The edict had gone out, and
the Jews were to be annihilated on the thirteenth day of the twelfth
month, Adar, according to Haman's plan. The news of this event was
spread by posts throughout the Persian empire, and those within the
vicinity of the palace of Shushan knew the plan as well. In chapter
four and verse one we see the reaction of Mordecai to this daunting
command. We read:
When Mordecai perceived
all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth
with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a
loud and a bitter cry;
Our
verse begins, “When Mordecai perceived all that was done,
Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes,...”
When we use our imaginations to see this scene, we can see in
part Mordecai's response to the command that his people would be
destroyed. First, he “perceived all that was done.” He
discovered it. He found it out, and we might imagine how his
countenance and visage changed when he heard the news. He immediately
humbles himself as he “rent his clothes” which denoted a
sign of extreme emotional anguish, and he “put on sackcloth with
ashes” which was a symbol of humility. No doubt the words from
the king were overwhelming, and Mordecai's reaction was
self-abasement.
The
verse goes on to say, “and went out into the midst of the city,
and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;” After tearing his
clothing and putting on sackcloth and ashes, Mordecai doesn't go to a
quiet place alone, but rather “went into the midst of the city.”
We can imagine his demeanor and attire as he walked toward the center
of the city in great sorrow and sadness. The weight of his burden was
heavy, and rather than ignore it, pretend that it was not there, or
run in fear of it, Mordecai sorrowfully went to the center of
Shushan. Notice too what he did when he arrived, “and cried with
a loud and a bitter cry;” Mordecai cried, but not just a simply
whimpering cry, he cried with a loud, intense, large, important and
pain-filled voice. Mordecai made a public display of his reaction to
the edict, and rather than hide it, he openly showed his sorrow over
the plan of his people's demise.
What is
our reaction to horrible news? What if we were in Mordecai's place?
Would we have reacted as he did? Have we ever considered
demonstrating our sorrow to the point that we would tear our
clothing, put on the attire of sackcloth and douse ourselves in
ashes? Have we ever humbled ourselves to this point? As we continue
to follow this godly man Mordecai, perhaps we will discover ways to
react to horrible news when it arrives in our lives. We know this, as
we humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus, He will hear our cries,
and when our cries are made public, others will be affected by our
humility as well.
Next time we will see Mordecai move
from the middle of the city to the king's gate, 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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