4:1 Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud and bitter voice.
There were about 15 million Jews in the Persian kingdom at this time. All of the Gentiles in the Persian kingdom were about to combine, destroy all of the Jews, and plunder their property. This massacre would bring great wealth to Gentile families. This genocide was called, because one anti-semitic Persian official was angry at one Jew who did not bow down and worship him.
4:2 But he went no further than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.
Mordecai was not allowed to enter the king’s gate in his sackcloth clothes of mourning.
4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced there was considerable mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic of many.
Notice that these fifteen million Jews all fasted, cried, and were very sad, but they did not pray. Why did they not pray?
These were the Jews who refused to return to Israel after Cyrus made his prophetic decree. They were all out of the will of God. However, this edict would extend also to the 50,000 messianic Jews who did respond to Cyrus and return to Israel. God would have to protect the fifteen million Jews out of the will of God in order to protect the 50,000 messianic Jews who did return to the land.
4:4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them.
Esther is thinking like a spoiled queen. She does not think that the edict will touch her. She is embarrassed that her father is walking around in sackcloth, so she sent him some gaudy clothes to cover up his shame. After all, he is the father-in-law of royalty. He should not be embarrassing her in this way.
Many modern churches attempt to cover the cross of Christ with gaudy clothes. So many churches today are teaching everything but the cross of Christ. They cover up the cross of Christ with such gaudy clothes as musical concerts, skits, plays, and cute little sermonettes. Some people think that the modern pulpit has become a place where a mild-mannered man get up before a group of mild-mannered people and urge them to be more mild-mannered. No wonder know one wants to enter the doors of most modern churches today! Pastors need to quit using the techniques of the satanic world system and just teach the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level.
Many years ago, Dr. Shaler Matthews from the University of Chicago’s School of Religion came up with this definition of sin: “Sin is the backward pull of an outworn good.” When you take away all of the adjectives, this liberal professor is basically saying that sin is good. Liberalism is the great sin of the church. The liberal churches, the emergent churches, and the seeker-friendly churches are committing great sins when they refuse to feed their people the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level.
4:5 So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed at her service, and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for Mordecai’s behavior.
There was no way that Mordecai was going to accept these gaudy clothes. These clothes would not hide the verdict which came from the king’s chambers. When the clothes were refused, Esther sent out a trusted eunuch to find out what was going on with her father.
4:6 So Hathach went to Mordecai at the plaza of the city in front of the king’s gate.
Mordecai was a judge at the city gate. He may have been wearing his sackcloth in his judicial position as a protest against the king’s edict.
4:7 Then Mordecai related to him everything that had happened to him, even the specific amount of money that Haman had offered to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews to be destroyed.
Mordecai showed Esther’s eunuch this decree. This decree basically stated that the king had agreed to commit genocide of God’s chosen people for a price. This decree had to make Esther’s husband look like a monster.
4:8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated in Susa for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and petition him on behalf of her people.
Mordecai’s message asked Esther to discuss this situation with the king.
4:9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions to Esther.
The eunuch gave the message to Esther.
4:10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai:
Esther sent a return message to Mordecai.
4:11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court—that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”
Esther answered like a spoiled queen. Basically, her message was that she could do nothing in this matter. If she approached the king without an invitation and he did not extend his scepter, then she would be executed. The king had not seen her in over a month. As queen, Esther was just one special sex slave in a large harem. She existed to please the king. If the king was tired of her, then he would just eliminate her and find another queen to enter his bed chamber. Many kings from history acted in this way. King Henry VIII went through six wives, simply because none of them could give birth to a male heir to the English throne.
4:12 When Esther’s reply was conveyed to Mordecai,
Esther’s reply was sent to Mordecai.
4:13 he said to take back this answer to Esther:
Mordecai did not like the reply of this new spoiled queen.
4:14 “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear from another source, while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!”
Mordecai reminded the queen that she would not escape this edict. Queen Vashti did not escape the king’s edict and neither will a Jewish queen.
4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:
Esther will now answer as a noble queen.
4:16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!”
Queen Esther asked all of the Jews to assemble and fast. Why did she not ask them to pray? There reason was that she was out of the will of God.
When a person is out of the will of God, they usually will not pray. They will not be involved in Bible study. They will not be interested in attending church. If they do attend church, it will be a shallow-teaching church that replaces Bible teaching with music concerts, skits, plays, and entertainment. Those out of the will of God will only attend a church which tickles their ears. Bible doctrine is too painful for their souls, because it pricks their conscience.
4:17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.
Mordecai called for an assembly of Jews to fast. Many modern Christians use verses like this one to call for modern fasting. This is superstition. What modern Christians need to do is to study bible doctrine at the deepest level and then pray. Only those who possess deep bible study from the entire counsel of the Word of God even know how to pray, what to pray, and when to pray. Fasting will not make one closer to God. To know the mind of God, one must study, not fast.