Est. 4: Esther Will Help

Esther 4:14 "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 royal position for such a time as this?"

Xerxes' annihilation edict is troubling to the Jews. Understatement of the year. Kingdomwide the Jews are mourning and wearing sackcloth and ashes. (By the way, this appears to be the first book where "Jews" is substituted widely for "Israelites." Ezra had a couple "Jews," but moreso in Esther.) Mordecai is one of them, and he wanders about wailing loudly. The Jews could still go out in public because there was a date set for the annihilation. Haman expected to be able to wipe out an entire race in one day, apparently.

Esther, who may not be getting it, sends some clothes to Mordecai to wear so he could enter the city gate (a no-no in sackcloth). He refused, so Esther sends a eunuch to go see what's wrong with Mordecai. I said, to see what's wrong with Mordecai. Esther did not get the "Wipe Out the Jews" memo. The queen. Maybe it was not her business what was going on. Maybe she was just a figurehead. But she was completely in the dark that her people were going to be destroyed. What was she doing? Where was she? Did Xerxes hide it intentionally, or did Esther choose not to concern herself with the day-to-day goings on in the kingdom?

Anyway, Mordecai sends her the edict, and begs her to ask for mercy and plead with the king for his people. Esther responds with concern for her own life, "I'll get killed if I go before the king without invitation." Hey, way to be selfless, Esther.

Mordecai gets her on board, because Esther is dead anyway if they find out she's a Jew. And maybe this messenger, Hathach, read the messages. So he would know. Mordecai issues a pretty intense challenge. Esther is on the throne for a reason. Perhaps it was for this time, where she could aid in the deliverance of her people. She needed to take a stand, because if the plan moves forward, she'd be killed almost certainly, and deliverance would come from somewhere, someone else. 

Whoa! Talk about taking Esther down a peg. Mordecai believes in his God to deliver His people. Esther has an opportunity here to do something great. And if not she, than someone else. Esther accepts the challenge, and plans to go before the king.