Esther
Weekly
Reading
Week
9 – Chapters 9 & 10
Read Chapter 9 & Chapter 10
Chapter Summary.
THE FEAST OF PURIM INSTITUTED
When the fateful day
arrived, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the Jews gathered together in
their respective cities and destroyed their enemies. Even the princes and
rulers helped the Jews.
The dreaded day had arrived.
The day Haman’s evil edict commanding the destruction of the Jews came into
effect. But, by God’s sovereign hand, the day once appointed for their death
and destruction became their day of victory and celebration.
Although the king could not
change Haman’s edict, at the request of Esther and Mordecai, he issued a new
one. It neutralized the effect of the original edict by giving the Jews the
right to assemble and defend themselves, their families and their
property.
The enemies of the Jewish
people could not succeed because of a fear of the Jews. There was also a fear
of Mordecai among the leaders, which caused them to assist the Jewish people,
perhaps to protect themselves politically in light of Mordecai’s power and
popularity.
Going Deeper Nehemiah 8:10, Luke 1:46-55
Lessons of the book of Esther
The book of Esther may not have God’s name stated directly, but
His involvement is felt in many ways throughout the story, especially when
Esther implored the people to seek help through fasting (4:15-16). Students of
the Bible know that fasting was done to draw closer to God and was
accompanied by heartfelt prayers (Daniel 9:3; Acts 14:23). Esther is
clearly a story of God’s intervention and deliverance.
Esther is also an inspiring story about a remarkable woman who
was willing to risk her life to save her people. She was a woman of principle
who was willing to put the lives of others ahead of even her own life. She was
an outstanding example of serving others even under the most stressful
circumstances. Jesus Christ said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to
lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Most of the time our lives may be pretty routine, but all of us
have a few defining moments when we may be called on to put godly principle
above personal benefit. What will you do when you encounter those defining
moments in your life? What will you do when you face “such a time as this”?
Will you choose to do the right thing as opposed to what might give you some
personal benefit?
Esther shows all of us the way, and we can be inspired by her
example.
Questions
According to verse 1, what happened when the enemies of the Jews
hoped to overcome them?
What good reasons might Esther have had for asking a second day
to avenge their enemies?
What piece of information was the narrator very careful to tell
us repeatedly in (Esther 9:10, 15, 16)? What did the edict give the Jews
permission to do to their enemies?
Why did the Jews in Susa feast and celebrate on a different day
that the Jews outside the Citadel (Esther 9:6-19)
What specific things were “turned" in Esther 9:22?
What one-sentence synopsis completes the entire Book of Esther?
The Book of Esther is about …
What are the last glimpses we get of our Jewish protagonists,
Esther and Mordecai?
The Son is the
radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being sustaining
all things by His powerful Word. Hebrews 1:3
Click here for printable version of Week
“God rewrote the text of
my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes. (Psalm 18:24, The
Message)
Be Blessed and be a Blessing,
Cheryl
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