Read Esther 4
Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help
When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
Go Deeper
Throughout the book of Esther, there are reminders of God’s providential care for His people (without a mention of His name). It is suggested that this is a literary technique to draw the reader to look for God in each event. At this point in the story, Mordecai is mourning publicly the dangerous plight of the Jews due to Haman’s edict to slaughter all of them. Esther’s awareness of this dreadful plan through her servants results in Mordecai’s direction for her to plead with the king on behalf of her people. Esther explains that this is a really big ask of her, placing her in a life-threatening position. Mordecai counters with a remarkable statement, pointing her and us to God’s sovereign care of His people. He recognizes that the Jews’ deliverance will arise, even if Esther is silent, from somewhere, but her position as queen could be for such a time as this. Esther’s response calls for all Jews to join her in a three day fast. She then boldly commits to approach the king, imploring him to save her and her people. In v. 16, Esther reveals a brave resolve and trust in God’s providential care.
During this fluid account, one can observe reminders of God’s providence, accomplishing His purposes in the lives of Esther and Mordecai. God faithfully brings about His plan through the lives of imperfect people. Esther’s story is a powerful reminder, and a great encouragement, that God can and does use even those who do not acknowledge His power to accomplish His plan.
In a world that ignores or blatantly rebels against God, a reminder of God’s providence offers Christ followers comfort, peace, hope and courage. The challenge is to remember who God is, recall His great faithfulness, and act in trust as we face situations that God has placed us in for such a time as this. Like Esther, Jesus placed Himself in a life-threatening situation willingly and boldly. Unlike Esther, He humbled Himself by dying on the cross, and, as Timothy Keller suggests, His words are not “if I perish, but when I perish.” Jesus’ surrender to God’s plan accomplished God’s purpose – to redeem and restore His people.
Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, confidently trusting in His ability to accomplish every purpose He designs.
Questions
- How would viewing your current life situation through the lens of “it is for a time such as this” influence your actions?
- When have you experienced God’s providential care? (Stop and give thanks to Him) Who may be encouraged to hear that?
- Where do you need to replace fear with courage and trust, taking bold steps to identify with Christ and share the gospel?
Dig Deeper
We learn a lot about Esther’s faith in Esther 4:16 when she says, “If I perish, I perish.” Want to read more about the significance behind that statement? Check out this article from GotQuestions.org.
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10 responses to “Esther 4”
“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” – Esther 4:16
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…Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18
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But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:17-20
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Lord God, may we hear your voice, and have the conviction to see through, that which you instruct us to do as did Esther; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; and Peter and John.
So why is there even a fight happening? Because God has woven all things together for His Glory.
The Bible says “the LORD will be at war with Amalek generation after generation” in Exodus 17:16, a verse explaining God’s judgment on the Amalekites for attacking Israel shortly after their exodus from Egypt, symbolizing a perpetual spiritual battle against this enemy. So here in Esther it comes to a head. Mordechai told Esther in Chapter 4 verse 14 that: 14 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.” So whether or not she helps, it will happen. Esther is in a unique position. We will most likely come across unique situations in our walk with God where our courage to act could mean loss of friendships, status, wealth, health, maybe even life and freedom. Exercising faith we will have to do hard things and make hard choices in our relationship, walk with God.
For it was for such a time as THIS that you were created; not for some other time of your choice and your design, verse 14.
God has a plan and if you say no, He will find someone else that says yes.
Esther fasted with Mordechai and the other Jewish people in order to prepare themselves to petition God for His favor, and to accept the result. Verse 16 Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law. And if I perish, I perish”. Esther was violating laws to complete what was asked, to save her people.
Are you willing to step out of the boat, for such a time as this?
God thank You for me coming against the spirit of fear. God You say, fear not, so often. God I know beyond any doubt You can do what You say You will do. Thank You for stepping into my life and helping me to follow with where You lead for such a time is this, out of the boat, on the water, keeping my eyes on Jesus. God I believe, help my unbelief. God today in these minutes of this day let all I say and do glorify You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oswald Chambers noted, “Whether or not I hear God’s call depends upon the state of my ears; and what I hear depends upon my disposition.”
I love that — thank you for sharing!
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
James 2:26
This chapter in Esther demonstrates this verse from James very well. Esther at the encouragement of Mordecai was called to action. She called for a three day fast and then she would go into action for her people.
Mordecai was called into action as the chapter concludes in v17, “So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.” That led the Jews to act by fasting.
Praise God that their faith moved them to act and I pray that I may learn from their choices.
Presently, I’m in the midst of a messy situation with an uncle of mine. Although he claims to be a believer in Christ, his actions leave much doubt. His choices have left him in a vulnerable place with little hope of a way out. Reading the account of Esther and Mordecai’s response to the king’s edict, and how they bravely faced death and trusted God’s sovereignty, has challenged me to seek God more diligently in the hard places of life. How might I use my access to God and my position to be a reconciler in this world?
14 “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
There have been a few times in my life where I have found myself in a position of “calling”. I’ve felt inadequate. I’ve felt the “imposter syndrome”. I’ve felt that surely someone else would be better equipped for the task. And yet there I was in that position that I felt that I didn’t deserve to be in. Thankfully, God gave me the courage, wisdom, and power to act upon that calling during at those times.
Let us say like Paul, “My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord” Acts 20:24, and like Esther, “If I perish, I perish!” Lord, give me such conviction and courage as my heart chooses to serve and honor You.
Amen!
For Such a Time as This
I don’t know that this is my favorite book of the Bible, but it’s by far my favorite STORY.
I was first introduced to it as a fictionalized version called “Behold Your Queen” — a boldly-colored hardback that caught my eye in the elementary school library. If I close my eyes, I can return to that moment of discovery. The quiet peace. The smell of old paper. And the promise of adventure tucked within those book-lined shelves.
The suspense and excitement in this particular story was almost more than I could stand. When I got to that infamous dinner where Haman was finally revealed in all his evil villainy, I practically came out of my skin.
The book of Esther has all the elements of the perfect “good versus evil” fairy tale. (I wonder what Disney might make of it… provided they could safely sanitize that whole human trafficking section in chapter 1….)
And Chapter 4 is where the story really starts to ramp up. We have our villain, our heroine, and this pivotal plot point. You can literally feel the dramatic tension building. Because Esther is about to face her own dragon… and she could quite literally die.
Suspense, danger, dread… courage, hope and rescue… if this were a movie, I’d be watching it with hands-over-face-peeking-through-fingers.
The genocidal decree has gone out. The lie has gone viral. The machinery of destruction is already in motion. And then Mordecai sends those critical words to Esther:
“Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (v. 14)
Words that have commissioned generations of reluctant leaders.
This is the moment where private faith becomes public responsibility. Where faithful people are commissioned into visible obedience.
And where it becomes painfully clear — holy callings come with crossbeams.
I was grounded in that famous verse the first time I was asked to step into a critical leadership role. On the front end, it wasn’t something I could identify as personally risky – but I could sense it would be costly. And before it was all over, it cost me a great deal indeed in terms of personal peace and public reputation.
And I learned then what Esther and Mordecai and countless others before and after them learned — and lived:
What it looks like to face risk and personal cost as we are commissioned into “such a time as this” assignments.
Because leadership, once it becomes faithful, eventually becomes CRUCIFORM.
And that’s when faithfulness moves beyond an act of obedience — to the willingness to sacrifice what obedience COSTS.
As I mentioned earlier, I LOVE this story. I could read it over and over and never get tired of hearing it.
But I also need to keep LEARNING from it. As I read today’s chapter, here are the questions I’ll be asking:
1. Where am I being positioned that requires costly obedience?
2. Is there a safer, silent option I am tempted to choose instead?
3. And what does it look like to come forward — even if it means picking up a crossbeam I cannot yet see?