Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Pastor Chuck Swindoll | Insight for Living – Strength and Dignity on Parade, Part 2

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Pastor Chuck Swindoll | Insight for Living – Strength and Dignity on Parade, Part 2 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: The first of the queenlike qualities I want to emphasize
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  Speaker 1: is what I find in Esther, a grace, filled charm
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  Speaker 1: and elegance. Here was a woman of great grace. Though
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  Speaker 1: she came to the Harem somewhat reluctantly, she did not
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  Speaker 1: come with a sour attitude. I'm convinced she sensed God's
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  Speaker 1: hand in it.
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  Speaker 2: As a woman of strength and dignity, Esther has become
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  Speaker 2: a model for the ages, and rightfully so. She not
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  Speaker 2: only demonstrated integrity, but her courage would alter history forever. Today,
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  Speaker 2: on Insight for a Living, Chucks Wendau continues his study
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  Speaker 2: of her life story. Chuck set the scene yesterday. Esther
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  Speaker 2: is in her late teens, perhaps her early time twenties
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  Speaker 2: when we find her in the powder room of the Palace.
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  Speaker 2: She's there with other contestants who are putting on their
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  Speaker 2: makeup for the Miss Persia pageant. With this imagery in mind,
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  Speaker 2: let's pick up in Esther chapter two.
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  Speaker 1: The Bible is replete with examples of the significance and
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  Speaker 1: the strength the power God has given the woman. Look
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  Speaker 1: at Proverbs eleven sixteen. A gracious woman attains honor, violent
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  Speaker 1: men attain riches. Isn't that interesting? There is something about
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  Speaker 1: the grace and, as I shall say later, the charm
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  Speaker 1: of a woman that brings her a place of honor
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  Speaker 1: that we men would love to have but cannot attain.
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  Speaker 1: Look at twelve four An excellent is the crown of
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  Speaker 1: her husband. She is the final jewel. She is the
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  Speaker 1: uppermost crown. She gives him a place of significance personally
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  Speaker 1: and publicly. Look at eighteen twenty two. He who finds
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  Speaker 1: a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from
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  Speaker 1: the Lord. And nineteen fourteen, same book, next chapter. House
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  Speaker 1: and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent
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  Speaker 1: wife is from the Lord. You have a wife who
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  Speaker 1: leads the family with good, reasonable sense, that is in
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  Speaker 1: her realm of leadership. You have one who gives you
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  Speaker 1: prudent counsel. You have been given that person from the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: I wonder what when the last time was you told
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  Speaker 1: her that that she comes to you as his gift.
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  Speaker 1: Best of all pieces of literature on the woman is
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  Speaker 1: chapter thirty one Proverbs. It's the classic section, in my opinion,
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  Speaker 1: of anything I have ever read or upholding the dignity
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  Speaker 1: and honor of the woman thirty one to ten, an
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  Speaker 1: excellent wife. The old version reads a virtuous woman who
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  Speaker 1: can find her worth is far above jewels. And then
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  Speaker 1: he begins, after that opening to describe the worth of
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  Speaker 1: the woman. She has a husband who trusts in her. Why,
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  Speaker 1: of course he will have no lack of gain. She
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  Speaker 1: does him good and not evil all the days of
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  Speaker 1: her life. And then it describes her diligence as she
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  Speaker 1: carries out her responsibility. She verse twenty one, she's not
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  Speaker 1: afraid of the snow for her household. She's prepared for it. Five.
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  Speaker 1: My wife's favorite verse, Strength and dignity are her clothing,
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  Speaker 1: and she smiles at the future. There is a strength
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  Speaker 1: of character, and there is a sense of dignity about
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  Speaker 1: the godly woman that cannot be found even among godly men.
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  Speaker 1: We're looking into the life of an Old Testament woman
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  Speaker 1: named Esther. As we study this wonderful biography, I'd like
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  Speaker 1: to have you turn back to the second chapter. The
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  Speaker 1: land is Persia. The place is Sousa, or as it's
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  Speaker 1: otherwise called Shushan, the capital of Persia. The king is
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  Speaker 1: a haguaras otherwise known as Xerxes. His wife Vashti has
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  Speaker 1: been demoted from the throne for reasons we'll not get
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  Speaker 1: back into, but we cover that last time. She is
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  Speaker 1: a forgotten soul, never to be mentioned again. He comes
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  Speaker 1: back from war, and he's lonely and in need of
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  Speaker 1: the affection and care and enjoy and pleasure of a wife.
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  Speaker 1: His counselors say, here is a unique way to do it.
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  Speaker 1: Let's find every possible available beautiful young woman in the kingdom,
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  Speaker 1: in all the provinces, and let's bring her here and
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  Speaker 1: let you take your choice, and she will become the queen.
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  Speaker 1: Notice in reading chapter two of Esther verse three, the
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  Speaker 1: development of the story. Let the king appoint overseers in
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  Speaker 1: all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather
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  Speaker 1: every beautiful young virgin to Susa, the capital, to the Harem,
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  Speaker 1: into the custody of Hegei, the King's eunuch, who was
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  Speaker 1: in charge of the women, and let their cosmetics be
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  Speaker 1: given them. Its plain and simple, a beauty contest, and
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  Speaker 1: the women come from all the provinces. The plan was
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  Speaker 1: that the finalist would be given an opportunity literally to
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  Speaker 1: have an audience with the king. They would spend a
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  Speaker 1: night with the king. They would bring with them all
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  Speaker 1: their elegance and charm, and seduction and beauty that they
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  Speaker 1: could possibly muster in a year's time, and he would
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  Speaker 1: make his choice once he has been with these women.
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  Speaker 1: Out of the midst of all of this, Esther comes
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  Speaker 1: on the scene. Now, you might think, as you hear
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  Speaker 1: the story, with the basis being perhaps the Rose Bowl
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  Speaker 1: queen we're familiar with, or Miss America or missus America,
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  Speaker 1: you might think women from all over the Kingdom clamored
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  Speaker 1: for an opportunity to be apart. I rather suspect they did,
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  Speaker 1: except for one. Look at verse five. There was a
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  Speaker 1: Jew in Susa, the capital, whose name was Mordecai verse seven,
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  Speaker 1: and he was bringing up Hadassah. That's a Jewish word
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  Speaker 1: that means myrtle, as in the plant. That is Esther,
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  Speaker 1: that's a Persian name meaning star, as in the star
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  Speaker 1: of the heavens. She was going that name later in
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  Speaker 1: her adult life. He was bringing up Esther, his uncle's daughter,
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  Speaker 1: for she had neither father nor mother. Now, the young
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  Speaker 1: lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her
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  Speaker 1: father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his
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  Speaker 1: own daughter. What you don't read, but you have to
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  Speaker 1: see between the lines, is that she is in the minority.
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  Speaker 1: She is living as a captive in a foreign land.
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  Speaker 1: Her home is Jerusalem, that is her people's home, the
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  Speaker 1: land of Palestine. And because of the turning and twisting
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  Speaker 1: of historical events, her people have been brought in exile
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  Speaker 1: to Persia. So she's living a life rather obscurely in
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  Speaker 1: the home of Mordecai. I'm sure it was a sheltered home,
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  Speaker 1: a monotheistic home, a home of great care and concern
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  Speaker 1: for character and for deep beauty. On top of all this,
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  Speaker 1: she had a physical beauty that attracted people to her.
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  Speaker 1: Verse eight. It came about when the command and decree
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  Speaker 1: of the king were heard, and many young ladies were
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  Speaker 1: gathered to Susa, the capital, into the custody of HEGEI.
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  Speaker 1: Now read carefully that Esther was taken to the king's
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  Speaker 1: palace into the custody of Hegui, who was in charge
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  Speaker 1: of the women. I don't know if there was coercion.
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  Speaker 1: We're not told that she was forced to go, but
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  Speaker 1: I think it would be fair to say there was reluctance.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, just stop and think, why would a young
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  Speaker 1: Jewish woman want to get involved in a plan that
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  Speaker 1: would involve time with a heathen king and the possibility
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  Speaker 1: of intermarriage outside her race. Why would Mordecai ever give
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  Speaker 1: his permission for such? Now, I think it's safe to
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  Speaker 1: say she went reluctantly. And by the way, isn't it
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  Speaker 1: refreshing to find a little reluctance in a beautiful woman?
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  Speaker 1: Isn't it a delight to come across a young woman
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  Speaker 1: who has been beautiful, especially so in her growing up years,
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  Speaker 1: so that when she comes to full bloom we say
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  Speaker 1: in her young adult years that she's still surprised that
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  Speaker 1: you find her attractive. Isn't it delightful to observe true beauty,
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  Speaker 1: which carries with it a modesty and a reluctance to
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  Speaker 1: compete for honors physically? I see that in esther, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm impressed by it. I mean, it doesn't take much
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  Speaker 1: imagination to realize that there was a competitive spirit in
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  Speaker 1: the harem. I mean, harems are not places where great
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  Speaker 1: character is cultivated. Can you imagine the scene of dozens
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  Speaker 1: of finalists as they make their way to this harem
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  Speaker 1: to have their place in the sun? I mean, can
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  Speaker 1: you imagine how tough it would be to maintain your
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  Speaker 1: spiritual equilibrium when everything in the scene around you is
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  Speaker 1: emphasizing the physical beauty of your body and that of
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  Speaker 1: all the other women in the harem. Before I read
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  Speaker 1: James Hastings colorful comments about that very subject, let me
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  Speaker 1: read from the scriptures. I want you to see Esther
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  Speaker 1: in true beauty. You'll love her all the more. Verse nine,
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  Speaker 1: The young lady pleased him. That is hag guy the
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  Speaker 1: one in whose custody she was placed. The young lady
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  Speaker 1: pleased Haguye and found favor with him, so he watched closely,
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  Speaker 1: quickly watch the verbs. He quickly provided her with her
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  Speaker 1: cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice maids from the
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  Speaker 1: King's palates, transferred her and her maids to the best
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  Speaker 1: place in the harem. I'll tell you you've heard the
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  Speaker 1: old song. Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. Believe me, whatever
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  Speaker 1: Esther wanted, Esther could get because she not only won
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  Speaker 1: the favor of those who found her discovered her, she
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  Speaker 1: has now won the favor of Hegei, who is the
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  Speaker 1: key to getting into the King's palates. And he says,
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  Speaker 1: whatever you want you can have. Think of that, but
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  Speaker 1: none of it goes to her head. James Hastings, an
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  Speaker 1: old writer who does a great work on this biography,
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  Speaker 1: writes these things. The beauty of Esther's character is this,
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  Speaker 1: she was not spoiled by her great elevation. A weaker
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  Speaker 1: person would have been dizzy with selfish elation. The orphan girl,
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  Speaker 1: who had grown up into beauty under the care of Mordecai,
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  Speaker 1: was suddenly lifted from sheltered obscurity into the fierce light
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  Speaker 1: that beats upon a throne. The splendor of her career
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  Speaker 1: is seen in this very fact that she does not
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  Speaker 1: succumb to the luxury of her surroundings. The royal harem
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  Speaker 1: among the lily beds of Shushan is like a palace
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  Speaker 1: in the land of the lotus eaters, for it is
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  Speaker 1: always afternoon, and its inmates, in their dreamy indolence, are
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  Speaker 1: tempted to forget all obligations and interest in securing every
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  Speaker 1: comfort wealth can lavish upon them. Of course, Hastings call
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  Speaker 1: this scene of the harem a hothouse of narcotics. I
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  Speaker 1: mean this is the place to get high on seduction,
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  Speaker 1: cultivating the ability to put your charm to use to
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  Speaker 1: get what you want, namely the highest office a woman
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  Speaker 1: could hold in the kingdom. Turn it on. And here's
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  Speaker 1: how available to this woman was all the jewelry, all
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  Speaker 1: the perfume, all the cosmetics, all the clothing that would
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  Speaker 1: be needed to make her physically attractive to the lonely king.
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  Speaker 1: Now what we are about to read in the verses
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  Speaker 1: that follow nine through seventeen are what I want to
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  Speaker 1: suggest are six queenlike character traits not limited to esther,
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  Speaker 1: but available even in our generation. I want to say
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  Speaker 1: something rather candidly that I hadn't planned to say, but
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  Speaker 1: I think it perhaps will add emphasis to these qualities.
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  Speaker 1: These are the kind of things dads that are to
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  Speaker 1: be passed on to daughters, and it is never too late.
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  Speaker 1: Last evening, I realized at the end of my study
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  Speaker 1: that I hadn't talked to one of our daughters about
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  Speaker 1: this particular subject, and so Colleen and I planned supper together,
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  Speaker 1: and while we were eating, I had typed up the
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  Speaker 1: list that I'm going to share with you today, and
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  Speaker 1: I slid it across the table at the little restaurant
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  Speaker 1: where we were, and I said, Honey, I want you
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  Speaker 1: to read these things. And in the note I suggested
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  Speaker 1: that she spend the next two weeks committing them to memory.
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  Speaker 1: Here was a beautiful twenty two year old woman who
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  Speaker 1: has available to her what any other young woman in
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  Speaker 1: southern California has available to her. In my daughter's case,
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  Speaker 1: she also happens to have a father, as I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: in your daughter's case, who wants only the best for her.
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  Speaker 1: Unless she becomes street wise in knowing how to use
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  Speaker 1: her body to get what she wants. I much prefer
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  Speaker 1: that she use these character qualities to get what God
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  Speaker 1: wants for her without trying to sound over pious. You
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  Speaker 1: know me better than that. I hope we embraced, and
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  Speaker 1: with some tears, we said goodbye, and I left her
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  Speaker 1: with this little envelope. I want her to read. It's
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  Speaker 1: with the same sense of care that I share these
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  Speaker 1: things with you today, because I personally believe they are
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  Speaker 1: as as needed as ever, perhaps more so in our
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  Speaker 1: seductive environment in the latter part of the twentieth century.
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  Speaker 1: So if I may have the lady's attention for a while,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm sure when I say that, there isn't a
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  Speaker 1: man that won't be listening in I'd like to say
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  Speaker 1: some things for you, and having said what I've said
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  Speaker 1: regarding my position on your worth and your significance, I
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  Speaker 1: hope you are free of any defensiveness because I have
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  Speaker 1: only your good at heart. I'd love to know that
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  Speaker 1: out of this message come numerous godly lives on the
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  Speaker 1: part of our women, and it is never too late
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  Speaker 1: to do what is right, no matter what your background
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  Speaker 1: may be. Let me give them to you in a
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  Speaker 1: fashion simply that will seem rather pedantic, but it'll help
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  Speaker 1: get the point across. You may want to make notes
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  Speaker 1: of them. Number one A grace filled charm and elegance
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  Speaker 1: verse nine. The first of the queenlike qualities I want
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  Speaker 1: to emphasize is what I find in esther, a grace
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  Speaker 1: filled charm and elegance. Will you observe again? Verse nine
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  Speaker 1: The young lady pleased him and found favor with him.
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  Speaker 1: The original says, get this, she lifted up grace before
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  Speaker 1: his face, beautiful expression. Here was a woman of great grace.
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  Speaker 1: Though she came to the harem somewhat reluctantly, she did
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  Speaker 1: not come with a sour attitude. I'm convinced she sensed
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  Speaker 1: God's hand in it. Why else would she have been there?
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  Speaker 1: God has a right to bend whatever rules and to
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  Speaker 1: shape whatever size he wishes history to fall into. And
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  Speaker 1: she found herself unable to say no. She was commanded
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  Speaker 1: to go, And so she came and lifted up grace
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  Speaker 1: before the face of HEYGII. So gracious was she that
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  Speaker 1: he noticed again verse nine, quickly provided her with all
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  Speaker 1: that she needed. And then some talk about being pampered
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  Speaker 1: and indulged. There was every emphasis you could imagine on
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  Speaker 1: the cultivating, the alluring, on the sensual techniques of love making,
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  Speaker 1: of winning the heart of a lonely king. How charming
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  Speaker 1: this woman was she lifted up grace before the face
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  Speaker 1: of this man. Second, will you note an unusual restraint
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  Speaker 1: and control? Another queenlike quality of this woman, an unusual
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  Speaker 1: restraint and control. Verse ten esther did not make known
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  Speaker 1: her people or her kindred. In other words, she told
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  Speaker 1: no one she was Jewish. Why because Mordecai had instructed
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  Speaker 1: her that she should not make them known. None of
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  Speaker 1: the heady Himalayan heights of the Harem caused her to
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  Speaker 1: break her covenant with Mordecai. Ladies, let me say that
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  Speaker 1: God has given you an air of mystery. He's not
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  Speaker 1: given men the same. We are a pretty predictable bunch women.
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  Speaker 1: How often I have heard your husband say, I just
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  Speaker 1: don't know how to figure her out. I just don't understand.
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  Speaker 1: For example, the woman will say, what I need is
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  Speaker 1: a good cry, my friend. In all of my life,
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  Speaker 1: I have never known a good try. My wife knows them,
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  Speaker 1: Your wife knows them, your daughter knows them. How after
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  Speaker 1: a cry one feels better? I am still trying to
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  Speaker 1: figure out. Here's my whole point. There is an air
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  Speaker 1: of mystery about you and unpredictability that we find in triggering.
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  Speaker 1: Your ability to restrain yourself only heightens the mystery, especially
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  Speaker 1: as it relates to verbal restraint. It is interesting that
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  Speaker 1: Esther knew more than she told. Esther kept secret many
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  Speaker 1: things she never shared. Ladies, you're not alone in this,
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  Speaker 1: but you know if it is your weakness verbal restraint
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  Speaker 1: and easily become a forgotten virtue. In other words, don't
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  Speaker 1: talk so much, and you will discover that there will
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  Speaker 1: be about you an unusual restraint and control that will
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  Speaker 1: work in your favor, not against you. Learn to keep secrets,
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  Speaker 1: Learn to keep confidences, especially the secrets of your husband,
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  Speaker 1: and if you are not married, the secrets of your friends.
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  Speaker 1: I suppose I don't appreciate anything more in a woman
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  Speaker 1: than I do the ability to keep a secret, keep
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  Speaker 1: the confidences that are placed on you an unusual restraint
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  Speaker 1: and control. It's a queenlike character number three, a continual
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  Speaker 1: teachable spirit Verse ten and verse twenty. Listen to the
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  Speaker 1: words at the end of verse ten, Mordecai had instructed
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  Speaker 1: her she should not make them known. Verse twenty esther
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  Speaker 1: had not yet made known her kindred or her people.
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  Speaker 1: She's now the queen by the time we get to
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  Speaker 1: verse twenty, even as Mordecai had commanded her, she is
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  Speaker 1: still teachable. Even becoming a finalist didn't cause her to
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  Speaker 1: flaunt her independence or becoming the queen. Isn't it lovely
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  Speaker 1: to come across great, dignified, well traveled, wise women who
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  Speaker 1: still listen and are still willing to learn from whomever.
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  Speaker 1: Some of you are wonderfully gifted teachers. You have the
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  Speaker 1: ability to stand before a group and to open the scripture.
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  Speaker 1: Are to open the subject of your field and hold
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  Speaker 1: an audience in rapt attention. Others of you have distinguished
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  Speaker 1: yourself in public service. You have served some prestigious roles
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  Speaker 1: and offices in the community. A few of you are
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  Speaker 1: well traveled, and you have sat in exclusive circles, and
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  Speaker 1: you could drop the names of powerful men and women
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  Speaker 1: who know you personally. Me I ask, has that changed
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  Speaker 1: your teachability? Do you now see yourself as the consummate authority?
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  Speaker 1: Or has it simply made you aware of how vast
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  Speaker 1: your ignorance really is? I hope the latter. Someone has
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  Speaker 1: said education is going from an unconscious to conscious awareness
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  Speaker 1: of one's ignorance. I think that's true. You have no
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  Speaker 1: corner on wisdom. All the name dropping in the world
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  Speaker 1: world does not heighten the significance of your character. If anything,
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  Speaker 1: it reduces it. Your need, now more than ever acute
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  Speaker 1: need is to learn and to be teachable, learning from
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  Speaker 1: your children, learning from friends, learning even from your enemies.
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  Speaker 1: How beautiful it is to find a teachable spirit in
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  Speaker 1: a significant woman. Number four, an unselfish modesty and authenticity.
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  Speaker 1: This woman cannot be more than twenty twenty five years old.
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  Speaker 1: This is the chance of a lifetime for her to
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  Speaker 1: have whatever she wishes, and she just simply stands on
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  Speaker 1: her own character and the advice of the man who
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  Speaker 1: knew what seemed to be best. There's a real unselfish modesty,
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  Speaker 1: a withdrawal from extravagance and authenticity.
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  Speaker 2: In a palace overflowing with extravagance. Esther stood apart not
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  Speaker 2: by demanding attention, but by quietly being herself. No grasping,
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  Speaker 2: no posturing, no leveraging her moment for personal gain, just
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  Speaker 2: genuine character, gracefully expressed. Today on Insight for Loving Chuckswundall
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  Speaker 2: has reminded us that authentic dignity is far more compelling
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  Speaker 2: than calculated ambition, and in today's world that rewards self promotion.
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  Speaker 2: That's a countercultural truth worth holding on to and passing along.
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: Did you know that Chuck wrote a full length biography
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  Speaker 2: of Esther. It's twelve chapters long and follows the Biblical
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: account in vivid detail. Here's something that stops most readers cold.
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  Speaker 2: God doesn't appear in the Book of Esther, not once,
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  Speaker 2: yet his fingerprints are on every page age. Chuck calls
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: it one of the most breathtaking demonstrations of divine providence
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  Speaker 2: in all of Scripture. God didn't speak from a burning
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  Speaker 2: bush in Esther's story. He worked through a king's sleepless night,
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  Speaker 2: a beauty contest and overlooked act of loyalty, and one
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  Speaker 2: woman's willingness to risk everything. If you've ever felt like
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: God was silent in your own story, Esther's Life will
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  Speaker 2: change how you see that silence forever. To purchase a
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: copy of Chuck's book on Esther, call us at eight
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: hundred seven seven to two eighty eight eighty eight, or
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: go to insight dot org slash offer. Inside for Living
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: is supported in part by monthly automated gifts from our
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: monthly companions. If you're one of those, we couldn't provide
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: Chuck's teaching without you, And if you'd like to take
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: that step today and join this family of loyal supporters,
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: we'll say thank you for your first gift by providing
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: chapter five from Chuck's book on Esther. Chapter five is
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: titled Think, Thinking and Saying What's Right Regardless, and it
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  Speaker 2: features one of the most dramatic encounters in Esther's life story.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: Becoming a monthly.
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: Companion is simple, and the compounding effect on your monthly
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: gifts is dramatic. To become a monthly companion right now,
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: call us at eight hundred seven seven to two eighty
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: eight eighty eight, or go to Insight dot org slash
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: monthly companion. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us when Chucks Windau
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: continues this fascinating study on the life of Esther Thursday
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: on Insight for Living. The preceding message Strength and Dignity
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: on Parade was copyrighted in nineteen eighty nine, nineteen ninety
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: nineteen ninety seven, two thousand and five, two thousand and eight,
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: twenty eighteen, and twenty twenty six, and the sound recording
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: was copyrighted in twenty twenty six by Charles R. SSA
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: wind All Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of
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  Speaker 2: copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.