Esther

Theme 1 : (1-3) The Lord has put in motion all authority in the world and he is with those who follow him , being obedient to his commands and seeking after him. From King Xerxes lavish banquet in which he shows of all his wealth to his nobles and governing officials and his desire to show off Queen Vashti , I am reminded that God did appoint men to have leadership in the household. ( Esther 1: ,) but I am also reminded that women have dignity and thus Vashti was right to refuse him. From the story of Esther being chosen as Queen from among all the women of the empire , I am reminded that those who seek after the Lord will prosper as both Mordecai and Esther did so. ( Esther 2). From the story of Mordecai refusing to bow down and worship Haman as a god I am reminded that the Lord respects those who respect him and that the evil unchecked in a person’s life leads to pride growing immense. (Esther 3).

Theme 2 : (4-7) : Worship and seeking the Lord through prayer , spiritual disciplines like fasting and periods of intense pleading our ways in which we can influence our world as we pray into the Lord’s purposes. From the fasting for 7 days among all the Jews in Susa ( Esther 4) , I am reminded that worship involves times of solemnest in which believers pray prayers of interceding or praying on behalf of other people. I am also reminded that the words of Mordecai are correct as the Lord does place people in places of authority for his times and purposes.( 4:13-14) and that Esther’s brave response of having her people pray for her before she risked her life by entering the King ‘s presence was godly.( 4 :15-16). From the story of Esther gaining immense favor in King Xerxes’s eyes as he offered her half of his kingdom ( 5 : 3) , I am reminded that in faith we can take our requests to the Lord and trust him to act on our behalf. From the story of King Xerxes , reading his royal record and discovering Mordecai’s faithfulness in preventing an assaination attempt ( 6:1-3 ) and Haman upon coming into his presence seeking his own agenda and believing the King intends to delight and honor him , I am reminded that the Lord will oppose the proud individuals who seek to exalt themselves. Haman ended up instead honoring Mordecai. ( 6: 6-11). From Esther’s plea for her own life and that of the Jewish people and Haman’s facing death on the gallows he had built for Mordecai ( 7), I gain 2 insights about prayer and petition. The first is that the Lord avenges evil and listens to the prayers of those who seek him as he allowed Haman who in his pride desired to destroy the Jews as they did not worship him as a diety, to facing the humilitation of first giving to honor his enemy ( 6:6-11) and finally facing death on towering gallows he had intended for his enemy. ( 7:10).

Theme 3 : ( 8-10): The Lord always keeps the promises and agreements that he has made with his people and treats them as he told them he would through his prophets. From the stories of the Jews opposing in battle those who sought to destroy them throughout the Persian empire ( 8 : 1-9:16) , I am reminded that the Lord was faithful to his promises to be with those in exile as he told them to serve the king of the land of Babylon, in which they were living and promised them it would go well if they did so ( Jeremiah 42: 10-12 ) and his other prophecy that the exile would end after 70 years when the Lord used Cyrus the King of Persia and Media to free the Jews ( Jeremiah 25:12, Ezra 1:1) and how he kept the promise to Abraham to make his descendants into a great nation as numerous as the stars in the sky ( Genesis 15: 5) as the Jews were great in number. From the closing script of Esther which tells of Mordecai being made 2nd in command in the empire and of the good work he did ( Esther 10 : 1-3), I am reminded that those who act uprightly and trust in the Lord will be blessed by the Lord and used by him for his purposes.