Esther Study: Lesson 2 Chapters 2 -3
An Unlikely Queen:
To understand and trust in the providence of God begins with believing and trusting in the Sovereignty of God. It is hard to understand when it seems so much of our lives or the lives of others are in pain and suffering. Why do things happen they way they do? This is what we will see in the life of Esther and the Jewish people and in our lives.
Heidelberg Confession 27 Q.
What do you understand by the providence of God? (numbers refer to the scripture below)
A. The almighty and ever present power of God 1 by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, 2 and so rules them that leaf and blade, ain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—3 all things, in fact, come to us not by chance 4 but by his fatherly hand. 5
1 Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-28
2 Heb. 1:3
3 Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:15-17; John 9:3; Prov. 22:2
4 Prov. 16:33
5 Matt. 10:29
28 Q. How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?
A. We can be patient when things go against us,1 thankful when things go well,2 and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.3 For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.4
1 Job 1:21-22; James 1:3
2 Deut. 8:10; 1 Thess. 5:18
3 Ps. 55:22; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:38-39
4 Job 1:12; 2:6; Prov. 21:1; Acts 17:24-28
Page 34
It has been four years since Queen Vashti was sent away(wonder what happened to her). Xerxes had tried to win a war against the Greeks with the help of his friends from the first banquet in Chapter 1. Persia was badly beaten and he had come home probably ashamed, depressed and feeling powerless. Then these so called “advisors” called personal attendants (“groupies” ) had an idea to get the king back in form. The king had 100s of concubines so why did he need a queen? Queens or wives were usually chosen from high ranking families or close advisors but the king could really do whatever he wanted. (think how many wives/concubines Solomon had—1000!)
Pages 35-36
One aspect noted in Hebrew writing that there was no judgment on Esther for this or Mordecai for that matter. Some have suggested she should have refused or killed herself rather than going to into this pagan king which would endangered her family.
How would you feel if your daughter was called up for this potential job? Remember women had no say in anything of their lives at this time. Why did she seem to work so hard to “get the job” as queen? We have no idea how she would have felt about all of this.
These are the Jewish people that did not return back to Judah when given the chance many years ago. They seemed to have blended in well into the country as no one knew she was Jewish at all. Would it have made a difference if she had told them?
How much blending or assimilating into the culture should we do? Think of missionaries of what they do to blend in… is that necessary? What can we do to stand out among nonbelievers? Think of people who do this such as Amish and Hutterites. Do we ever judge others in their limits or aspects of blending or not blending in the culture? We are called to be “Holy” –separate from the world. Can we strive too much to do this and become legalistic in our behaviour? Where is the balance? Christ says to be in the world but not of the world John 17. What does that look like?
Page 38
Esther’s beauty came from God… encourage each other with what is true beauty and to know God planned us from the our mother’s womb
Compare the difference between Vashti 1:10-11 and 1:22 Esther 2:18 in how the king showed respect to Esther
Page 40
Why would Mordicai help Xerxes?
Page 42
Question 3: Why do we want or seek favour from others (boss, relatives, customers)? What is the purpose of it? How can it be done in a “negative “ or manipulative way to get people to like you or do things for you such as flattery or in a “positive” way such as honest kindness? I think of Joseph finding favour with the jailor.
Have you ever compromised your belief in order to gain favour for something or someone?
Life isn’t always so neat and tidy. There coms a day when we find ourselves in a situation where right and wrong are not so clearly defined and every choice we have seems to be troubling mixture of good and bad. We pray believing that God indeed will give us wisdom and the strength to do the “right” thing. We search the Bible with open hearts, looking for “God’s will” in a situation that perhaps the Bible does not directly address. While we are doing this, the situation continues to develop and either by deliberate action or by default we have to make decisions, ready or not. And in those times of great struggle, the last thing we want is for others to make simplistic moral judgments about us. Has God failed to provide the guidance and wisdom we need/ in life’s most difficult and complex situations, it may sometimes feel that way.
This episode from Esther’s life offers great encouragement and comfort when we find ourselves in situations where every choice is an odd mix of right and wrong. Only God knows the end of our story from its beginning. We are responsible to Him for living faithfully in obedience in His Word in every situation as we best know how. Even if we make the “wrong” decision, whether through innocent blunder or deliberate disobedience, our God is so gracious and omnipotent that He is able to use that weak link in a chain of events that will perfect His purposes in us and through us. Karen Jobes
Chapter 3 An Evil Man and an Evil Plan
As chapter three begins, Mordecai has not been rewarded for his great deed of protection Xerxes. This is usually done. Esther made sure that the king knew it was Mordecai that had saved the king. How could that had happened? It was written down…everyone knew. Seems like an unjust oversight. HMMM God’s timing… not ours.
Perhaps Jeremiah 12:1 came to his mind Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?
Also, Esther has been queen now for about 5 years as our narratives progresses.
Mordecai had seemed to be quite compliant or at least under the radar up to now. Why did he suddenly stand up for his faith now? What was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”? We are to have an “ACTIVE FAITH” and not sit back and wait for God to use us… get into the game!!!
As Haman enters the picture, we really see the manipulative form of finding favor for one’s own benefit.
Page 44-45 From the history of this Israelites against the Amalekites, we can really understand where these centuries old feuds can affect generation to generation. The passages lead us to the important verse in 1 Samuel 15:22..obedience rather than sacrifice.
There is an old gospel song called” I read the back of the Book and we Win”…Hope! “But God is always present, and He always has a plan”.
Jobes It is known from sources that in general, Jews did bow to pagan officials of the Persian court. It was not a religious act but one of court protocol, much as moderns still curtsey or bow to the British queen…Mordecai not bowing to Haman may not have been religious but specific to Haman but Haman did represent idols and Mordecai refused to pay homage to him.
Page 46
Haman tells half-truths and outright lies about the Jewish people. He appealed to Xerxes greediness and own self-preservation. 10,000 talents would have been 300 tons of silver-600,00 pounds I also think about the vengeance that both Mordecai and Haman want to instill on each other Romans 12:19-trust God to avenge us.
(probably not enough time to do the side study of the Passover in Exodus 12:1-32 but an excellent study on your own)
Page 48 https://www.gotquestions.org/casting-lots.html We do not use this method today as we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
AT this point we wonder what is going to happen. Romans 8:28 Says ALL things work together for good to those who love God. RC Sproul-“ what looks good for a non Christian will ultimately be bad and what looks bad for a believer will ultimately be good” . Wait and trust in our God.
How many times are we placed in situations that seem minor or that we see no way out… what is the right thing to do…where would God be taking us in this situation. “All of the chance events in life are really working toward the end that God has ordained.” We cannot see the end of things from the middle and must walk by faith, not by sight. The Lord will bring a greater good, His perfect plan, out of all the frustration we feel and out of all the evil we experience. . Joseph… Gen 50:20… you meant it for evil but God meant it for good Jobes Recommend The Hand of God by Alistair Begg… it is an audio book on Hoopla
Romans 5:3-8 NLT 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Page 50
My favorite story is Corrie Ten Boom and her suffering and forgiveness of those who made her suffer the most.
Reading the stories of others and how God used their situation and is using their situation to spread the Gospel and honor Him can give us hope and inspiration in times of trial. Yes, it can be hard to read and sometimes with all going on in our own personal lives, we feel that is enough to cope with. However, I think it is important to know and thus know how to pray for our family around the world as they suffer for Christ.
https://mailchi.mp/324afba0af28/persecution-prayer-alert-september-16-2021?e=c776497dbb
https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/afghanistan/?_source_code=WHPB20C
unbelievable story of the faith of these young girls and all they endured to keep scripture alive for them and to give them hope through a very long ordeal. It is still happening today. The public library has a copy of the book and I have the longer article of you wish to read it.