Esther 4

Esther 4 describes the reaction of Mordecai and the Jewish people to Haman's decree to annihilate the Jews. Mordecai publicly mourns in sackcloth and ashes, and Queen Esther learns of the crisis. Mordecai urges Esther to intercede with King Ahasuerus on behalf of the Jews, despite the personal risk she faces by approaching the king without being summoned. Esther ultimately agrees, asking for three days of fasting before she approaches the king. This chapter highlights the urgency of the Jewish plight and the pivotal role Esther must play in saving her people.

Esther 4:1-5 (NKJV)
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.

Mordecai reacts strongly to the decree by mourning in sackcloth and ashes, a traditional Jewish sign of deep sorrow and repentance. His public display of grief reaches the palace, where Esther is informed. Esther, unaware of the decree, sends garments to Mordecai to alleviate his distress, but he refuses them. This refusal prompts Esther to send her servant Hathach to discover the reason for Mordecai's grief, indicating her genuine concern.

Esther 4:6-8 (NKJV)
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.

Mordecai informs Hathach of the full scope of the situation, including Haman’s bribe to the king to annihilate the Jews. He also provides Hathach with a copy of the decree, asking him to show it to Esther. Mordecai urges Esther to plead with the king for her people’s survival. This emphasizes the grave nature of the situation and the need for Esther’s intervention, as she holds a unique position of influence.

Esther 4:9-12 (NKJV)
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.

Esther expresses her concern to Mordecai, explaining the danger of approaching the king without being summoned. According to Persian law, doing so could result in death unless the king extended his golden scepter in favor. She also notes that she has not been summoned for thirty days, indicating her uncertainty about her standing with the king. This highlights the personal risk Esther would face by intervening on behalf of the Jews.

Esther 4:13-14 (NKJV)
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?”

Mordecai delivers a profound message to Esther, urging her not to think that her position will save her from the decree. He expresses faith that deliverance will come for the Jews, even if Esther remains silent, but warns that she and her family will suffer. Mordecai also hints at a greater purpose, suggesting that Esther’s rise to queen may have been divinely orchestrated for this very moment, encouraging her to act boldly.

Esther 4:15-17 (NKJV)
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.

Esther decides to act, but requests that all the Jews in Shushan fast for three days before she approaches the king. She is aware of the risk and is willing to face death if necessary, stating, “If I perish, I perish.” This displays Esther’s courage and commitment to her people. Mordecai follows her instructions, organizing the fast, demonstrating his support and hope in Esther’s decision.