Esther 4:4-9

B. Crisis

TEXT: Esther 4:4-9

4

And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him; but he received it not.

5

Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was.

6

So Hathach went forth to Mordecai unto the broad place of the city, which was before the king's gate.

7

And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.

8

Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people.

9

And Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

Today's English Version, Esther 4:4-9

When Esther's servant girls and eunuchs told her what Mordecai was doing, she was deeply disturbed. She sent Mordecai some clothes to put on instead of the sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Then she called Hathach, one of the palace eunuchs appointed as her servant by the king, and told him to go to Mordecai and find out what was happening and why. Hathach went to Mordecai in the city square at the entrance of the palace. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him and just how much money Haman had promised to put into the royal treasury if all the Jews were killed. He gave Hathach a copy of the proclamation that had been issued in Susa, ordering the destruction of the Jews, Mordecai asked him to take it to Esther, explain the situation to her, and have her go and plead with the king and beg him to have mercy on her people. Hathach did this.

COMMENTS

Esther 4:4-6 Grief: When the queen's servants told her of Mordecai's wailing and mourning and that he had dressed himself in the customary dress of bitterness of the soul, Esther was exceedingly grieved. The Hebrew word is vatithechalechal from the root word chul which means writhe, twist and tremble in pain. Esther was more than curious about Mordecai's public display of grief. He was her father and she has the power and the resources to send him immediate relief in a royal way now. Like any loving daughter, Esther hurts when her father hurts. She is determined to help. It may be also that she sent Mordecai clothing to replace his sackcloth so that he might enter through the palace gate and come to her chambers to communicate his plight. But Mordecai sent the servants back empty handed. He kept his sackcloth on and continued his wailing. Esther's agony for Mordecai was even more intensified and she then sent Hathach, a royal servant of high standing. The Hebrew pronouns (demonstrative and interrogative) are idiomatic, mahzeh, mahzeh; that is, Hathach was to report back to Esther the why and wherefore of Mordecai's public display of grief. Haman and Xerxes would not have confided their plot against the Jews to Esther, even though they did not yet know she was a Jewess. Eastern potentates were not accustomed to counsel with their wives about affairs of state.

Esther 4:7-9 Gory Details: Now that he was sure Esther would hear the reason behind his mourning and allow it to continue for the needed impact upon the public, Mordecai told the whole story to Hathach so it could be relayed to the queen. Mordecai related how he had refused to bow down in the presence of Haman; how Haman had bribed the emperor for 10,000 talents of silver; how the emperor had issued a decree that all Jews should be slain because of Mordecai's actions. Mordecai apparently thought the exact sum of the bribe was important information Esther would need for the intercession he was going to insist from her. Perhaps he felt Esther would be thus equipped to better appeal to Xerxes-' conscience. Whatever the case, Mordecai had a copy of the whole royal decree made and instructed Hathach to declare it unto her. Some infer from this that Esther was unable to read the Persian language. Mordecai charged Esther (the Hebrew word is tzvah which is usually translated command, order) to go before the emperor and interceed on behalf of her people. Whereas Mordecai had before commanded Esther not to make known her racial origin, now he apparently feels that the only significant influence that might be brought to bear to save the Jewish people would be the queen's ethnic relationship to them. This action, as we shall see, would be critical to the very life of the queen herself. Not only would the revelation that she was a Jewess put her life in jeopardy, but even the seemingly harmless act of approaching the emperor's presence without being summoned was to incur the death penalty. Esther had to decide between the crises of her personal danger and the danger to the whole race of her people. Would she be willing to lay down her life for others? Would you?