When Queen Esther received Mordecai’s message, charging her to go in and plead with the king for the deliverance of her people, she sent Hatach again to Mordecai telling him of the hopelessness of the case. She told him that it was one of the laws of the Persian empire that no one could go into the king’s presence unbidden. The king must first send, and he had not sent for her for thirty days. If anyone dared to venture into the king’s presence it meant certain death. There was this provision, however, that if the king held out the golden scepter, then his life was spared.
Mordecai sent back word to Esther that she must not think that she could escape simply because she lived in the palace. “For,” said he, “if thou holdest thy peace at this time, then shall... deliverance come from another place.” He does not mention God’s name, but he must have felt that He was looking down from heaven. “Thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed,” said he, “and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”
This brought Esther to a right sense of the situation, and though she was the weaker vessel, she entered at once into Mordecai’s feelings and displayed a deep and tender sympathy with the burdens of her people. So she bade Mordecai gather together all the Jews in Shushan and to fast for her for three days. They were neither to eat nor drink, night or day, and she said, “I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law.” Previously she had prepared herself with perfumes to go in before the king, but this time her preparation was fasting — a sign of humiliation before God, for thoughi God’s name is not mentioned, it is evident where Esther’s heart was. Her mind was made up for she adds, “if I perish, I perish.” She was ready to hazard her life for her people.
Accordingly on the third day Esther put on her royal apparel and went and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, at the door. The king was sitting on his royal throne, and when he saw Esther, she obtained favor in his sight, for he held out to her the royal scepter, and she drew near and touched it. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,” even though He be not seen, and “He turneth it whithersoever He will.” Prov. 21:11The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1). The king asked Esther what was her request, saying that it would be granted to her, even unto the half of the kingdom. We see that after all there was no cause for fear. Yet this is often the way with us. We have fears of doing what is according to God’s word, when we should not have, for if He asks us to do anything He will take care of us.
Esther’s answer was, “If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.” She does not tell him at once what lay so heavy on her heart; and this reminds us of the scripture, “he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isa. 28:1616Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isaiah 28:16). Faith can afford to wait on God. So the king sent word to Haman to come to the banquet at once. Then at the banquet he again asked Esther what was her petition, for he knew there was something more in her mind than merely the banquet. Esther’s request was that they might come to another banquet she was preparing, and then on the morrow she would do as the king had said. It might seem strange to us that she should put off making her request, but we shall see how it was all of God’s ordering for in the interval Mordecai was to be commended and honored by the king.
ML 11/22/1959