I'm SO Sorry! I'm so behind this week!!! I don't even have my bible verse printable for you yet. I'm going to have to catch up.
You can listen to Tim Kellers Sermon on this reading here.
Memory verses.
(I'll post printables later in the week.)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
(Genesis 50:20 ESV)
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
(Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)
In order to understand the history and depth of the relationship of Haman and Mordecai, we need to go back in time to the days of Moses and King Saul.
When Moses was leading the Lords people, the Agagites attacked the people in back, presumably the elderly, the weak, the children. God promised Moses that the Agagites would be wiped from the face of the earth. Thus began the bad blood between the Jews and the Agagites.
Between this time, and the time of King Saul, there were several instances of attacks on the Jews from the Agagites.
Enter King Saul who was told to obliterate the Agagites. Saul did not fully obey this command, and kept the King of the Agagites alive as prisoner.
Check out all of the above Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25-19, 1 Samuel 15:1-9
Mordecai
Haggai
Xerxes
Haman
The Eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh
More Rising Action
Bigthan and Teresh plot to kill King Xerxes. Mordecai, overhears the plot and tells Esther. Esther tells the king. Bigthan and Teresh are killed for treason. Mordecai's service is recorded in the kings book.
Haman gets promoted to the highest position possible in the court. The king orders that everyone must bow down to Haman as he passes. Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman. Haman gets ticked off and goes and tattles on Mordecai. Haman convinces Xerxes that it would be a really great idea to kill all of the Jews because of Mordecai's choices. A law is written and spread throughout the land that in 12 months the Jews are going to be obliterated.
Mordecai is so upset about this he sets outside the castle gates in torn clothes and ashes.
I think that about covers it.
Discussion Questions
Again, answer the questions that peak your interest, or ask your own. Please feel free to make your own observations.
As I read through this section I felt as though I could identify with every character in different aspects. Most of them sinful aspects. Pride, hate, meanness, lethargy are words that come to mind.
What characters in this part of the story do you identify with?
Hate, and meanness have very little to do with the victim, and a lot to do with the history of the "hater" and the fact that they feel weak and threatened How does this thought help you forgive meanness? How does it shed light on the times when you are mean and hateful?
In eastern societies it is customary to bow to people who are in higher rank than you. For example, a student would bow to a teacher, someone younger would bow to someone older etc.
If this was the custom? Why might it have been necessary for Xerxes to command that everyone bow to Haman?
Whose opinion of you counts? From whom do you desire approval and fear rejection? Whose value system do you measure yourself against? In whose eyes are you living? Whose love and approval do you need?
What was Mordecai standing up for?
Again, one persons actions effect so many people in the known world. If you knew that your choices, no matter how noble and truthful they were, would put everyone you loved in danger, would you still stand up for what you believed in?
What do you fear? What do you not want? What do you tend to worry about? What makes you tick? What sun does your planet revolve around? What do you organize your life around?
Where do you see God in this part of the story?
At last, Mordecai finally stands for something. He didn't stand up for Esthers purity, but he chose to stand up for what he believed in. Up till now Mordecai has been assimilating into Persian society. How do you see God working in Mordecai's heart?
How do you see God working in your heart? Where are you more bold now than you would have been weeks/months/years earlier?
I lay in my mothers lap crying. I didn't want to talk about it. I wanted it to go away. All of it. All the worry, all the stress. Sometimes I wish that the good Lord didn't have a job for me here on earth, and I could just see his face. No more tears. No more pain.
God bless my mother. She keeps presents burrowed away around the house for birthdays she forgot, or weddings, last minute guests, or gusts children. She brought out a box of lavender bath items, candles, oils, salts. "Lavender is supposed to help you sleep" she suggested, "Why don't you take a bath?" I did-it's almost three in the morning....but I did.
Bath time is God time for me. A place where GOD seems to meet me in my symbolic and literal nakedness. A place where I'm most vulnerable and open to Him. When I lived in Los Angeles, I didn't have a bath. So I met him in the Garden of a Church. He spoke to me there through the fountain, the trees, the birds and the squirrels.
In the bath. He speaks to me in the quiet.
My aunt used to tell me. "Don't cry now. You're only allowed to cry in the shower. You can take as many showers as you want, but you can only cry in the shower."
In a season of my life where I'm simply waiting for the Lord. Hearing that this is supposed to be my year of Jubilee.
I always thought Jubilee was supposed to be celebratory...and relaxing...and intentional....but sometimes, being told to be quiet, be still, and wait...isn't so easy to hear.
A cleansing was what the High Priests were called to do before they entered the Holy of Holy's. Esther spent an entire year in baths and special oils in preparation for the King. We are baptized as a symbolic statement of our covenant with the Lord and His cleansing of our souls.
Sometimes, as a woman, you need to take that extra hour, and scrub off the dirt, the worry, the tears, the frustration and depression. You need to luxuriate in His presence; in aromas that comfort and relax you. In soaps and cleansers that make you feel beautiful and clean. A gesture of renewal. A reminder that tomorrow is indeed another day. As Anne Shirley says in my favorite novel, "isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" Your world may not be washed clean, but you can look at it with new eyes. You have hope, and a future.
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Mathew 6:26) Our dear Lord asks us.
You are precious. You are loved. Have faith dear sister. The Lord has good work in you.
I wrote this a few months ago on another blog I was working on "Sauce Pans and The Single Girl." Holley Gerth reminded me of it on her post today.
One morning I sat intrigued by a hibiscus in front of me and began to write. Like an Ogre/ or an onion I have layers...actually the other day I decided I was a darkchocolate blackberry cupcake pie! I think perhaps this is a culmination of my layers, my heart and God speaking to me. A couple people have asked me to write this out and send this to them. I figured my blog was the most convenient way to do this. So I hope it inspires you. :)
There is nothing that the Lord makes that is still.
Only things that man makes.
Things that God makes are ever changing, ever growing. They surprise you-they move-they are never stagnant. They also have the constant potential to delight you. A special and specific "wink" from God.
God breathes life into everything. Even the tiny grains of sand have ancient journeys, or a rock, or a mountain. Oh the testimonies and life stories they could tell!
The things of God change. Everything in it's own way. Everything in His will-in His ordering of things.
Things that man makes do not change unless they undergo destruction by powers of God or by mans own hand-except in the case of Art.
Art can be constantly changing, constantly growing. The difference is, except for in the case of man all things God has made are made as they are and take on Gods will at any given point in time.
Butterfly's don't simply decide to stop being butterflies and question their existence or their purpose. Their purpose is to be a beautiful butterfly and a butterfly, speaks the gospel in their butterfly way and brings honor and glory to the Lord.
The flower opens- just as lovely as a bud as it is now in full grown bloom. Ever changing, yet always, always perfect. A bird hatches out of it's egg blue shell just as fascinating and precious in it's egg as it is a little baby.
But we, most lovely of all Gods creations-and most definitely most loved above all, have a ways to grow in God's perfecting of us. Perhaps that is why he loves us the most; because He can see our potential- our movement- His constant work-not only in our bodies- but in our minds-hearts and souls.
This work he has completed in the bird and the flower. They will go on doing and being as they were forever meant to do and be.
But God has an individual mission for us, an individual journey in all respects. We will never be the same or experience the same as any other human- unless we choose to- and then what makes us different from the birds and flowers? We're born. We Live. We Die and are forgotten- and nothing came of it, other than the fact that we existed for a brief period in time- and that is all.
At the end of her post Holley stated:
"The best part of all? The responsibility for growth ultimately lies with God.
God makes things grow. {1 Cor. 3:7}
So you don’t have to make growth happen. Your role is surrender and then obedience. When you embrace those, you can’t help but grow."
To serve the Lords purpose. We must surrender just as the flower, the birds and the butterfly.
As I thought about 2012, and really how full of "blech" it was. The stress induced stomach aches, quitting my job, moving when I didn't really want to, quitting my next job because it was so unbearable, moving again. I was really feeling like a sane person would probably think of my 2012 as an AWFUL year.
But it wasn't. God worked in my life. He taught me faith. He taught me peace. He taught me forgiveness and rest. He healed my heart and gave me a dream for my future.
The page reads "Beloved... Keep Climbing. You are almost there. Don't Quit." I felt like that was the message God was giving me throughout 2012. In the envelope I am going to document some of the questions asked in the new years reflections pages.
On my 2013 One Word page I created a girl holding an umbrella. Each section of the umbrella folds out, and the areas of my life that word addresses are hidden underneath. Each month, when I intentionally address each word, I am going to write scripture or create a word web in each triangle.
Todays faithbook challenge is to create a few pages set aside for visualizing your goals.
The girls over at "Be Book Bound" are reading Benjamin Franklins "Poor Richards Almanac." I remember reading the book in high school, and have a mind to pick it up with them.
Benjamin Franklin thought that if he worked on different virtues every day, he would get progressively better at them. Check out Be Book Bound to get inspired about your goals.
The challenge today is to create a page for each of the areas contributing to your One Word. My umbrella contains 8 facets. So I will work on 8 different pages.
You don't have to fill the page. Try to create an overall feeling of your vision for each facet. Find magazine clippings, photographs, quotes, scriptures, words...etc. Leave room for journaling as you explore each area of your goal. (I just noticed that Journaling has the same first five letters as Journey-I'm going to have to look into that more.)
Some Scriptures to Inspire You The plans of ethe diligent lead surely to abundance, Proverbs 21:5
2 And the Lord answered me:
And the LORD answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
(Habakkuk 2:2-3 ESV)
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. (Psalm 37:5 ESV)
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:6 ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7 ESV)
Get Scrapped has some really good inspiration for you to view. And Also this freebie.
I was reading the blog on One Word 365 the suggestion was to set your One word as the top of your umbrella, and then find the words that connect to it in your mind.
I know Carve is a little "symbolic" and doesn't seem as specific as words like "Simplify." As I was listening to some sermon about Esther (I don't remember which one anymore) they were talking about how Esther just kind of let things happen to her, and didn't take intentional control over her life when she first entered the palace.
I feel like I've been doing exactly the same thing...I've been floating along letting things happen to me.
I want to be intentional. I want to know what God thinks about each of these aspects of life. And I want to see God's vision for me in each of these areas.
I know that God is the only one who can make permanent changes in my heart and in my life. I know that in my own strength I will ultimately fail. Only through God's strength and His will, will my heart heal and become soft. Only God can take a block of wood, transform it into a lump of clay form it to his will and sculpt it into perfection.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
This, then, is the curse of love: that every moment apart be as slow as the turning of the seasons, and every moment together as fleeting as a dream. pg 38
So I admit I've read ahead of you...I just started getting into it. Sorry! No spoilers though! Did anyone else read ahead? How are you liking the book so far?
Today I thought I'd show you how to make turkish coffee Persian style. And leave you with a few questions for discussion. Remember, you can always sign up for the book club on my-bookclub.com.
I didn't make my coffee exactly right. I freaked out when the coffee dropped and thought it was going to burn.
Turkish Coffee Persian Style
Ingredients
Turkish ground coffee: Do this at the Grocery Store
Sugar
Water
1 tablespoon and 2 cups of water per cup. Add sugar to taste
place the coffee sugar and water in a small deep saucepan (DO NOT STIR ANYTHING)
This is Rock Sugar from Teavana
Turn heat on Medium high. Watch the coffee until the grounds sink to the bottom.
Stir the coffee and let the sugar dissolve.
Turn the heat to low and continue stirring until there is a froth in the coffee (DO NOT LET IT BOIL!)
Keep the coffee frothing without boiling. The thicker the creme the better the taste.
(This is where I freaked out)
So then the froth is suposed to fall and then rise up again a couple of times. Once it's done this once or twice THEN it's supposed to be done.
It's a prety thick coffee.
To accompany your coffee make some
Persian Butter Cookies
I found this recipe on Food.com. 1 cup butter 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 cup sugar 1 lemon, rind of, grated 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour Directions:
1 Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks. Make sure you use a rubber spatula to push down the accumulation on the sides.
2 Stir in grated lemon rind. I didn't have a cheese grater so I used a peeler to peel off the rind. Then I used a chopper to chop the rind really fine. The rind is what gives the cookies their color and intense lemon flavor.
3 Add lemon juice and vanilla
4 Add flour.
5 Form into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten into rounds.
6 Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until done.
7 Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/persian-butter-cookies-149689?oc=linkback
Chosen Book Club Chapter 5-15
A few guidelines while participating in this book club
How to participate in a discussion 1.Watch your language!Try to avoid words like "awful" or "idiotic"—even "like" and "dislike." They don't help move discussions forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience—how you felt as you read the book.
2.Don't be dismissive. If you disagree with someone else, don't refer to her as an ignoramus. Just say, "I'm not sure I see it that way. Here's what I think." Much, much nicer.
3.Support your views. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. This is a literary analysis technique called "close reading." (LitCourse 3has a good discussion of close reading.)
4.Read with a pencil. Takes notes or mark passages that strike you—as signficant or funny or insightful. Talk about why you marked the passages you did.
5.Use LitLovers for help. Check out ourLitlovers Resourcesabove. They'll help you get more out of what your read and help you talk about books with greater ease.
(Discussion tips by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution. Thanks!)
We'll conduct this discussion in a similar fashion as the bible study. I will post a series of questions. You can use them as a jumping off point for the discussion. Answer any you like, or none at all and come up with your own comments or questions.
How are you experiencing the book? Is it a quick read? How are you feeling as you read it?
Is there anything that is confusing you about the book?
At the end of chapter 5 Esther writes in her diary,
But I knew now that it was time to leave them and become one with another. I leaned out my window and whispered to them among the stars, “Good night, Mother. Good night, Father. I know it is time to let you go and embrace my new love. I will look for you again on the shores of heaven. Watch over me as I make my way to my destiny
In this Novel, how old do you get the impression Mordecai is? How would his age affect how you see the relationship between him and Esther?
Why do you think that Mordecai counts his money every night?
I know now many things, many things I wish to forget. I know now there are monsters, and calm waters can boil with danger at any moment. pg 46 What are some of the monsters and boiling waters that Esther might be talking about? Have you had times when you felt the same way?
What is your favorite quote from this part of the book? Why?
Do you think the panther is symbolic of anything? What purpose does it serve?
How do you feel about Cyrus by the end of this section of reading? How do you think Cyrus feels about his father?
What would you do if you were Esther or Mordecai at the end of Chapter 15?
Esther prays fervently to avoid the selection day in the village. Yet she is
taken against her will and despite her prayers. Have you ever prayed about
something and received “no” for an answer? In the long run, was this a positive
or negative event in your life? Were other people benefited in the process?
I wanted to provide a better format for us to discuss this book. Of course you can discuss it here, but my-bookclub.com seems like a good platform to keep you in the loop.
For next week I would like us to make the goal to read to chapter 40.
I receive "His Princess Love Letters" from Sheri Rose Shepherd. Usually they are SO timely. I needed this one today. Do you need it to?
I Will Bless You
My Princess,
It brings me such great pleasure to watch and see you enjoy the blessings I have arranged for you. I Love to surprise my bride with little gifts that only you can see. Let yourself receive from Me today.
Don't let the difficulties of this life cause you to lose sight of who you are and all I have for you. Remember My love, You are My royalty, you are My treasure. Now look to the heavens and smile because the best is yet to come!
Love, Your Prince and Blessing
~
"You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings." ~Psalm 23:5~
You can sign up Sherri's emails here. Before I go to bed at night i usually read Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. I usually find the same phenomenon. Like tonights reading for instance.
"You know this day will bring difficulties, and you are trying to think through those trials...you forget that I am with you- now and always...come to Me, and relax in My Peace. I will strengthen you and prepare you for this day, transforming your fear into confident trust."
Who dares despise the day of small things? {Zech. 4:10} Do one thing to move forward in your God-sized dream. You get extra credit if it’s simple, small and takes just a few minutes. Well my God sized Dream is to get planted in the city my parents live in. I started attending a church a couple weeks after I moved here. It's always hard to get plugged in to a new church I think. This past week I emailed the church to see how to get plugged in. I'm looking forward to getting involved in the women's group soon! My mustard seed goal from last week was to find a job that benefited kids. In "The Do What you can plan" Holley suggests making tightening up goals and making them as specific as possible.
I really need to find a job that I feel like I am make a difference, and not just going through the motions. My dad always says "If your not having fun, you need to stop working where you're working." I love kids, but sometimes the systems surrounding them are so self serving. It breaks my heart and ties my hands behind my back.
My goal is to apply to five youth oriented jobs a week until I am employed at a place that serves at-risk youth.
I'm in the middle of an interview process that feels like it is taking a REALLY long time. I really need patience and faith.
A God-sized Dreamers’ Prayer
God, your thoughts are not my thoughts {Is. 55:8}.
What you have planned for me is beyond all I can ask or imagine {Eph. 3:19-20}.
Yet you have also promised to reveal it to me through your Spirit {1 Cor. 2:8-10}.
So I open my heart, mind, and life to more of you–to whatever you have for me. Where there is ongoing fear in my life, please replace it with faith. Where there is a desire to hold back, give me the strength to move forward. Where there is a desert, lead me into the Promised Land you have prepared for me.
I embrace that my part is to pray, plan, and most of all seek you. And yours is to get me where you want me to go {Prov. 16:9, Prov. 19:21}. Wherever that is, that’s where I want to be too. Because there’s no better place in this world or the next than with you {Ps. 84:10}.
Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth {especially my little corner of it} as it is in heaven {Matt. 6:10}.
I have not had any additional income this week, and a couple unexpected bills hit. It's a struggle right now because I know I don't have the money to pay for next months bills, or even some expenses that came up this month. I'm a little too proud to ask my parents to help me out. I am going back and forth between knowing that I really shouldn't put anything on my credit card. Christianity today posted an Article "What's Wrong With Credit Card Debt?" I think we all like to know in advance how we are going to pay our bills.
At this point "Carve" for me means not spending ANY MONEY that I don't need to spend. Driving less, not eating out, not buying extra "stuff" that I don't actually NEED.
Carving out all of that out still is not going to allow for me to pay my bills come February.
I've really had to live by Mathew 6:34 in the past six months “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
On the up side of things, I am now on a sub list in a school district, and will be able to start subbing next week. I have another interview with another school district on Weds. I also am in the fourth step of an interview process working for an organization that I am really excited about.
I know God is working. I'm just not sure if I trust Him enough to provide me with the money I need to pay my bills.
Lord, thank you for the opportunities that are coming up in the very near future. You are the great provider. You will never leave me, you will never forsake me. Even when I don't trust your presence, I still know you are there. Lord, I know you have provided for me in the past. I have never been in want of basic necessities. Please give me the peace to trust you with my financial future.
I'm a little behind, but I wanted to join up with Holley Gerth's blog, Heart to Heart with Holley. I've read her book "You're Already Amazing" and it was really helpful for me...and actually a good push for me to move out of Los Angeles.
Holley's having a link up party every Tuesday I wanted to participate in, so I'm going to catch up a bit.
Last Tuesday Holly asked us to come up with our "God sized dream"
Holley, my God sized Dream is to get planted back in the city my parents live in, and to build a life centered on God's dream for my life and be open to what that is. I'm currently trying to figure out what that is. I'm praying that it includes a family of my own, a group of girlfriends who are believers, and a job that benefits, and encourages at-risk teenagers and youth.
I'm currently applying to go to seminary in the fall so that I can get my counseling degree. I'm also applying for a job where I would be a house mother to at-risk teenagers for the next 2 years.
For Day One of "The Do What You Can Plan" Holley asks to write a sentence:
"My Mustard Seed Goal is..." to find a job that lets me encourage and build up at risk children.
I don’t have as much historical research for you as I had last week, but I did want to give you some resources that I found helpful, and I have a TON of questions!!!
I also would like to plug Ginger Garrett’s book she wrote in conjunction with writing Chosen (which we are reading in our book club) while she was doing historical research. It’s absolutely fascinating, and if you are a nerd like me…a lot of fun!!! "Beauty Secrets of the Bible"
As I’ve been reading this chapter so many questions and thoughts have been flying through my head. When I was a child, I used to see Esther as a Cinderella story. And in it’s own right it is. For a child, I think it’s good and appropriate for them to see Esther as a Cinderella story. Every good story is a story of redemption, and similarly to Esther, the story of Cinderella is just that. The fact that Cinderella holds a universal truth is what allows it to stand the test of time, and even enter our pop culture.
But as an adult, this begins as positively THE WORST Cinderella story EVER! At least Cinderella’s prince was charming and didn’t bed and ENSLAVE the 400 to 1,400 single women who were at the ball!!!
It is unlikely that all of the girls who were taken into the palace went willingly. To be a part of the kings harem would require them to live at the kings palace for the rest of his life.
Bible verses of the week:
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in yourbook were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16
And theLordwill guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail Isaiah 58:11
25 gHusbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church andhgave himself up for her,26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her byithe washing of waterjwith the word,27 sokthat he might present the church to himself in splendor,lwithout spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27
7 But theLord said to Samuel,b“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For theLord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance,cbut theLord looks on the heart.”
I Samuel 16:7
You can download a printable of the bible verses here.
Hegai (The head Eunuch of the Harem…that job HAD to suck!)
Hadassah (called Esther)
I do want to point out a couple things about characters and time as we move along.
Mordecai was not supposed to be in Persia at this period in time. He was supposed to be in Jerusalem with the other Jews after they had been released from Persia. The assumption is that Mordechai probably was not a publically practicing Jew, and had assimilated into the society of Persia.
Hadassah, called Esther was orphaned as a little girl. She was most likely a teenager when she was taken into the king’s palace. The fact that she has two names, one Jewish, and one Persian, this probably indicates Esther trying to live in two different worlds.
Rising Action
The Bachelor (In Persia)
A few years after Xerxes banishes Vashti he has lost a lot of money, and plenty of wars against the Greeks. He starts thinking about Vashti and is lamenting to his “young male attendants.” They suggest that Xerxes should find all of the beautiful virgins in the kingdom, give them a full year of beauty treatments, and then give them one night to show the king a good time. Xerxes thought this was an excellent plan and made it so.
Mordecai, a Jew, had brought up his orphaned cousin, the lovely and beautiful Esther, as his own daughter.
Esther was among the women whisked away to the palace. At the harem, she became one of Hegai’s, the head eunuchs, favorites. She was given the best place in the harem. Esther didn’t tell anyone she was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to.
The Preparation all of the concubines in the harem were given a year of treatments and food. On their night with the king, they were given whatever they asked to take with them. They would spend one night with King Xerxes, and then move their way on to the harem of the “not virgins,” not to be called in again, unless the king called for her. On Esther’s night with him, she took only what Hegai told her to bring. On Esther’s night, Xerxes chose her as his queen and threw a big feast in her name.
There are so many things going on in this short section of the book that my brain and heart are about to explode.
Discussion Quesstions
Again, answer the questions that peak your interest, or ask your own. Please feel free to make your own observations.
One of the things that struck me as I read this was the reality of sex trafficking in this situation. As often as we read the bible as things that happened in the past, it is so easy to transport this story into our present. Sex trafficking is prevalent in the world as well as in America today. It's something that has been on my heart for awhile, and I think this is as good a time as any to make you aware of it.
Again, before we judge anyone in this story, the media, or in our vicinity we need to take the log out of our eyes first. Human trafficking is a reality and a horror in present america and around the world. In main stream society it either goes unnoticed or ignored. Slavery should outrage us!!! And yet....
In the first part of this chapter, what are some other ways that we still hold similar views to those of Xerxes’ Persians?
I found it a bit surprising that the men I came across who have written and spoken on Esther call out the men in their congregations, and of America . They do a lot more male bashing than I could ever muster myself.
The women tend to step away from that conversation and give women their own reprimand for buying into the pressures of society. The more I thought about it, the more I saw that my collegiate guilty pleasure of watching, The Bachelor and Millionaire Matchmaker, on television are actually taped versions of what was going on in the palace. Only, the girls in Persia had no hope for a future, past being one of the kings favorites. They would never see their family again, and if they had relations with anyone else, they would most likely be killed.
What impact do you think the “Young Advisors” advice would have on the Persian world?
In what ways do our current American dating practices mirror those of Xerxes harem?
If you had hundreds of men to pick from to date, or to marry…how would you start to weed them out?
If you had all the Hollywood heartthrobs at your feet how would you decide which one you would marry?
There are a lot of different philosophies out there about "Christian" dating practices. It's something that, as a single woman, I have been struggling with.
What do you think a healthy, godly dating life would look like for a woman?
One of the questions I grapple with, in (re)thinking my lifestyle of a woman is the feminist movement and fashion. Just today I had a discussion with my Dad about the clothes we wear and how I’m SO frustrated with the feminist movement that my clothes are built the way they are.
While I agree with the pre-tense of the feminist movement, some of the back lash is driving me NUTS! Women have inadvertently created the form of the “ideal woman” as it is today. Previous to the feminist movement, it was thought of as more attractive to be rounded and slightly plump.
Beginning in the early twentieth century, instead of simply burning our corsets we decided equality with men equaled sameness with men, and so our clothes should be more masculine….and then begins the downward slope of the “anti-feminine movement.”
Women, God made you a WOman! Not a man! And Designers, I am NOT a man- God did not build me like a man, I have roundness where I’m supposed to have roundness…and while I LOVE button down shirts, please make them to fit the fact that I have breasts! *Whew! I needed to say that!*
Up to this point in the book, whose shadow do ALL of the women of Persia have to live up to, and be better than? What “ideal” do you feel like you have to live up to today?
What is determining your worth?
In what ways do we, as women make life hard on ourselves by succumbing to the peer pressure of thinking of beauty as a treatment?
In what ways have we made this an expectation of each other?
I was at my parents’ house this morning before I ran off to a lunch date. I asked my mom which purse I should bring, the brown one, or the grey one? My Dad happened to be in the room and his comment was “No guy is going to care which purse you brought to lunch.”
Or over dinner the other night, my mom was admiring how well the new sally nail polish strips stayed on, and how long they were lasting….my Dad cut in with “ANYWAY! WHO CARES ABOUT NAIL POLISH!” and he proceeded to roll his eyes. He’s funny like that, he encourages us to go out on Mom and Daughter dates to have brunch and get our nails done and our eyebrows waxed, but it’s because he knows it makes us happy.
Heck, when was the last time a guy noticed your haircut? Now when was the last time a woman noticed your haircut?
In Ginger Garret’s book “Beauty Secrets of the Bible” she says,
“There is an unnatural, uneasy relationship in our society between (beauty and spirituality.)In biblical days, it was easier to understand the symbolism of caring for the body in relationship to the state of your spirit. Before you could worship, you had to ceremonially wash yourself…you were preparing to go into God’s holy presence, the temple’s sacred ground. To prepare the body was to prepare to meet God…if we want to discover the beauty that is in us, we have to be willing to abandon the worlds definition of beauty. We have to believe, by faith, that we have something more: a beauty that cannot be fully seen by human eyes.” (pg 38-39)
Sooo…we’re girls. I LOVE pampering-taking long baths-smelly things- doing my hair, putting a goopy green mask on my face…getting my fingernails done….YOU know! To be honest, most of the time doing these things has nothing to do with anyone else but myself.
It feels good to be able to “beautify” –heck sometimes it just feels good to take an amazingly long shower and get into some newly clean sheets. Or after a weekend of backpacking, jumping in a cool fresh lake. A part of me would love a year of spa treatments.
What are some of the things you love to lavish in?
What are some things that you notice God lavishes you in? He KNOWS you need this. He KNOWS you enjoy it. He KNOWS you feel completely pampered and noticed by Him when he blesses you with it?
In Tommy Tenney’s Book “Finding Favor With the King” he talks about Gods preparation of us, the preparation for being His bride. Tim Keller discusses a similar idea, he says that spiritual beauty treatments often involve suffering and pain. Refiners fire.
Formhe is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.3 He will sitnas a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bringoofferings in righteousness to theLord.14 pThen the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to theLord as in the days of old and as in former years. Malachi 3:2-4
What kinds of pain and suffering have you endured, that when you look back on it, you realize that through it, you came out more beautiful and closer to the Lord?
Most scholars believe that Esther blew it! She sold out! Esther and Mordecai were Jews, and yet they hid it. Esther ate food that as a Jew, would have been considered a sin. She would have been considered unclean after eating the food of the Persian king. When Abraham hid the fact that Sarah was his wife, God reprimanded him. Peter denied Christ three times! Unlike Daniel, Esther didn’t stand up and say “I’m a Jew, this is not the food of my people,” most likely for fear of being killed. Regrettably, I think I would be like young Esther, too scared of death to say no to the pagan-Persian ways.
What are some of the things we do, or don’t do, say or don’t say, because we are too scared of the repercussions from other people?
Has there been a time, when you didn’t show or didn’t know your true self? The person God created you to be?
What are some of the things we do as Christians to assimilate to our society when we are supposed to be set apart?
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27: 4 KJV)
"Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. All His wonderful passion and purity. O my Savior divine, all my being refine. Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” ~Albert Orsbon
As women, what does it look like physically, and spiritually, to prepare to reflect the beauty of God?
The bible doesn’t tell us what happened in the kings bedroom. Esther may have charmed him by her personality or her good looks immediately. As soon as she walked in the door, God might have put it on Xerxes heart to choose her, to make a commitment to her immediately and thereby save her virginity. For her heart, her sake, and dignity I pray that that happened. But we don’t know. Much like the story of Cinderella, being taken to the kings palace may have actually been a refuge for some of those girls. Like the story above of the teenager girls, giving their bodies one night may have seemed like a small price to pay to escape the life that they were living.
Are there ways that we escape an unhappy life other than turning to God?
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of theLord;
What do you think Esther had that the other women didn’t have?
Esther ISN’T perfect and we’re not either. Which should give us hope! This is what the Jews celebrate during Purim. Hope! The Hope of the gospel. We are not perfect.
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
(Isaiah 61:10 ESV)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
(Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV)
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
(Revelation 19:7-8 ESV)
How are the above scriptures of our preparation to be Christ’s Bride different from Xerxes Preparation to be Christ’s Bride?
Where do you see hope in this section of Esther?
Where do you see God working in this section of Ether?
I'm loving this study! I hope you are too! Let's start commenting and getting some discussions rolling!!!
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
