Esther 4:1-17 - "A Fast Is Called"

Esther Chapter 4 is a sad chapter. We are about to see that the Jewish people, Mordecai, and Esther experience crippling fear. The villain of this story - Haman - has figured out a way to pass a law requiring that the entirety of the Jewish people in all of the 127 provinces of Persia be murdered on a certain day. This caused confusion throughout the city of Susa, which was the capital city at the time of Esther, and most likely the rest of the empire. Meanwhile, we see that key people in the palace are sitting down for a drink - and I think this is the author’s way of saying that the king, Haman, and the rest of those in the royal palace were out of touch with what was going on. They gave little thought to the well-being of their people.