“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Mordecai learned about Haman’s plot and immediately went into crisis mode, tearing his clothes and donning sackcloth (think scratchy potato sack) and ashes. He clothed himself in humility and repentance in the hopes that God would hear his cries for mercy for God’s people. Jews throughout Persia did the same.
Mordecai didn’t just mourn at home–he went to the king’s gate and wailed loudly and bitterly. Remember this is where he worked, and where people came to appeal to the king, so everyone saw and recognized him. What a sad and pitiful sight he must have been! Word got back to Esther, who apparently had not heard about the horrific edict.
We’re not sure why, but when she heard that he was in sackcloth and ashes Esther sent Mordecai a change of clothes. To give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she wanted him to change so that he could enter through the gate and come talk with her in person. Another reason could have been that she didn’t realize the gravity of the situation and wanted to help him save face. Whatever the reason, she sends the clothes and Mordecai refuses them. Esther then sends one of her trusted attendants, Hathach, to talk with Mordecai for her.
Through Hathach, Mordecai gives Esther the text of the edict, explains the fine print, and tells how much money Haman has promised the King’s treasury for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai begs Esther to intercede on behalf of her people. At first Esther shys away from helping, giving the excuse that the king hasn’t called for her in a month, not to mention that approaching the king uninvited is against the law and is punishable by death. Mordecai sternly warns Esther that if she doesn’t help now, someone else will and she and her father’s family will perish. He encourages her that God has put her in this unlikely position for “such a time as this.” Esther gathers her resolve and instructs Mordecai to have all the Jews in Susa (and her own maids) fast for her for three days, no food or water, and on that third day she would approach the king.
Seed Thought: You’ve got to admit that Esther’s path to becoming queen was very unlikely. She was an orphan, she wasn’t of Persian heritage, and she was a Jew. Those attributes alone should have disqualified her from the running to becoming queen, but they didn’t. Xerxes fell in love with her and named her queen. Just like that. In hindsight it is easy to say that was God’s plan all along, but I wonder how she felt as these events were unfolding? For us today it is no different–we each have events that have brought us to where we are currently. Sometimes the path makes sense, sometimes it seems like nothing is coming together. Regardless of where you are at in life you are still in God’s plan, so rejoice when the Lord declares, “I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Fast of Esther Today: This past Thursday, February 25, 2010, was the Fast of Esther, still observed by Jews today in honor of when Esther fasted for three days before going to the King (Esther 4:16). It is normally observed on the 13th day of the month of Adar, but this year that fell on a Sabbath day (Saturday) so they bumped it to the preceding Thursday. I read an article this morning about a Jewish school’s girls basketball team in Washington state who forfeited a tournament game on Thursday because they were observing the Fast of Esther.
