Divine Appointments: For Such a Time as This

Transcript

JROT 31
5/12/2024
Divine Appointments: Part 4 “For Such a Time As This”
ESTHER 4:1-17
Jessie Randolph

It is great to see so many of you back for Sunday evening service as we continue to make our way through the book of Esther. Hope the moms have had a wonderful Mother’s Day and remember if you haven’t yet called your mother there’s still time after evening service tonight to do so. I’ll be doing that tonight on my way home, calling my mom out in Washington.

Now, a brief housekeeping item, if I may before we get started. When I set out to preach Esther this spring, I ambitiously thought that I could squeeze it in within maybe seven or eight weeks before we started Summer in the Systematics in the summer months. I was wrong. I can’t preach Esther in seven or eight weeks. I don’t think it would do the trick and now summer is practically upon us and I’m committed to taking our church through Systematic Theology on Sunday evenings in the summer. So what that means is that after next Sunday night we’re going to take a break from the book of Esther. I’m going to leave you all hanging off a cliff and then we are going to move into our summer-long study of Christology. And then we’ll resume and complete Lord willing, unless the rapture happens first. The book of Esther in the Fall. Sorry about that. Please send any complaints or concerns to my email that would be Gordie.coffin@ihcc.org

With that, let’s dive back into the book of Esther. Now, by way of review in Esther chapter 1 we were introduced to King Ahasuerus or Xerxes, as I’ve been calling him because that is much much simpler to pronounce. Xerxes was king of Persia in the late to mid 400s, B.C. He was married to Vashti. And after a night of feasting and drinking and carousing you may remember Xerxes sent Vashti away after she refused to cave in to his drunken demand that she parade herself around naked at this dinner party he was hosting.

And then we got to Esther chapter 2 and we were introduced to this Jewish man living in Persia named Mordecai and his young cousin, the namesake of this book. A girl named Esther or her Jewish name would be Hadassah. And in that chapter, Esther chapter 2, we learned how Esther ended up replacing Vashti as queen when she beat out a group of other young, beautiful virgin girls. By being the most pleasing sexually to King Xerxes.

And then last week, in Esther chapter 3 we were introduced to another character Haman who was an Agagite. A descendant of Amalek and as we saw last time the Amalekites were longtime foes of the Jews. And we learned how Haman last week in Esther 3 in his rage against Mordecai for refusing to bow down to him had manipulated Xerxes, in Xerxes aloofness into passing this decree whereby he had sanctioned the mass murder of the Jewish people that were living in the Persian Empire. The largest and most powerful empire in the whole world at that time and according to that decree. Eleven months later. On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar.
All the Jews were to be, in the words of King Xerxes’ decree: Destroyed, killed, and caused to perish.

And you can picture the scene there. You know posters were put up all over Persia. From India to Ethiopia that was the scope of the empire. And that this notice was informing the citizens of the kingdom of this future date of this coming genocide. And so Chapter 3 of Esther ends with the city of Susa being in this uproar and confusion. It would be like if here in Lincoln there was a notice put out that suddenly a certain group, African Americans or Hispanics or lefthanders or Hawkeye fans were all going to be put to death on February 12 of next year. It would cause a certain amount of alarm and upset that that was to be taken out with that much notice ahead of time. And of course this decree here in Esther 3 was incredibly troubling and incredibly disturbing. But not for everyone. Because we saw last time Haman the architect of that decree and Xerxes the ultimate signatory to that decree, apparently exhausted from planning out mass murder, they satiated their consciences over a few drinks. We saw that in Esther 3 verse 15.

Now, as Esther 4 opens it’s as though we’re watching a live news report and we’re cutting from one scene to the next to get the reaction of those who were on the ground. And here in chapter 4 of the book of Esther, the camera pans over to and zooms in on Mordecai who, we see was informed of all that had been planned out and all that was about to come and who very understandably was now highly distraught.

Verse 1 of chapter 4 tells us, “Now Mordecai came to know of all that had been done. And he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly.” So our text begins with these words that, “Mordecai came to know of all that had been done.” Now, at a minimum, this is telling us that Mordecai knew about the decree that was issued by King Xerxes and that he now knew that there was this bounty on the head of each and every Jewish person in the Persian Kingdom. That much is obvious because it was now very much public information that on the thirteenth day of that month of Adar all Jews living within the Persian Empire would be killed.

The opening words of verse 1, though tell us something more. Note, carefully, how that’s phrased. It says “Mordecai came to know of all that had been done.” In other words Mordecai knew not only the content of that public decree of Xerxes. He knew more. He knew the backstory. He knew not only the language of the decree but he knew all that went into that decree. He knew of the agreement between Haman and King Xerxes. He knew of all the behind the scenes discussions that went down. How he knew that, we don’t know. Perhaps it was from one of the court attendants, the eunuchs who were close to the king. And who eventually then shared this information with Mordecai. We really can’t say. All we can say is that Mordecai had inside information. And we know, from the text, that what when he learned what he learned, it grieved him.

Look at the next part of verse 1. It says, “And he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly.” Whatever Mordecai’s reasons were back in chapter 3 for not bowing down to Haman. Now he’s in this great state of mourning. His feud with Haman however one looks at it, had caused this crisis this great crisis for the entire Jewish people. God’s chosen people were now at risk of being entirely destroyed. And Mordecai demonstrates his feelings about the whole situation with these common outward signs of grieving. First, we’re told that he “tore his clothes.” That was a common cultural expression of grief during these days.

For instance, a few cross references here, a Genesis 37:34 mentions that Jacob tore his clothes when he was given Joseph’s multicolored tunic, which led him to believe that his son Joseph had been torn into pieces by a wild animal. In Numbers 14:6 Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes when they heard that the people wanted to return to Egypt rather than go into the land that God had promised them. David tore his clothes on multiple occasions in the book of 2 Samuel. First after hearing of the death of Saul, in 2 Samuel 1:11. Then when he heard of the death of Abner, in 2 Samuel 3:31 and then when he heard of the death of Amnon in 2 Samuel 13:31. Eliakim and Shebna tore their clothes when Jerusalem was threatened by the Assyrians in Isaiah 36:22. Ezra tore his clothes to express his distress that God’s people, the priests and Levites, had intermarried with pagan Gentiles. That’s in Ezra 9:3.

Mordecai now is joining them. Mordecai we see here in verse 1 of chapter 4, also tore his clothes. But we also see as we read on that he “put on sackcloth and ashes.” which was another way of showing, demonstrating extreme grief. Sackcloth was this heavy garment usually black or dark in color made of either camel’s hair or goat’s hair. And when a person put on that garment and spread ashes over their head they were again expressing mourning or grief specifically, over the dead. For instance, in Daniel 9, after reading of the future “laying waste of Jerusalem,” in Daniel 9:2. Daniel says, in Daniel 9:3, “So I gave my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Or we think of the prophet Joel. Who, after reporting in Joel 1:12, that “the vine dries up, and the fig tree fails; the pomegranate, the palm also, and the dapple tree, all the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up the sons of men.” He goes on to say this in Joel 1:13, “Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament, O priests.” Or we think of the king of Nineveh, in Jonah 3 verse 6. Who, after hearing that the people of Nineveh had repented upon the preaching of Jonah he reacted this way. It says “Then the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, laid aside his mantle from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes.”

So here was Mordecai in Esther. Dressed in this dark, coarse clothing made of goat hair or camel’s hair with ripped up clothing symbolizing his torn up emotional condition ashes rubbed onto his head perhaps into his beard. And all of it was clearly indicating his mourning and his grief. But that wasn’t it. He expressed his grief even further as we read on, in another way. It says he “went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly. What he said as he cried out. His pitch. His volume. How loudly his cries echoed through the streets of Susa. We’re not told. But what we do see happening here in the Hebrew of this text in verse 1 is this repeated use of the root word “to cry out.” What is really highlighting the intensity of Mordecai’s behavior here. The intensity of his cry is being stressed. This could literally be translated: “he cried out with great and bitter crying.”

But again, the cultural reference is clear. Wailing and weeping and crying were among the Jews back then as it is today, a recognized form in this culture of mourning and grieving. So what Mordecai was doing here was he was identifying himself to the public as one in great distress. He understood what all those events recorded in Esther chapter 3 meant. He knew that King Xerxes’ decree had been stamped, signed with his royal signet ring. He knew that his people were under the sentence of death. And so his heart was filled with grief and anguish. And here’s a detail that can easily be overlooked here: Normally when we see these acts of grief and mourning as described in the Old Testament, they were usually engaged in after a period of calamity or death had already occurred. Well here we see Mordecai acting in this way and demonstrating these acts of grief and lament before the events even happened. And what is that telling us? It’s telling us that the fate of the Jews in Esther’s time was already seemingly sealed. Based on this decree of Xerxes the fate of the Jews was irrevocably doomed.

Now, as we turn to verse 2. We note that Mordecai’s acts of mourning and grieving and lamenting could only take him so far, physically. Look at verse 2. It says “And he went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.” So Mordecai was making his way through this city of Susa publicly mourning and grieving in the king’s decree. And he proceeds all the way up to the king’s gate. Now, I don’t believe in this context that his goal right now right here was to make an appeal directly to the king. We have to remember, that this law had already passed and under Persian Law that law could not be revoked. Which is why Mordecai is mourning in the first place. What he is trying to do here I believe is he’s trying to get to Esther, his cousin, the one he had cared for, for so many years. The one who, like him, was a Jew and the one who, like him, was now the target of this new decree. But before he could get to the kings gate verse 2. He couldn’t get to the kings gate because as verse 2 says “no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.” Putting that in modern terms this would be like getting into the lobby of a high-rise in Omaha but not being allowed to take the elevator up to see the CEO on the top floor. Now you can hang out in the lobby so to speak. That’s what Mordecai was allowed to do right here, but “no one is allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.”

And that by the way is confirmed in other records of the history of the Persian Empire. That there really were laws in Persia outlawing mourners from gaining direct access to the king. Apparently the thought behind these laws was that kings were supposed to live easy, comfortable lives and they were supposed to be shielded from the realities of life and they were not to be exposed to obvious sights of sorrow, or grief, or depression. Kings instead were to be surrounded by merriment at all times in their little artificial slice of paradise. And so no one was allowed to come in toward them or near them and approach them in a public act of mourning. They weren’t allowed if they were in that condition to come past the king’s gate. And what that means here practically is that Mordecai would not be able to communicate face-to-face as he sought to do with his cousin Esther. He wouldn’t be able to pass along to her directly his grief and his angst about the law that had just been passed.


Well, Mordecai wasn’t the only one grieving about this law that had been passed by Xerxes.
As we get to verse 3, we see this grief spread out further. It says “Now in each and every province where the word and law of the king reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many made their bed in sackcloth and ashes.” In other words what we saw back in verse 1 where Mordecai’s morning was portrayed, that was duplicated all over the empire as the Jews who were scattered throughout began to hear about Xerxes’ law. Mordecai, in other words, was not mourning alone. Instead in the 127 provinces that made up the kingdom of Persia in this massive world empire that spanned from India to Ethiopia. The Jewish people were coming to this collective recognition that a death warrant had been issued for all of them. And so what we see described here in verse 3 is the collective grief of the entire Jewish population being expressed as they’re coming to understand that Xerxes’ sword will soon fall upon them.

Now, an interesting side note here at least I think it’s interesting is that the only other place in the Hebrew Bible where you’ll find the same exact order of the words as you see here in Esther 4:3 where it says there was “fasting, and weeping, and wailing” In that particular order, is in the book of Joel. In fact, why don’t you go with me to the book of Joel. See if you can find Joel within 15 seconds ok? Joel. Daniel Hosea Joel Amos. Find Daniel, hang a right to Joel chapter 2. This is where we see that same configuration of words that we see in Esther 4:3. Joel 2:12 says “‘Yet even now,’ declares Yahweh, ‘Return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping, and wailing’.” That’s the same word order in Esther 4:3: “fasting, weeping, and wailing.” Now, read on, in verse 13, and it says “‘And tear your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to Yahweh your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting concerning evil.”

Now many have seen here and I would tend to agree with them an intentional and a direct parallel between the usage of those words, “fasting, weeping, and wailing.” In the book of Esther and the same usage of those words in Joel. And the significance of that parallel would be that though God is not mentioned by name in the book of Esther, which was written later, he clearly was communicating to the Jews of Esther’s day there in Susa, he was calling on them as He did the people of Israel during Joel’s day to repent. To turn to Him. Haman’s decree, in other words wicked though it was, was yet another occasion for the Jewish people, in their exile to fully turn to God in repentance. As I said, I’m sympathetic to that view, I think it makes logical and exegetical sense but sadly, we do know that despite the many warnings they received from God even up to the time of Esther’s day, Israel did not repent.

Back to the book of Esther and continuing on in the story here. In the next several verses going all the way through verse 9 we’re going to see that though he was unable to get past the king’s gate. Mordecai yet was able to pass along his concerns and his warnings to Esther as she sat there in the royal palace. Look at verse 4, it says “Then Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to remove his sackcloth from upon him, but he did not accept them.” So as the Queen of Persia, Esther had people waiting on her at all times and surrounding her including as we see here, “young women” and “eunuchs.” And as would have been true of any royal court during this time part of the job of these court officials and the advisers of Esther would be to keep her apprised of what was happening both inside and outside the Persian Kingdom.

And we’re told here in verse 4 that her attendants the “young women, the eunuchs” “Came and told her something.” Well what is it that they told her? Well, apparently they told her about Mordecai and his public showing of grief and the scene that he’s making outside the king’s gate.
And look at Esther’s reaction to the news she gets about Mordecai. It’s in the middle of verse 4, it says “and the queen writhed in great anguish.” So she was deeply distressed internally.
And it was showing externally as she was writhing in anguish.

Now, there’s no indication that Esther at this point knew the specifics about what was troubling Mordecai. But the fact that he was wearing sackcloth, the fact that he was tearing his clothes, the fact that he was crying loudly and bitterly in the streets of Susa. Alerted to her to the fact that something terrible must be happening. So, we’re told, in the next part of verse 4, that
“she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to remove his sackcloth from upon him.” Now it’s pretty evident here that Esther wasn’t immediately catching on to the overall and specific nature of the situation. Because her first response in hearing that Mordecai was in distress was to send him clothes in the place of his sackcloth. It’s as though her only concern at this point was to stop him from embarrassing himself as opposed to getting to the heart of the issues that were causing him that distress to begin with.

Now, side note here. Note how isolated Esther had become from the rest of the Jewish population there in the Persian Kingdom at this point. We saw up in verse 3 that every Jew from India to Ethiopia was lamenting and mourning Xerxes’ decree. But Esther apparently had no idea what was going on. So isolated and disconnected was she from ordinary life that she had no idea or sense of the word that spreading all over the land about Xerxes’ decree to slaughter Jews across the land. Well, notwithstanding her offer to Mordecai of some new clothes there in verse 4, we see, at the end of verse 4, that “he did not accept them.” He apparently was too distressed to think of removing his mourning garb. He refused to disguise his anguish.

Now, it can always be, and you have heard me say this many times up here before, especially when we are going through the Old Testament. It can always be potentially dangerous and treacherous to make too many direct leaps out of the Old Testament forward into our age. But here, I think, there is a leap that can be made and should be made. Note what Mordecai was going through in this scene. He was going through a period of anguish in his soul. He was inwardly grieved. He was inwardly mourning. And note what Esther’s approach to him was. It was not to get after the heart of whatever it was that was troubling her cousin and her caretaker. Rather, it was trade out his outer attire of sackcloth and torn clothing for some more appropriate external attire, especially if he wanted to get into the presence of the king. Esther’s response, then, was superficial. Her response was the one that required the lowest level of commitment and engagement.

And there’s something to be said here about the superficial ways that troubled people today deal with their issues. In their mourning in their grief, in their sadness. They’re encouraged not only out there in the world but sometimes here in the church to mask it. Maybe not with a change of clothes, like here in Esther but perhaps with a psychological diagnosis or with a prescription or with a personal trainer or with a physical fitness plan as though those things will ultimately take care of what’s happening in their heart. But no mere personal transformation. No religious ceremony. No commitment to turning over a new leaf. No outward change of any kind. Is ever going to provide ultimate peace to an anxious and troubled heart. Rather, what is needed is repentance. And belief in the gospel. And once that repentance and belief has occurred, a true commitment to following Jesus Christ and surrendering to His lordship. Back to our storyline.

Here was Mordecai. Outside the king’s gate grieving and mourning in sackcloth and ashes and torn clothes, unable to go inside the palace to see his cousin Esther. And there’s Esther inside the royal palace, confined to her palatial surroundings, unable to go outside to associate with the commoners. And so now here the two of them were forced at this point to remain separate from one another. And the only way they could communicate was by way, we are about to see of an intermediary.

It takes us to verse 5. It says “Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom the king had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai to know what this was and why it was.” That language “what this was and why this was” is again signaling here to us that Esther was oblivious to what was happening in the Persian Empire. She knew that her cousin Mordecai was bent out of shape about something. She knew that she had sent him new clothes to replace his clothes of mourning. She knew that Mordecai had rejected her offer of new clothes. But, being unable to contact Mordecai directly, she had to reach him through this intermediary. And the person chosen for that task was Hathach who, we’re told, was a eunuch. We’re also told in verse 5 that Hathach had been appointed by the king. It says whom “the king had appointed to attend to her.” That Hathach would have been appointed by the king directly by the way would suggest that he was a trustworthy individual.

And Esther needed him in this moment. So she summons him to find out exactly what is troubling Mordecai. And like the king, by the way Esther must have had a special level of trust in Hathach because of the delicate nature of the task that she was about to entrust to him and the delicate information she was about to share with him.

Well, Hathach proves himself to be trustworthy because he carrys out the very task he was asked to do. Look at verse 6. It says “So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate.” Now the word for “city square” there. The literal translation would be “the broad place.” Meaning, this initial meeting between Hathach and Mordecai took place in this very public area right there in front of the king’s gate. So, Hathach faithfully, dutifully went outside the king’s gate in this open square, this open area and found Mordecai.

And then we’re told verses 7 and 8 that Mordecai went on in this public setting to tell Hathach the whole story. Look at verses 7 and 8. It says “And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries to cause the Jews to perish. He also gave him a copy of the written law which had been given in Susa for their destruction, in order to show Esther and to tell her and to command her to go into the king to implore his favor and to seek him out for her people.”

So not only did Hathach have the trust of the king who had assigned him to Esther. Not only did he have the trust of Esther, who had appointed him to go to Mordecai, he had the trust of Mordecai himself apparently who gave him this lengthy explanation told him all that had happened to him in verse 7. Now there are a few important observations we need to make from what Mordecai shared with Hathach in these two verses.

First, we do note that Mordecai it says verse 7, told him all that happened to him. Here Mordecai is hinting at the fact by the way that from his perspective the crisis which was then unfolding in the Persian Empire, it had started with him. He was at the center of it all. Remember, it was Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to Haman, which ultimately provoked Haman, which led to Haman going to Xerxes, which led to the passage of the decree concerning the future mass killing of all the Jews. And though there’s no indication here in verse 7 that Mordecai had any regrets about refusing to bow down to Haman. It’s clear from the language here in verse 7 that he acknowledges that his actions had played a part in things getting to where they had gotten.

Next, we see, in verse 7, that Mordecai shared with Hathach the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay to the kings treasuries to cause the Jews to perish. Mordecai in other words had somehow learned all the details of Haman’s whole scheme of treachery and trickery. Including the fact that Haman had offered to pay Xerxes for the right to slaughter the Jews. And not only that, we are told here in verse 7 that Mordecai was aware of “the exact amount of silver” that had been promised in this whole terrible scheme. So Mordecai, was incredibly well informed. He knew, all of the details, he knew that Haman had become infuriated over Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him. He knew that Haman had concocted in his heart this wicked scheme to put to death all of the Jews in the Persian Empire. He knew that Haman had convinced the king to send out this edict, this law to that effect. He knew that Haman had promised Xerxes the king this exorbitant sum of money to make it all happen.

How Mordecai knew all of this, how he came to know all of this, we’re not told. But apparently the walls of the palace talked. Apparently Mordecai had his ear to the ground. Maybe it was both. However he learned of these details, though, it’s clear that what Mordecai was trying to do here through this eunuch Hathach was communicate all this information back to Esther so that she within the palace walls could see just how grave the situation was.

Now, to back up his words and bolster his case. Next, in verse 8 we’re told that Mordecai produced a copy of the very text of Xerxes’ law, his edict so that Hathach could then take it to Esther herself and she could read it with her own eyes. Look at the first part of verse 8. It says “He also gave him a copy of the written law which had been given in Susa for their destruction.” So in light of what he was about to ask Esther to do which we are going to get to in a second, Mordecai knew and understood that he couldn’t just pass along and repeat various verbal assertions. Some form of written evidence was needed. So he gave Hathach a copy of Xerxes’ decree to give to Esther who apparently even up to this point was still the only person in Persia that didn’t know about all of this.

Then comes this critical moment, in the second part of verse 8 where we’re told why Mordecai was passing this information along to Esther. It was, it says, “in order to show Esther and to tell her and to command her by the way those are very strong words of exhortation to give to a sitting queen. “Show.” “Tell.” “Command.” Mordecai didn’t care. Formalities could be dispensed with. Esther was his cousin. He was her countrymen. He had been her caretaker and her provider all those years prior. And what she needed to do, Mordecai was telling her now.
Look at the rest of verse 8. What she needed to do was “to go in to the king to implore his favor and to seek him out for her people.”

Now this is a critical moment in the book of Esther. Why? Because for the first time in this entire story. Esther. Queen Esther. Hadassah. Is outed as a Jew. Mordecai not only told Hathach to tell Esther about the evil plot that Haman had hatched. He not only passed along a copy of Xerxes’ decree regarding the upcoming murder of the Jews. He reveals to Hathach in this verse that Esther herself was a Jew. The Jews in the Persian Empire. The very people who were now subject to the terms of Xerxes decree were not merely “a people.” They were “her people.” Esther’s people. Queen Esthers people.

This is huge. Because what’s being surfaced for the first time outside of Esther and Mordecai themselves and outside of us as the readers of the book of Esther all these years later is that without some form of reprieve from her husband the king Xerxes. Esther. And Mordecai. And all of their people were going to die.

Well, being the faithful, trustworthy man and messenger that he was, we see in verse 9 that Hathach dutifully passed on this message to Esther. Verse 9 says “Then Hathach came back and told Mordecai’s words to Esther.” Now, just think of it. At this moment Esther now knows that Hathach has told Mordecai that she’s a Jew. So she must have turned white as a sheet as she realized the crossroads that she was now at. She would no longer be able to conceal her identity as one who was of Israel. She would eventually have to disregard Mordecai’s earlier instructions where he told her to hide her identity and instead would have to uncover her identity and now risk it all, by revealing herself specifically, to her husband King Xerxes as a Jew.
She would eventually have to identify with the very people who were now under this edict of destruction.


So the question was, would she follow his advice? Would she finally acknowledge that the Jews were indeed “her people”? Let’s take a look, verses 10 and 11 to see what her next steps would be. It says “Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to reply to Mordecai: ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.’” So, Mordecai’s words to Esther through Hathach the eunuch, had been, “Go to the king.” “Implore his favor.” “Seek his help.” “Beg him to do something about this.” “Not only on your behalf, Esther, but on behalf of the entire Jewish people.”

And now, here in verses 10 and 11, Esther gives her response. And in doing so, she reveals three things. First, that she had some degree of authority. Now we see that in verse 10 which says “Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to reply to Mordecai.” So she had measure some degree of authority. Second, what we also see, as we turn to verse 11, is that whatever authority Esther had, it was limited. Substantially limited. Severely limited, in fact. Again, here’s verse 11. These are the words of Esther. “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live.” So here Esther’s responding to Mordecai by telling him that it’s a capital offense to appear before the king uninvited unless the king spares the intruder’s life by extending and lowering his golden scepter.

A Persian king like Xerxes like most ancient monarchs of this time they were carefully protected against unwanted visitors both for reasons of safety but also for reasons of convenience and comfort. And the king as we see here had the power to put to death anyone who disturbed him without an appointment. It was only when the king extended his golden scepter to someone which indicated that he approved of their visit that a person was welcome and now not in danger of death.

So what Esther was doing here in verse 11, then was telling Mordecai that she couldn’t just simply enter the king’s inner chambers unannounced. Even though she was the queen and even though she was Xerxes’ wife her authority in the king’s court was no greater than any of his other subjects. If she went into Xerxes’ presence unannounced she risked being put to death.

Next what’s revealed here in verse 11 is that apparently Esther had lost favor with Xerxes. Look at the end of verse 11. She says “And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” This may be alluding to the fact that Xerxes and Esther were now at odds with one another, maybe over something she had said or done. We don’t really know. It could also mean, simply that Xerxes’ own interest in Esther was waning. That her favor before the king was slipping as the size of his harem was growing. There may have now, by now been younger, prettier, more appealing girls for Xerxes to draw from. And they were all available to him at a moment’s notice in the curl of his finger.

All this to say Esther didn’t believe or anticipate that she would get any preferential treatment from Xerxes by entering into his presence unannounced. Just because she was the queen and just because she was his wife. No. If she were to go in and address these matters to him unannounced and uninvited what she anticipated was receiving what any other subject of the king would receive which is if they dared approach the king in such an irreverent manner unannounced, it’d be death. In other words, this was be a suicide mission.

Now not to mention this other little wrinkle. Which is that if Esther somehow were to get past that hurdle of the king lowering his golden scepter. So if her life was initially spared. Once she eventually made her way into the king’s presence, let’s say he spared her life, she would still have to confess to that man, her husband, that she’d been keeping a secret from him this entire time involving her ethnic identity as a Jew. See, this entire time Xerxes surely was assuming that Esther was a Persian woman. Her name her actions her willingness to play by harem rules. All pointed to her being an ordinary Persian girl. A beautiful Persian girl but a Persian girl. If Esther were to suddenly reveal to Xerxes her true identity just think of the humiliation and the embarrassment this would now bring to him as it was exposed to his entire kingdom that he had not only ordered the death of the queen’s people but the death of the queen herself. He would look like a fool. This would be a point of public embarrassment. And going back to his run-in with his first wife, Vashti. Xerxes was not a man who liked to be publicly embarrassed.

And so now Esther finds herself on the horns of this perceived dilemma. Should she attempt to approach Xerxes? Or should she not? But was this really a dilemma? No! If she went into the king’s court unannounced what did she risk? Death. If she did nothing, what did she risk? Death. There weren’t two options for Esther here. There actually was only one. She had to go into Xerxes’ chamber. She had to approach him, she had to make this appeal to the king because that was the only option which might lead not only the preservation of her own life, but the life of the entire Jewish population of Persia.

As we turn to verse 12. We see that Hathach, the eunuch was again faithful to carry out his duties of simply delivering the mail. Verse 12 tells us that he conveyed. “Esther’s words to Mordecai.” Not much to comment on there.

Now, we come to verses 13 and 14. And we get to Mordecai’s response back to Esther. Which was as follows. It says “Then Mordecai said for them to respond to Esther, ‘Do not imagine that you in the king’s house can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?’” Now Mordecai’s response here to Esther is fascinating. We are about to see, it was inspirational and it was effective as the Lord used it to motivate Esther for action. And Mordecai’s response here really has three elements. First, Mordecai reminded Esther that her being a resident of the royal palace didn’t mean that she would somehow be delivered from death. That’s in verse 13 where he says “Do not imagine that you in the king’s house can escape any more than all the Jews.”

Now going back to chapter 3, verse 3 just over the page, Xerxes’ edict, spurred on by wicked Haman was comprehensive in its scope. It applied to Esther 3:3 “all the Jews.” In other words, Haman with the king’s backing was going to see it through that every Jew was discovered and slain even those in the palace including Esther. That’s one observation.

The second one is that Mordecai told Esther here that if she were to remain silent, that wouldn’t prevent deliverance for the Jews happening from some other source. Look at the beginning part of verse 14. Says “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place” Now those words have perplexed commentators for centuries specifically, the words “another place.” As theologians and scholars and readers of this Scripture have openly wondered what Mordecai meant there when he said to Esther that if she remained silent, “Relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.” Some have taken this in a geopolitical sense. As in, if this is Mordecai telling Esther that if she didn’t speak up it was OK. It was fine because another nation perhaps the Greeks would eventually step in and topple the Persians and rescue the Jews. Others have taken this in a theocratic sense. As in, this is Mordecai telling Esther that God would directly intervene as the Ruler of this world as the blessed and only Sovereign. And that God would do something like this in the very visible moment. Like a Red Sea kind of moment or burning bush kind of moment where His divine hand was evident and clearly on display as He visibly swooped in to save His people, the Jews. Others have taken this in a biblical fulfillment sense. Meaning, that while God is not mentioned by name here, Mordecai is familiar enough with the promises and the covenants made by God. Specifically, those made to Abraham back in Genesis 12:1-3, that He was confident that those promises would be fulfilled. And that God though unnamed here, would protect His people somehow from annihilation and destruction.

I hold to that last view. The view that what Mordecai is doing here is he’s expressing his confidence that the God who isn’t named in this book is yet a God who is faithful to keep His promises including His promises to preserve his people Israel the apple of His eye. So, what’s being said here I believe is that if Esther were to say nothing in this setting meaning if she didn’t go into Xerxes’ chamber and she didn’t speak up, Mordecai here is saying “You and your father’s house will perish.” There’ll be direct fallout, and consequences to you, but God would find a way. Which way, we don’t know to make sure His people as a whole were still preserved.

So that’s two observations from this section. I mentioned there were three. The last one ties in with the question Mordecai asks at the end of verse 14. It’s a familiar line. And it’s actually the line from which tonight’s sermon gets its title. You see it there. Mordecai asks Esther through Hathach. “And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?” By the way, that’s not really a question there from Mordecai that’s rooted in skepticism. Rather this is one of those questions that actually is belying a purposeful statement of confidence. Esther, Mordecai knew, had become queen of Persia at just the right time. It was no accident that Esther, not Vashti now, was the Queen of Persia. Now, Mordecai didn’t outright say here that God had put Esther in her position as queen. Remember, God’s not named in this book but God is speaking through this book. And this is what Mordecai’s question here really is functioning as is a statement of divine will and divine purpose about the providential direction of Esther’s steps.

Let me turn on everyone here this evening. Why are you working in the job you’re working in right now? “For such a time as this.” Why are you walking through the trial with your child or your grandchildren that you are walking through right now? “For such a time as this.” Why am I, a born by the beach Californian, now pastoring a church in Lincoln, Nebraska? “For such a time as this.” Why are we a church in Lincoln, Nebraska, reaching out through new channels and new outlets to get the word of Christ out to more and more people? “For such a time as this.” And getting back to Esther. Why had she “reached royalty” as it says there in verse 14? Answer? “For such a time as this.”

See, there is no such thing as a “coincidence” in a world that’s designed and upheld by an all-wise, all-knowing, perfectly sovereign God. There are only providential acts of God. Or, as we’ve seen title of this series, “Divine appointments.” So what Mordecai was getting at with the question he asks at the end of verse 14 that really isn’t a question at all. Rather he is suggesting if not stating that Esther was in her position not by chance, not by accident. Rather, there was something larger something purposeful, something providential at work in all of it. A.W. Tozer, I love how he describes the sovereign and providential outworkings of God. He says, “The mighty liner of God’s sovereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history.” Indeed. And that certainly was the case with Esther. She had “reached royalty for such a time as this.”

Now as we turn to the final three verses of our text for tonight we’re going to see Esther, the person, the character, take a decisive turn. Which aspect of Mordecai’s appeal to her ultimately persuaded her. We don’t know. We just know that she took action. Look at verse 15. It says “Then Esther said for them to respond to Mordecai.” So she’s sending it back through Hathach to Mordecai. And then come these words, spoken by Esther, in verse 16. “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” So, in replying to Mordecai again through Hathach, Esther begins this simple and direct imperative “go.” And then comes the explanation in the words that follow. Mordecai was to gather all the Jews in the city and they were to fast for three days.

And note, that the conditions of this fast would be severe. Many fasts during this time were only during the day. But this fast would be day and night. And then note these restrictions. Not only was there to be no eating, there was to be no drinking day or night. “do not drink (it says) for three days, night or day.” This was going to be a demanding fast for the Jews. And to her credit, here in verse 16, Esther was going to join her countrymen in this fast. She says “I and my young women also will fast in the same way.”
And then prepared by this fast, she indicates that she ultimately would then go into the king even though to do so was in violation of the law and even though she would now be risking her life. She says, “And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law.” And then come these words. Famous words. At the end of verse 16, “and if I perish, I perish.”

Now Esther wasn’t being fatalistic here. She’s instead being courageous. After being charged up by Mordecai to do so she’s now resolved to go in to see king Xerxes. Knowing that the outcome could be her death. She sounds a bit like Jacob. In Genesis 43. When he realized he had no choice but to send Benjamin to Egypt with his brothers. He says in Genesis 43:14: “If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” You know he also sounds like as a certain coach of the Nebraska football team named Matt Rhule. Who last fall before the Illinois game in October charged up his team in this viral video. You ought to go check that out later not now. Where he says in front of the whole team as they go to take the field in Illinois in Champaign “If we die, we die.” They say that Rhule is a preacher’s kid. I think whatever he learned about Esther back in the day is coming back through and its coming through his speeches.

Well Esther undoubtedly demonstrated courage here and she demonstrated heroism and she demonstrated patriotism. She was no longer passively floating downstream in the culture of the Persian Empire. Instead what she’s showing here is that she’s willing to swim upstream to do what is right. And the nature of her character here was truly admirable.

Now this is where those who are doggedly committed to the flannelgraph version of Esther.
And the Veggie Tales version of Esther. And the Branson Missouri version of Esther. Will dig in their heels and say see. “She was a righteous woman.” “She was saved.” “How dare you question her salvation or her position before God?” Well, there’s no doubt that at this point in the biblical narrative. Esther was making better choices. Choices which were objectively more moral than the choices she was making earlier in the book. Like in the harem account in chapter 2. She was even fasting! And not only that but as a result of her good and moral choices we do know that as we read ahead, that the Jews of Persia were ultimately saved, preserved, you know what I mean in that sense.

Now all of that is wonderful and admirable and commendable that she would do all those things and make these brave decisions. But here’s my question. Don’t we have examples all over the world. Both today and in history of people making wise choices and moral choices. And even wise and moral choices which resulted in Jewish people being preserved, who ultimately didn’t know the Lord? Weren’t there heroes on 9/11 who perished as the towers collapsed and immediately were cast into the flames of hell? Weren’t there noble military servicemen who fought valiantly for our country who are now buried at Arlington but who are now in flames? Mother Teresa was making good and moral choices all the time. Is she in glory right now? Absolutely not. So why the need to label Esther a “saint”? The label doesn’t match the biblical evidence. Yes, she declared a fast. Roman Catholics do that all the time. Yes, she was a patriot with political skill. So is Donald Trump. Yes, she had a sense of right and wrong. But so does Glenn Beck the Mormon. Yes, she had a heroic streak. So have many atheistic Army Rangers. The point being I still don’t there’s significant evidence here that Esther had genuine, saving faith in the one true God. Yes she was selected, verse 14, “for such a time as this.” But that doesn’t mean she knew the one true God.

I’ve picked on Esther enough for one evening. This section closes with Mordecai, after hearing those words. Dutifully carrying out the queen’s commands, reported in verse 17. We see it there. It says “So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.” So Mordecai was satisfied with Esther’s decisions and her instructions and he proceeds now to carry out her request. He gathers all the Jews to declare the fast, and he does so in the hopes that they would be delivered from this Persian law which aimed to destroy them.

That’s where we’re going to end this evening on the edge of a cliff. As Esther prepared, in chapter 5. as we’ll get into next week. To go in and talk to her husband, the king Xerxes. Let’s now talk to our King the God of heaven in prayer.
Let’s pray.

God, we thank you for this chance this evening to be in your Word again. We thank you for what you have revealed perfectly sufficiently and for all time in the glorious book of Esther. Thank you for the truths that we learn in this book about who you are, your character, your faithful and covenant keeping promises. Thank you for what we learn about various characters in this book, individuals, real historical figures, like Esther and Haman and Mordecai and Vashti and Xerxes and what we learn from them, their character through this study. God I do pray that we also would turn the mirror on ourselves. That’s what the Word is for, and what it does to showcase sin in our lives. And unholiness in our lives and new ways of thinking that we need to adapt that can form to your perfect word. So God when you do that in our lives, in our hearts collectively in this room, would you conform us more to the image of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Would you cause your Word to do its work in our hearts and equip us and grow us and prepare us for whatever you have ahead of us. And God I do pray if anyone has trickled in here this evening who is wondering why in the world, we are talking about Esther, that this ancient book from so long ago, from so far away I pray that what they would hear right now as the most important thing they could hear which is that they do not know you God. If they’ve not put their faith in you God, if they are outside of your family and outside of your protection. If they do not have eternal life, what they need to do is put their faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. They need to believe that He went to the cross on their behalf and that He died a death that he did not deserve but they did. That we all did. And that He rose from the grave on the third day, conquering the power of sin and death and securing the hope and the promise of eternal life. God I pray if there is someone here that has not yet believed upon that message and believed upon Jesus Christ, that tonight would be the night that they do so and that they would be saved. Thank you for this evening and thank you for this wonderful day in the Word and with God’s people. We give you all the glory, in Jesus name. Amen.