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Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
When in your life have you felt most vulnerable? Have you ever had a close call with death?
Come with me, back to the city of Susa, in Persia, in the year 474bc. Yesterday we saw that wicked Haman had convinced King Xerxes that the Jewish people, ALL of them, everywhere in the empire were enemies of the king and must be eradicated, eliminated, annihilated!
King Xerxes had given his trusted advisor Haman permission to develop and carry out his ethnic cleansing plan and eliminate the Jews from the entire Persian kingdom. By the way, that kingdom was so vast it included all the land which has ever been known as Israel, from the days of Abraham to our present day! And of course, the city of Jerusalem, which as we’ve seen in Ezra was being rebuilt, including the second Temple.
This statement summarizes Haman’s frame of mind as word went out across the kingdom: “The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. Then King Xerxes and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.” (Esther 3:15)
I doubt any of us can imagine the terrifying wave of confusion which swept across the great city of Susa and then out from there all across the empire. It made no sense to anyone, and of course there was no recourse, no hope, no escape for anyone known to be Jewish.
Death was certain and would happen, with the King’s blessing, on a certain day in the future. The date selected was almost one year ahead, giving plenty of time for word to spread and people to plan. But can you imagine the terror in which the Jews lived during those months, as word of this genocide, this planned holocaust, spread across the empire?
Esther 4:1-3 describes it this way: “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… In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay on the ground in sackcloth and ashes.” (Esther 4:1-3) Have you ever experienced such chaos, such terrifying trauma? Entire cities, all across the empire, were in crisis.
News of this came to those attendants who served young Queen Esther. You’ll remember it was miraculous that she had been brought from her peasant life as Jewish girl in Susa, to wear the crown of the kingdom. In that process Esther had kept her real name, “Haddasah” and her Jewish ethnicity a secret.
As word came to Esther about what Mordecai her uncle was doing in his great agony, she could not understand his behavior, so sent clothes and comfort out to him through her attendants. But Mordecai refused her kindness! So, Esther sent one of her trusted attendants to go speak with Mordecai to find out why he and so many others in Susa were in such trauma?
The record says: “Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to the Queen, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai…Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him and Haman’s plan for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai also gave Hathak a copy of the edict calling for their annihilation which had been published in Susa. He told Hathak to show it to Esther and explain it all to her and instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with the king for her people.“ (Esther 4:5-8)
Oh my! I gather from how this is phrased, that Mordecai broke the secret about Esther’s true identity. Now, for the first time, someone in Persia other than Mordecai knew Esther was a Jewish woman.
It’s only one short sentence, but can you imagine the conversation this statement represents: “Hathak went back and reported to Queen Esther what Mordecai had said.” (Esther 4:9) Without question this was a very private conversation, and I imagine Esther made Hathak promise he would not share the news, he now knew about her, with anyone.
But Esther also felt an obligation to help Mordecai understand the protocol which she had learned of how the palace and especially the throne room of the King functioned. So Esther gave Hathak a message to take back to Mordecai: “Say to Mordecai, ‘all the king’s officials…know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court WITHOUT being summoned, the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their life. But 30 days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” (Esther 4:10,11)
I assume the eunuch Hathak knew this frightening protocol of the inner court of King Xerxes. Perhaps he had even been witness to someone entering uninvited and being refused an audience with the king and sent out to be executed.
As Hathak went out to meet with Mordecai, let’s pause here and I’d like us to reflect for a moment on other throne rooms around the world. How difficult do you suppose it is to gain an uninvited audience with President Trump in the White House; or President Putin in Moscow; or Kim Jung Un the Supreme Leader of North Korea; or Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
And what about the ultimate leader, Holy, Almighty God? What is the process, the protocol, to gain an audience in the throne room of God? Listen to Hebrews 10:19 “…since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is His body, and since we have a great High Priest over the house of God, let us approach the throne of God with a sincere heart and full assurance that faith brings…”
This verse and others assure us that Jesus Christ’s atonement death and victorious resurrection has paid for a peaceful welcome in the Holy Throne room of Almighty God. Jesus Christ, in His resurrected body ascended back to heaven and has assumed His rightful place on His throne at the right hand of the Majesty and welcomes any repentant person who trusts in Jesus! (Heb. 1:3; Romans 8:31-34)
Oh friends, we need to pause here and simply be overwhelmed by God’s invitation to us at any time, into His throne room, because of all Jesus Christ has accomplished for us! Let’s enter right now, in Jesus’ name, as we worship with Charity Gayle and this Throne Room song…
Today’s Scripture: Esther 4:1-11.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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