Esther 4:10&11 "10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; 11 All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days." Though God did not appear to Esther in dramatic fashion, His sovereign hand was clearly at work. Haman, the king’s highest official, had secured a decree to annihilate all Jews throughout the empire (Esther 3:8–10). When Mordecai learned of the genocidal plot, he mourned publicly in sackcloth and ashes outside the king’s gate. Queen Esther, seeing his distress, sent her servant Hathach to discover the cause. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree and charged him to urge Esther to go before the king...
Esther 4:8&9 "8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people. 9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai." Our current series explores God’s callings. Last week we saw Moses’ reluctance at the burning bush. This week we turn to Esther. God did not appear to her in dramatic fashion, yet His sovereign plan is clearly at work in her life. These events unfold in Susa, the Persian capital, during the reign of King Xerxes I (5th century BC). Haman, the king’s highest official, has secured a decree to annihilate all Jews throughout the empire (Esther 3:8–10). Upon learning of the genocidal plot, Mordecai mourns publicly in sackcloth and ashes outside the king’s gate. Because of court protocol, he cannot enter the palace in mourning c...