Esther 4:1-17
The word had gone out that, on a specific date, all of the Jews were to be killed. The devastation among the people was intense.
👉 Real People, Real Pain (v 1-4)
• tore his clothes
• sackcloth and ashes
• loud and bitter cries
• great mourning
• fasting, weeping, lamenting
• deeply distressed
Mordecai told Esther what was about to happen to her people and that she needed to go to the king in their behalf.
👉 The Law
To enter the king’s inner court without being first summoned could result in death (v 11).
👉 The Fear of Esther (v 11)
The king had not shown interest in Esther in thirty days indicating that her favor with him may have been fading. To approach him was possibly a death sentence.
👉 The Faith of Mordecai (v 14)
Mordecai believed that, with or without help from Esther, deliverance would happen for the Jews. But he also made it clear that the comforts of the palace would not protect Esther.
👉 The Fasting of the Jews (v 15-16)
At Esther’s request, all the Jews in Susa fasted for three days and three nights. This would have been an intense time of prayer across the land.
👉 The Fate of Esther (v 17)
She committed to go before the king at the end of the fast with the understanding that she may perish.
