Lamentation and Hope: A Reflection on Persecution and Suffering

1. ESTHER 4:1 ESTHER 4:1- -8 8 “We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families”

2. Dear Lord God, You are present in the suffering of those who are persecuted because of their ethnicity, religious affiliation, lifestyle, or political beliefs. No martyr has ever died alone. You are always with those who hunger and thirst for justice, and in you the suffering of the world finds redemptive value. Cover persecuted minorities with the mantle of your protection, soften the hearts of their aggressors, and instill in leaders the strength and courage to protect the dignity of every human being. Bless those who suffer for the sake of their conscience, ethnic background, or the bodies they occupy. We ask you this in the name of your son, Jesus, who died a horrible death that all may come within the reach of your saving embrace. In his holy name we pray, amen! Opening Prayer Esther 4:1-9

3. What would never happen here Esther 4:1-9

4. SUMMARY HAMAN AND HIS PEOPLE CAST LOTS (PUR) AND A DAY IS FIXED FOR THE ANNIHILATION OF THE JEWS. HAMAN MANIPULATES A WEAK AND INCOMPETENT XERXES TO ORDER THE UTTER DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWS EVERYWHERE. AN EDICT IS ISSUED AND MAILED TO THE PROVINCES. HAMAN AND XERXES CELEBRATE, WHILE THE PEOPLE ARE LEFT CONFUSED AND SCARED. THE DANGER HAS BEEN VERY CLEARLY DEFINED. NOW WE AWAIT THE REST OF THE PLOT AND THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT. WILL THE JEWS GET OUT OF THIS THREAT ALIVE? TUNE-IN IN TWO WEEKS TO FIND OUT!

5. “Sackcloth and ashes were an outward sign of mourning, repentance, or abasement. It was a type of cloth made of black goat’s hair that was thick, rough, and coarse material. It was uncomfortable to wear, and later it was used as a sack. It was also used as an outward sign of mourning and submission… Because of the significant symbolism of dust, ashes became a sign of humility before God. Like dust, the ashes were an outward sign that signaled to everyone absolute grief, desolation, and ruin. When someone was deeply grieved by their actions against and in a state of repentance, they often would wear sackcloth and ashes.” ((Biblestudytools.com) Genesis 37:33-35, 2 Samuel 3:31, Psalm 30:11, Jonah 3:5-8, Job 2:8, Isaiah 37:1. Dirt, ground, mud, earth, etc. Humility before God To make public a great injustice of affliction When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry ESTHER 4:1

6. The public display of sorrow in this case had several elements: 1. Wearing of sackcloth and ashes 2. Loud wailing in the marketplace 3. A presentation of his case at the king’s gate There is a rich tradition of wailing within Jewish tradition. It is very proper during mourning for a dead person, in which case the wail may tell the story of the dead’s person’s affliction, may tell significant stories in his life, may address others on behalf of the dead person, may address other wailers, may seek to console those left behind, may address death itself, or may address God. In modern Judaism, mourners bring their afflictions, laments, petitions for divine assistance, and their remembrances to “El-Mabka” which is Arab for “the Place of Wailing.” This is a section of the western wall in Jerusalem, which is the only segment of the temple that survived the destruction by the Romans in AD 70 The entrance to the gate is significant: This is the place where grievances are filed, justice is sought, lawsuits are settled, deals are witnessed and ratified, etc. Mordecai is presenting his case to the masses. He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. ESTHER 4:2

7. Tisha B’av Esther 4:1-9

8. Turkish Massacre of Armenians during World War I: By the early 1920s leaders of the Turkish government had killed between 600,000 and 1.5 Armenians Nazi’s annihilation of some 6 million European Jews (1939-1945) The Killing Fields of Darfur: Over 100,000 killed between 1983 and 1984, accomplishing the Arabization of Central Sudan. The Rwandan Massacre of 1994: 800,000 over the space of three months. Called “The most efficient extermination in human history.” They killed people three times faster than the Nazis. It was called a decimation, or a one-tenth cleansing. The Bosanski Genocide in Yugoslavia from 1992-1995: Untold number, the official record is 8,000, but it could be as high as 30,000 The Myanmar Genocide: Many thousands killed, over one million people displaced, still ongoing, but made front-page news in 2017. The desaparecidos of Latin America from 1950’s to the present (Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and on, and on…) Jeremiah 31:15 In every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. ESTHER 4:3

9. Garments for Mordecai Maids and eunuchs make a report: Queen Esther has little access to the marketplace, because it was customary for Queens to remain within palace (plural) grounds. The mourning of the Jews in Susa would have been enough of a spectacle, that news of it were bound to reach the queen. The giving of garments to clothe Mordecai may be a subtle, “Stop it, you’re embarrassing yourself” or even worse, “Stop it, you are embarrassing me.” The fact that he refuses to end his mourning/protest/grievance/sorrow … posses a serious problem for her at this time. Remember that Jewishness remains hidden, and no one other than Mordecai knows her background. Her husband, who just gave permission, and Hamman that has issued the order, both remain unaware of the Queen’s ethnic and religious background. Mordecai’s public display could cause a security concern for the Queen. Now, we have witnesses that an offer has been made and refused. Esther will have to act soon before the peanut gallery begins to talk. When Esther’s maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. ESTHER 4:4

10. “Esther, living in the isolation of the palace, had not yet been made aware of this decree. Before she understood the decree, she could not understand why her cousin Mordecai made such a spectacle of himself.” (Enduring Word Commentary) “A queen consort at an Oriental court is sure to have, besides her train of maids, a numerous body of eunuchs, who are at her entire disposal, and are especially employed in going her errands and maintaining her communications with the outer world. Told her. Esther's interest in Mordecai would be known to the maids and eunuchs by Mordecai's inquiries about her (Esther 1:11) and communications with her (ibid. ver. 22). Esther 4:4” (Pulpit Commentary.) “Although unaware, according to the story, of the queen’s relationship to Mordecai, her attendants knew (see Esther 2:11) the importance which he attached to her welfare, and therefore they presumed that his mourning garb would bespeak her interest.” (Cambridge Bible Commentary.) By now, Esther would have been worried for Mordecai’s welfare, as well as for her own safety. The only choice (since he is not dressed in an approved manner to come within court) is to send an emissary to him. This is risky behavior, but she has no choice. The question for the reader is, “Can she trust Hathack?” 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 was happening and why. ESTHER 4:5

11. Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, ESTHER 4:6

12. Mordecai sends Esther a message: 1. Everything that had happened to him 2. Exact Sum of Money Haman Promised to Pay The “What happened to him” may refer to his encounter with Haman, his refusal to pay obeisance, the report of the men who told Haman he was a Jew, and perhaps even a brief summary of the historic conflicts between Haman’s historic people and the Israelites. The text does not tell us what this story was, but Mordecai uses just as context before the introduction of evidence, as we will see in the next verse. These reports and submission of evidence will serve a purpose: To inspire Esther to disclose her ethnicity to the king and advocate for her people. In this “emotional” distance between Mordecai and Esther we see a slight critique of Esther. Does he see her in a strong enough position to assist without his “somewhat extreme” public behaviors? Does he feel he has to push her hand? What didn’t he put on Sunday’s best and request to see her? Why not send her a quick message? (“FYI, Need You! Love, M.”) That a bot of criticism is implied, is evident inverse 14, which we will review next week. and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. ESTHER 4:7

13. A copy of the written decree: For Susa. This is proof that needs to be explained to Esther, why? There are a few reasons that might be possible 1. She may be unable to read and write. Education was rare for women at that time in history 2. Even if she knows how to read and write, the document may be so filled with legalize that she may not be able to understand it without help. 3. The document sent is related to Susa only, she might need help to understand the true scope of the problem, which is that 127 provinces are getting similar documents in their own language. Then the purpose for the show and tell is clearly stated: “Go to the king and make supplication.” Mordecai knows that the Kings has shown a tendency to act in accordance with counselor’s feedback and recommendations. This is specially the case when he has been drinking. He is rash and impulsive. Mordecai believed Esther has a chance here, of course she needs to be convinced that it is time for her to stand up and be counted as one of the Jews marked for death. This is easier said than done. Mordecai will still have some convincing to do. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people. ESTHER 4:8

14. Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true Because we have dreamed too little, When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery; Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars. We ask You to push back The horizons of our hopes; And to push into the future In strength, courage, hope, and love. Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim. Attributed — Sir Francis Drake — 1577 Closing Prayer Esther 4:1-9