"Ask Why"

Esther 4.5 KJV

“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.”

The book of Esther is a fascinating story of the Jewish nation exiled in the land of Persia nearly five centuries before the birth of Christ. King Ahasuerus was tricked by his friend and high ranking advisor, Haman, into issuing an edict for the destruction of the Jews. By the providence of God and the courage of Esther, the queen of Persia and a Jewess herself, God’s people were miraculously saved from Haman’s awful plan.

Upon hearing of Haman’s scheme, Mordecai, Esther’s older cousin and caretaker from her youth, “wailed loudly and bitterly” (Esther 4.1) and Queen Esther “writhed with great anguish” (Esther 4.4). She demanded to know… “what it was and why it was” that these things were happening.

The “what” was easy... the Jews would be destroyed. The “why” was not so evident. If Esther could understand why her people faced extinction, maybe she could put a stop to the terrible event.

Look around you. It becomes quickly obvious “what” is happening. The condition of the world, the plight of the poor, the health of the nation, the issues at hand, and the state of affairs. Watch the news. It’s all there for you to observe. If you open your eyes and ears you will learn “what” people think, “what” they want, and “what” they need. The “what” is not hard to know if you want to know it.

The “why” is another matter. When you know why things are the way they are, then you really know something. Until you know “why” you can’t make a lasting difference.

Queen Esther demanded to know both “what it was, and why it was.” She was a woman of great beauty and courage who determined to know “what” was happening to her people. She was also a woman of great wisdom who demanded to know “why” these things were so. Knowledge of the “why” gave Esther the power to do something about the grave matter at hand.

It takes courage to face reality and decide to know “what” is so. It takes wisdom to develop an understanding of “why” what is so. Determining “what” is going on inside and around me is not so hard. Knowing “why” these things are so, is not as easy.

I must ask myself and others “why?” more often.