In our study of Esther chapter four, we will see how God has a plan for the life of each of his children. We will also see how our following that plan may have larger consequences than we think.
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When Mordekhai learned everything that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes and went out through the city, lamenting and crying bitterly. He stopped before entering the King's Gate, since no one was allowed to go inside the King's Gate wearing sackcloth.
When Mordecai learned of the decree he immediately went into mourning because he believed that it would happen. It is interesting to note that he did not pray as he knew that he was out of the will of God. (He had not returned to Jerusalem.)
In every province reached by the king's order and decree, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing, as many lay down on sackcloth and ashes.
We see that the mourning spread throughout the kingdom. Sackcloth and ashes were a sign of repentance so many of the Jews thought that this was a judgement for their sin and they repented. Sackcloth was made out of the skin of dark colored goats and it was rough and uncomfortable to wear. Ashes were a symbol of being consumed by the sin.
When the girls and officials attending Ester came and informed her of this, the queen became deeply distressed. She sent clothes for Mordekhai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he wouldn't accept them.
Esther's royal servants saw Mordecai at the king's gate and reported it to her. She was embarrassed and sent him clothes to put on but he would not. God's hand was at work even in where Mordecai stopped as it was just the right place for her servants to see him.
So Ester summoned Hatakh, one of the king's officials attending her, and instructed him to go to Mordekhai and find out what this was all about and why.
When Mordecai refused the clothes, Esther knew that it was serious. So, she sent a servant to question Mordecai.
Hatakh went out to Mordekhai in the open space in front of the King's Gate, and Mordekhai told him everything that had happened to him and exactly how much silver Haman had promised to put in the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.
So, when Hathach went to Mordecai, he was told of Haman's plan to kill all of the Jews. He even told him of the money that Haman was willing to offer.
He also gave him a copy of the decree for their destruction issued in Shushan; so that he could show it to Ester, explain it to her, and then instruct her to approach the king, intercede with him and implore his favor on behalf of her people.
Mordecai also sent a copy of the edict with Hathach and asked him to explain it to her. He then asked for Esther to go to the king and beg for mercy on behalf of the Jews. This is big because she will be identifying herself as a Jew and, in doing so, the king's order would apply to her.
Hatakh returned and told Ester what Mordekhai had said. Then Ester spoke to Hatakh and gave him this message for Mordekhai: "All the king's officials, as well as the people in the royal provinces, know that if anyone, man or woman, approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being summoned, there is just one law - he must be put to death - unless the king holds out the gold scepter for him to remain alive; and I haven't been summoned to the king for the past thirty days."
So, Esther sends Hathach back to remind Mordecai that, if she does what he asked, she could be killed. The custom of the king reminds us of the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Just as nobody could approach the king in the inner court, the high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once each year. The king extending the gold scepter is a wonderful reminder of how Jesus extended his arms on the cross to buy our pardon.
Upon being told what Ester had said, Mordekhai asked them to give Ester this answer: "Don't suppose that merely because you happen to be in the royal palace you will escape any more than the other Jews.
Mordecai reminded Esther that she was Jew and the edict applied to all of the Jews. It could not be changed and so there was no chance of her being the lone survivor.
For if you fail to speak up now, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from a different direction; but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows whether you didn't come into your royal position precisely for such a time as this."
Mordecai continues to explain to Esther that silence is not an option as she will perish. He demonstrates his faith by trusting that, whether or not she agrees to go to the king, God will deliver His people. He asks her to think about the reason that she is in her royal position. In Ephesians 2:10, we are told that God has prepared things for us to do (just as He had for Esther). Like her, we can choose to obey and follow the course He has set for our lives or we can ignore His Spirit. If we choose to obey, we will be blessed but, if we choose to ignore, God will use someone else to do His will.
Ester had them return this answer to Mordekhai: "Go, assemble all the Jews to be found in Shushan, and have them fast for me, neither eating nor drinking for three days, night and day; also I and the girls attending me will fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish." Then Mordekhai went his way and did everything Ester had ordered him to do.
Esther's reply has a wonderful lesson for us today. When faced with this trial and decision, she called for fasting. As we see, this is denial of food and drink to oneself in order to focus on the things of God. It is significant that she asked for three days of fasting in that the number three is associated with the revealing of God's will throughout the Bible.
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