Are you ready to go on an eight episode rollercoaster ride with me? We’re about to dive into the story of Queen Esther. It’s a battle story. It’s a story about faith under fire, and I believe with all my heart that your faith and my faith is going to increase after we explore what God did through one young woman who was chosen to be queen. There’s that word again. We talked about it last week. God chooses you. He created you. He has plans for you. He invites us into the work that he’s doing on this planet. He planned specific things for you to do and for me to do. Like Esther, you and I just have to find the courage to accept God’s grand invitation.
Spoiler alert, Esther did accept it, but oh, the journey to get there is rich. Are you ready to get on the rollercoaster with me? Here we go!
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Transcription:
Treachery and loyalty. Fear and courage. Sitting on the sidelines versus living a life of purpose. Hi, I’m Erica. Welcome to the Bible for Busy people. Are you ready to go on an eight episode rollercoaster ride with me? We’re about to dive into the story of Queen Esther. It’s a battle story. It’s a story about faith under fire, and I believe with all my heart that your faith and my faith is going to increase after we explore what God did through one young woman who was chosen to be queen. There’s that word again. We talked about it last week. God chooses you. He chooses me for special purposes on this planet. We covered this verse from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians last week. Ephesians chapter two, verse 10:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us a new in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
He created you. He has plans for you. He invites us into the work that he’s doing on this planet. He planned specific things for you to do and for me to do. Like Esther, you and I just have to find the courage to accept God’s grand invitation. Spoiler alert, Esther did accept it, but oh, the journey to get there is rich. Are you ready to get on the rollercoaster with me? Here we go, Esther, chapter one, beginning in verse one.
These events happened in the days of King Xerxes who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time, Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. The celebration lasted 180 days –
Half a year. Wow.
A tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pump and splendor of his majesty. When it was all over, the king gave a banquet for all the people from the greatest to the least who were in the fortress of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was held in the courtyard of the palace garden. The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and blue hangings, which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons, to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry…
By the way I looked that up last night. That was a reddish purple rock, and the color purple is always associated with royalty, so you can imagine why the king loved it. Okay, so…
…porphyry marble, mother of pearl and other costly stones. Drinks were served in gold, goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine reflecting the king’s generosity. By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted. At the same time, queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. On the seventh day of the feast, when Kings Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunichs who attended him – Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious and he burned with anger. He immediately consulted with his wise advisors who knew all the Persian laws and customs for he always asked their advice. The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan – seven nobles of Persia and media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire. What must be done to Queen Vashti? The king demanded. What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders properly sent through his eunuchs? Memucan answered the king in his nobles, Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the King. Before this day is out, the wives of all the king’s, nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the Queen did and will start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger, so if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of kings Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she. When this decree is published throughout the king’s vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives. The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan’s council. He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases.
Do you see how official it all was? Do you see how powerful King Xerxes was? Think back for a moment to the descriptions of his half a year party. His power and his wealth were unfathomable at that time in history, and he goes and makes this rash decision. He gets mad and he takes the crown away From Queen Vashti. And what God does next is amazing because before King Xerxes was crowned, before his rash decision, God created a young woman who he would write into the King story. Next time you and I are going to meet her, her name is Esther. Till then you are loved.
Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.
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