Learning to Trust God - Part I: The Book of Esther

 Learning to Trust God - Part I:  Book of Esther

Learning to Trust God - Part I: Book of Esther 

In our study of “Learning to Trust God”, let’s study the Book of Esther. 

Overview:

The Book of Esther consists of ten chapters.  The events cover approximately a ten year period in the reign of King Ahasuerus (Hebrew) in Greek it is (Xerxes). Esther (Hadassah) is a young Jewish woman who becomes Queen to a Gentile King.  The Jews are God’s chosen people.

King Ahasuerus has a royal feast for the men and Queen Vashti has a feast for the Women. The King is drunk and request Queen Vashti to come before him and his friends, to show off her beauty, she refuses.  Vashti loses her royal estate to Esther. 

Esther’s cousin Mordecai a Jew, instructed her not to make known her people.  Mordecai saves the king’s life.  The king had a wicked servant, named Haman, who hated the Jews because of Mordecai not bowing to him.  Haman wanted to exterminate the Jewish race: genocide, which he received permission from the King to do so.  The King did not know his new Queen, Esther and the man that saved his life, Mordecai, were Jewish.  Nor did he know of the wickedness, hate, and deceit of his servant Haman.

All that Haman set out to do, backfires upon him.  He and his family are destroyed and the Jews received permission to fight for their lives. Their lives are saved by the guiding hand of God Almighty. 

The satanic scheme was to exterminate the Jewish race.  In Moses’ time, Pharaoh attempted to exterminate the Hebrew slaves (Jews). In the Book of Esther, this is another satanic attempt to destroy the Jews. Jesus was a Jew. 

As you read and studied the Book of Esther, did you notice?

God’s name is not mention anywhere in this book.  But his sovereignty and providence are evident throughout the entire book.

Prayer is never mentioned in this book.  But it’s evident, from the fasting: much prayer went up and God did answer the prayers and honor the fasting.

The big picture of Esther’s story is not just about saving her family and her people during that time period.  It was about the future Messiah: Jesus!

Did you read the Book of Esther?

Questions to Ponder:

What can I learn from the Book of Esther?

How does Esther’s Trust in God benefit us today?

Esther’s Trust in God benefits us today:

Esther: Trusting God’s redemption plan. When Haman wanted to destroy the Jews this was not just an attack on the Jewish People, but on the coming Messiah.  If he had succeeded, Jesus would not have come.  We must Trust God’s word. He watches over his word to perform it.  Throughout the OT and NT God speaks of performing his word. And he tells us to perform his word as well.  We can see how faithful he is.  He did not allow all of the Jews to be destroyed.  We must look at the big picture, it wasn’t just about Esther and her people; it was all about the future Messiah!

This bible study is entitled, “Learning to Trust God”.  Let’s study the Book of Esther and look at other people in the bible that learned to trust God. 

“Our Goal for this bible study is to learn to trust God with every area and aspect of our life.”

 

Key Scripture:

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

(Note: In this study we are not studying Queen Vashti.  We are learning how to trust God completely according to his word.)

Book of Esther

Chapter 1: King Ahasuerus, king of Persia has a feast for the men and Queen Vashti has a feast for the women.  The King commands his Queen to come to his feast to show off her beauty.  She refuses.  Queen Vashti did not obey God’s holy Word given in Genesis 3:16.  (Review Lesson I on trust: to rely on also means to obey.)  We cannot trust God and be disobedient, nor can we be obedient without trusting God.

What does the bible teach married women, today?

Ø  Genesis 2:18; 3:16

Ø  Ephesians 5:22-33 *

Ø  Colossians 3:18

Ø  1 Corinthians 11:3

Ø  Titus 2:4-5

Ø  1 Peter 3:1-7

Ephesians 5:22-33 (KJV)

²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

³² This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

³³ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Definitions:

SUBJECTION

• to be under the discipline and control of a superior; to be obedient to

SUBMIT

• to yield to authority;
• to surrender to the control of another

As we go through this bible study, we must remember, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)

¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

As we keep this scripture in mind, we will learn to trust God and his Holy Word.

Wives, after you have studied the above-mentioned scriptures which are not all inclusive:

Do you see how you must trust God by being obedient to his word in obeying your husbands?  God has an order set up.  He has an order in the His Divinity: Father, Son, Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) and he has an order for the family: Husband, Wife, Children.  When you trust God, you trust his order.

Esther Chapter 1: 

 Discussion Questions:

1.     When is a wife allowed by God, to disobey her husband?  What scripture(s) do you have to justify your disobedience?

 

 

2.     According to scripture what are the older women’s behavior to be like and what are they to teach the younger women?  What are your scriptures?

 

 

3.     What is God to those who put their trust in him?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week we will continue our study on “Learning to Trust God - Part II: Book of ESTHER”

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