RISING TO MEET YOUR DESTINY (ESTHER)

Esther 1-8

Author    While the name of the author is unknown, the book was written by a Jew, who was familiar with Persian customs and words. Mordecai or Ezra may have been the writer.

Background    

and Date   The Book of Esther is a graphic narrative, which relates and Date how God’s and Date relates how God’s people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century B.C. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned Jewess who became the queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus. He is generally believed to have been King Xerxes I who succeeded Darius I in 485 B.C. and ruled for twenty years over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. He lived in the Persian capital of Shushan. 

At this time a number of Jews were still in Babylon under Persian rule, even though they had been free to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:2) for over fifty years. The story takes place over a period of four years, starting in the third year of Xerxes’ reign.

Personal        
Application   One of the main purposes of the Book of Esther is to show us from the Application lives of Esther and Mordecai a classic example of successful teamwork.

Their relationship vividly portrays the unity that the Lord Jesus prayed for His disciples to experience (John 17). The success of their individual roles, even their very survival, depended entirely upon their unity. Esther also shows how God destroys those who try to harm His people. From this we are reminded that He is faithful to destroy Satan and that His sovereign purposes ultimately prevail.

Esther’s Story     Esther was a Jewish woman who was selected by the Persian King Ahasuerus to be his wife. He had banished his former wife and chose Esther through a contest. However, the king did not know she was a Jew. 

When the king’s right-hand man, Haman, devised a plan to kill the Jews, Ether’s uncle Mordecai found out. He went to Esther and asked her to go before the king and ask that the family of Israel be spared. Though Esther was the queen she did not have the right to lay her case before the king without an invitation. King Ahasuerus had not called for her presence in over a month. She knew that going before him uninvited could mean death.

Mordecai convinced Esther that she may have been brought to the position she was in by God for saving her own people. She agreed to go before the king without an invitation even if it meant death.

By inviting the king and wicked Haman to her house for a meal Esther planned a way to tell the king of Haman’s plot to destroy her family. She won the king’s favor and invited he and Haman to her house the next day. Between the two meals Haman grew angrier with Mordecai and the Jews. When Esther revealed to the king that Haman planned to kill her family the king had Haman hung on the gallows that were built for Modecai.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

4:14 "AND WHO KNOWS BUT THAT YOU HAVE COME TO ROYAL POSITION FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?"

The stakes could not have been higher. The very existence of an entire people hung in the balance.  If Haman, the ancient Hitler, had his way there would be genocide, and the Jews, would cease to exist in Persia. Everything now seemed to vector in on the lovely Esther. She was the only hope, if there was any hope. What she did with the opportunity before her, how she seized the day, would affect generations to come.  Her cousin, and surrogate father, Mordecai urged her to act. "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

WHAT ARE we to make of a book in the Bible that doesn’t even mention God? Sometimes actions speak louder than words. The account contained in this book unfolds the way GOD opens destiny to any person who will keep His priorities. Even in the presence of recognition, success, wealth, and luxury - an environment many may covet, but which has so often proven destructive to spiritual commitment - Esther retained her sense of perspective and integrity. 

Esther's Hebrew name was "Hadassah," which means "Myrtle," in her courage and obedience, which clearly did not wither, even when she faced death! In Persian "Esther" means "Star"; again Esther's beauty, grace, and character shone, bright and unwavering, against the darkness threatening the Jewish people.

Note: 1) Esther's response to Mordecai's call to recognize God's providence in her placement: She believed God, not her beauty, had put her on the throne (4:14):   2) Her respect for the power of prayer and fasting: She recognized the reality of the spiritual realm and the Holy Spirit's resources: (4:16):    3) Her unswerving will to lay down her own life for others and her practical good sense and patience in pursuing her enterprise (ch.5).

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

ELIJAH PREDICTS DROUGHT

1 Kings 17: 1-16
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of [a]the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

Miracle of Food
2 The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is [b]east of the Jordan. 4 It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is [c]east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a [d]jar, that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no [e]bread, only a handful of flour in the [f]bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering [g]a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from [h]it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The [i]bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil [j]be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The [k]bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil [l]become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.


Key Lessons in Faith
Believe that where the Lord leads, He feeds. Where He guides, He provides. Faith does not let a threat of privation alter the course the Lord has set.

            Do not allow the threat of reduced income to cause you to disobey the                       Lord’s direction for your life. Choose to believe that the Lord knows how                     to care for His servants.

17:1 God answered Israel’s worst king by raising up one of the greatest and most powerful prophets in the OT, Elijah the Tisbite. The Tishbite means that he was from the city Tishbe in Gilead. The significance of the prophecy of no rain becomes apparent when we understand that those who worshiped Baal believed that Baal controlled the rain.

In effect, Elijah cut to the heart of Baalism and challenged their so-called god, proclaiming that the Lord God of Israel controlled the weather.

17:3 Zarephath, The location of Cherith is unknown. Evidently, this area was not under the jurisdiction of Ahab.

17:8-15 Zarephath, a city on the Mediterranean coast in Phoenicia, was the location of the first miracle of Elijah. A widow who was nearly without foodstuffs was asked to give her last food to Elijah. If she did, God would give her an unfailing provision. The woman overcame her fear, responded in faith, and God was faithful to His promise.


In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org

MAKING PEACE WITH OUR PAST

The Lord says, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.  Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.

            ISAIAH 43:18-19 (NCV)

Because you are human, you may be slow to forget yesterday’s disappointments. But, if you sincerely seek to focus your hopes and energies on the future, then you must find ways to accept the past, no matter how difficult it may be to do so.

Have you made peace with your past? If so, congratulations. But, if you are mired in the quicksand of regret, it’s time to plan your escape. How can you do so? By accepting what has been and by trusting God for what will be.

So, if you have not yet made peace with the past, today is the day to declare an end to all hostilities.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

MAKE MEMORY A GOOD SERVANT

3:19-21 I REMEMBER MY AFFLICTION AND MY WONDERING. THE BITTERNESS AND THE GALL…YET THIS I CALL TO MIND AND THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE.

LAMENTATIONS 3:19-33

The value of memory, like intellect, is determined by what it serves. Memory in the service of despair has the power to destroy, whereas memory in the service of hope has the power to save. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character, Christian, is locked up in Doubting Castle and beaten savagely with a club by Giant Despair. The giant’s club is made of memory. As he, beaten, Christian is filled with memories of his sin and how many times he’d been warned not to sin but had anyway. As he’s clubbed by memory, Christian sinks deeper and deeper into despair. But one night, the same memory that Despair had used for torture came to him and whispered something in his ear. 

Then Christian realized with joy that all along he had been carry the key to unlock Doubting Castle. The key was in his heart, and it was Promise. He thrust it into the lock, and though it was hard to turn, the lock yielded and he was set free.

Sometimes praying about things like loss, disappointment and failure can leave us more despondent after we pray than before. The memories, the recollection of these things even when spoken to God, are like Despair’s club in Doubting Castle. The key is promise. Pray the promises of God into your despair Make memory into a good servant. Remember God’s love and faithfulness. "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the LORD’S great love, we are not consumed for his compassions never fail" (3:21-22).

The Lord wants our suffering to refine us, not consume us. We may think that, we are getting exactly what we deserve for the wrongs we have done, and we bow our heads in resignation. But we are wrong! We never get exactly what we deserve. Only one person got exactly what we deserve – he died on the cross and was raised from the dead for our justification (see Romans 4:25). Our sin and guilt is real. But God’s love is greater than both. Where there was once condemnation, now there is discipline.

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Bible Stories Theatre of  

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

COME TO ME

INVITATION TO COME UNTO JESUS

Matthew 11: 25-30
King James Version (KJV)

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

11:25-30 Jesus concludes this discourse with thanksgiving for revelation (vv.25-27) and an invitation to come to Him as the source of revelation (vv.28-30)

11:27 Jesus has a unique and incomparable relationship with the Father. Because His relationship is immediate and unmediated. He alone can reveal God.  

11:28-30 In contrast to the heavy burden of Jewish legalism, Jesus calls for an open, free, and loyal relationship (my yoke), which enables obedience to the Law’s righteousness (my burden).

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org

GOD COMMISSIONS JOSHUA

Joshua 1:1-9

King James Version (KJV)

1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

1:9 be strong  chazaq (Kah-zahk): there is a wide range of meaning for this word, which occurs nearly 300 times in the OT: for example, "to encourage," as when David encouraged himself (literally, "made himself strong") in the Lord (1Sam. 30:6) chazaq is the root of several Hebrew names, including "Hezekiah," meaning "Strengthened by Yahweh."

KINGDOM DYNAMICS

1:6-9 Courageousness. LEADER TRAITS. Courageousness is often the fruit of encouragement. Joshua is a marvelous example of a leader who is exhorted to be courageous. His first exhortation comes from his mentor Moses; here it is a courage to lead God’s people into the Land of Promise (Deut. 31:7).

The second exhortation comes from Moses as well, but this one is related to Moses' charge to Joshua and lends emphasis to the seriousness of the task ahead (Deut. 31:23).

The third exhortation comes from the Lord Himself; here the issue is Joshua’s need to go beyond Moses’ leadership and take the land from the Lord’s enemies (Josh 1:6).

The fourth exhortation is joined with the commandment not to fear (Josh. 1:9).

The fifth exhortation comes from the officers of the children of Israel, encouraging Joshua to take the leadership (Josh. 1:18).

The last exhortation comes from the new encouraged Joshua, who is now able to encourage the children of Israel (Josh. 10:25). It is interesting to see that this attribute was present in Joshua’s life during his entire walk with Moses.


In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org

COUNT IT ALL JOY

TESTING OF YOUR FAITH

James 1:2-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

1:4 The Peace of Patience. BIBLICAL MANHOOD. Trusting God in the face of adversity challenges our faith while we wait for His answer. It is human nature to respond to crises based upon the information at hand. 

Yet our Lord teaches us that it is in our patience that we possess our souls (Luke 21:19). In other words, as we stand firm in the quietness of our hears during the stressful conditions of life and wait for God’s timing we then lay hold of true peace.

Our Lord, in the face of overwhelming circumstances, endured His real-life trial, so greatly trusting His Father’s wisdom and promise that He did not even attempt to avoid His trouble (Heb.12:1-3). Trusting God in troublesome times is another way we live our Christ’s example of biblical manhood (2 Tim. 2:3).

In Christ,

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org