Question about Esther:

[Old man]

Why did Esther try to get Mordecai to put on some clothes and stop the whole sackcloth and ashes thing?

Est 4:1-2 “When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. He went as far as the king's gate, for no one was to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.”

Est 4:4 “Then Esther's maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them.”

[jayne]

Why is Mordecai crying so hard and mourning so badly to the point where he won't accept any solace from anyone? I think it's because he knows that the whole cotton-picking ordeal of Haman's plan to slaughter his people is HIS fault.

Go back to chapter 3.

Verses 1-6: Later, King Xerxes promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha to the highest position in his kingdom. Haman was a descendant of Agag, and the king had given orders for his officials at the royal gate to honor Haman by kneeling down to him. All of them obeyed except Mordecai. When the other officials asked Mordecai why he disobeyed the king’s command, he said, “Because I am a Jew.” They spoke to him for several days about kneeling down, but he still refused to obey. Finally, they reported this to Haman, to find out if he would let Mordecai get away with it. Haman was furious to learn that Mordecai refused to kneel down and honor him. And when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he knew that killing only Mordecai was not enough. Every Jew in the whole kingdom had to be killed.

It's not like Mordecai has a choice - but he is dealing with a narcissistic nut-case. He ticked off Haman and Haman is about to see to it that a whole nation is to be slaughtered. Bright and shiny and happy garments aren't going to bring any peace to Mordecai.

Why does Queen Esther offer the clothes in the first place?

Well in chapter 4, it sort of says that she didn't know about the plans that Haman had - she didn't know why Mordecai was upset when she sent him the happy clothes.

Verses 4-8: When Esther’s servant girls and her other servants told her what Mordecai was doing, she became very upset and sent Mordecai some clothes to wear in place of the sackcloth. But he refused to take them. Esther had a servant named Hathach, who had been given to her by the king. So she called him in and said, “Find out what’s wrong with Mordecai and why he’s acting this way.” Hathach went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the palace gate, and Mordecai told him everything that had happened. He also told him how much money Haman had promised to add to the king’s treasury, if all the Jews were killed. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the orders for the murder of the Jews and told him that these had been read in Susa. He said, “Show this to Esther and explain what it means. Ask her to go to the king and beg him to have pity on her people, the Jews!”

[Old man]

Hi jayne;

Thanks for the reply. I did notice that all the commotion was a result of one man (Mordecai) not bowing down to Haman. But I wonder if there is more to it than that?

This is just me speculating of course, but I don’t think there was any doubt in Mordecai’s mind about God delivering the Jews from Haman’s plot. First there are all the promises of God from Abraham to David to Daniel all throughout Jewish History up to that point which speak of His purpose for Israel even to the end times (which was not happening at that time). I am not sure of the date but I think the Jews had just recently returned to Israel (in fulfillment of another promise of God to restore them) and were rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple (if they hadn’t completed it already by then.) Then there is the fact of who Mordecai was. According to Fenris; in another thread he said in response to a question I asked about Mordecai;

Yes, rabbinical sources state that he was a prophet. They also say that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, and a member of the Great Assembly which decided on biblical canon and codified Jewish prayer.

Mordecai knew full well all the promises of God about the future of Israel and that Haman’s plot was not going to result in the destruction of the Jewish people because God is faithful to fulfill all that He has said. Mordecai even states in 4:14 “… relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews …”

Here is the thing: Esther was raised by possibly the most powerful Jew in the city. She should have known that weeping, wailing and especially wearing sackcloth was not a “normal” behavior for any Jew especially one of Mordecai’s position. And why did Mordecai go before the palace gate to do it instead of gathering a bunch of other Jews to seek God together for their deliverance. This non normal behavior (IMO) should have raised huge obvious flags for Esther that something really big was going down; but instead of seeking to know the “what” and the “why” she seems more concerned about his appearance and tries to get him to put on some “happy clothes”. It is only after he refuses them that she starts asking questions. So my question is; why didn’t Mordecai’s behavior raise flags for her like they should have right from the start?

[dancedwithdolphin]

Mordekhai had kept his relation to Esther a secret. So the place he met with her was at the kings gate. Now I suppose that Esther was not permitted out among the people, so she didnt know what had transpired (since it also says that the king had not sent for her in a month). I am sure she knew (being a jew) what sackcloth and ashes meant (lamenting and mourning), but didnt know the occasion for his distress. So I think it was meant to comfort him. And from Mordekhai actions we see he lets her know what is going on.

Now it seems to me there must have been some forknowledge on Mordekhai's part, since he changed her name and had her keep her identity a secret even from the king. Perhaps like Abraham who took Isaac to sacrifice him saying God himself would provide a lamb. Mordekhai tells Esther to break the law and go before the king.

So anyways as far as the happy clothes go, I think it was sent for consolement. She didnt know why he was distraught. And as his daughter (adopted) and queen, she was trying to help him. To show him that if she could she would make it alright. If it was me, and I saw my dad crying and mourning as for the loss of a loved one, I would try and comfort him. And definatly find out what was going on. Which is what I think was happening here.

[Old man]

Thanks for your input dancedwithdolphines.

I will come back to this issue but I have another question. How old was Esther when she was entered into this "Become a queen contest?" It is obvious that she is of marrying age but is unmarried. I thought that marriages were arranged by the parents "or guardian" by the time they were old enough to get married. Wouldn't that be Mordecai's responsibility? Is there any information that indicates her age?