King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 7 notes
1When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
Didn't Mordecai feel guilty for bringing such pain upon the people?
He could have killed himself for such atrocities upon an entire race 🏎.
But no, he was a firm believer in God; he gingered himself and took action.
2And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4So Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.
5Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.
6So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s gate.
7And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
8Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew 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.
Funny, but in the corridors of Power there can be so much insulation from the reality on the ground.
QUEEN 👑 Esther was not even aware that her end was near.
It took Mordecai to update her. So it's important that in the corridors of Power, you stay in touch with the common people.
9And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
11All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
Without an appointment from the king, you risk your head.
Maybe there had been prior assassination attempts.
12And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
13Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
For such a time as this, when it was you that brought this on all of us, some might have argued.
But Mordecai was no coward; he stood by his actions and God. And challenged Esther to do the needful.
But one could also blame Mordecai for bringing this upon the Jews — his insubordination was the cause of all this.
The counter argument would be that because of compromising to the heathen nations and their gods and way of life that the Jews were in captivity in the first place.
Was he therefore to continue in the same manner the ways that brought them into exile?
So Mordecai was right, and though the consequences were dire, it was in obedience to the Lord.
15Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
16Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Was it that dangerous? What a culture, that to approach the king, your own husband, was a life and death situation.
It took tact and wisdom, not with mere empty words or attempt to convince,
no, you must not just use words, but you must fashion them in such a way that the king 👑 sees things for what it is.
Lest you may risk your head.
A national fast for 3 days and nights. It seems the 3 nights and days of fasting this way was a sure remedy in serious emergencies and astronomical proportions.
I don't know if this is instructive, but we know all scripture is given for learning.
That is not to say we are to go on a three days dry for any emergency — this was a national crisis — a pending genocide and ethnic cleansing.
It needed to be done.
So for anyone using this scripture as a basis for such dry fastings, it is important to consider the context as well.
17So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.