Was it a scene from 'The Bachelor' or Divine Favor?

Esther 2:1-18

Main Points

King Ahasuerus calms down (anger about what Vashti did-see Ch.1) and remembers what he decreed against her.

King’s young men suggest that beautiful, young virgins be sought out for the king. Having officers in all provinces to gather the women to Susa (capital) under the custody of Hegai (King’s eunuch). Cosmetics be given to all women. The young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. King liked the idea.

Esther (her Persian name) was a Jewish woman who lived in Susa. Her cousin Mordecai took care of Hadassah ( her Jewish name) because her parents died and she was an orphan. She was a beautiful, attractive woman that was taken to the king’s palace. Esther won Hegai’s favor and he provided her with cosmetics, food, 7 women from the king’s palace. He placed her and her young women to the best place in the harem.

Esther hid her identity as a Jew from everyone the whole time she was in the harem. Mordecai had told her to do so.

Mordecai checked to see how Esther was doing every day in front of the court of the harem.

All the women underwent 12 months of beautifying treatments. 6 months with oil of myrrh and 6 months with spices and ointments. Each woman was given whatever they desired to take to the king’s palace from the harem. The women would not go and see the king again a 2^nd time unless the king summoned them by name.

When Esther’s time had come to see the King, she took what Hegai had suggested. Esther had already won the favor of everyone she came in contact with. The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins. He set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

*There's a movie called, 'One Night with the King' that's based off the story of Esther. Not all of it lines up Biblically, but it gives you an idea of what life was like at the King's palace, if you want to check it out.

King gave a huge feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. Granted remission of taxes to the provinces, and gave gifts with royal generosity.

 

Questions to Think About

1.       How do you think Esther felt living in the king’s harem, competing for the King’s favor?

2.       Have you ever found yourself in uncertain or unfamiliar situations? How did you go about handing it?

3.       How do you think Esther felt once she was crowned Queen of Persia?

4.       How do you view God’s work in your life? (Ex: Is He active in orchestrating events, relationships, etc. OR do you see Him more as hands-off and more in the background who occasionally shows up?)

5.       As you look back on your life, where do you see the hand of God shaping and working through circumstances and choices?

6.       Where do you find yourself today? What might God be doing in your current circumstances?

When you read Chapter 2, it kind of reminds you of the show, The Bachelor but then as you read further along, you discover it was about divine favor.  Has there been a time in your life when you have experienced God’s favor in your life? What was your response to that? What has God done in your life since then?

From the beginning of this chapter, we learn that Esther’s parents died when she was young, therefore she was now an orphan, and her cousin Mordecai was raising her. She was now living in Susa, Persia;  a land not common to her Jewish heritage. Then, on top of that, she ends up being taken away from her home and taken to the King’s palace. At surface value, you might think, her life is destined to fail. But little did she know how all those events, God is going to use in a remarkable way.  Are you currently experiencing a situation like Esther’s right now? How are you choosing to respond? Do you see it as an ‘interruption’ or a divine intervention’ from God?

Esther might not have known it at the time, but she was destined for greatness! God wants to use us as women in amazing ways too. Instead of focusing on the current situations/circumstances in our lives that seem hopeless or unthinkable, let’s trust God with them and see what remarkable things He does!

Esther 1

Chapter 1 Key Points

King Ahasuerus (India to Ethiopia)

Susa (Modern Day Iran) was capital

Ahasuerus gave party for all officials for 180 days (6.5 months) THEN for all people (small and great) in Susa a feast for 7 days in the court of the garden of king’s palace.

The parties were extravagant! (Custom golden goblets, unlimited food and drink)

Luxury surrounded each guest. The king definitely knew how to throw a party.

 Queen Vashti gave a separate feast for the women in palace.

On the 7^th day, Ahasuerus asked Vashti to come before the people so he could ‘show her off’ to them. She refused and the king became enraged.

Ahasuerus consults with the wise men (seven princes): Memucan proposed what to do:

·         Royal order goes out through all the kingdom in each language stating, Vashti is to never come before the king again

·         Position will to another woman, better than Vashti.

·         Royal order reaffirms the importance of wives honoring and respecting their husbands

·         Every man is master of his own household (meaning: leader of his family)

Despite his anger, Ahasuerus was wise to consult with the wise men. It is important for every Believer to have godly people to speak truth into their live,s and be accountible to. Prayer of course is key! Always go to God first.

Discussion Questions

1.    What are your thoughts on loyalty? What is it? What does it entail?

2.    For what purpose, may God have brought me to the place in my life I’m in right now?

3.    Queen Vashti embarrased King Ahasuerus and the officials with her decision to not come before them. Have you ever been in a situation where someone has put you in a position of embarrasment? What was your response?

Practical Application

1.    Seek God’s wisdom and direction where he has placed you already. Is there something He is leading you to do/don’t do that you need clarification?

2.    Ask God to provide opportunities that you can recognize are from Him, to bring glory to His name (i.e. school, work, family settings, etc.)

3.    Instead of dwelling on what pop culture says women should be, bask in the truths of what God already sees you as, in His Word. Write them out on a note card and put it in a place where you can be reminded of it frequently throughout the day.

Sources Utilized

The Message
ESV
http://groupcurriculum.org/source/ruthesther.pdf
http://bible.org/seriespage/esther-part-i-lesson-6

Praying Fervently

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

 James 5:16b, NIV

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7, NLT

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1, NLT

Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 - 18, NLT

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Hebrews 4:16, NLT

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.

Psalm 17:6, NLT

O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.

Psalm 17:1, NLT

You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.

Ephesians 2:8, CEV

Have you ever prayed for something then got a response you didn’t expect? How about getting no response, feeling as though God were silent and ‘not answering’ your prayer? Or what about praying for something for a long time, then finally giving up because nothing seems to come of it?

I sometimes find myself praying and then think, what is the purpose behind my prayers? Is it for my own benefit, or to glorify God? Not to say, we can’t ask God for something we want. As this past year came to a close and I welcomed in 2012, I find myself seeking God’s direction and guidance more and more. It’s funny how I somehow think what I plan for my life will come to fruition,  then when it turn upside down, I wonder why God didn’t honor that request. It seems as though the ‘surprises’ of what I’ve seemed to work so hard for haven’t concluded the way I expected. But on the flip side, I find myself desiring more of God’s plan, including those areas of which I’ve held onto so tightly. I think sometimes it’s easy to hold onto what we seem to know is concrete, and then seek God in those gray areas. But I’m learning it’s in both gray and ‘concrete’ areas of life, that I need to daily seek God’s direction and wisdom. 

As you’ve already read the verses above, I truly believe there is power in prayer. If we humble ourselves, and truly seek God’s face on a daily basis out of our love for Him, He will honor that. Let’s not give up on praying, God will respond in His timing. The response or end result might not be what we expect it to be, but we can trust (yes, it is safe to trust God) our Heavenly Father, that He will take care of us, and if we walk in obedience with His Word, we will bring glory to His name. Remember, He sees the bigger picture and we don’t let’s walk in a child-like faith and grow in our relationship with Christ together.  Who knows what bigger and better plans God might have for our lives, or better yet, what charatcer attributes of Christ, He is developing in us while fervently praying...Be blessed this week!!!

A Musical Encouragment to end your day...

Hey Ladies, I just heard this song this evening for the first time. If you're able to take some time away from your busy life tonight and listen to the lyrics, I hope this will be a blessing to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-bTho69TZI

In a world where we're told we're supposed to be a cookie cutter image of a flawless 'Barbie doll,' this song is a wonderful reminder that we are beyond amazing in God's eyes. It is what He says, that we should believe and bask in His Greatness.

Blessings to you this Thursday evening!

P.S. Remember, you are forever loved by the Creator, who chose to create you...you have one incredible purpose and destiny!!

Loving 'One Another'

“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.”

 2 John 1:6, NLT

As I first read this verse I think, ‘Oh, that’s a good thing to do,’ but then I realize how often do I really live this verse out? As Daughters of The King, we are called to live a life that is pleasing to Him, as a response of our love to Him. I think of the perfect example, Jesus. He lived this verse out every day during his ministry on earth. He didn’t hurdle insults when the townspeople and soldiers were crucifying him, nor did he chose to say nothing at all. While on the cross, he asked his father, God to forgive them.

Loving ‘one another’ isn’t just those who we’re friends with or those who we get along with. ‘One another’ includes those who’ve hurt us, and sometimes I feel the people who can hurt us the most are our fellow siblings in Christ. We are all called to a higher purpose. In Matthew 5:14, we (Christians) are called to be a ‘city on a hill’ for everyone to see the light of Jesus. If we are going around gossiping, hurdling backfire insults because we’ve been hurt, and serving justice to those we ‘feel’ need it, how are we portraying an accurate view of Christ. I know this is a touchy subject, but I say this to encourage and challenge you and myself, to live out our destiny in Christ. There is soo much hurt in the church from other Christians that some people have been turned away from Christ altogether. Let’s make 2012 a year, to show mercy and better yet, grace to those who’ve hurt us the most, and see what God does in those situations. As we expectantly wait to see what God does as we live out 2 John 1:6, let’s continue to praise Him daily, for His immeasurable grace He gives to us daily, and ponder His sacrifice on the cross, next time the opportunity to show revenge or hurt another sister/brother in Christ presents itself.

Be blessed this week as you and I both continue to grow in our cherished relationship with our Savior!