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

Learning to Trust God - Part X: Book of Esther

Learning to Trust God - Part X: Book of Esther

Our next bible study will begin March 4, 2014

“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.

Esther Chapter 10

Esther 10

King James Version (KJV)

10 And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.

² And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?

³ For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

Esther chapter ten concludes with Mordecai the Jew being promoted next to king Ahasuerus.  He was great in the king’s kingdom. From a man walking by the kings gate wondering what would become of his adopted daughter to a man in sackcloth and ashes mourning for his people to a man receiving the highest honor the king could place upon him: head prince. 

God has kept his word to the Jews, the promise of the Messiah must come.  He will come through the tribe of Judah.

“I hope and pray that this study has enlightened you spiritually, strengthened your faith and has given you hope and confidence in our Heavenly Father.”

Learning to Trust God Summary

Christians must learn to trust in God:

Christianity is a learning process. Time, experience, prayer, fasting, study of the word, obedience to the word, and willingness help us to unravel the years of our flesh training us. All our natural instincts: our flesh, our will, our ways, and our thoughts are opposite to Gods ways and will. The Bible shows us examples of people trusting in God and God bringing them through in miraculous ways.  But when it comes down to our circumstances, we look for ways that we can solve our problems of our own accord, when we need to look to Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith.

In this study, we should have learned how to completely put our trust in God.  You should be able to say and mean, "Thy will be done."

Definition:

TRUST:  (NOUN AND VERB) To have confidence, hope (faith), to agree, to be entrusted, to commit to one’s trust; to depend on.

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.

God has given us three commands in this passage of scripture:

1.     Trust in the Lord will all thine heart

2.     Lean not unto thine own understanding

3.     In all your ways acknowledge him

Explanation:

1.      To trust means to: depend on, to rely on

2.     Lean not means:  do not depend on your own self, abilities, thoughts, or ways

3.     Acknowledge him means to: to inquire of the Lord, to seek his knowledge, his will, his way, to seek his wisdom. (What Would Jesus Do?)(What does the Bible say?)

A promise is given in this passage of scripture:

Ø  He (God) shall direct thy paths

Supporting Scriptures:

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (KJV)

11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you, saith the Lord, thought of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14) And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places whither I have driven you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

The bible teaches us Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

As we have journeyed through the scriptures, we have been able to read and study the lives of various people in the bible.  Where we have learned how God brought deliverance to them through TRUST.  We have learned that there is always an answer to our questions, in the Word of God. We have learned it is vitally important to study and search the scriptures to find the answers we need for our life. 

Hebrews 13:7-9

King James Version (KJV)

⁷ Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

⁸ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

⁹ Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

2 Timothy 2:15

1. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

John 5:39

2. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Let us continue to strive to become Christ like, while trusting God with every aspect/care of our lives.

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.

May God bless you as you continue this Christian journey.

Our next bible study will begin March 4, 2014

Churches, Bible Study groups, etc., that would like Evangelist Waters to speak at your church, bible study, conference, women’s ministry, special program, etc.  Please contact Minister Waters on her website listed below, on the “Speaking Engagements Page”.

Contact Evangelist Waters:

 www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistries.com

Follow my Bible Study Blog: 

www.PureGoldMinistries.blogspot.com

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

Learning to Trust God - Part IX: Book of Esther

 

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Learning to Trust God - Part IX: Book of Esther

“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.

Esther Chapter 9

The Jews destroy their enemies

Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) verse 1.

The Jews gathered themselves together in all of the one-hundred twenty seven provinces in each city to destroy all those who sought to destroy them.  Fear fell upon all people.  And all of the rulers of the king’s provinces and the lieutenants, and the officers and deputies of the king helped the Jews because of the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.  Mordecai was great in the king’s house, he was the head prince and the Jews were his people.   

The Jews destroyed all of their enemies with a great slaughter of destruction with the sword and did what they wanted to their enemies and all those that hated them.  In Shushan the palace the Jews killed five hundred men.  Their enemies were also destroyed in Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,Poratha, Adalia Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha.  The ten sons of Haman the enemy of the Jews they killed also. But the Jews did not lay their hands on the spoil/plunder.    

A report was given to king Ahasuerus on the number of those that were killed in Shushan the palace.  The king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the tens sons of Haman who he granted to be hanged on the gallows prepared by their father for Mordecai the Jew.  The king asked, “What have they done in the rest of the provinces? He asked Esther, What I thy petition? And it shall be granted thee:  or what is thy request further? And it shall be done.”  Verses 11-12

Queen Esther answered, “If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.” And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

Then on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews gathered again and slew three hundred men at Shushan and did not take the spoil.  And the other Jews in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together and stood for their lives.  They had rest from their enemies after killing 75,000.  They made this day a day of feasting and gladness.  They sent portion to one another. 

The fateful day was March 7, 473 B.C.  It was an obvious reference to the providence of God.  God has provided for his people and the promise of the Messiah to come through the Jewish Nation.  The Jews did not take the spoil shows the purity of their motives: to fight for the right to live. The thirteenth and fourteenth day of Adar is celebrated for their victory against their enemies and eventually Mordecai ordered the fourteenth and fifteenth days to be observed annually as the Feast of Purim see verses 20-28.

Fasts

The Fast of Esther, observed before Purim, on the 13th of Adar, is an original part of the Purim celebration, referred to in Esther 9:31–32. The first who mentions the Fast of Esther is Rabbi Achai Gaon (Acha of Shabcha) (8th century CE) in She'iltot 4; the reason there given for its institution is based on an interpretation of Esther 9:18, Esther 9:31 and Talmud Megillah 2a: "The 13th was the time of gathering", which gathering is explained to have had also the purpose of public prayer and fasting. Some, however, used to fast three days in commemoration of the fasting of Esther; but as fasting was prohibited during the month of Nisan, the first and second Mondays and the Thursday following Purim were chosen. The fast of the 13th is still commonly observed; but when that date falls on Sabbath, the fast is pushed forward to the preceding Thursday, Friday being needed to prepare for Sabbath and the following Purim festival.  Resource: Wiki

 

Food gifts and charity

Gaily wrapped baskets of sweets, snacks and other foodstuffs given as mishloach manot on Purim day.

The Book of Esther prescribes "the sending of portions one man to another and gifts to the poor" (9:22). According to halakha, each adult must give two different foods to one person, and two charitable donations to two poor people.^[30] The food parcels are called mishloach manot ("sending of portions"), and in some circles the custom has evolved into a major gift-giving event.

To fulfill the mitzvah of giving charity to two poor people, one can give either food or money equivalent to the amount of food that is eaten at a regular meal. It is better to spend more on charity than on the giving of mishloach manot.^[30] In the synagogue, regular collections of charity are made on the festival and the money is distributed among the needy. No distinction is made among the poor; anyone who is willing to accept charity is allowed to participate. It is obligatory upon the poorest Jew, even one who is himself dependent on charity, to give to other poor people.^{[30] RESOURCE:}  WIKI

 

 

Purim (Hebrew:  פּוּרִים (help·info) Pûrîm "lots", from the word pur,^[3] related to Akkadian pūru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire forming a plot to destroy them. The story is recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Esther).

According to the Book of Esther, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus (presumed to be Xerxes I of Persia), planned to kill all the Jews in the empire, but his plans were foiled by Mordecai and his adopted daughter Queen Esther. The day of deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing.

Purim is celebrated by giving reciprocal gifts of food and drink (mishloach manot), giving charity to the poor (mattanot la-evyonim),^[4] a celebratory meal (se'udat Purim), and public recitation of the Scroll of Esther (kriat ha-megillah), additions to the prayers and the grace after meals (al hannisim).^[5] Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.^[6] 

Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (Adar II in leap years), the day following the victory of the Jews over their enemies. In cities that were protected by a surrounding wall at the time of Joshua, Purim is instead celebrated on the 15th of the month on what is known as Shushan Purim, since fighting in the walled city of Shushan continued through the 14th.^[7] Today, only Jerusalem celebrates Purim on the 15th. Source: Wiki

 

Scroll of Esther

Esther Summary Chapter 9 (KJV)

²⁰ And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,

²¹ To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,

²² As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

²³ And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;

²⁴ Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;

²⁵ But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

²⁶ Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,

²⁷ The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;

²⁸ And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

²⁹ Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.

³⁰ And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,

³¹ To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.

³² And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.

God’s hand was against the enemy (Haman) of his people: the Jews.  His hand was mighty for his people.  What the enemy meant for evil, turned out for the Jews good.  As we serve the Lord God, it does not mean we won’t suffer things, indeed we shall. But we know according to, Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”.  God has a purpose for our lives just as he had a purpose for the lives of Mordecai, Esther, and the Jewish Nation. 

Discussion Scriptures:

Ø  Psalm 71:13-14

Ø  Psalm 21:10-13

Ø  Job 18:19-21

Ø  Nehemiah 8:12

Ø  Zechariah 2:8-13**

Ø  Psalm 128*

Questions for Discussion:

1.     Explain how Proverbs 3:5-6 is the key scripture for Esther’s life.

2.     Explain how Proverbs 3:5-6 is the key scripture for Mordecai’s life.

3.     Explain how Proverbs 3:5-6 is the key scripture for king Ahasuerus life, the gentile.

4.     What destroyed Haman?

5.     What purpose does fasting and prayer serve?

6.     How often do you fast and pray? When do you fast and pray?

7.     How are we to look at Jews and Gentiles today?

 

Next week we’ll continue our study of Esther Part X, Chapter 10.  The king advances Mordecai to greatness! 

For those attending the bible study in person:

·        Read Esther Chapter 9 &10

·        Be prepared to answer the above questions 

·        Be prepared to share what you learned in this chapter

·        Be prepared to discuss the scriptures

Contact Evangelist Waters:

 www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistries.com

Follow my Bible Study Blog: 

www.PureGoldMinistries.blogspot.com

Follow the Weekly Prayer Blog: www.PureGoldEvangelisticMinistriesPrayer.blogspot.com