The mourning and weeping of
the Jews was widespread throughout the kingdom of Persia. An edict
and command to exterminate all the Jews upon the thirteenth day of
Adar had just been published, and now grief and humility was not only
their response but Mordecai's also. Esther the queen heard about
Mordecai's mourning and public display of his anguished position, and
in chapter four and verse five she sends a messenger to discover why
he is behaving this way. We read:
Then
called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains,
whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment
to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.
Our
verse begins, “Then called Esther for Hatach, one
of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon
her,...” We may recall in the earlier part of our book where
Esther spent one year preparing to meet the king before she became
the queen of Persia. At that time there were chamberlains assigned to
her care and preparation, and it appears that she continued to have
them after she became queen. “Hatach” means “verily” or
“truly”, and he had been appointed to care for Esther's needs.
Esther called for him, and as a normal course of business, he came to
her aid.
The verse goes on to say, “and gave him a commandment to
Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was.”
Although this may seem insignificant, it does give us insight
into Esther's knowledge of what was going on in the kingdom. She
shows her care for her older cousin by sending out Hatach to discover
why he is behaving in such a manner, and she simply asks two very
common questions - “What?” and “Why?” Esther desired to know
what exactly was happening with Mordecai. She heard the reports of
her chamberlains and maids about Mordecai's behavior, but she wanted
verification of it for herself. She also desired to know why he was
acting like this. This public display of mourning was probably not
unfamiliar to Esther as she grew up knowing what it was like to mourn
over the death of her parents and having to move to a strange new
country, however she wasn't sure why her cousin Mordecai was so
troubled at this time. Needless to say, her inquiry was in full swing
through Hatach.
“Trust,
but Verify” is somewhat of a theme in this verse. Although Esther
heard the news about Mordecai from her chamberlains and maids, she
desired more information from her particularly assigned source.
Sometimes people around us act in a manner that seems strange,
unbeknown, and different than we might deem normal, and we may often
wonder what they are doing and why they are doing it. Being willing
to ask “what” and “why” may give us more information as to
how to conduct ourselves around them. We must never forget that our
lives are a testimony to what we truly believe, and if we believe in
Jesus Christ, our lives must reflect Him at all times. We may not be
able to manage or move others, but we can trust in the Lord to keep
ourselves in line with His Almighty plan. As we live as testimonies
of His grace, may He ever more equip us to be able align ourselves
with His will and to help others in their times of need.
Next time we will see Hatach go to
Mordecai, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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