Latest / Faith by annm2705 / 875. Bible Study: Esther 5 & 6 (Fasting, Preparation, Courage, Favor, Pride, God's Providence)

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875. Bible Study: Esther 5 & 6 (Fasting, Preparation, Courage, Favor, Pride, God's Providence) · Faith by annm2705

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Chapter 5 from the book of Esther.
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Dear Lord, please be with us as we read through this.
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Give us insight and wisdom through the Holy Spirit.
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We ask this in Jesus name, Amen. Esther's request to the King On
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the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the
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inner court of the palace in front of the King's hall.
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The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall facing
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the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther
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standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to
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her the gold scepter that was in his hand.
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So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
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Now there's a lot of things already in this first few
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sentences and things that stood out to me.
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One of the things that's a little bit unusual that stood
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up, not unusual, but something that caught my eye was the third
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day. And when you look up the third
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day, there's so many references in Scripture.
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It's very interesting. It in the NIV version, it occurs
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106 times in 47 versions. And I, you know, the way God's
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word is, is this a coincidence or is it God's provision, like
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his sovereignty over overall, that even though it seems like
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it might be a coincidence, maybe there's more to it than that.
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And if you want to just get a digital Bible and search third
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day, you can see what I'm talking about with 106 verses.
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I won't read all of those because they don't all relate,
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but the significance of the third day in the Bible typically
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signifies A crucial turning point, divine intervention or
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resurrection, marking the moment God brings forth new life,
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restoration, or fulfillment of promises after a period of
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waiting or testing. It is most prominently the day
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Jesus rose from the dead, fulfilling prophecy.
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So there's some examples of the third day which I will give that
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are scripturally related. So resurrection and victory.
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The primary meaning is the resurrection of Jesus Christ on
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the first Easter Sunday, making victory over sin and death,
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divine intervention and restoration.
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God frequently acts on the third day to save or restore.
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Now think about this in Esther's story, she's going to first of
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all, they she asked Mordecai and all the Jews to fast for three
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days. So she waited until pray and
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fast. And this is also something that
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just came to mind as I was reading this because so I'm
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going to jump on the thought that came to my mind was Jesus
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told his well, he sent out his disciples and they were doing
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these miracles and they were actually casting out demons.
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And one time they had, they had tried to, I think this might
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have been in the book of Acts, not with Jesus, but one time the
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disciples went out and they were casting out demons and they
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could not. Well, I think it was Jesus that
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said it. I have to find the verse that
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just came to mind. So sorry about this, but it is
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in the Bible. You'll be able to find it.
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But some versions don't add the fasting, which is really
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interesting in the NIV that doesn't say the prayer and
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fasting, but in other versions of the Bible it does.
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So the story is that the his followers went out and they were
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having success in casting out demons, but this one time they
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were unable to. And I believe they asked the
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Lord why were we not able to do this?
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And he said to them, these kind only come out through prayer and
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fasting. So there is something like very
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spiritual about prayer and fasting.
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And we look at the story of Esther and she asked Mordecai to
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pray and fast for three days and she would do the same.
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So she waited, she prayed and she fasted.
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So there's something spiritual about praying and fasting and
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connecting with God during that time.
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And so it's it's interesting that after she did this is when
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she approached the the king. And there's a lot that I have to
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say about that as well. But this is this is, you know,
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when I said God frequently acts on the third day to save or
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restore. Now we haven't gotten to the
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that part of it yet, but that's really what's going to happen.
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And as this account unfolds, but such as providing a substitute
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for Isaac. So when Abraham was going to
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sacrifice Isaac in accordance with what he had heard from God,
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God provided a ram that was caught in the bushes to
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substitute for Isaac. Then there was the restoration
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of Joseph's cupbearer from Genesis chapter 40 where the
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cupbearer was imprisoned, but Joseph had a dream and told the
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cupbearer he would be restored to his position.
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Creation and new life. On the third day of creation,
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God brought forth vegetation and dry land, symbolizing the start
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of life and order. Genesis 1 verses 9 through 13.
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So that's also how from the beginning to the very end, it
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points to Jesus. So when we have a new life in
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Christ, it's a, you know, it's another symbolic way on the
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third day of creation, God brought forth vegetation of dry
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land, symbolizing the start of life and order.
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The start of life and order is through Jesus ultimately OK,
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prophetic fulfillment. It is the timeline for God's
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redemptive work often tied to Hosea.
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Hosea 6 chapter 6, verse 2. After two days, he will revive
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us. On the third day He will raise
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us up. So a lot of people recently have
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been quoting that verse. There's a video that you can
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find on YouTube that's called, I think it's Messiah 2030.
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And they have tied together pieces of scripture that
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they're, you know, it's a theory, it's not proven, it's
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not a fact, but it's a theory that Christ will return in
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20-30, which is not too very far from here from today.
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And the, the reason or how they came to that conclusion was that
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a day is like 1000 years and 1000 years is like a day.
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So what they did is they looked at this verse with many others.
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So it's not just one verse that they're using, but there are a
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lot. If you want to see it, there's
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hours of videos about this. If you're doubting what they're
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saying. They do have scriptural backup
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for their theory. But again, you know, that's to
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the best of their understanding. And there could be things that
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were missed during that. But after two days, he will
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revive us. On the third day he will raise
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us up. So their theory is a day is like
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1000 years. So that's 2000 years.
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After 2000 years he will revive us on the third day.
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That's the next 1000 years. He will raise us up.
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So the theory is that we are in that third day period right now.
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This year is 2026. So after we got to the year 2000
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that 2001 we are we are in that third day that next 1000 years
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up to 3000 and you know from the time of well around
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approximately around the time of Jesus S death.
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So what is that timeline? You know, that's what they were
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in their theory was they were theorizing that this two day
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count, the 2000 year count started when Jesus died on the
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cross. And so they're estimating when
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that is because I think there's some like anywhere from 30 to 33
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or maybe even 27 to 33 because the calendars got messed up.
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So we I think it's actually from 2027 to 2033 that are that could
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fit into that theory of the two or three days sometime after.
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And again, it's not saying there's a certain date, but it's
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just saying there's going to be about 2000 years.
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And then sometime in that next 1000 years, Jesus will return.
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And so that's that's again, a theory preparation for
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encounter. It is a time of for consecration
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before meeting God as seen with the Israelites at Mount Sinai in
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Exodus 19 verses 10 through 11. So they took three days to
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prepare and God, this is when God gave them the 10
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commandments. So the significant, you know,
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God descended on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19 on that third day.
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And Jonah was another one where it was, he was in the fish's
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belly or the whale's belly for three days.
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And that was very symbolic of Jesus's being resurrected on the
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third day after he was in the tomb, you know, he died and then
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it was three days later that he resurrected.
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And that's the cornerstone of Christian faith.
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And you can see that in Matthew 16 verse 21 and Luke 24 verse
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46. So a lot of third day Again,
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that could just be a coincidence, but it's something
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that just popped up to me as I was reading this and knowing
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that there is significance elsewhere in the Bible that
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talks about third day and everything points to Jesus.
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So, you know, maybe it's a coincidence or maybe it's not.
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But the third day, you know, she went through the process of
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preparation and was consulting God.
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So God is with her. If they're praying and fasting
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the and so the king receives her like she she also.
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This is another thing that I thought about was for Esther.
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She knew that the king hadn't called for her in the last 30
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days. So she knew the risk.
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If she goes to approach the king and ask him for anything and
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he's not happy with her, that means death to her.
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That's how severe their laws were.
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And so she was risking her life by going in front of the king.
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But her cousin Mordecai told her, hey, if you don't do this,
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your, you and your family are going to die too.
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So and if you don't do it, somebody else will.
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Like, I believe that was Mordecai's faith and trust in
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God for provision. But Queen Esther, I see that she
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actually seems to have the fruit of the Spirit.
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So Lovejoy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
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faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, those are the
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fruits of the Spirit. Well, she's certainly operating
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in love. It's like self, self sacrificial
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love or servitude for others for their good.
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So she's acting in that way. I wouldn't say there's joy in it
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or but perhaps she has peace. She doesn't come into his
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presence like ranting or weeping or mourning or doing any of
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these things. It seems like she comes in with
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a very level head when she approaches the king.
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Forbearance is like a perseverance.
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So she didn't rush in to talk to the king, but she fasted for
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three days. So she took spiritual
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preparation before she went to the king.
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And she's doing this out of kindness, out of goodness,
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kindness for the Jewish people, goodness for, you know, this
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will be good if he receives her well and faithfulness, like
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she's trusting in what her cousin Mordecai said, that, you
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know, if you don't do this, somebody else will.
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You know, maybe she's putting her faith in God and letting him
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guide her. And she's approaching this in a
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very gentle way and with self-control.
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And you'll see that next because she doesn't rush into telling
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the king, even though he encourages her to.
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He says, you know, tell me what you want and we'll read that in
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a moment. But she has self restraint and
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those are all fruits of the spirit.
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And so I think that is another thing about the the Spirit of
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God in second Timothy one verse 7, it says for the Spirit God
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gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and
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self-discipline. So think about this.
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I mean, she's not timid. It takes a lot of courage to do
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what she's doing. She's obviously operating in the
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power of God and out of love for her people and self-discipline
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where she is has self restraint. She's like I said, she's not
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coming in here weeping or frantic or emotional or
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anything. She's very put together when she
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asked the king for this request that she's about to make.
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So and the other thing is about about love and about you know,
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your get having our priorities right In John chapter 12 verse
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25, it says anyone who loves their life will lose it, while
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anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for
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eternal life. Another way of saying this that
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if you are really worldly and focused on the world's value
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system and you try to preserve your life like you don't want to
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shake anything up in this world. What the Bible says is, you
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know, you will lose it if you're if you're in alliance with the
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world, you're going to lose. And I think it's more or less
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talking about your eternal life. And but you know, anyone who
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hates their life in this world, like you're rejecting the Satan
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is the ruler of the air. I mean, he has some sort of
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power over the earth right now and it's apparently ruled by him
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in many ways. So if you don't like that, if
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anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for
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eternal life, it's like, who are you going to support the ruler
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of the air right now over the world?
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Or are you going to rely on God? And it may cause us to need or
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cause us to be faced with the decision that is going to be
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challenging for us in the future.
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But our alliance has to be very clear when we go through that,
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when or if we go through that testing.
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And some may go through it and some may not go through it, but
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that's where our faith needs to be so strong that we are willing
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to go through it. Just like Esther was to go in
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front of that king for the good of the people, the good of the
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Jews, her her nation, to preserve their life.
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She had to take a risk like she did.
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So OK, verse 3 then the king asked, What is it Queen Esther,
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what is your request? Even up to half the Kingdom, it
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will be given to you. Like look at this favor that
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he's giving her if it pleases, the king replied.
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Esther, let the king together with Haman, come today to a
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banquet I have prepared for him. Bring Haman at once, the king
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said, so that we may do what Esther asks.
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So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared.
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As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, Now
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what is your petition? It will be given to you.
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And what is your request? Even up to half the Kingdom, it
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will be granted, Esther replied. My petition and my request is
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this. If the king regards me with
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favor, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and
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fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the
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banquet. I will prepare for them.
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Then I will answer the King's question.
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Now, I don't know what this delay is, why she didn't ask for
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it right then and there, but for some reason she delayed in doing
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this. We'll continue to read.
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Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits.
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But when he saw Mordecai, that's Esther's cousin, at the King's
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gate, and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in
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his presence, he was filled with Rage Against Mordecai.
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Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.
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But think about this. It says in Ephesians chapter 4
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verse 26 and 27, it says in your anger do not sin, do not let the
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sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil
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a foothold. So something about anger gives
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the devil a foothold. And you can see that Haman is
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filled with rage. So this is building up inside of
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him. And he went home.
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He didn't do anything at that moment.
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But boy, when he saw Mordecai at that gate, and Mordecai was not,
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you know, honoring him and bowing down to him, it just
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filled him with rage. And then he goes home.
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And then we'll see what happens next, too.
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So calling together his friends and Zoresh his wife, Haman
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boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all
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the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him
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above all the other nobles and officials.
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And that's not all, Haman added. I'm the only person Queen Esther
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invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave, and she
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has invited me along with the king tomorrow.
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But all of this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see
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that Jew, Mordecai sitting at the King's gate.
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So he's boasting. He's very prideful about
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everything that he has, and yet he still has this root of
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bitterness, of anger building up inside of him against Mordecai
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the Jew. It doesn't matter that he has
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all these things that he is claiming are so wonderful in his
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life. He still has that root of
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bitterness, that foothold of the devil inside of him that's
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inspiring him to do something with it.
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Proverbs 16 verse 18 says pride goes before destruction, a
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haughty spirit before a fall. We're going to see this play
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out. He's very prideful, he's got
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this proud spirit and it says that happens right before
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destruction, so watch what happens.
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His wife and all his friends said to him Have a pole set up
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reaching to a height of 50 cubits and asked the king in the
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morning to have Mordecai impaled on it.
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Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.
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The suggestion delighted Haman. And he had the pole set up.
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So look at this. I mean, like that creates a
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little bit of fear or anxiety. Like Esther's going to have this
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banquet where she tells the king what she wants, but Mordecai is
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going to get this this thing done before the banquet occurs.
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Like he's going to have Mordecai taken care of, taken out before
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Esther even gets to say anything.
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But we'll again, see God's Providence coming out.
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I'm going to continue in chapter 6.
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Listen to this. That night the king could not
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sleep, so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of
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his reign, to be brought in and read to him.
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It was found recorded there that Mordecai had posed Biktana and
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Teresh, 2 of the King's officers who guarded the doorway, who had
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conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
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Now, I think that night he could not sleep.
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I kind of think that might have been something that was
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spiritual with him because God can speak even to he.
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He speaks to people. And I think that sometimes when
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we awaken in the night and there's something that's
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disturbing us, it could be something that we need to pray
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about to God to turn it over. It could be the enemy coming to
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us with something. But God tends to reveal things.
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Now, it does not say he had a dream or anything.
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He was just restless, like something was troubling him.
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It could have been the Holy Spirit troubling him.
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But God, you know, sometimes these things happen at night and
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they could be from God or they could be from the enemy, but
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these things do happen to people in the night.
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And I want to read some examples of that.
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So the Bible states in in Job 33, verses 14 through 18 that
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God speaks through dreams and visions of the night to warn,
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direct or reveal truths. This form of divine
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communication is depicted throughout Scripture, including
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Joseph's dreams found in Genesis chapter 37, Pharaoh's dreams in
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Genesis chapter 41, and warnings to Joseph, Jesus's earthly
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father found in Matthew chapter 2 verse 13.
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The key Scriptures are in Numbers 12, verse 6.
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When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself
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to them in visions. I speak to them in dreams.
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In Job 33, verses 15 through 16, he speaks in dreams in visions
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of the night when the deep sleep falls on people as they lie in
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their beds. In Genesis 37, verses 5 through
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10, Joseph receives receives dreams regarding his future.
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In Genesis 41, God uses Joseph to interpret Pharaoh's dreams to
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warn of famine. First Kings chapter 3 verse 5
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God appears to Solomon in a dream to offer him wisdom.
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Daniel chapter 2 and seven, God reveals future kingdoms to
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Daniel through dreams in Matthew one verse 20 and chapter 2 verse
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13, an Angel appears to Joseph, the husband of Mary in dreams to
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give instructions so that they can avoid, you know, Jesus being
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killed because of his age. So these these scriptures
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indicate that God uses dreams as one of the many ways to
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communicate guidance, warnings or reveal hidden truths.
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Now, King Xerxes did not have a dream, but there was some reason
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he couldn't. He couldn't go to sleep.
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In fact, I also think about the time when Moses had no, not
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Moses when Abraham had told the the Pharaoh or the king that
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Sarah was his sister and the king took her and was going to
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sleep with her. But then God came to him in a
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dream and warned him also and told him like all the
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consequences if he moved forward with this.
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So there, I mean, some of these examples were only just a few,
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but there were there are many times where God will shake
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somebody up. You know, Nebuchadnezzar was
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warned and told what his future would be through Daniel.
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So there's there's a lot of times where sleep disturbances
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can be warnings can cause unrest.
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There's sometimes a purpose in it.
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And I think the most appropriate thing to do it with sleep
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disturbances is to pray when that happens because God may be
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wanting to speak at that moment. So that night the king couldn't
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sleep. I do think that's divine
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intervention and how God is, is Provident.
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Where now he says, OK, we'll bring in the story of my reign
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and just read it to me so I can fall back asleep.
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And so as he's doing it, he hears about Mordecai.
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And then he says in verse 3, what honor and recognition has
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Mordecai received for this? The king asked.
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Nothing has been done for him. His attendance answered.
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The king said, Who is in the court now?
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Haman, look at that. Just another weird coincidence,
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right? But I don't think so.
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It's probably Providence from God he's making all this happen,
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the king said. Who is in the court now?
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Haman had just entered the court of the palace to speak to the
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king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.
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Isn't that, you know, a turn of events?
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Like Haman's there to make the opposite request of Esther, and
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he arrived there early. Do you think maybe the enemy
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knew what Esther was going to do?
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And maybe the enemy was inspiring these other people who
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are not godly focused to encourage Haman to do this in
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the morning, hurry up, do this in the morning, get this done,
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and then enjoy the banquet. I mean, that's just how you
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know, there there are spiritual observation of people and
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there's an enemy that's, you know, working towards these
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things. But we can see right here how
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God is Provident over all of them.
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So the enemy is seeking to destroy, but that's not God's
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will and so he's going to make something else happen.
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Verse 5, his attendants answered, Haman is standing in
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the court, bring him in, the king ordered.
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When Haman entered, the king asked him what should be done
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for the man the king delights to honor.
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Now Haman thought to himself, who is there that the king would
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rather honor than me? I mean, remember, he was so
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prideful. He was boasting to his family
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and his friends, saying about how much he's been given.
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And he's, you know, he's so important because he's the only
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one that Queen Esther invited with the king.
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And so his head is full of all of this pride.
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And just like Scripture says, pride comes before destruction,
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or pride comes before the fall. So he answered the king for so
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he's thinking about himself. He's thinking, oh, the king
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wants to honor me because I'm the greatest.
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So he answered the king for the man the king delights to honor.
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Have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse for
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the the king has ridden, one with a royal Crest placed on its
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head. Then let the robe and the horse
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be entrusted to one of the King's most noble Princess.
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Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him
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on the horse throughout the city streets, proclaiming before him
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This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor.
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Go at once, the king commanded Haman.
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Get the robe and the horse, and do just as you have suggested
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for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King's gate.
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Do not neglect anything you have recommended.
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So think about that. Like Heyman's in there thinking
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this is all going to be about me.
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He's going to put me up on a horse and I'm going to ride
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around the city and everybody's going to look at me like I'm so
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great. And then the king, you know,
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quickly shuts. I mean, he doesn't even know
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what Heyman's going to say. But before Heyman can say
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anything, he's like, go do this for Mordecai the Jew.
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Can you imagine what is like just burning up inside of Heyman
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right now? So verse 11.
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So Haman got the robe and the horse.
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He robed Mordecai and led him on horseback throughout the city
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streets, proclaiming before him, This is what is done for the man
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the king delights to honor. Afterward, Mordecai returned to
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the King's gate, but Haman rushed home with his head
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covered in grief and told Suresh, his wife, and all his
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friends. Everything that happened to him.
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His advisers and his wife said to him, Since Mordecai, before
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whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot
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stand against him. You will surely come to ruin.
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While they were still talking with him, the King's eunuchs
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arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had
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prepared. And that's how Chapter 6 ends.
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So it sounds like his advisors and his wife, they knew the
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reputation of the Jews and they knew that God was with them.
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So it seems like they had an awareness of God.
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And they're like, hey, you know, all of your downfalls started
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with this Jewish guy, Mordecai. And if you go against him,
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you're going to surely come to ruin.
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So there's some sort of an awareness of of some
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providential being. They may not know God, but they
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know that something is causing this to happen because it was
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complete reversal of what was planned.
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And that's what God can take what the enemy plans and turn it
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to good. That's what he did with Joseph.
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We talked about that probably in the last chapter.
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So I will read the questions and answers from the study guide on
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chapter 5 and 6 since we covered both of those, and then wrap
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this up. So was the king literally
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promising half his Kingdom to Esther?
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Probably not. Xerxes oath to Esther appears to
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have been a stock phrase intended by or used by ancient
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monarchs to express favor, and was probably not to be taken
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literally. Xerxes knew Esther would not
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dare approach him unless she had a very important reason.
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Esther has succeeded in arousing both his admiration and his
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curiosity. Why would a queen do the
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cooking? When Esther said she had
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prepared a banquet, she was speaking as the host, not as the
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literal cook. As Queen Esther's servants would
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have attended to her wishes. She probably had a team of
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cooks, chefs, and bakers who prepared a meal fit for a king
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like Xerxes. Why did Esther wait for the
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second banquet to make her request?
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It may have been a strategic decision by Esther.
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Perhaps she was hoping the king would grant this major request
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if he was sufficiently pleased with her.
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Or Esther may have simply and understandably lost her courage
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the first time. Or perhaps Esther was led by God
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to postpone her request, thus setting up the timing of Xerxes
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discovery of Mordecai's valor. And when he had that, we
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couldn't sleep at night and then he had to find out about
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Mordecai. Or, you know, maybe Esther did
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hesitate and then God was like, OK, that's not my will.
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You're supposed to do this. So I'm going to have to take
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over here and make him not sleep so that my will be done.
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We don't know. But there's those are all like
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good suggestions of what it could have been.
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So why did Haman build such a high pole?
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It's height indicates Haman's intense hatred for Mordecai and
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Haman's desire to make Mordecai's death a warning to
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all. Perhaps the pole was on top of a
34:19
wall or a house, making it a total of 75 feet high.
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Since a free standing 75 foot pole would have been difficult
34:28
to construct in one night, this implement this, yeah, implement
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of death would have been in keeping with Persian custom.
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Hebrew law also identified this form of death as an indication
34:41
of God's curse, making the death of Haman and his sons that are
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coming in the later chapters all the more significant.
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Why had Mordecai gone unrewarded for saving the King's life?
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It's unknown. Those who helped a king in
34:58
extraordinary ways were considered benefactors with
35:02
almost a legal right to a reward, though it was often not
35:08
granted immediately. Some, like Haman, undoubtedly
35:12
would have made claim to their reward.
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Others, like Mordecai, were not so self promoting.
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What was so special about wearing a hand me down from the
35:24
king? A King's garment had great
35:26
significance in the ancient world.
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It was an outward physical representation of his power and
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glory to where something belonging to another signified
35:36
sharing a part of that person's stature and honor.
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Haman's suggestion flattered the king, and since Haman
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incorrectly assumed the honor was meant for himself, was
35:48
intended as a means to gain greater recognition and
35:51
authority for himself. Why did he cover his head?
35:55
To show his grief? Covering 1's head was a typical
35:59
expression of sorrow in ancient times, and you can find that in
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Second Samuel 15 and Jeremiah 14.
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Possibly to hide one's tears or show a desire to mourn in
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private. Haman grieved for two reasons.
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Number 1, he could not. He could not dare now to the
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favoured Mordecai. He had been publicly
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humiliating, humiliated before his enemy.
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And then one more. The last question why did
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Haman's advisers think Mordecai's Jewish origin ensured
36:36
Haman's rune? What had seemed like ideal
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circumstances for Haman's revenge had now been
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miraculously altered. The significance of this
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disastrous turn of events was not lost on Haman's advisors.
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They probably knew the ancient history of Israel, how the Jews
36:55
had been protected during the exile, and the hostility between
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the Jews and the Amalekites. Given what they knew of previous
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events, they probably recognized Mordecai's rescue to be the
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beginning of Haman's judgment. So that ends Chapter 6, and the
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next time we will start with Chapter 7.
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