Celebrating Purim

I apologize for not updating the blog in the last couple of days.  My grandmother has been in the hospital since early Sunday morning.  She has pneumonia, among other things.  Prayers for her health are greatly appreciated.  

On to the remaining chapters of Esther.  Today I'm going to blog about Esther 8-10.  This will conclude the study of the book of Esther.  Have you noticed that God is never mentioned in the book of Esther.  But, if you will notice, he is working all throughout.  

Esther has asked the king to reverse the edict that the Jews be killed.  Special privilege was given to the Jews that they be able to defend themselves as a nation.  The remainder of the book of Esther is about the celebration of Purim.

"In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day ... on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries." - Esther 9:1

"And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness." - Esther 9:17

"Mordecai instructed them to observe them as days of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor." - Esther 9:22

Purim is one of the most celebrated holidays on the Jewish calendar.  It is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually around March 31.  This is the day after the day that Haman chose to destroy the Jews.  This was a celebration of survival.  The word Purim means "lots" or "lottery".  Haman drew "lots" to determine the day that the Jews would be destroyed.  During Purim, the Jews exchange gifts of food and drink, donate to charity, eat a celebratory meal, partake in the reading of the book of Esther, and also engage in a carnival-like festivals.  

To me this is a celebration of deliverance.  God delivered them from the evil of Haman and near extinction.  As a Christian, we don't have to do any of these things in celebration of Purim.  But, we should be grateful for God sending his son, Jesus Christ, to deliver us.  He has delivered us from the fate of Hell.  Isn't that enough to celebrate?

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins.  Thank you for this bible study and all that I have been able to learn.  Forgive me when I don't celebrate my salvation.  It is something to celebrate and to share with others.  Give me the wisdom to speak of your precious gift to us.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Stepping Out In Faith

How do you respond to crisis?  Have you ever had to step out in faith?  In chapter 7 of Esther, we see her courageously reveals her heritage to save her people.  She then exposes Haman for the evil man that he is.  

In this scripture we are taken to the second feast that Esther has prepared for King Ahasuerus and Haman.  And what a feast it was!  The king again asks Esther what her heart's desire was, that he would grant her wish, because he was so pleased with her.  She responds the following way:

"Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request.  For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” (v. 3-4)

Esther was bold in her request.  She was stepping out in faith.  She believed that God would save her and her people.  She was able to point out to the king the evil deeds of Haman.  It says in Psalm 73:12-13,

"This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence."

Doesn't this describe Haman perfectly?  Are you ever faced with the wicked?  Do you ever feel like the wicked always prospers?  Haman was one of these wicked.  He was elevated into a high position all the while plotting the destruction of the Jewish people.  I'm sure when we feel like others are elevated to positions that we don't deserve because of their wicked doings, that they will never be punished for those deeds.  But, in the end, they will.  It may not be in the time that we think it should happen.  Everything always happens in God's time.  Just as it did with Haman.  

Remember this:  God will honor you when  you boldly do what is right!

Recognition

Have you ever hoped something good would happen, but it didn't turn out how you expected it to? Have you ever done something good and worthy and never received recognition for it?  On the other hand, have you ever unexpectedly received recognition for something good you've done at the expense of someone else's feelings?  That where Esther 6 takes us today.

Now we all know that Haman despised Mordecai.  The king unknowingly set out to destroy the Jews because of one of Haman's devious plots.  The king requests the chronicles of memorable deeds be read.  He notices that Mordecai has not been honored for saving his life.  Haman just happens to be outside the door wanting to talk to the king about sending Mordecai to the gallows when the king decides to honor Mordecai.  He asks Haman's opinion about how to honor someone.  Haman thinks the king wants to honor him.  After Haman tells the king how he wants to be honored, the king tells him to go prepare all that he said for Mordecai.  After Haman does the things that the king requested, it tells us in Esther 6:12 that "Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered."  Now, isn't that funny!  Haman just got his comeuppance.

Can you imagine how Haman felt?  In some ways, I can imagine how Haman felt.  Sometimes we feel like we deserve recognition for the things that we do, but never receive it.  Do you ever feel that way?  Not to fear, when we do things for God and His kingdom, he will reward us.  It may not be in recognition here on earth, but God will reward us in heaven.  Matthew 6:19-21 says, 

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Let us remember to not be like Haman, where our treasures are on this earth.  Let us seek our treasures in heaven.

Preparation

Here we find ourselves in chatper 5 of Esther.  Esther has prepared herself to be in the presence of the king.  She put on her “royal robes”.  On the third day, she went before the king, and he was willing to give her whatever she wanted.  She was there to intercede on behalf of her people.  They were about to be slaughtered by that nasty man, Haman.  She knew that going before the king was a risk to her own life.

Esther 5:4 says, “And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”

Esther faced a few obstacles.  First, Esther knew that approaching the king was against the law, the penalty was death.  Esther was preparing herself to ask the king to reverse a law that she knew once went into effect that it couldn’t be reversed.  Her biggest obstacle, Haman.  He was the second most powerful person, next to the king, in the entire kingdom. 

What would you ask the King if you were in his presence?  What do you pray to God for?  Do you ask him for wealth or material things?  Or, do you ask Him for spiritual blessings?  What about help for the obstacles that we are facing?  What is in your heart when you approach the King of Kings?

When reading this I kept thinking about the feast that is being prepared for us in Heaven.  Yes, a feast is being prepared for me.  And it’s also being prepared for you.  It’s right there in Revelation 19:6-9:

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸ it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

⁹ And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Now the question is, what are we doing to prepare for this feast?  Are you preparing your heart for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?  Jesus is there and he’s preparing it for you and me.  Esther was preparing herself for this feast for the King.  Her plan was to save her people from slaughter.  That is the plan that Jesus has for us.  Jesus’ plan is to save us from slaughter.  And, just like Esther was there to intercede on behalf of her people, Jesus is there to intercede for us before the Father.  We must prepare our heart, just as Jesus is preparing, for the feast that is to come. 

When we read further, we find that Haman has become even more infuriated with Mordecai.  Once Haman reaches the gate, he sees Mordecai sitting there.  He doesn’t even acknowledge Haman, which makes Haman even more unbearable.  So, of course, this sets Haman’s mind to spinning and he has to come up with a way to get back at Mordecai.  He devises a plan to have Mordecai hanged.  He has gallows constructed.  This man is just devious.  His ego is so great that others have no importance to him but himself.  But, isn’t that the way Satan is with us.  He’s devious.  He’s plotting our destruction as we speak.  Haman is at the top of his power.  Just like Satan, he will be defeated. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you are allowing me to learn during this bible study.  Help me apply these truths to my life.  Forgive me when I’ve not been prepared to come to you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Despair

Have you ever felt so defeated?  Have you ever been in total despair over your circumstances?  Have you just ever wanted to just give up?  Have you ever been hurt?  It takes time to recover from being hurt or in despair.  Sometimes we carry the scars of the pain that we’ve had to endure.  Sometimes we even pretend that the pain doesn’t exist.  That’s what Esther had to face in our scripture reading for today.  Today’s scripture is from chapter 4 of Esther.  I encourage you to read it.

Yesterday we talked about Haman and his heinous plot to wipe out the Jewish nation.  Mordecai was so deeply hurt by this evil.  He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, put ashes on his head and wept.  It tells us that there was “deep mourning among the Jews”.  As a nation, they rallied together and mourned for their nation.  Do we do the same thing when someone takes aim toward the United States?  I feel like we don’t have the same patriotism and devotion to our nation as the Jews did.  Look at our circumstances today.  We just received news yesterday that another journalist was beheaded by the ISIS group.  It saddens me that we as a nation are not more offended.  Do we mourn when a Christian is asked to renounce their faith or lose their life?  In our time of prayer, we should be crying out to God for these individuals.  When are we going to go into "deep mourning"?

Esther sends Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, to see what is going on.  Mordecai tells Hathach to inform Esther of the plot against the Jews and for her not to think just because she is the king’s wife that she won’t be affected.  It tells us this in verse 13, “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.’” And, they didn’t have a lot of time.  He lets her know that now is not the time to be silent.  She must stand up and speak up.  This is so relevant today.  We must, as Christians, stand up and speak up for God.  Not only that, we must stand up and speak up to those who hurt us.  Have you ever been bullied?  I have.  I know what it feels like.  There was a boy that used to hit me and would call me names.  He was a few years older than I was.  I never told anyone at home.  I didn’t want it to get worse.  And when he moved on to high school, I was so thankful.  I carry those scars around with me.  It’s one of the reasons that I don’t allow my daughter to ride the school bus.  I know, I’m one of those crazy mothers that will take her child to school every morning.  That mother who wastes her gas and wastes the tax payer’s money because she doesn’t utilize the bus.  I’m sorry.  I was traumatized.  It’s something I cannot forget.  I don’t want her to endure the same thing that I had to.  But, I can pray to God that he heal those wounds.  I can make a stand against those that harm others, not just physically, but emotionally.

My most favorite verse in Esther is located here in chapter 4.  Verse 14 says, “…And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  Do you ever wonder why you have been placed in the circumstances that you’ve been put in?  I volunteer with Capturing Hopes Photography.  We volunteer our time photographing babies in the NICU.  One of my friends is also a volunteer.  Her son spent time in the NICU and she is able to provide family support because of her experiences.  Never underestimate the reasons that God has placed you in your circumstances.  God’s plan will always be accomplished – with or without us.  Will you be obedient to God?  If you refuse, He will simply use someone else and then we’ll miss the blessing.

 

Ultimately, in all of our hurt, there is a healer.  That healer is Jesus. 

The Hurt and The Healer by MercyMe states it so clearly:

“Breathe
Sometimes I feel it's all that I can do
Pain so deep that I can hardly move
Just keep my eyes completely fixed on You
Lord take hold and pull me through

So here I am
What's left of me
Where glory meets my suffering

I'm alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I fall into your arms open wide
When the hurt and the healer collide”

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for this time spent with Esther.  I’ve learned so much from her already.   Forgive me for those times that I’ve not been obedient to you.  Forgive me for not putting enough trust and faith in you to help heal my wounds.    I pray that you heal the wounds that scar us emotionally.  Help us use those wounds to help others.  Help us to stand up to those who hurt us, as an individual and as a nation.  Don’t allow us to become so complacent that we don’t see the hurt of others.  Again, thank you for your continued blessings.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Bad Advice

Have you ever received bad advice?  Did you follow through with the advice?  That’s what the third chapter of Esther is dealing with. 

Esther has now been queen for around 4 years.  And, the plot thickens.  The king has decreed that everyone must bow down and pay homage to Haman, who worked for the king.  Well, Mordecai refused.  Why?  Well, it’s because he was a Jew.  He was to not bow down before anyone but the Lord.  This infuriated Haman.  Haman then plotted to kill every Jew, young and old, women and children.  Not only that, but to plunder their goods and take their money. 

What a low-down, dirty scoundrel!  What do we know about Haman?  Well, the only thing told to us in this chapter is that he is an Agagite.  These Agagites are descendants of the Amalekites.  The Amalekites HATED the Jews.  So, you know that Haman HATED them.  Especially Mordecai!  The goal:   Kill them all!

Well, the king isn’t very bright.  Haman convinces the king that this group, the Jews, is breaking the law.  Look at his advice in Esther 3:9, “If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.”  And the king goes for it!  Can you believe that the king is so gullible?  The king didn’t even ask anything about these people.  He didn’t ask who they were, how many people there were, or what they had done so wrong that they would deserve to be “destroyed”.  He just said, “OK Haman, here’s my signet ring to make it official.”  And once it was official, a king’s edict couldn’t be reversed.

An A. W. Tozer quote says “No one has any right to counsel others who is not ready to hear and follow the counsel of the Lord.”  When you give or even receive advice, do you weigh the responsibility?  Do you understand the motives, have you evaluated the situation?  How do you guard against giving bad advice?  What about the advice you receive from others? 

God’s word explains it to us in Psalm 1:1-2, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” 

If you ask God for help, he will give it to you.  He is the only source of the BEST advice you could ever receive.  Prayer and bible study will guide you.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, your word is perfect.  It is a help in ever present trouble.  Whenever we need advice on difficult situations, and even little problems, you are the best source for advice.  Forgive me Father, for those times that I’ve took the “counsel of the wicked” and didn’t seek YOUR counsel.  Help me, Lord, I pray, to always seek YOUR advice.  In Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.

Winning Favor

Four years!  That's how many years have passed between the time Queen Vashti was banished and the time that King Ahasuerus chose a new queen.  Esther is finally introduced in Chapter 2.  What I want to look at today is how exactly Ester came to be queen and the implications it has for us.  

Scripture tells us that Esther was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin.  She was orphaned and was being raised by her cousin, Mordecai.  Her Hebrew name was Hadassah.  Esther was her Persian name.  She was chosen to go to the king's palace to vie for the attention of King Ahasuerus because she was beautiful.  She was placed into the care of Hegai, a eunuch in charge of the concubines and harem of the king.  Esther 2:9 tells us "And the young woman pleased him and won his favor."  Hegai was so pleased with Esther that he elevated her to the best place in the palace.  

Esther spent a whole year in the "beautification process" to win over the king.  During this time the ritual was to spend the first six months with oil and myrrh and then another six months with spices and ointments.  So, what was the deal with the oil, myrrh, spices and ointments?  This was the ultimate in spa days.  Can you imagine the facials, massages and mani/pedi's that these women received.  

Let's look at some of Esther's qualities as described in Chapter 2:

1.  "Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known" (v.10).  This tells me that she was trustworthy as well as obedient.  

2.  "When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised..." (v.15).  She was teachable.  She was humble.

3.  "And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai" (v.22) - Here Mordecai had learned of a plot to kill King Ahasuerus.  She proved that she was wise and faithful.  

With all of that being said, I believe that we are in preparations for our King.  Our King Jesus.  The day is coming.  Are you going to be prepared?  Right there in Esther, she being an example, it tells us how we must prepare.  We must be trustworthy and obedient to God's word.  We must be teachable and humble.  And We must be faithful and wise.  Jesus is going to return.  It's just a matter of when.  We must prepare now to win the King's favor.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word and what it teaches us.  Thank you for the opportunities that you give us to be immersed in your Word.  I pray that I take what is learned and help to apply it to our lives.  Forgive me, Father, for those times when I was not prepared, or I was not willing to be prepared.  Help me be prepared for Jesus' return.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Hard Decisions

Today is THE day!  Blogging Through The Bible begins now!  I'm so excited.  I'm excite to see where God leads me through this journey.  I'm excited for the readers of this blog.  I sincerely hope that it touches someone's life.  So, without further adieu....  

What do you do when  you are faced with hard decisions?  What about peer pressure?  Has anyone ever asked you to do something that you just wasn't comfortable doing?  Or, have you ever been asked to do something that you knew was just wrong?  What was your response?  What if it were your husband that asked you to do something that you knew you shouldn't do?

This is what happens in the first chapter of Esther.  Let's look at the main characters of this story.  King Ahasuerus (aka King Xerxes), is the ruler of an empire reaching from India to Ethiopia including Israel and Judah.  Under King Xerxes' reign, the Persian empire had grown to 127 provinces.  His military had accomplished great things and they had amassed excessive amounts of wealth.  He wanted to add Greece to his his empire, so he gathered all of the nobles and military leaders to plan the invasion.  This lead to a party that lasted for 180 days.  Even after a party that lasted 180 days, he wanted more.  He hosted a feast that would last an additional 7 days.  Now that's a party!  

On the final feast day, King Ahasuerus summons his wife, Queen Vashti.  Vashti means "beautiful woman", "beloved".  He wanted to show all of those nobles and military generals how beautiful his wife was.  What happens next is what I want to talk about.  What is so wrong with a King wanting to show off his Queen?  Or a husband wanting to show off his beautiful wife?  This is what scripture tells us:

"But Queen Vashti refused to come at the King's command..."  Esther 1:12

What?  A refusal to the King?  Why in the world would someone refuse a King?  Why would a wife refuse her husband?  This goes back to my initial questions.  Go back and read that.  These men were coming off of a 187 day party.  I'm sure that most, if not all, of the men gathered at the King's palace were intoxicated.  Wouldn't you agree?  As a woman, would you want to go into a gathering of a bunch of drunken men?  What if your husband was the one to ask you to do it?  I think she made the right choice, even though she disobeyed her King, her husband.  

Because of her refusal, there were consequences.  Isn't that the way it is with all of the decisions we make.  There are always consequences.  Unfortunately, King Ahasuerus takes the advice of those in attendance.  They felt that since Queen Vashti refused her husband's commands, that their wives would do the same.  So, of course, they felt like there should be punishment garnished upon the Queen.  The verdict is recorded in verse 19 and 20 and says, "If it please the king, let royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she."  

What strikes me as sad is the King's reaction.  There was a lack of forgiveness.  He was so full of pride and had such a lack of understanding.  He could have shown mercy.  He was just callous.  I feel sympathetic for her, that she didn't have a husband that didn't understand her reasons for saying NO.

This was a hard decision for Queen Vashti.  Do you do as the law says?  Or, do you do what your conscience tells you even if it is against the law.  Acts 5:29 tells us "...we must obey God rather than men."  I'm not saying we should disobey our husbands either.   We are to be respectful to our husbands and our conduct be pure.  1 Peter 3:1-2 says "...be subject to your own husbands, so that even if so do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct."  

Let's put God first in all of our decisions and the consequences will be so much easier to take.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, your word is truth.  There is so much that we can learn from studying your word.  We can know you better and know what you have planned out for us by just spending time with you.  I thank you for these opportunities.  Help me to be more like Queen Vashti, standing up for what is right, making decisions based on your truth.  Thank you for your blessings, especially for a husband who would never ask me to do something that he knows would be displeasing to you.  Help me through this bible study to be molded into the woman and wife you would have me to be.  Forgive me for the times that I have not been that woman, wife, mother.  In Jesus' name I do pray, Amen.

Esther - A Reminder of God's Promise

Sunday is the beginning.  You know.  The reason I've started this blog.  Blogging through the Bible.  The first book that I'm going to be looking at is Esther.  I've always loved the story of Esther.  I've learned a lot from her.  But, I want to share with you some basic things about Esther that maybe you've overlooked.  I know I have.  Maybe not overlooked, but just didn't know.  

Esther. Her name is derived from a Persian word meaning "star".  Did you know that?  I didn't.  She is also known as Hadassah.  She was the queen of the Persian King Ahaseurus (aka - King Xerxes).  

Who wrote the book of Esther?  Some believe that it was Mordecai.  Mordecai was Esther's cousin, who in more than one way, was like a father to her.  Others believe that Nehemiah could have been the author of the Book of Esther.  Personally, it doesn't really matter who wrote the book, only that it was written and God believed that it was important enough in His Story for it to be included in the Bible.  We'll talk about canonization another time.  

When was Esther written?  Well, a very long time ago.  The estimates place Esther being written around 464-415 B.C.  It is believed to have been written after the death of Xerxes, who was the king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.  

Esther was instrumental in the preservation of the Jewish people.  I look forward to learning more about this woman, one who can help us strengthen our relationship with our Creator.  She was a woman of faith and courage.  She was someone that we can model our lives after.  Do you think that God only chose queens, kings, princes, and princesses to do His work?  I think not.  He takes the lowly, like you and I, and does great things through us, so that the world will be pointed toward His light.  All He wants is for us to want a relationship with Him.

Before I leave for today, I would like to leave you with one final thought:

Esther is a reminder of God's promise to us as revealed in Romans 8:28:
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."