The Book of Esther

The Book of Esther begins with the king having an extravagant feast. He asks the queen to come out and show her beauty to the people there, yet she refuses. King Ahasuerus is so upset, that he removes the current queen, and orders a search for a new queen to take place.

Esther, who is being raised by her cousin, Mordechai, is selected to be one of the women who may be chosen to be queen. During this time, Mordechai finds out about a plot to kill the king, and prevents it, and this is recorded by the royal court, though Mordechai is not rewarded at the time.

Haman, a prime minister to the king, later becomes infuriated with Mordechai because he refuses to bow to him. In his anger, Haman decides to kill Mordechai, and all the other Jews as well as an act of revenge.

Mordechai finds out about this plot, and tells Esther. He tells her she needs to tell the king. Esther is afraid she’ll be killed for approaching the king without an invitation, but she knows what must be done, and claims, “If I perish, I perish.”

After some time of fasting, she goes unto the king, and is accepted. She then invites him to a banquet, or feast in the company of Haman.

That night, the king cannot sleep, so the book of records is read to him. Here the king finds out that Mordechai thwarted an attempt against his life, and that no reward has been given to him. The King asks Haman what he should do for a man that is to be honoured.

Haman tells the king that he should be dressed in the finest clothes, and rode around town, publically honoured for his service to the king.

The kings then asks Haman to parade Mordechai around on the finest horse, and in the finest garments. Having to do such a thing for the very Mordechai who refused to bow to him, Haman is humiliated.

That night, the banquet Esther had prepared was to take place. Here, she tells the king she is a Jew, and that Haman is going to kill all the Jews. The king is furious, and leaves the room in rage, only to come back, and find Haman begging the queen for his life. This is interpreted as an attempt to take her life, and Haman is hanged on a gallows he built for Mordechai.

Though the decree has already been made to kill all the Jews on a certain date, because of Esther and Mordechai’s favour with the king, he allows all the Jews to be gathered together ( in their cities) to defend themselves.

As a result, the Jews are victorious against their enemies.

The application is this: If one or two people have the king’s ear, mighty things can be done. Why, then, do Christians not realize they have an ear with the King of kings, Lord of lords and the King of all that is, was, and is to come? If two people can save the entire Jewish race, what could a whole church, constantly serving the King of Heaven, and constantly in His ear with prayers ad fasting really do? I think we, as Christians, would be shocked what would happen if we decided to step our game up, and constantly be in God’s ear.

--Pray for Spain. Pray that the Lord would raise up missionarie and native Spaniards to take the gospel to the millions of lost souls in Spain.--