Session 3: Stand Down
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Background
Background
Following the seventy-year exile period, the Jews were given permission to return to their homeland. Some had done so under the leadership of Zerubbabel and had begun to rebuild the temple (see Ezra). Another large group had remained in Persia. Among them were a beautiful young woman named Esther and her cousin/adopted father, Mordecai.
The plot thickens when a high-ranking official named Haman, angered by Mordecai’s refusal to bow to him, concocted a scheme to eradicate all the Jews in Persia. When the king agreed to Haman’s murderous plan, the only question remaining was whether Esther could use her position of influence to save her people. That is the situation in chapter 4.
The plot thickened when a high-ranking official named Haman, angered by Mordecai’s refusal to bow to him, concocted a scheme to eradicate all the Jews in Persia. When the king agreed to Haman’s murderous plan, the only question remaining was whether Esther could use her position of influence to save her people. That is the situation in chapter 4.
Read the passage carefully and imagine yourself in Esther’s or Mordecai’s situation. Let the drama of their crisis wash over you. Try to appreciate the great pressure they felt. And let God use this real-life situation from centuries past to change you today.
Let’s start in
1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
As an established official in the king’s own court, Mordecai would have learned of the plot to destroy the Jews almost as soon as it went beyond the private counsel of Haman and the king.
What does it mean to put on sackcloth and ashes? Compare ; ; ;
This seems to have been the most commonly practiced form of visible mourning in the ancient Near East
Sackcloth is a coarse, uncomfortable cloth made of goat or camel hair.
34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin
and have laid my strength in the dust.
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.
1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.
This seems to have been the most commonly practiced form of visible mourning in the ancient Near East
These actions are characteristic of an appeal to God in response to potential danger and impending calamity (cf. ; ).
Sackcloth is a coarse, uncomfortable cloth made of goat or camel hair.
Another visible sign of mourning (compare ; ; ; ).
This action symbolized complete desolation and probably identification with the dead.
26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,
and roll in ashes;
make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
30 and shout aloud over you
and cry out bitterly.
They cast dust on their heads
and wallow in ashes;
A loss in battle would often end in the burning of a city, homes, or corpses. Sitting in ashes came to be a visible sign of mourning over a past action or loss, or a sign of distress—both of which probably acted as a reminder to pray (e.g., ; ; ; ; ). Ashes would naturally get on a person’s face and body in the process; at times, ash may have also been intentionally applied to a person’s skin (compare ).
Mordecai, however, was not dissuaded, and he again exhorted Esther to intercede with words intended both to reprove and to encourage her. The reproof was that she, though the queen, should not imagine that she can escape any more than all the Jews (v. 13) and, moreover, should she remain silent, the Jews would still be delivered whereas she and her father’s house will perish (v. 14). The encouragement was that the Lord is sovereign in all circumstances to preserve His people from destruction—as is unquestionably implied by Mordecai’s confident expectation, not mere hope or wish, that relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. His confidence can be explained by his faith in God’s promise to bless Israel and preserve them forever as a people before Him (; ). Also he was certain that God had already been at work by ensuring that she attained royalty for such a time as this. Esther thus acquiesced and enjoined a preparatory fast (again as a specific appeal to God) on her behalf that was to be undertaken by all the Jews … in Susa … for three days, night or day. Allowing Mordecai the minimum amount of time necessary to assemble the Jews of Susa for this fast, as well the urgency of the situation, it is reasonable that this fast began on Adar 14 (cf. ). This was either later that night per biblical-Jewish reckoning in which days began at sunset, or, at the latest on the following morning (dawn was in fact the usual time when public fasts began, according to the Babylonian Talmud, Pesahim 2b)—both possibilities would still have been Adar 14. Esther’s fast was thus observed during the first three days of Passover, an observation that is central to an appreciation of the book’s typology.
According to Greek historian Herodotus, the Persians tore their clothes, wailed loudly, and wept bitterly upon hearing of Xerxes’ defeat at Salamis during his war with the Greeks (according to Greek historian Herodotus, Histories 8.99). Prayer often accompanied these traditional forms of mourning (see ; ; ). The narrative fails to mention whether the Jews were praying. Perhaps in response to this problem, the ancient Greek translation, the Septuagint, adds prayers by Mordecai and Esther to the end of this chapter (compare note on ).
4:1 Since most people of this time period owned very few sets of clothes, this action took on great significance.
Coarse, uncomfortable cloth made of goat or camel hair.
Another visible sign of mourning (compare ; ; ; ). This action symbolized complete desolation and probably identification with the dead.
A loss in battle would often end in the burning of a city, homes, or corpses. Sitting in ashes came to be a visible sign of mourning over a past action or loss, or a sign of distress—both of which probably acted as a reminder to pray (e.g., ; ; ; ; ). Ashes would naturally get on a person’s face and body in the process; at times, ash may have also been intentionally applied to a person’s skin (compare ).
In verse 2, since Mordecai’s appearance shows visible signs of mourning, he cannot enter the area where the king could be present (see ).
In verse 2, since Mordecai’s appearance shows visible signs of mourning, he cannot enter the area where the king could be present (see ).
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Move on to
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say,
In verse 10, we have to go back first to to get an understanding of things
She was unaware of it because of her seclusion in the women’s quarters of the palace () . He communicated through the eunuch Hathach, who was appointed to attend her. At the same time Mordecai exhorted her to implore the king’s favor and to plead with him for her people (v. 8).
5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.
What was Esther’s initial concern in verse 11?
In seeking Esther’s intervention, Mordecai needed first to inform her (), of Haman’s decree. She was unaware of it because of her seclusion in the women’s quarters of the palace. He communicated through the eunuch Hathach, who was appointed to attend her. At the same time Mordecai exhorted her to implore the king’s favor and to plead with him for her people (v. 8). Esther was initially recalcitrant—recalling the similar response of Moses in and 4:13, and she sought to excuse herself by pointing out that the king had not summoned her for the past thirty days (). Though the point of her citing this number was to imply that the king’s interest in her was apparently waning, it also served as yet another subtle testimony to the historical veracity of the book, for 30 days prior to this conversation (which took place on Nisan 13) she would indeed have been in the king’s presence for the royal observance of the important Zoroastrian Farvardigan (welcoming the spirits of the dead) festival, celebrated at that time from Adar (Old Persian Viyahna) 11–15 (mid-April in our calendar).
11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
Esther was initially hesitant—recalling the similar response of Moses in
Esther was initially recalcitrant—recalling the similar response of Moses in
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
Verse 11: This custom was likely put in place to prevent assassination attempts, to help manage the king’s time, and to set him apart from ordinary people.
She sought to excuse herself by pointing out that the king had not summoned her for the past thirty days ().
11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”
What stands out to you in verse 14 about Mordecai?
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said.
14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
The encouragement was that the Lord is sovereign in all circumstances to preserve His people from destruction—as is unquestionably implied by Mordecai’s confident expectation, not mere hope or wish, that relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.
The encouragement was that the Lord is sovereign in all circumstances to preserve His people from destruction—as is unquestionably implied by Mordecai’s confident expectation, not mere hope or wish, that relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.
His confidence can be explained by his faith in God’s promise to bless Israel and preserve them forever as a people before Him (; ). Also he was certain that God had already been at work by ensuring that she attained royalty for such a time as this.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
35 Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name:
36 “If this fixed order departs
from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever.”
37 Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”
Mordecai’s thinking seems to reflect that of Judaism in general—that God would find a way for his people to survive, no matter what (compare ).
Mordecai’s thinking seems to reflect that of Judaism in general—that God would find a way for his people to survive, no matter what (compare ). Mordecai may see this relief coming from another person, another city, or God in general.
Esther thus acquiesced and enjoined a preparatory fast (again as a specific appeal to God) on her behalf that was to be undertaken by all the Jews … in Susa … for three days, night or day. Allowing Mordecai the minimum amount of time necessary to assemble the Jews of Susa for this fast, as well the urgency of the situation, it is reasonable that this fast began on Adar 14 (cf. ). This was either later that night per biblical-Jewish reckoning in which days began at sunset, or, at the latest on the following morning (dawn was in fact the usual time when public fasts began, according to the Babylonian Talmud, Pesahim 2b)—both possibilities would still have been Adar 14. Esther’s fast was thus observed during the first three days of Passover, an observation that is central to an appreciation of the book’s typology.
4:11 Esther responds, via Hathach, by deferring to the regulations of the laws of Persia—with which Mordecai would have already been familiar. Access to the king was strictly governed.
A symbol of royal authority. If someone came to the king unsummoned, the king would have to make an exception to the law Esther cites.
Scepter EDB
As queen, it seems that Esther should have more access to the king, but apparently his interest in her had waned during the last four years (compare note on 3:7).
4:12 The Hebrew text uses a plural verb here to reference the carrying of messages back to Mordecai, suggesting that servants other than Hathach were involved. This could be explained by Esther’s ability to win people’s favor (2:15).
4:13 Haman’s decree called for the death of all Jews (3:13), which meant that if Esther’s lineage was discovered, it would demand her execution.
4:14 This remark of Mordecai’s is one of the most faithful responses in the book, yet it lacks any direct mention of God. Mordecai’s thinking seems to reflect that of Judaism in general—that God would find a way for his people to survive, no matter what (compare ). Mordecai may see this relief coming from another person, another city, or God in general.
20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
Mordecai essentially reasoned with Esther this way: “Do you think your becoming queen of Persia was a mere fluke?
Do you think you can now ignore your heritage and opt only to live a comfortable life?
No, there’s a reason you’ve been placed in such an influential position! You need to take careful stock of this situation and use it to the glory of God.”
Mordecai’s famous final statement in verse 14 offers the positive argument. What assumptions are at work in this “Who knows …”? To what is Mordecai turning Esther’s thoughts here?
Think of someone, perhaps a younger Christian, who needs some Mordecai-like encouragement and exhortation. What can you say or do to stir up that person to “love and good works” ()?
If this is viewed as a statement about divine retribution, then it expresses that it is not just sinful to do something wrong, but it is also sinful to respond to a need with apathy (compare ; ; ). Since Mordecai is Esther’s cousin, and has essentially adopted her, he very well could be thinking of his own imminent death when making this statement.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
Mordecai does not assert why Esther has been appointed queen, but seems to imply that it very well could have been for a divine purpose.
Although Esther earlier deferred to Mordecai, she now bravely responds with an act of faith. A call to assemble and fast accompanies a similar cry for divine relief in .
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
How do you think Esther feels right now?
fear of king’s reaction - hasn’t summoned her for long time. Like a suicide mission - life and death.
Although God is not mentioned here, the implication is that the fasting is an observance of a time of intense prayer for the salvation of the Jewish people (compare ; ; ; ).
Esther is likely requesting prayer from the people for her, with the knowledge that their salvation will now depend on the king’s response to her.
If these three days are consecutive to the day mentioned in 3:12, the Jews in Susa would have fasted during the Passover and for two days following it. But more time certainly could have passed since then (vv. 3–4).
If these three days are consecutive to the day mentioned in 3:12, this would be religiously significant. The Jewish people would be requesting that Yahweh cause the judgment of an evil empire to pass over them on the day celebrating the rescue of the Jewish people from Egypt ().
A statement of courageous resolve, not an expression of resignation to a foregone conclusion (compare ). Esther’s response seems to indicate that she agrees with Mordecai’s earlier implication—her appointment to queen was a divine action.
Background of the Passage
When Vashti, the queen of Persia, defied an order of King Ahasuerus, she was deposed and a search was begun for a new queen. Somehow, Esther, keeping her Jewish heritage a secret, was included in this royal contest; eventually she became the surprise winner. Meanwhile, Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate the king. Through Esther he was able to get word to the palace and the would-be evildoers were brought to justice.
The plot thickened when a high-ranking official named Haman, angered by Mordecai’s refusal to bow to him, concocted a scheme to eradicate all the Jews in Persia. When the king agreed to Haman’s murderous plan, the only question remaining was whether Esther could use her position of influence to save her people. That is the situation in chapter 4.
Read the passage carefully and imagine yourself in Esther’s or Mordecai’s situation. Let the drama of their crisis wash over you. Try to appreciate the great pressure they felt. And let God use this real-life situation from centuries past to change you today.
Bible Passage
What is the purpose of fasting? What does it indicate?
1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry.
2 He went as far as the front of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3 And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them.
5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was.
6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate.
7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.
8 He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people.
9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:
11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”
12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.
14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:
16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.
sackcloth and ashes (v. 1)— an outward sign of inward distress and humiliation; Mordecai realized that he had prompted this genocidal retaliation by Haman
she sent garments (v. 4)— Mordecai could then enter the king’s gate (see 4:2) and talk with Esther directly.
Hathach (v. 5)—a trusted eunuch who knew of Esther’s Jewish background
He also gave him a copy of the written decree (v. 8)— That Mordecai possessed this specific knowledge and a copy of the edict further evidences his prominent position in Persia.
golden scepter (v. 11)—In order to protect the king’s life from would-be assassins, this practice prevailed; seemingly, the king would extend the scepter (a sign of kingly authority) only to those whom he knew and from whom he welcomed a visit (see 5:2; 8:4).
these thirty days (v. 11)— Perhaps Esther feared she had lost favor with the king since he had not summoned her recently.
relief and deliverance (v. 14)—Mordecai exhibited a healthy faith in God’s sovereign power to preserve His people. He may have remembered the Lord’s promise to Abraham (see ; ).
you … will perish (v. 14)— Mordecai indicated that Esther because of her prominence, would not escape the sentence or be overlooked (see 4:13).
such a time as this (v. 14)— Mordecai indirectly appealed to God’s providential timing.
fast (v. 16)—The text does not mention prayer being included, though surely it was.
perish (v. 16)—Esther’s heroic willingness to die for the sake of her fellow Jews is commendable.
Understanding the Text
4) How did Mordecai respond when he learned that Haman’s genocidal decree had been approved by the king? What is the significance of sackcloth and ashes? Can you think of any modern-day equivalents for believers in the West?
(verses to consider: ; ; ; )
5) The chapter makes a couple of references to fasting
(verses 3, 16). What is the purpose of fasting? What does it indicate?
(verses to consider: ; ; ; )
7) What is significant about Mordecai’s claim that if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place (verse 14)?
(verses to consider: )
Cross-Reference
Read .
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up;
6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews.
9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!
10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image;
11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
How is Esther’s classic statement of courage, “If I perish, I perish,” similar to the response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to King Nebuchadnezzar in ?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
She accepted God’s purpose for her at this moment in time.
Compare to Paul in .
22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Summing Up …
“When the things of this world are idolized, as they frequently are even by believers, it is impossible not to be drawn into the moral and spiritual compromises that such idolatry demands. When a person longs to be like the world … he soon will be thinking and acting like it.” —John MacArthur
Reflecting on the Text
Comparisons
Comparisons
If you had a wise old “Cousin Mordecai,” what counsel might he give you today as you face your unique life situation?
Think of someone, perhaps a younger Christian, who needs some Mordecai-like encouragement and exhortation. What can you say or do to stir up that person to “love and good works” ()?
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
For further study, see the following passages:
2. Esther’s Resolve ()
What details of the narrative in show both the dramatic response of the Jews—and Esther’s distance from the Jews, at this point?
Verse 10 of chapter 4 is a turning point in the narrative’s presentation of Esther. What things do we for the very first time see Esther doing, in the second half of this chapter?
Esther’s first response is one of understandable shock and incredulity, as she processes the personal ramifications (v. 11). Consider Mordecai’s response to her, in verses 13–14. First, what various arguments does he lay out against her keeping silent? On what assumptions do these arguments seem to rest?
Mordecai’s appeal reaches the target: Esther’s next response is strong and resolved. What various assumptions might we glimpse in her words, in verses 15–16? (Note that, for the Jews, the activity of fasting was almost always associated with and accompanied by prayer.)
The rest of the story grows from this moment of resolve on the part of Esther. Step back for a moment and consider how the circumstances of this moment depend on God’s hand of providence at work. Summarize the ways in which we see God’s divine direction at this point in the story.
Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to consider the Personal Implications these sections may have for you.
Gospel Glimpses
CONDEMNED TO DEATH. Without a deliverer this people is hopeless and helpless. Compare ;
The story might lead us to ponder the desperate need of all fallen human beings apart from the deliverance sent to us in Christ who suffered our sentence of death, in our place, on the cross.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
A NEEDED INTERCESSOR. Repeatedly throughout Scripture, God’s people need someone to represent them, or plead their cause. Compare ;
They are helpless, and by themselves will perish. Moses perhaps most directly offers a type of such an intercessor, a godly leader pleading with the Lord on behalf of a people facing the judgment of death.
7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
This pattern of needed intercession for a people points us ultimately to the Lord Jesus, whose blood shed on the cross pleads for us, and who even now lives to make intercession for us at the right hand of God the Father in heaven (; ).
34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
OPPRESSION OF GOD’S PEOPLE. God’s people know and have known oppression from the world around. Compare
not just against individuals but against God’s people as a whole.
Jesus told his followers they would be hated and persecuted even as he was ()—until that day when he comes again to judge the world and to dwell forever with his people.
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
Joseph and Mordecai - Not bowing to pressures of temptation. Compare language of and
10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew.
Takeaways
Takeaways
OPPRESSION OF GOD’S PEOPLE. God’s people know and have known oppression from the world around, not just against individuals but against God’s people as a whole.
Jesus told his followers they would be hated and persecuted even as he was ()—until that day when he comes again to judge the world and to dwell forever with his people.
As people of faith, we should feel connected to all Christians around the world, especially those who are suffering for the sake of Christ.
We need to consider that when faced with opportunity to confront sin and injustice that perhaps God in His providence has brought us to that place for that very purpose.
Theological Soundings
We can be encouraged in doing what God has called us to do when we know that others are appealing to the Lord on our behalf.
PROVIDENCE. God’s hand of providence is all over this story. How ironic that it should be a seemingly random casting of lots that so specifically evidences God’s superintending hand: the fact that the lot falls 11 months away allows time for deliverance to be worked out according to God’s plan. Haman depended on lots in his plot against God’s people, while that people’s God actually determined how the lots would fall (compare ). God has clearly determined the position of Mordecai in the service of the king, close to Esther—who is indeed placed in the palace, as Mordecai says, “for such a time as this.” This is the story of a great and evil threat, but the unfolding of the story’s events shows an overriding good hand of providence.
Personal Implications
Take time to reflect on the implications of for your own life today. Make notes below on the personal implications for your walk with the Lord that you find in the (1) Gospel Glimpses, (2) Whole-Bible Connections, (3) Theological Soundings, and (4) this passage as a whole.
1. Gospel Glimpses
2. Whole-Bible Connections
3. Theological Soundings
4.
As You Finish This Unit …
Take a moment now to ask for the Lord’s blessing and help as you continue in this study of Esther. Take a moment also to look back through this unit of study, to reflect on a few key things that the Lord may be teaching you—and perhaps to highlight and underline these things to review again in the future.