Theme: Enter God’s Rest: Time for “R & R”
Release and Renewal/Restoration
WEDNESDAY’S WORD
November 20, 2013
Esther: Release from
destruction (part 3 of 4)
Psalm 25:15 NIV ~ My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Esther 4
When
Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on
sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and
bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s
gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.3 In
every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great
mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in
sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female
attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She
sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not
accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of
the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was
troubling Mordecai and why.
6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the
open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai
told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of
money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of
the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of
the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to
Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the
king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
9 Hathak went back and reported to
Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she
instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the
king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or
woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being
summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless
the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But
thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
12 When Esther’s words were reported to
Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not
think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will
escape. 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 your royal position for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther sent this reply to
Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who
are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or
day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to
the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out
all of Esther’s instructions.
