especially think this because at that time she appeared to be out of favor with the king. She would know that the only hope lay in a personal approach which would bring her into the king’s favor, after which she could divulge the reason for her approach. Her aims were most likely to succeed if the king thought that her approach to him was made out of her desire to please him. We should consider in this regard the elaborate way in which she went about things, gradually bringing herself back into his favor by a number of stratagems. Esther knew her Ahasuerus. We can consider how even today women will often save difficult requests to their husbands for moments of intimacy, after a period of special favor, knowing that then they are most likely to succeed.
4.12 ‘And they told Esther’s words to Mordecai.’
Mordecai was then informed by ‘them’ of what Esther had said. The change to the plural may indicate that this message was borne by a number of servants (at least two).
We have no right to say anything negative at Esther’s fears. They were well founded. None knew better than she how cruelly Ahasuerus could often react, something well evidenced by history (for which see introduction). She knew that she would be putting her life on the line. And it was because Mordecai recognized her genuine grounds for fear that he spoke severely to her, pointing out that she could not expect to be excluded from the consequences of the decree. Once the king knew that she was a Jewess she would not escape, especially if she was out of favor, because he would feel bound by his decree.
Mordecai went on to point out that there were good grounds for seeing her present position as something ordained by God. He also wanted her to consider that ‘she had come to the kingdom for such a time as this’. There is a clear recognition here that certain things happen within the purposes of God. Strengthened by his words, as she recognized the truth in them, Esther responded bravely. She would do what she could, and if it meant her death, so be it. This was true bravery, overcoming fear by determination.
4.13-14 ‘Then Mordecai bade them return (this) answer to Esther, “Do not think with yourself that you will escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish, and who knows whether you are not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’
Mordecai’s reply to Esther was forthright, and he utilized both threat and encouragement. He commenced with threat. Through long experience he knew how Persian justice worked. She should not think that because she lived in the king’s house she would somehow be in a different position from other Jews. Once it was known that she was a Jewess she too would perish. The king would not spare her. He would see himself as bound by his own decree. He had been willing to sacrifice Vashti, even though he loved her. He would be equally willing to sacrifice Esther, especially if she was out of favor.
So if she did decide not to risk herself and say nothing she would not thereby save her own life. She and her father’s house would perish, whatever happened to other Jews. For let her be certain of this, all Jews would not perish. History demonstrated that for them relief and deliverance would come ‘from another place’. But if she did nothing that would not apply to her and her house, for by her inactivity she would have forfeited the right to deliverance.
It is clear by this that he saw himself as acting as a prophet, and indeed we know that by many Jews he was seen as a prophet. Josephus, for example, used Esther as history, and stated that since the time of Artaxerxes there had been no exact succession of prophets, which made subsequent records unreliable. This would appear to imply that he saw Mordecai as a prophet.
‘Then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place.’ This remarkable assurance indicates quite clearly that Mordecai had total confidence in the God of Israel. He was confident that God would in some way deliver His people.
‘And who knows whether you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ These powerful words again indicate that Mordecai has God in mind. Who else would a Jew see as bringing someone to a place of special importance at the due time in history? The words must have made a powerful impression on Esther, already very conscious of her own remarkable elevation to the king’s palace and the queen’s throne. Was this then the reason why God had done it? Had she ‘come to the kingdom for such a time as this’? Everything would have appeared to point to it. It would make her deeply aware of her privileged, God-given position.
4.15 ‘Then Esther bade them return (this) answer to Mordecai,’ 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I also and my maidens will fast in like manner. And so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Esther was very conscious of the fact that if indeed she had ‘come to the kingdom for such a time as this’ it indicated that she could expect the intervention of God. And so she called on Mordecai to gather together all the Jews who were in Shushan for a three day fast on her behalf. A three day fast was unusual. Fasting usually occurred on one day. But Esther felt that something beyond the ordinary was required.
That there were a considerable number of Jews in Sushan comes out in that they were able to successfully defend themselves against and slay over five hundred antagonists in one day which we will learn in chapter 9 verse 12. But the only benefit that Esther could hope to receive from such a fast was if it were done before God, thus moving Him to action. In what she had to do she would not benefit at all as a result of it arousing sympathy in the people. Thus its only apparent significance had to be towards God.
‘Neither eat nor drink three days, night or day.’ The fast was to be total. No food or drink for ‘three days’. And this was not be the type of fast such as is practiced in Islam where fasting takes place during the day, only to be followed by a night free from restriction. It was to be a total genuine fast. And she assured Mordecai that she and her young women would fast in the same way.
Then after three days she would personally approach the king in his inner court, without prior representation, something which the law did not allow. It would only be done in cases of the greatest desperation. Approach to the king was normally only allowed if previous representations had been made and the king’s permission had been obtained. But she knew that that would not have been effective in this case, as she needed to use her personal influence effectively, before revealing her petition. And so she took the more dangerous course.
As she approached him in fear and trepidation she would hope that he would be pleased to see her, and yet she would remember that he had not wanted to see her for the last thirty days. Thus if he was feeling at all out of sorts, or resented her approach, he would simply do nothing and she would immediately be put to death for her audacity. It was only if he extended his golden sceptre towards her that she would be allowed to live. And that was not all certain. She would clearly therefore be apprehensive. But it was a risk that she was now prepared to take on behalf of her people, and so she boldly declared, ‘if I perish, I perish’. She was making clear by this that, in spite of her fears, she was ready to face instant death for her people.
4.17 ‘So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.’
Having received her command Mordecai went his way and carried out all that Esther had commanded him. She had made her own choice and now it was she who laid out her plan in God’s sight.
