Communications Between Esther And Mordecai

Esther 4:1–11
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When Mordecai heard about the decree of Ahasuerus for the destruction of the Jews he rent his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes, which displayed to the Jews great sorrow and grief (v. 1). He displayed his grief publicly, walking throughout the city and crying out bitterly. He was even so bold as to grieve at the entrance of the king’s gate. One more step and he would have been arrested for wearing sackcloth on the king’s property (v. 2). Throughout the entire kingdom there was similarly great mourning among the Jews (v. 3). When Queen Esther heard about Mordecai’s mourning, she sent him clothing to wear. She must have been worried that Mordecai was going to get himself into more trouble by displaying his grief so publicly. When Mordecai refused to her gift (v. 4), Esther sent Hathach, a eunuch who served her, to go to Mordecai to find out why he was grieving (v. 5). Apparently, the Queen had not yet been informed of the decree to exterminate the Jews. 

Mordecai outlined Haman’s plan and how that the king had promised to pay money for the destruction of the Jews. He even sent a copy of the document to Esther so she could read it. He shared with her that the only hope for the Jewish people was for her to intercede on their behalf, and thus gain favor with the king in protecting the Jews (v. 7,8). Esther replies by stating that it was unlawful for her to approach the king unless he had desired for her to come. Since he had not asked for her in thirty days it was unlikely that he would want to see her now. The penalty for coming before the king and not receiving his favor was death (v. 11). 

Application

Have I ever truly mourned over the evil in this world? What would happen if I grieved over abortion the same way Mordecai and the Jews mourned over their imminent extermination?