Although righteousness has been given a black eye in the text thus far, Mordecai’s heart is exposed to the reader in chapter four in the Book of Esther. Here, we find him mourning over the decision of the king. All political scheming to destroy Haman seems to have failed, as he discovers how weak his plans have been. His foolishness (cp. Esther 2:10, 20; 3:4) has put the entire Jewish nation in jeopardy! What was he to do now? What could he do? What political maneuver could he play at this time that would be successful enough to undo what he had brought upon his people? Nothing is so devastating, as to understand that a great evil is to take place, and knowing you are its cause (cp. Esther 3:2-5). Perhaps, this very understanding is the reason the story of Esther is in the Bible, today. In other words, when all is said and done, it is not what man is able to do that matters, but what God is able to do. Even in times of disobedience and pretense on the part of God’s people, he still loves us and will work for our ultimate good.
“When Mordecai perceived all that was done…” (Esther 4:1), but what, exactly, constitutes “all that was done?” Indeed, the king had sentenced the Jews to death, vis-à-vis the whole Jewish nation scattered throughout the Persian Empire, every man, woman and child (Esther 3:13-15)! Why? What caused the king to do such a thing? Well, the immediate cause was Haman told the king that the Jews, who were dispersed throughout his kingdom, practiced laws that were different from all other people. In fact, so different were their laws that they didn’t obey the laws of the king. Therefore, it would be in the king’s best interest to destroy them (Esther 3:8, cp. verse-9).
If this was the immediate cause of the Jews’ troubles, what occurred that caused Haman to do such a thing? Four years before these things took place, Mordecai convinced Esther to keep her national identity a secret (Esther 2:10, 20). Why would he do that? Nothing in the text of the Book of Esther up to that point would explain why Mordecai would ask or command such a thing of his foster daughter. Just before the king decreed that the whole Jewish nation within his realm had to be destroyed, Mordecai revealed that he was a Jew (Esther 3:4)! So, Mordecai embraces his Jewish heritage, but commanded Esther to keep her patriotism secret. Why? Well, Haman had just been promoted to prime minister of the kingdom and the king commanded everyone to respect his office, but Mordecai refused (Esther 3:2), saying his Jewish heritage demanded that he not bow to Haman! Nevertheless, no such thing is commanded in the Law of Moses. So, Mordecai’s actions were the ultimate cause of the Jews’ present dilemma!
So, why wouldn’t Mordecai consider bowing to Haman? It seems evident that there were certain antisemitic elements active throughout the Persian Empire. They had succeeded in stopping the building project that had been going on in Jerusalem for about 29 of the 49 years it took to build the city walls and the Temple of God. When they failed in that respect, the enemies of the Jews sought to destroy the Jewish faith by infiltrating the nation through marriages with the great and the small, until the Mosaic covenant was no longer practiced. Moreover, for these things to be successful in Jerusalem, the antisemitic elements had to have had great power in the palace as well. Indeed, the building project at Jerusalem was both begun and stopped by the kings of Persia. So, Mordecai had reason to be concerned, but his plan to save the Jews failed, and that plan seems to have involved destroying Haman. How so? He kept his own Jewish identity secret, until Haman was made prime minister (Esther 3:1-4). Therefore, “When Mordecai perceived all that was done…” (Esther 4:1), including his own part in it all, he repented and mourned “with a loud voice and a bitter cry.”
Therefore, he came before the king’s gate and mourned there, perhaps to get word to Esther, who wouldn’t have had any knowledge of these affairs (Esther 4:2). He couldn’t go into the king’s gate, because to mourn there was forbidden, even dangerous (cp. Nehemiah 2:1-2), because sadness before the king could be interpreted as ill will toward him. Indeed, Mordecai wasn’t alone in his mourning, for the Jews throughout the empire were in the state of shock, everywhere Jews mourned and wept, dressed in sackcloth and fasted (Esther 4:3).
When Esther’s maids and eunuchs informed her of Mordecai’s state, she became deeply disturbed and sent him a change of clothing. A change of dress would permit him to come into the king’s gate, and this would allow her to speak with him and become informed of this recent change of circumstance. Nevertheless, Mordecai refused the gesture, indicating his deep-seated grief over what was done (Esther 4:4).
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