#facingthetruth — Esther: The Story of Purim

Esther 4:5-17 NLT

We are continuing with our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Part 10 is called, “Facing the Truth”, and we discuss how Mordecai and Esther came to accept their responsibility to God and their people. The question we will address today is, why is truth so important?

Esther 4: 5-6

5 Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate.

Finding the truth of the matter:

Esther couldn’t just send anyone to take care of this highly sensitive matter. It was vital that she knew what was happening to Mordecai. So, she sends her most trusted eunuch, Hathach, whose name actually means “verily” or “truth” (1). She depended on him to relay her message to Mordecai and to return with his response.

Esther 4: 7-9

7 Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. 9 So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.

Sacks of silver, a copy of the decree, and the ultimate sacrifice:

Mordecai conveyed the entire story to Hathach and made emphasis on the exact amount of money Haman promised to pay for the destruction of the Jews. Esther would understand the symbolism concerning the 10,000 talents of silver. In essence, the king would be under his thumb and Haman would be in control of the kingdom of Persia . To verify what the decree read, he made a copy for Esther in his own handwriting so she would have in her possession all of the accurate information. Then Mordecai did the unthinkable. Just as Abraham willingly sacrificed Isaac on the altar, Mordecai willingly sacrificed Esther and demanded that she would go to the King and beg for the lives of her people.

Esther 4: 10-12

10 Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 12 So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.

Thirty days:

And this is why Esther did not know what happened between her husband and Haman. Because of the unusual length of time, she’s been marking the x’s on her calendar and counting the days since her last meeting. Xerxes’ has been spending all of his time with his right hand man, Haman. And all this stuff happened within this 30 day time frame. Through Hathach, she reminded Mordecai of the Persian law that anyone who appears before the king without extending the golden scepter will die.

The king’s scepter:

A scepter is a staff and it indicates that the holder of the staff is supreme or sovereign. Gold symbolizes glory and divinity. When the scepter is extended to someone, they are accepted into the presence of a sovereign.

Esther 4: 13, 14

13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Mordecai faces the truth:

Here is Mordecai’s moment of truth. He loved Esther more than his own life, In fact, he loved her more than he loved God. From the moment Mordecai took her in he had her deny her ethnicity, the public observance of her religion, and marry a Gentile in order to spare her persecution and to save her life. All these decisions were made against the teachings of the Scriptures. A repentant Mordecai knew by the Spirit of God that she would be killed with all of the other Jews if she did not fulfill her obligation to God and to her people.

Mordecai corrects his wrongs:

Mordecai knew the prophecies well and understood that the Jewish race would continue because the Messiah would come regardless of what would happen to them. But, they would be judged for not following the Scriptures and not speaking up for their people. Mordecai was telling his precious daughter that although he made many dire mistakes, that God in His bountiful mercy will use the situation for His glory.

Esther 4: 15, 16
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Unity is step #1:

The first observation made to Xerxes by Haman when he presented his case against the Jews was: There are a people group scattered throughout your empire...

The first thing Esther is inspired by the Holy Spirit to do is to reveal to her people that their queen is a Jew and to unite the Jews who are in her city so they can represent the rest of the Jewish population. After all, it would take days or even weeks to dispatch her request for all Jews to fast given the size of the empire.

A call to fast:

Again, Esther relies on Scripture as precedence for fasting and a victorious result. She requests that both Jews and Gentiles (as the Gentile people of Nineveh fasted and God forgave them) fast for her. This parallels Haman depending on the planetary movements and the casting of dice to guarantee a successful date.

The number 3:

The number three carries significance. Always, three is associated with the Trinity. The Jews knew God as Father, and they understood the working of the Holy Spirit. At this point in time, they were waiting for the Messiah to reveal Himself and be their deliverer.

Three also signifies resurrection, the dead being brought back to life. Jesus died and all of his life and ministry appeared to die with Him. But, on the third day this situation was reversed and He resurrected back to life and His movement powerfully advanced forward.

Esther faces the truth:

Esther realized that Mordecai had misplaced his love of God for her, and she repented of loving her own life above loving God. Like her foster father, her will and purpose became united with God’s will and purpose. She accepted her responsibility to God and to her people, even if it meant her death.

Esther 4:17

17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

True submission:

Mordecai submitted to her authority and complied with her request. This also parallels Esther submitting to his authority all of her life. It wasn’t a question of “who to submit to” it was a question of honesty and “doing the right thing.”

Let’s pray:

Father,

When my will is united with Your will, anything is possible! Open my eyes to see the truth of the matter. Bring to my attention those things that have replaced my love for You. I repent of it. Now, I am willing to take responsibility for Your purpose in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

References:

1) https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2047&t=KJV