Esther 4:1 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;
2 And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3 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.
4 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.
It is important for us to remember that God does not need us. He chose to create man. Man did not exist before God created him. He created man to glorify Him. Adam chose not to glorify God; however, man cannot stop God from being glorified.
In our text today, Mordecai figured out what has happened. He knows he and his people are in trouble. They are under a massive threat now. Mordecai demonstrated his sorrow by tearing his clothes. That was a common way of expressing sorrow in Bible time. Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes. This was a serious matter, and now he was no longer going to hide who he was. This was bigger than one man and his cousin. This was now big enough to affect all Jews in the Persian Empire.
Now Mordecai was not ashamed to even draw attention to himself. He even went so far as to be at the king’s gate with his sackcloth. The king had already decreed that no one was to appear at his gate clothed in sackcloth. The king was a proud man. He cared more about appearances than reality.
In verse 3 we read that the Jews in every province did the same. They all went into mourning. It would not have been difficult to identify the Jews at that time. Now they would fast and weep and even wail as they anticipated the violence that was planned against them.
In verse 4 we read that Esther’s maids and chamberlains came and told her what was going on. She was concerned for her cousin, Mordecai. She sent clothes for him to change into. She knew he should not be out there in sackcloth. She had been well trained by Mordecai. She wanted to keep him from getting into trouble.
Mordecai refused the change of clothing. He refused to try to hide what was going on. This was a serious situation that required some honesty.
None of this was a surprise to God. He knew of Haman’s wicked plot. He also knew how it would end up. Mordecai did not know, nor did he have the desire to consult with God on this matter. He would consult with Esther and try to get her to intervene for her people to the king.
We have noted before that things can change in life very suddenly. Those who are saved are in a different category. They are the children of God. The world has a plan. True saints do not fit into the world’s plan. Thus the solution for the world is to get rid of true saints. Few of them want to join the truth. They would rather get rid of the few and then assume that things will go better without them.
Today is the Lord’s Day. We have the privilege of choosing a good church to attend. We can go and support other true believers, if we are saved. We can go and hear the truth in the midst of a very violent and corrupt world.
God desires to bless us and He knows what is ahead for us. We know the long range plan. God has given that to us. There are many things that could happen now. We do not need to worry about that if we are saved. We need to be prepared for that. We can be prepared if we are saved and walking humbly with the Lord.
Be sure you choose to go to a good, Bible-believing church today. That is the right place to be on the Lord’s Day.
Pastor Bartel
P.S.
A reminder that starting this Sunday our service times will be:
Sunday School at 10:00 am
Morning Preaching hour at 11:00 am
Afternoon Preaching hour at 2:00 pm
Thank you. God bless.