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. Esther 4:1 (NIV)
No chapter holds greater
significance to Esther than chapter 4. Recall the God-ordained timing, Mordecai
probably woke in the morning thinking of Passover, only to discover that “he
and all his Jewish friends had been sentenced to die. The rope of bondage of
the exile with which he had become so comfortable had now become a noose around
his neck.”
Thus far Mordecai has been
showcased as a very proud and capable man. Suddenly we see him wailing loudly
on the public streets of Susa and tearing at his clothing. Think of the last
time you saw someone “wailing loudly and bitterly.” How did you react inside
and why?
Though the individual words
appear many places in the Old Testament, the exact Hebrew phrase, “with fasting,
weeping and wailing” in Esther 4:3 appears only in Joel 2:12. Though Joel falls
after Esther in our Bible, it was undoubtedly written prior to it. Many scholars
believe the reference was intentional and assumed that the readers of the Book
of Esther would be familiar with the book of Joel.
From the beginning of our
journey through Esther, we established that God’s name may not be in the book,
but it is on it. The entire theology of the book erupts from the peculiar
doctrine of divine hiddenness.
One of our goals is to
search for clues of God and godly activity within this most unique of sacred
scrolls. You’ve just stumbled onto a wonderful revelation of relationship
between the Jews of Susa and their God.
Write Acts 3:19-20 on a note
card or piece of paper and carry it with you. Then act on it and celebrate it.
He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and
abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:13a
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