Tag Archives: Esther 4-7

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2024 Bible Study — Accepting the Risk of Doing God’s Will

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Esther 4-7.

When Mordecai asked Esther to appeal to the king on behalf of the Jewish people, she expressed the danger to herself for doing so.  Mordecai points out that she is at risk anyway.  Esther then asks Mordecai to have all of the Jews of the city fast for three days, at the end of which she will approach the king.  Mordecai’s message to Esther contains an important lesson for us.  If we are in a position to act to protect God’s people from harm, if we refuse to take that action out of fear for ourselves, our position of privilege will not protect us.  In fact, God has probably given us that position of privilege in order to act on behalf of His people.  However, there is more to this passage, there is also Esther’s response to that message from Mordecai, “If I perish, I perish.”  Once she heard Mordecai’s message, she knew he was right.  She was in a position of privilege and luxury, God had put her in that position in order to do something.  That did not mean that God would protect her from the risk of taking action, but it did mean that she needed to accept that risk.  In the same way, each one of us must be willing to accept the risk which comes from doing God’s will.  Each of us is where we are in life in order to do something for God.  That something involves taking risks.  We need to be willing to take those risks.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2023 Bible Study — Learning From Haman’s Example

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Esther 4-7.

Usually when I read this passage I like to focus either on the fact that Esther had been put in her position in order to bring about salvation for the Jews from Haman’s plot, or about how the Jews of Susa prayed and fasted for Esther before she approached the king.  However, today I want to look at how Haman’s lack of humility led to his evil behavior and downfall.  Until today I only ever really saw part of what the story about Mordecai being honored had to do with the overall story.  Previously, I had seen how Haman’s arrogance led to him being humiliated, in his own perception if in no one else’s, when the king chose to honor Mordecai.  However, I had not realized how the writer included it to show us how Haman’s lack of humility led to all of his evil.  It was arrogance and lack of humility which led Haman to become so angry at Mordecai’s failure to bow before him that Haman decided it was insufficient to punish Mordecai, but it was necessary to kill him and all of his people.  It was Haman’s arrogance and lack of humility which led him to become so angry when he once again saw that Mordecai would not honor him that he decided to build the pole upon which he would himself be impaled.  It was Haman’s arrogance and lack of humility which led him to propose honoring Mordecai in a manner which led to his own humiliation.   So, let us learn the lesson that arrogance and a lack of humility will lead to our own humiliation and downfall.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2022 Bible Study — Mourning And Fasting When Tragedy Threatens

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Esther 4-7.

When the Jews in Susa, and then later in other parts of the Persian Empire, learned of the edict against them they went into mourning by fasting, weeping, and wailing.  Then, before Esther takes the risk of going before the king without being summoned, she asks Mordecai to have all of the Jews in Susa fast for her.  Nowhere in the Book of Esther does the writer mention God, or prayer.  Yet, I find it hard to believe that the writer did not mean to imply that the Jews were praying to God for deliverance when they mourned and fasted.  I am also convinced that when Mordecai told Esther that deliverance would come from somewhere else if she did not act that the writer meant us to understand that Mordecai was expressing his faith in God.  My main point is that deliverance came to the Jews because they fasted and prayed.  We live in a nation facing great problems brought upon us by those who rule over us.  As Christians within this nation, we need to fast, pray, and pour out our hearts in mourning before God for the wickedness around us and ask for His deliverance.  There is much more to this passage than this, but this is what calls out to me.  I fail to pray as I ought and fasting has rarely been part of my spiritual discipline.  I feel called out by this passage today to change that.  Perhaps it is time for Christians to fast before God in prayer, seeking His guidance in the face of the terrible violence which occurs around us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2021 Bible Study God Has Placed Us Where We Can Do His Will

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Esther 4-7. When Mordecai sent word through Esther’s emissary about what Haman had initiated, she replied with her concern about approaching the king.  Mordecai’s response is perhaps one of the most important lessons any one of us can learn.  Mordecai told Esther that “keeping her head down” would not save her from the coming genocide.  More importantly, the reason she had been blessed with her position was likely just so that she could act against this coming atrocity.  When we see something happening, or about to happen, that we are uniquely positioned to be able to stop, we should consider that God likely put us into that position in order to do so.  Actually, it is not just atrocities which we should see this way.  When we find ourselves in a position to help someone, we should consider that God likely put us in that position for a reason.  This entire passage shows us how God’s providence works.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2020 Bible Study Seeking To Be Honored for the Sake of Being Honored Will Lead To Downfall

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Esther 4-7.

It seems like everyone recognizes that the Book of Esther makes the point that God has put us into the situation we are in in order to fulfill His purpose.  And further that if we decline to take the risks which allow us to fulfill the role God has given us, He will accomplish those purposes in another way, but we will not benefit from His purpose.

However, I found another lesson in today’s passage which I have never heard anyone comment on.  Haman brought his fate upon himself because of his arrogance and pride.  We see how Haman started down a road to humiliation and death because he was unwilling to accept that others did not honor him.  Rather than doing things worthy of being honored because they should be done, he assumed that he was deserving of honor and sought ways to receive even greater honor.  I noted on this read through that we have not only the evidence of what Haman did, but how others reacted to him.  In yesterday’s passage, Haman became aware that Mordecai did not bow to him because other members of the court brought it to his attention.  Today, when the king turned on Haman, members of the court quickly pointed out the pole he had constructed intending to impale Mordecai upon it.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2019 Bible Study — There Is Purpose In Why We Find Ourselves In the Position We Are In

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Esther 4-7.

The exchange between Mordecai and Esther contains themes we can all understand.  Mordecai publicly mourned over the threat to the Jewish people posed by the edict Haman had issued.  We have lost a sense for petitioning God in the way that Mordecai was doing here.  Throughout the Old Testament we see numerous examples of this sort of prayer and petition to God.  I am not even sure how to give a generalized description for what they did, for what Mordecai was doing here.  It seems to me that Mordecai spent the time he would normally have spent on his personal grooming crying out to God for rescue. And because he was not going to take any care of his clothes, he wore only the cheapest possible clothes.   I was not planning on going this direction with this, but as I read the passage and began writing I felt a need to write about it.  As a society today we could use a revival of this very public abandonment of decor in order to cry out to God, whether in repentance for our sins, or for rescue from our troubles.

Now, back to the point I was going to make before I took that detour.  When Mordecai asked Esther to use her position to address the threat to her people, she was reluctant to approach the king.  To be precise, she was afraid to do so.  I can only imagine Esther thinking, “Why me? Why do i need to do this? Couldn’t someone else do it?”  Mordecai’s response to Esther was a message we all need to hear, “You are where you are because God put you there for this very purpose.  If you don’t do it, God will use someone else, but this is your purpose in life.”   We can all sympathize with Esther’s dilemma, hopefully we will also act as she did.   When Esther decided to act, she asked her support group to fast and pray for God to guide her actions and intervene on her behalf.

I want to make one final point about the contrast between Haman and Mordecai.  Haman sought glory and recognition.  His actions were intended to advance himself.  Haman was angry because Mordecai did not stroke his ego and was not afraid of him.  He acted in ways to increase his importance and in order to make sure everyone knew how important he was.  Mordecai, on the other hand was humble.  He had saved the king from assassination and then went on about his business without any special recognition.  Haman’s arrogance and pride led to his downfall, while Mordecai’s humility led to his elecation.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2018 Bible Study — There Is No Safety From Violent Mobs

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Esther 4-7.

    When Mordecai first asked Esther to approach the king regarding the decree calling for genocide against the Jews, she pointed out the danger to herself in approaching the king proactively. Mordecai replied by pointing out that her presence in the king’s household would not be sufficient to shield her from the genocide and that perhaps she had been placed there for this very reason. I am not going to go into much more detail about the events recorded here. It is a short passage and an easy read at that. Instead I want to focus on the idea that God places us in particular places at particular times for a reason. In this case, God arranged for Esther to become queen in order that she might counter Haman’s hatred.
    There is another lesson to be learned here as well. Once the doors of violent hate are let loose upon society, no one is safe. No matter how wealthy, or politically powerful you are, when violence and hate are turned loose only the hand of God can keep you from falling victim to it. If you look around, you will see people encouraging anger and violence, thinking that they can direct it against their political enemies. While this sometimes works, history is replete with examples of people who set the mob on their enemies only to find themselves overwhelmed by it.

    We have another lesson here as well. Haman was arrogant and proud. When the king asked for his advice on how to honor someone who pleased the king, he assumed the king was asking how he himself would like to be honored. As a result, Haman was forced to honor throughout the city the man whose death he had come to the king to request. Haman had taken the time to research the fact that Mordecai was a Jew, but he had failed to discover that Mordecai was also responsible for saving the king’s life. Haman had become so caught up in his own self-importance that he could not see the dangers which were coming his way.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2017 Bible Study — Hubris (Continued)

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Esther 4-7.

    When Mordecai heard the news about Haman’s edict, he immediately went into mourning and penance going so far as to wear sackcloth and ashes. Esther’s initial reaction, on the other hand, was fear. Not so much fear of the consequences of this edict but rather of taking a stand. Mordecai reminded her that God would send rescue for the Jews from another source if she did not act, but cowering would not save her, or her family, from the coming disaster…and if she refused to act when she could she would not be among those saved. There is an important lesson here. If we have been put into a position of privilege it is because God has a purpose for us being there. When the time comes, we must be willing to risk our privilege and our lives in order to serve the purpose for which God granted us that privilege. Esther listened to Mordecai’s message and requested that the Jews of the city fast and pray, saying that she and her servants would do the same. After three days of prayer and fasting, Esther took the risk of approaching the king, but she was not yet ready to broach the subject and merely invited the king and Haman to a banquet.

    At this first banquet, Esther invited the king and Haman to come to a second banquet the following day. Haman was full of himself because he had been invited to a banquet thrown by the Queen attended just by the king and himself. However, even after what he perceived as a great honor he was still unable to deal with the fact that Mordecai was not intimidated by him. Haman was unable to let go of a little thing which he perceived as a slight against himself. As we go through this passage we see Haman being eaten up by his resentment. It was no longer enough that he was going to destroy Mordecai and his people. Mordecai must be made to suffer even more. All for the slight of not worshiping Haman as he thought Mordecai ought.

    Then when the king asked for Haman’s advice about honoring someone deserving of honor, Haman was sure that it must be for himself. He did not recognize that he had done nothing deserving of the additional honors. When those honors were instead bestowed upon Mordecai, Haman was humiliated. Yet he had brought this on himself through his own overweening pride. It still did not occur to him that his enmity with Mordecai, which was purely one-sided, was leading him to his doom. When those closest to him finally pointed it out, it was too late. Haman’s last ditch effort to save himself merely sealed his fate.

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2016 Bible Study

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Esther 4-7.

    It is interesting that even though God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther, it still gives us a clear insight into how God puts people into a position to do His will. God did not need Esther to save the Jewish people from Haman, but He had put her into a position where He could use her to do so. Mordecai was not a man of great consequence, yet he was able to uncover and reveal a plot to kill the king. God was able to use both Esther and Mordecai because of their integrity.

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    On the other hand, Haman reveals how self-centered he is. Despite being honored by being invited by the Queen (Esther) to share a dinner with the King and herself, Haman is obsessed with Mordecai’s failure to give him the honor he thinks he deserves. Then when the King asks his advice on how to honor someone, Haman is convinced that he must be the subject of that honor, despite not having done anything to deserve being honored. Haman learned too late that he could not win the battle he had entered solely to protect his pride.

Daily Bible Study

August 19, 2015 Bible Study — Many Gifts, One Giver

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 21:21-22

    They key to a life filled with righteousness and honor is to seek righteousness and love. If you put your effort in to living righteously and loving others you will find life, righteousness, and honor.

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Psalm 36

    This psalm makes a point we often forget. The wicked have no fear of God, in part because they fail to realize how wicked they truly are. In their pride they believe that the evil they do is actually good. Those who think they are not being wicked will never turn from evil to do good.
    We, by our very nature, tend to think of ourselves as good people. It is only when we realize our sinfulness, our wickedness, that God’s Spirit can begin to transform us into His image.

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1 Corinthians 12:1-26

    Paul writes that different believers have different spiritual gifts. All of these gifts are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Each and every one of us receives God’s gifts in order to help the whole body of believers. You did not receive gifts from God in order for you to become famous, or wealthy. It may be that God chose for you to become famous or wealthy because by doing so you could serve Him even more, but neither of those are ends in themselves. Further, the gifts we have received do not make us better than someone who received different gifts…and every believer has received some gift from God. And the gifts which others have received do not make them better than us.
    We are all part of the Body Christ, and we are all as important to the well-being of the Body as any other one of us. Those who have “menial” tasks are every bit as worthy of honor as those who have the “glorious” tasks. In fact, we should probably honor those who do what we consider the menial tasks even more than we honor those who have what we consider to be the glorious tasks. The final point I am going to make is that Paul is very clear here that we should not value one spiritual gift over another. Every spiritual gift is given by God because His work needs it in that place at that time (which means that if God has given you a particular spiritual gift, you had better be using it!).

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Esther 4-7

    This passage dovetails nicely with the point I concluded the last section with. When Haman sought to destroy the Jews, Esther found herself in a position to counter his plans. In order to do so she needed to take a risk. The lesson here for us is that God did not put us into the position we are in for us to be comfortable. He put us where He did so that we can serve others and Him. If we refuse to accomplish the task He set us, He will send someone or something else to do so, but we will suffer for our failure to act.