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There-She-Goes-Miss-Persia-Part-3 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: Chuck swyn Dall often reminds us that life can be
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  Speaker 1: defined as a series of fairly ordinary days. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: most days are quite predictable without divine skyriding or obvious
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  Speaker 1: signs of some great movement of God. However, there are
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  Speaker 1: occasions that break the cycle. Today, on Insight for Living,
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  Speaker 1: Chuck describes one of those history shattering moments in the
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  Speaker 1: life of Esther. In our continuing study of her life,
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  Speaker 1: we'll discover how God orchestrated all the elements as this
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  Speaker 1: woman walked hand in hand with destiny. Let's pick up
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  Speaker 1: with Esther chapters one and two.
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  Speaker 2: On the seventh day, when the heart of the king
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  Speaker 2: was merry with wine, he makes a command to his
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  Speaker 2: wise men that are at least enlisted here the seven
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  Speaker 2: eunuchs who served in his presence, and this is what
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  Speaker 2: he commanded. They were to bring Queen Vashti before the King,
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  Speaker 2: her royal crown, royal head, peace, in order to display
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  Speaker 2: her beauty to the people and the princes. For she
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  Speaker 2: was beautiful. You can count on this. When scripture says
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  Speaker 2: she's beautiful, it really means it. Queen Vashti verse twelve
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  Speaker 2: refused to come at the King's command. Well, Queen Vashti's
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  Speaker 2: words enraged the king. He absolutely couldn't stand it. Remember
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  Speaker 2: he's drunk. Verse twelve tells us the king became very
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  Speaker 2: angry and his wrath burned within him. What are we
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  Speaker 2: going to do? What's our game plan? In the presence
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  Speaker 2: of the King and the princes, memu Can said this,
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  Speaker 2: Queen Vashti has wrong not only the king, but all
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  Speaker 2: the princes and all the people who are in all
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  Speaker 2: the provinces of King of Haajuaras. I would say that's
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  Speaker 2: a little overreaction, wouldn't you, But he says it. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 2: the queen's conduct will become known to all the women,
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  Speaker 2: causing them to look with contempt on their husband, saying,
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  Speaker 2: King Ajajuaras commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in to
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  Speaker 2: his presence, and she didn't come. You see. The fear, obviously,
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  Speaker 2: is that before long all women will be doing what
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  Speaker 2: Queen Vashti has done, and the men will lose control
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  Speaker 2: of their wives. And this day the ladies of Persian
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  Speaker 2: and media, who have heard of the queen's conduct will
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  Speaker 2: speak in the same way to all the King's princes,
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  Speaker 2: and there will be plenty of contempt and anger. Can't
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  Speaker 2: you hear this? All men's gathering as they are, all, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: that's right, man. Now my wife's like that. Man, she
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  Speaker 2: hears about Vasti, she's going to go nuts. She's already
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  Speaker 2: a rebel, but he's going to get absolutely out of it.
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  Speaker 2: On and on and on and finally he's got the
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  Speaker 2: king all ready for his suggestion. If it pleases the King,
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  Speaker 2: let a royal edict be issued by him, and let
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  Speaker 2: it be written in the laws of the Meds and
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  Speaker 2: the Persians. Remember that's the law that's never changed, so
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  Speaker 2: that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti should come no
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  Speaker 2: more into the presence of King of Hazuevers. Now that
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  Speaker 2: was his right. He certainly had the right to say,
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  Speaker 2: that's it, Curtains, you've seen the last of me, Lady,
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  Speaker 2: you're gone. So directly, this edict had to do with
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  Speaker 2: his own own home and his own marriage. But he
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  Speaker 2: goes further. Let the King give her royal position to
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  Speaker 2: another who is more worthy than she enter esther. This
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  Speaker 2: is the wonder of God's sovereignty. He works in these
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  Speaker 2: remarkable ways, moving and pushing and changing minds until he brings,
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  Speaker 2: even let me say it, out of the most carnal
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  Speaker 2: and secular of settings, a decision that will set our course. Anew,
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  Speaker 2: We're going to see that all the way through this book,
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  Speaker 2: and I love it. Look at verse twenty. They go
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  Speaker 2: a little further in the edict than I think would
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  Speaker 2: be practically possible to require. When the King's edict, which
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  Speaker 2: he shall make is heard throughout all his kingdom great
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  Speaker 2: as it is, then all women will give honor to
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  Speaker 2: their husbands, great and small. I'm not sure about that.
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  Speaker 2: And this word pleased the king and the princes, and
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  Speaker 2: the King did as memu can propose. He sent letters
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  Speaker 2: to all the King's provinces, to each province according to
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  Speaker 2: its script, and to every people according to their language.
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  Speaker 2: Notice what it says. Every man shall be the master
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  Speaker 2: in his own house, and the one who speaks in
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  Speaker 2: the language of his own people, he'll be in charge,
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  Speaker 2: and he will speak for the family. God's heart is
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  Speaker 2: on his people, a remnant in Persia away from Zion.
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  Speaker 2: He must preserve them from extinction. That requires decisions from
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  Speaker 2: the top, and that requires one of his people to
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  Speaker 2: be there, namely Esther, who will someday be sitting beside
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  Speaker 2: a hasu wearess whom she doesn't even know.
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  Speaker 3: Today.
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  Speaker 2: God does not go by the human clock. Compared to
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  Speaker 2: the works of mankind, God is extremely deliberate and painfully slow.
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  Speaker 2: God's wheels grind slowly and exceedingly fine. Now Esther, chapter two,
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  Speaker 2: after these things. Now, when I read after these things,
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  Speaker 2: I thought, well, fourth year of his reign, how about
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  Speaker 2: the end of the third year of his reign? And
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  Speaker 2: I began to read through the chapter, and I didn't
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  Speaker 2: find any help until I came to verse sixteen of
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  Speaker 2: chapter two. For Esther, who wins the miss Persia contest.
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  Speaker 2: Esther is taken to King Ahasuaras to his royal palace
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  Speaker 2: in the tenth month, which is the month Tebbeth, in
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  Speaker 2: the seventh year of his reign. You're telling me four
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  Speaker 2: years have gone by between chapters one and two. So
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  Speaker 2: I thought, what happened during those four years? Learn a
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  Speaker 2: little history. A Hazuaris, also known as King Xerxes, reigned
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  Speaker 2: and you count backwards because it's BC from four eighty
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  Speaker 2: six to four sixty five BC four eighty six to
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  Speaker 2: four sixty five. History books tell us that this particular king,
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  Speaker 2: whom the books call Xerxes and I quote made an
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  Speaker 2: ambitious but disastrous attempt to conquer Greece. He returned defeated,
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  Speaker 2: and he opened the doors of the palace, and there
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  Speaker 2: was no lovely wife to greet him with arms outstretched,
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  Speaker 2: no comforting words of understanding. For the first time he
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  Speaker 2: has been defeated on the battlefield. There's nothing good on
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  Speaker 2: the stove in the kitchen, and he's lonely. After these things,
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  Speaker 2: the anger of the king had subsided. Of course, it's
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  Speaker 2: been three years. The reason I say that is these
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  Speaker 2: gals that ran for miss Persia had to have a
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  Speaker 2: full year before they came in to see the king.
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  Speaker 2: And so I'll get to that a little later on
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  Speaker 2: in the passage. You'll read about it when we get there.
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  Speaker 2: But took another year. So he's three years later and
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  Speaker 2: he's defeated and he's alone. He remembered Vashti, And if
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  Speaker 2: you're used to a wife, even though she may be
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  Speaker 2: a little strong willed at times, you need her when
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  Speaker 2: you come home defeated, you need her arms around you.
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  Speaker 2: You need the understanding of your partner. He doesn't find it.
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  Speaker 2: He remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what
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  Speaker 2: had been decreed against her. I think there is a
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  Speaker 2: surrounding sense of low level, kind of grade depression that
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  Speaker 2: comes in over him. The king's attendants who served him said,
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  Speaker 2: let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. Isn't
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  Speaker 2: it interesting, by the way, that the king had the
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  Speaker 2: power to have any woman in the kingdom snap of
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  Speaker 2: his finger, should be in his presence, right there in
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  Speaker 2: his bedchamber. But he doesn't want a woman for the night.
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  Speaker 2: He wants a wife. You see, he's not drunk any longer.
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  Speaker 2: He's thinking clearly now. Who wouldn't prefer a woman who
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  Speaker 2: will be there tomorrow and the next day in contrast
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  Speaker 2: to a quickie sex experience for the night with some
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  Speaker 2: unnamed female. So they say, let the king appoint overseas
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  Speaker 2: in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may
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  Speaker 2: gather every beautiful young virgin to Susa, the capital, to
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  Speaker 2: the harem. Look, he even had a harem. He didn't
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  Speaker 2: want one of them into the custody of Hagai, the
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  Speaker 2: king's eunuch, who was in charge of the women. And
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  Speaker 2: let their cosmetics be given them interesting, and then let
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  Speaker 2: the young lady who pleases the king be the queen
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  Speaker 2: in place of Vashti. We'll get another wife for you.
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  Speaker 2: This one will be beautiful. She will be the most
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  Speaker 2: beautiful woman in Persia. We'll go to all one hundred
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  Speaker 2: and twenty seven provinces and we'll find the best of
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  Speaker 2: the group. We'll even have her made even more attractive
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  Speaker 2: with cosmetics. Drop down if you will to verse twelve.
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  Speaker 2: When the turn of each young lady came to go
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  Speaker 2: into King Asuaris at the end of her twelve months,
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  Speaker 2: Look at that. There's that extra year I told you about.
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  Speaker 2: She would have twelve months under specific regulations for the women.
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  Speaker 2: How would they be spent? The days of her beautification
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  Speaker 2: of their beautification were completed as follows, six months with
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  Speaker 2: oil of ola, oil of mer, and six months with
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  Speaker 2: spices and cosmetics for women. Kyle C. F. Kyle of
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  Speaker 2: The Kyle and Daily Commentaries makes comment that these words
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  Speaker 2: are to rub, to polish, to adorn with all kinds
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  Speaker 2: of precious ointments. It's physical beauty that they're going for.
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  Speaker 2: And before you sneer at that, ladies, trust me, the
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  Speaker 2: men aren't sneering. Before you buy into the feminist movement
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  Speaker 2: of our day, where you can look like an unmade bed,
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  Speaker 2: and still you're to be adored and appreciated. Learn a
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  Speaker 2: lesson from scripture. Every once in a while. Scripture does
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  Speaker 2: say a word about physical beauty. It doesn't place the
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  Speaker 2: emphasis on it that you would hear in lustful magazines
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  Speaker 2: or from lustful men, but it does place an emphasis
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  Speaker 2: on your beauty the cosmetics mentioned here. Look at verse five.
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  Speaker 2: Suddenly he mentions a jew in Susa. Does that sound
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  Speaker 2: like an uneventful start. There's not a guy in the
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  Speaker 2: palace that knows Mordecai by name, but they're going to
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  Speaker 2: because God's hand is moving the heart of the king
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  Speaker 2: like channels of water. There was a jew in Susa,
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  Speaker 2: the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jayas,
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  Speaker 2: son of SHEEMII, son of Keisha Benjamine, who had been
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  Speaker 2: taken into exile. Now the who is a reference to
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  Speaker 2: Kish Mordecai wasn't taken into exile. Back in his genealogy,
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  Speaker 2: Kish was had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with
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  Speaker 2: a captives who have been exile. We've been over all
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  Speaker 2: that historical jazz, so there's no reason to repeat it.
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  Speaker 2: The point is he is unrelated to the Persian kingdom.
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  Speaker 2: He's a Jew living in exile. He hasn't gone back
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  Speaker 2: to Jerusalem. And on top of that, he's bringing up
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  Speaker 2: verse seven. Havasa myrtle is the original word like a
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  Speaker 2: myrtle tree, a myrtle bush, fragrance. Her Persian name is Esther,
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  Speaker 2: which means star like a star in the sky. His
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  Speaker 2: uncle's daughter. She had neither father nor mother. It's the
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  Speaker 2: first reference to Esther. But I'll tell you she emerges
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  Speaker 2: with incredible beauty and character that'll just make you take
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  Speaker 2: your hat off. She is one phenomenal lady. Next time
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  Speaker 2: we're going to look at the queenlike qualities of a
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  Speaker 2: lovely lady, all drawn from the life of Esther. In
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  Speaker 2: this early reference to her, it says in verse seven,
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  Speaker 2: the young lady was beautiful of form and features. The
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  Speaker 2: original said she was beautiful. She had a beautiful body,
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  Speaker 2: She had a beautiful face, she had beautiful features. When
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  Speaker 2: her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as
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  Speaker 2: his own daughter. Period. And that's where we got to stop.
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  Speaker 2: Orphan beautiful, And before long you're gonna hear there she
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  Speaker 2: goes miss Persia. She doesn't know that, right now she
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  Speaker 2: has no idea of the stuff we've uncovered. Yet her
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  Speaker 2: day began rather uneventfully. Before her years would end, she
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  Speaker 2: would be crowned in an incredible coronation as the Queen
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  Speaker 2: of Persia. Now, this is not a sermon about Persian history.
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  Speaker 2: This is a sermon about life. And I find woven
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  Speaker 2: through the tapestry of this wonderful story that we've begun
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  Speaker 2: to uncover three timeless lessons that are going to be
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  Speaker 2: true till we draw our last breath and in the
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  Speaker 2: next generation when we're gone. Number one has to do
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  Speaker 2: with God's plan, second has to do with God's purposes,
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  Speaker 2: and third has to do with God's people. Listen, God's
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  Speaker 2: plans are not hindered when the events are carnal or secular.
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  Speaker 2: God's plans are not hindered when the events that seem
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  Speaker 2: significant are carnal and secular. He is not limited to
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  Speaker 2: working in the Christian family. He is as much at
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  Speaker 2: work in the Oval office as he is in your
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  Speaker 2: pastor's study. He is as much at work in the
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  Speaker 2: heart of the president as he is in the Christian
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  Speaker 2: leaders in America. The day you doubt that is the
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  Speaker 2: day you limit his sovereignty, and you will stop reading
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  Speaker 2: the news, and you will become rather unhelpful in interpreting
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  Speaker 2: events of life. Christians stay in touch with the news.
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  Speaker 2: God is at work, he's moving, he's touching lives, he's
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  Speaker 2: shaping kingdoms. Just because they happen to be secutar or
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  Speaker 2: carnal doesn't mean he's not present. He may not be glorified,
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  Speaker 2: but he's present. He's at work. None of it makes
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  Speaker 2: him go He's never surprised. Second, God's purposes. God's purposes
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  Speaker 2: are not frustrated by moral or marital failures. Isn't that encouraging,
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  Speaker 2: especially if you have failed morally or maritally. I can't
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  Speaker 2: imagine the debauchery of the banquet hall. I can't imagine
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  Speaker 2: the vulgarity and obscenity of the jokes. I can't imagine
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  Speaker 2: the lust in the mind of King Hasuarus when he
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  Speaker 2: wanted to bring in his nude wife, if that indeed
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  Speaker 2: was his plan. But I'll tell you, in spite of
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  Speaker 2: the low morals and the breakdown in their marriage, God's
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  Speaker 2: purposes were not frustrated, and neither are they in your life.
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  Speaker 2: How do I know that? Because he is a God
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  Speaker 2: of grace. He is a god of great grace. Third,
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  Speaker 2: God's people, This is my favorite one. God's people are
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  Speaker 2: not excluded from high places because of handicap or hardship.
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  Speaker 2: Don't you even think about discounting anybody from being in
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  Speaker 2: a place of significance. I'm laughing because I saw sign
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  Speaker 2: the other day that said, don't you even think about
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  Speaker 2: parking here? Isn't that a good sign? Don't you even
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  Speaker 2: think that somebody is off the record. God's people are
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  Speaker 2: not excluded from high places because of handicap or hardship.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know if Mordecai knew where the next meal
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  Speaker 2: was coming from. I do know that Esther was orphaned,
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  Speaker 2: and I do know she was not nobility. She's not
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  Speaker 2: the last commoner that nobility placed hands on, nor is
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  Speaker 2: she the last one that God exalted from nothing. Classic illustration.
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  Speaker 2: A young couple that made a ninety mile journey south
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  Speaker 2: found no place to stay, and in the middle of
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  Speaker 2: the night caused the angels to declare, God is here.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph and Mary the vehicles for the birth of the Messiah,
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  Speaker 2: who did not come with royal blood from this earth's perspective,
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  Speaker 2: but he became the true King of kings and Lord
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  Speaker 2: of lords, maybe a bow together. I don't know where
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  Speaker 2: this message finds you, probably discounting the significance of these days,
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  Speaker 2: probably sighing rather than singing, no doubt, thinking what in
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  Speaker 2: the world good can come from all that I'm having
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  Speaker 2: to live with these kids. I can't handle the pressure
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  Speaker 2: of today. I can't see the purpose. You've heard enough
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  Speaker 2: today to know that God's hand is not short and
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  Speaker 2: it cannot save, Nor is his ear heavy that he
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  Speaker 2: cannot hear. You may be the one He's working on
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  Speaker 2: in this very place today. You may be the individual
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  Speaker 2: who needed to hear this the most. You may need
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  Speaker 2: to hear it on behalf of one of your kids,
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  Speaker 2: or on behalf of your mate or a close friend,
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  Speaker 2: or maybe you yourself. When you take that journey to
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  Speaker 2: the cross where Christ paid for your sins, do you
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  Speaker 2: find someplace in your past where you bowed the knee
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  Speaker 2: to him and claimed all Hail King Jesus, all Hail Immanuel.
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  Speaker 2: Have you given him your life, your heart, your future,
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  Speaker 2: your sinfulness for him to cleanse and make right? Hey,
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  Speaker 2: what are you waiting for? Now's the time you need
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  Speaker 2: to come today. Don't delay. Thank you Father, or the
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  Speaker 2: stories of your book. They pulsate with significance, and we
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  Speaker 2: realize how directly they are tied into our day. Forgive
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  Speaker 2: us for living in such an ultra Christian world with
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  Speaker 2: only Christian contacts, that we have failed to see the
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  Speaker 2: movement of a sovereign God in the vast scenes of
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  Speaker 2: state and empires in our world. Broaden our world with
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  Speaker 2: this story of Esther, And may we remain pure and
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  Speaker 2: committed to the things of God while we remain sensitive
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  Speaker 2: to your hand moving in carnal secular even drunken places.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Father for your work in our lives. Bring
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  Speaker 2: to yourself this day those desperately in need of hope
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  Speaker 2: and a reason to go on. I pray for jesus sake.
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  Speaker 1: Leaden, God is sovereignly at work even in the most ordinary,
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  Speaker 1: uneventful days of your life. That's the heart of Chuckswndall's
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  Speaker 1: message today on insight for living. And though you may
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  Speaker 1: feel like an unknown orphan with no particular destiny in sight,
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  Speaker 1: God's plans aren't hindered by your circumstances, and his purposes
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  Speaker 1: aren't frustrated by your past. He may be quietly preparing
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  Speaker 1: you right now for your own appointment with destiny. To
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  Speaker 1: that end, we invite you to take advantage of two
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  Speaker 1: very creative resources for your family. First, our Searching the
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  Speaker 1: Scripture's Bible Study Workbook for Esther is built for that
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  Speaker 1: kind of appointment. Chuck's teaching has laid the groundwork. Now
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  Speaker 1: this Bible Study workbook invites you to dig in for yourself,
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  Speaker 1: at your own pace, in your own words. It opens
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  Speaker 1: completely flat and there's generous space to record what the
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  Speaker 1: Lord is saying directly to you. To purchase your copy,
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  Speaker 1: call eight hundred seven seven to two eighty eight eighty
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  Speaker 1: eight or visit inside dot org slash offer. You know,
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  Speaker 1: every child needs a hero to look up to, and
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  Speaker 1: Esther is one of the most remarkable characters who ever lived.
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  Speaker 1: Esther demonstrated that real strength isn't about power or position,
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  Speaker 1: It's about character. An insight for living has brought Esther's
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  Speaker 1: story to life in a way that will capture your
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  Speaker 1: child's imagination and plant God's truth deep in their heart.
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  Speaker 2: It's part of our beloved Pause and Tales.
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  Speaker 1: Audio series, creative engaging storytelling that your kids will want
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  Speaker 1: to hear again and again. Here's just a sample of
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  Speaker 1: what your child and grandchild will enjoy.
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  Speaker 4: Aardia.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, my little Ardia, how are you?
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  Speaker 3: Are you sad? I believe I'm angry? Oh, come here,
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  Speaker 3: little one.
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  Speaker 2: What could there be to be sad about on a
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  Speaker 2: day like this?
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: I've asked God for something and he won't answer me.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: Oh, well, that is quite a thought. What did you
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: ask for?
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: I asked for the freckles to lave my nose. I
• 24:19
  Speaker 3: asked for my hair to be red, and I asked
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: to be fifteen.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: And how did you come up with a list like that?
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: I asked to be like you. Oh, I see you
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: have everything. You're beautiful. You're fifteen, not until tomorrow. Everyone
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: loves you. I ask God for just a little of
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: what you have. Oh, sweet little Alaradia. One day you
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: will be fifteen and you are already a beauty. Where
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: is God? Why does he not answer me when I
• 24:54
  Speaker 3: need him? Doesn't he care?
• 24:56
  Speaker 5: Oh? He is there and he does care.
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: Hair. When I was a little girl, before my mother.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: Died, she would sing a little song to me when
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: I was upset or afraid.
• 25:09
  Speaker 5: Starlight in the light, some light in the day. Love
• 25:18
  Speaker 5: from heaven touches you.
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: It's never far away.
• 25:24
  Speaker 5: On a mountain high or.
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: On the old shone blue.
• 25:32
  Speaker 5: God is always watching over for God is over everything.
• 25:42
  Speaker 5: He sees you in his light and pain.
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: Will always care for you, for you are hasty, loved, preciously,
• 25:55
  Speaker 4: little child with.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: A heart soul.
• 26:01
  Speaker 5: Good is always watching.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: The Bible comes alive through story and song in this
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: three episode collection that'll have you cheering for Esther and
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: discovering again God's great love for us. It's from Insight
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: for Living's renowned Pause and Tales audio series The Story
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: of Esther. You can purchase this two CD collection for
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: your child or grandchild, or perhaps a niece or nephew.
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: You can do that by calling us at eight hundred
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: seven seven to two eighty eight eighty eight, or go
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: to insight dot org slash offer. I'm Bill Meyer. Join
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: us when Chuckswyndau continues his study of Esther, a woman
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: of strength and dignity Tuesday on Insight for Living. The
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: preceding message There she Goes. Miss Persia was copyrighted in
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: nineteen eighty nine, nineteen ninety nineteen ninety seven, two thousand five,
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, and twenty twenty six, and the sound recording
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: was copyrighted in twenty twenty six by Charles R.
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: Swindall Incorporated.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: commercial use is strictly prohibited