Esther Chapter 4
Esther’s Decision
A. Mordecai’s mourning.
1. (Esther 4:1–3) He and the rest of the Jews lament their fate.
“When 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, And came even before the king’s gate, for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And 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.”
a. He rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes: Mordecai’s response was immediate, public, and unmistakable. Tearing one’s garments and wearing sackcloth and ashes were ancient expressions of extreme grief, humility, and despair. Mordecai did not respond quietly or privately, but openly identified himself with the impending doom of his people. His grief was not theatrical but covenantal, he understood that the decree threatened the very survival of the Jewish nation.
i. Although Mordecai was anguished, he did not regret his refusal to bow to Haman. His integrity had contributed to the chain of events, yet he would not compromise righteousness to preserve his life or position. He understood that submission to Haman would not ultimately save the Jews, because Persian law, once enacted, could not be reversed. “If it please the king, let it be written, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.” Esther 1:19. Mordecai knew that repentance before Haman would be useless at this stage.
b. And came even before the king’s gate: Mordecai approached as close as the law allowed. Sackcloth was forbidden within the king’s gate, a place symbolizing royal order, control, and prosperity. The exclusion of mourning garments reveals how the Persian system attempted to suppress visible grief, especially grief that might challenge the appearance of imperial stability.
c. There was great mourning among the Jews: Mordecai’s lament was not isolated. Across the entire Persian Empire, wherever the decree was announced, Jewish communities responded with fasting, weeping, and public sorrow. The shared expressions of grief reveal a people united in crisis. This was not panic alone, but communal lament, a recognition that annihilation loomed and that human power offered no escape.
2. (Esther 4:4–7) Mordecai explains the problem to Esther.
“So 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. Then 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. So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king’s gate. And 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.”
a. Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told it her: Esther was insulated by palace life. Though queen, she was unaware of the decree that threatened her people. This highlights the isolation of royal power and the distance between palace security and the suffering of the populace. Until she learned of the decree, Esther could not comprehend Mordecai’s public grief.
b. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved: Esther’s first reaction was emotional distress rather than immediate understanding. She attempted to resolve the visible problem by sending garments to Mordecai, seeking to restore him to acceptable appearance. This response shows compassion, yet also reveals her initial lack of awareness regarding the gravity of the situation.
c. But he received it not: Mordecai refused the garments because the issue was not his comfort or dignity, but the impending destruction of his people. He would not be silenced or symbolically restored while death loomed. His refusal forced Esther to confront the deeper reality.
d. Then called Esther for Hatach: Esther used the proper channels available to her. Hatach served as the intermediary between palace and street. Through him, Esther sought clarity, not merely reassurance. This marks a shift in her posture from emotional reaction to purposeful inquiry.
e. And Mordecai told him all that had happened: Mordecai gave a full account, not only of the decree, but also of the financial motive behind it. He exposed Haman’s promised payment to the royal treasury, revealing that the genocide of the Jews was driven by greed as well as hatred.
f. And of the sum of the money that Haman had promised: Mordecai understood that the king’s agreement had been influenced by profit. This detail was crucial for Esther to grasp the nature of the conspiracy. The destruction of the Jews was not a matter of justice or security, but a transaction, a calculated exchange of blood for silver.
B. Mordecai’s request.
1. (Esther 4:8–12) His first request and Esther’s appeal to him in response.
“Also 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. And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; All 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. And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.”
a. He gave him the copy of the writing of the decree: Mordecai ensured that Esther did not receive a vague report or secondhand summary. He provided the official document itself, making the danger undeniable and unavoidable. This forced Esther to confront the reality of the situation, not merely as a rumor or exaggeration, but as an irreversible law sealed with the king’s authority. Mordecai’s intent was not to alarm Esther emotionally, but to ground her response in truth.
b. To charge her that she should go in unto the king: Mordecai’s request was direct and serious. He called Esther to risk her life by approaching the king uninvited in order to intercede for her people. This was not a suggestion for quiet influence or indirect persuasion, but a call to public and dangerous action.
c. All the king’s servants do know: Esther’s reply explains the severity of the situation. Persian court protocol was absolute. Any unauthorized approach to the king’s inner court was a capital offense. The law applied universally, without exception for rank, gender, or relationship, unless the king chose to extend mercy by holding out the golden sceptre.
d. There is one law of his to put him to death: Esther was not exaggerating. The danger was real and immediate. Her hesitation was not cowardice, but an acknowledgment of the legal reality she faced. To approach the king without summons was to gamble her life on his mood and mercy.
i. Esther’s statement, “I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days,” reveals the emotional and relational distance of her marriage. Though queen, she lived at the discretion of the king and had no assurance of access. The Persian queenship was one of position without security, honor without intimacy.
2. (Esther 4:13–14) Mordecai’s second request.
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For 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?”
a. Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape: Mordecai dismantled Esther’s unspoken hope of safety through concealment. The palace would not shield her from the decree forever. Once the extermination began, discovery was inevitable. Mordecai forced Esther to see that neutrality was an illusion.
b. If thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time: Mordecai acknowledged the possibility of Esther’s failure. He did not flatter her or suggest that God’s purposes depended entirely upon her obedience. Silence was an option, but it was an option with consequences.
c. Then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: This statement reveals Mordecai’s deep faith in God’s covenant faithfulness. He was certain that God would preserve His people regardless of Esther’s response. Deliverance did not rest on Esther, but on God. Mordecai trusted the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, promises that could not fail.
d. But thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: While God’s purposes would prevail, individual accountability remained. Mordecai warned Esther that her personal fate was tied to her obedience. Faithfulness mattered, not because God needed her, but because she needed to walk in obedience to God.
e. Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this: This statement marks the theological heart of the book. Mordecai recognized that Esther’s entire life story, her orphanhood, exile, beauty, favor, and elevation, was not random. God had positioned her precisely where she was for this defining moment. The question was not whether God had a purpose, but whether Esther would embrace it.
i. This principle applies universally to God’s people. Placement is never accidental. God positions His servants in families, occupations, nations, and moments according to His purposes, and faithfulness requires discernment and courage.
ii. As Charles Spurgeon observed, believers often wish for different circumstances in order to serve God more effectively, yet God calls His people to obedience where they already stand. Service is not delayed by waiting for better placement, but fulfilled by faithfulness in present responsibility.
iii. God often raises instruments of light during the darkest moments of history. While corruption advances and truth seems obscured, God prepares His servants quietly and positions them precisely. Esther stands as a testimony that God’s greatest work is often done through those who never sought prominence, but were sovereignly placed.
3. (Esther 4:15–17) Esther’s decision.
“Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, 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. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.”
a. Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me: Esther’s response shows a decisive shift from hesitation to resolved faith. She did not rely on position, beauty, or political leverage. Instead, she appealed to spiritual preparation. Though the name of God is not mentioned explicitly, prayer and fasting are clearly implied. Esther understood that this crisis could not be met by human courage alone. She sought the unified intercession of God’s people, acknowledging dependence upon divine intervention.
i. Fasting in Scripture is consistently associated with humility, repentance, and urgent dependence upon God. Esther’s call for a total fast, neither eating nor drinking for three days and nights, underscores the seriousness of the situation. This was not symbolic devotion but desperate, wholehearted seeking of God’s mercy and favor.
ii. The Lord Jesus Christ later affirmed that certain spiritual battles require intensified preparation. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21. Esther instinctively embraced this principle, recognizing that the conflict before her was not merely political, but spiritual.
b. I also and my maidens will fast likewise: Esther did not ask others to do what she herself was unwilling to do. She joined fully in the fast, along with her attendants. This demonstrates leadership through shared sacrifice. She placed herself under the same discipline and dependence as the people she represented.
c. And so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: Esther clearly understood the illegality of her action. She did not minimize the danger or presume upon God. Her obedience was not reckless presumption but informed faith. Having sought God through fasting, she resolved to act, entrusting the outcome to Him.
d. And if I perish, I perish: This statement reflects one of the clearest expressions of self-sacrificial obedience in Scripture. Esther accepted the possibility of death without bitterness or complaint. Her words do not reflect despair, but settled resolve. She chose obedience over self-preservation, faithfulness over safety.
i. This attitude aligns with the teaching of Christ. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.” Matthew 10:28. Esther feared God more than death.
ii. The apostle Paul later expressed the same conviction. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21. Esther’s words reveal a heart willing to lose everything in order to be faithful to God’s calling.
e. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him: Mordecai’s obedience confirms the unity between them. The roles are now reversed. Earlier Esther obeyed Mordecai’s instruction, now Mordecai submits to Esther’s command. This unity of purpose between God’s servants sets the stage for deliverance. Humanly speaking, nothing has yet changed, yet spiritually everything has.
