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Esther 4:1-17
As always, let me I invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Esther 4. Esther is proving to be a wonderful adventure, at least in my own personal study. I’d put it up there alongside the study of Joseph (from the Old Testament) and alongside the study of Ruth, as well. The things that link them all together, of course, are the doctrines of God’s providence and His sovereignty. Now, perhaps I should pause for just a second and differentiate those two doctrines for us. Like siblings in a family, they’re very similar, and yet, they’re distinctly different.
God’s sovereignty refers to His right and power to do all that He decides to do. Job 42:2 says, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” But notice that nothing in that definition of sovereignty refers to God’s wisdom. It’s just His right and power to do whatever He decides to do. When He decides to do a thing, He does it, and no one can stop Him. That’s sovereignty – the authority and power and ability to do whatever is decided.
Providence, however, includes what sovereignty doesn’t. Providence is sovereignty in the service of wise purposes. Or you could say providence is wise and purposeful sovereignty. Sometimes, if you break a word down etymologically, it can be helpful too. For example; providence is made up of a prefix and a root, pro-vidence, or more specifically, pro-vide (Latin). Pro means “before,” and vide means “see.” We have an idiom in English – we say, “I’ll see to it,” meaning, “I’ll take the necessary steps to make sure such-and-such happens.” That’s God’s providence. It’s God “seeing to everything.” Isaiah 46:10 says: “[I declare] the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”
Ok, enough Theology 101. You can mark that off your “to do” list. But, indeed, there is a God who oversees the affairs of history. He’s involved cosmically. He’s involved ecclesiastically – that is, in the church. He’s involved nationally and internationally. And He’s involved individually and personally. We aren’t cast about upon a sea of chance. We’re not held in the grip of blind and deterministic forces. Rather, we’re actually living our lives within the realm of God’s providence. And yet, mysteriously, within the realm of God’s sovereignty and His providence, our personal choices are not overruled. Our personal responsibility isn’t extinguished. God is sovereign, and yet we’re not robots.
That’s the story. And it’s a good story. It’s a story about real people in a real place at a real point in time. The place is Persia. The point in time is around 479 B.C. So, about 500 years before the birth of Jesus. It has a beautiful heroine. We like stories with heroines, especially if they’re pretty (and Esther was). There’s an evil villain who gets his punishment, and we like it when bad guys get what’s coming. There’s a Jewish man who wouldn’t take no for an answer. We’ve known a few of those (and Gentiles too). There’s love that’s lost and love that’s found. There’s ethnic rivalry. There are sudden reversals, and dramatic ironies, and poetic justice, and today, we pick up following the edict of Haman to exterminate the Jewish population.
Follow along with me:
1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law – to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not 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 to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
“Father, illumine the page to us by the Holy Spirit, we pray, so that our study may not simply instruct our minds but stir our hearts, challenge our wills, and change our lives. Only the Holy Spirit can do this. To Him we look. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.”
As many of you know, I typically read from the ESV (English Standard Version), and that’s what you heard and saw this morning. In the ESV, chapter 4 of Esther breaks into three distinct paragraphs. Now, if your translation doesn’t do that, that’s fine. The only other translation that breaks the chapter down like this (that I’m aware of) is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). The only reason I’m telling you this is because the three things that I want us to notice this morning happen to come from each of these paragraphs, and the first paragraph is verses 1-3, and our first point of consideration this morning is:
The Cost of Compromise
Compromise costs. Mordecai is a man who has compromised. Now I want you to think about this. I’ve told you before that when Cyrus the Great defeated the Babylonian Empire of King Nebuchadnezzar, he issued an edict, a decree, known as the Edict of Cyrus (539 B.C.). That edict allowed for all captive Jews to return to Jerusalem, to Israel, to the Promised Land. And yet, only about 50,000 Jews returned with Ezra and Nehemiah. The vast majority of Jews, including Mordecai and Esther, remained in Persia.
Now, we saw last week, the whole reason for this decree to kill the Jews was because Mordecai refused to bow down and pay homage to Haman. Right? So, if Mordecai had returned to Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah and the other Jews, like he was supposed to, this would’ve never happened. Mordecai is living in compromise. And as a result of not going back to the land of Israel, the Promised Land, and being outside of God’s will, all of the Jews (including those that had returned to Jerusalem) were going to be killed. Do you believe that one man’s sin can have an impact on a lot of different people? Absolutely, yes.
But it wasn’t just this edict, this decree to kill all the Jews – look at Mordecai’s actions. Verses 1-3 describe him putting on sackcloth and ashes and going out into the city square to mourn. Sackcloth is often likened to burlap, today. Technically, it was a garment made out of course animal hair. In the New Testament, we’re told the John the Baptist wore “a garment of camel’s hair” (Matthew 3:4). And that was customary. Sitting in ashes or putting ashes on your head was another way of displaying your grief. And so you have a picture of Mordecai wearing distinctive clothing and mourning and he’s doing this in public.
But remember, except for the few people we saw last week, primarily Mordecai’s colleagues at the city gate, nobody knows that Mordecai and Esther are Jews. They’ve concealed that part of their identity. So, in the midst of his compromise, in the midst of his grief, he’s getting ready to uncover their identity. Esther’s attendants are going to catch wind of this and begin to put two and two together.
But what we don’t read is what we normally would read in cases like this, when people are wearing sackcloth and ashes, and that is, we would normally expect to find repentance. But not here. In fact, let me just read a couple of scenarios where we see this repentance with sackcloth and ashes. Back over in Job 42. I read it just a moment ago. Job was complaining to God about his circumstances. Job was questioning the goodness of God, and we get down to verses 5-6 and listen to Job, “I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Or how about Jonah. We all remember the story of Jonah, the prophet. “[When] the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” (Jonah 3:6). And we read on and find out that he issued a decree calling for everyone (man/beast) to “call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands” (Jonah 3:8). What’s that sound like? (Repentance).
Compromise costs, and it should lead to repentance, but sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it just leads to outward grief. “Oh, I’ve failed. I’ve messed up. This is horrible. This is terrible.” But nowhere do we see Mordecai calling out to God. It looks religious, but there’s no attitude of repentance. That’s what’s going on with Mordecai. The cost of compromise. Are you experiencing the cost of compromise this morning? Listen, the Bible says that “the people God loves, He disciplines, so eagerly come to Him with repentance” (Revelation 3:19, paraphrased). 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Perhaps you’re seeing yourself in Mordecai, this morning. Come to Jesus.
The Challenge of Conciliation
Verses 4-11 describe Esther’s attempt to appease Mordecai. Look at verse 4, “When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.” What’s she doing. She’s trying to cover-up their compromise.
Esther doesn’t know what’s going on. She’s kept off in another part of the palace. She’s cut off from everybody except her maids and these eunuchs who are there to guard and protect her from everybody else. She doesn’t have Sirius Radio back there. She doesn’t have Fox News or CNN or the PBC. (You know what the PBC is? Persian Broadcasting Company.) She has no clue what’s going on in the world. So, when this news reaches her, she’s embarrassed, and she tries to cover it up. She sends clothes to Mordecai.
Have you ever noticed how some people, when they get a little influence, a little class, a little bump in their position in society all of a sudden get embarrassed by people they used to hang around with? Sometimes, it even happens with family. “Oh, don’t mind him, he’s just my crazy cousin. Mordecai, what are you doing? You’re embarrassing me. Take those rags off and put on these clothes.” Let’s dress it up. Let’s give it a facelift. It’s the challenge of conciliation. And it’s only after Mordecai refuses, that she sends Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs to find out what’s going on.
Incidentally, if you just watch Hathach here, it’s almost funny, you know. In my mind, the character of Hathach would be played by Rowan Atkinson of Mr. Bean fame. Esther says, “Okay, Hathach, go to Mordecai and say this.” So, he goes to Mordecai and says it, and Mordecai says, “Okay, go to Esther and say this.” So, he comes back and said, “Mordecai said this.” She said, “Well, listen, why don’t you go to Mordecai…” And Mordecai said, “Oh, Esther, yeah.” Let’s head back to Esther.
So, you have this wonderful back and forth discovery and dialogue taking place. By the way, doesn’t reading this kind of story help you to appreciate the modern conveniences of cell phones and automobiles? For all the headaches they bring, there’s so much communication and interaction that we can accomplish, which prior to the telephone and automobile would’ve taken hours, days, weeks, even months. Sometimes, you have to slow down and really put yourself into the story to see that this wasn’t a 15-minute phone call. So, Mordecai provides Hathach with all of the evidence needed to bring her up-to-speed, and notice verse 8, especially the end: “Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.”
The secret is out. “Her people?” If no one had known before, well, now Hathach knows that the queen is actually a Jew; that she’s included in this edict of extermination; that she and her family, faces the threat that has been unleashed as a result of this plot by Haman. And notice Esther’s response (v. 11), “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law – to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” Basically, she says, “That’s easy for you to say. I may be the queen, but I haven’t seen my husband in 30 days and you can be sure he ain’t sleeping single in a double bed. If I go without being summoned, then I could die.”
I hope you’re encouraged by the fact that when word reaches Esther, she doesn’t immediately say, “Oh, yeah, I’ll do that!” Why would you be encouraged by that as a believer? Because if you’re honest, you see your face in that response. Most of us are not stepping up to say, “Oh, yeah, I’ll put my life in jeopardy for you, for the people of God. All I have is Christ. He’s everything to me!” No, most of us say, “I’m not going.”
Isn’t it fantastic that God uses the fainthearted – people like Esther? He doesn’t set her aside. God uses fainthearted people in order to achieve His purposes, even when we say no the first, second, and third time. It’s remarkable.
You have the cost of compromise. You have the challenge of conciliation. Finally, let me show you the courage of conviction.
The Courage of Conviction
Esther is going to have a resolve, and then she’s going to express a real conviction, and then out of that conviction comes true courage. But before we get to Esther, I want us to hear what Mordecai says. It begins in verse 13, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.” “Hey, Esther, word is out. I’ve just exposed you, so don’t think that you’ll escape just because you’re the queen and you’re in the palace.” Now notice verse 14, because Mordecai almost comes out states the sovereignty of God. “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place…And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Do you know what he just said? He just said that God has innumerable ways to carry out His will.
God has a will, and He’s invited you to be a part of His will, but if you don’t agree to do His will, then He’s not limited to doing it just through you. Do you hear that? I do. God doesn’t need Lee Norris to accomplish His will for this place. And listen to me, God doesn’t need Mountain Hill Community Church. There are so many other people and churches that He can use to accomplish His purposes of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. But He’s given us the opportunity to step out with conviction of courage and faith, and to trust Him and see what He might do through us. Or we can choose to not be in God’s will and we’ll miss the blessing. The great privilege is this; that God has come to us in His sovereignty and said, “Come on, and let me bless you.”
Finally, let’s see Esther’s resolve. It begins in verse 16, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do.” Now, do you see anything in there that reminds you of something else? (Three days/three nights.) Here’s a woman, used of God, in the midst of her compromise, pointing to a greater Savior. Pointing to someone who – for three days and three nights – will be in the ground (no eating, no drinking), and on the third day will arise. Esther says, “I’ll go to the king.” Jesus says, “I’m ascending to the Father” (John 20:17, paraphrased).
That’s Esther’s resolve. Now, listen to her conviction. She says, “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” What a woman? That’s the courage of a believer who walks the wall and says, “I’m here by an act of a sovereign God, and I will be in His will, and if it costs me my life – I don’t care.”
Listen, we’re getting ready to come to the Lord’s Table and I want you to see the imagery and the metaphor that’s in these final verses. Esther points to a greater Savior. She calls on the Jews to fast from the table and the cup, and what does Jesus do? He prays for the cup to pass away from Him. Here’s Esther, who asks the Jews to join her for three days and three night, and Jesus asks His disciples if they can pray for one hour. Esther took her life in her hands and faced possible death. Jesus put His life in the hands of the Father, took up His cross, and entered into death. Here’s Esther, entering into that final moment with the knowledge that she might die. Jesus, responding to the defining moment of His life says, “for this reason came I into the world” to die (John 12:27, KJV).
Boy, Esther points to Jesus all over the place. And as God tells this story – He’s so sovereign – He comes to us and says, “I’ve got something better for you than what you’ve settled for.”
“O God our Father, thank You for Your Word. Help us, even in our faintheartedness to say, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). And help us, Lord, to understand that this King rode a donkey, that this King was crowned with thorns, that this King entered into the very depths of our predicament, bore the edict that was the penalty of sin, in order that we might come to Him. Oh, help us respond to You, Lord, we pray. And grant that our gaze may be filled with You, the living God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant that we might behold King Jesus in all of His power and majesty and glory. For it’s in His name we pray. Amen.”