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Esther Saves Her People · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And the king Assyrius laid a tribute upon the land
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  Speaker 1: and upon the isles of the sea. Esther 10.1 Give
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  Speaker 1: me this day, Lord, the wisdom of Esther and Mordecai.
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  Speaker 1: Allow me to gain strategic and insightful strategies to protect
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  Speaker 1: her children against the plot of the enemy. Like the
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  Speaker 1: story in Esther, equip me and those in my circle
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  Speaker 1: with the right solutions needed to solve the problems of
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  Speaker 1: your children, in business, education, finance, technology, and every other
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  Speaker 1: industry you've led us to inherit. Thus, I declare myself
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  Speaker 1: as a problem solver. I am a master when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to solutions, because the wisdom of your Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 1: rests on my mind and heart. The day of salvation
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  Speaker 1: and breakthrough has come. The hand of the oppressor has
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  Speaker 1: been lifted, and we are free to defend our lands
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  Speaker 1: and our destinies through the decree of your holy word.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, my God, that we are free indeed. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Esther saves her people. In our last story, Esther was
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  Speaker 2: taken to be groomed as the next queen of Persia.
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  Speaker 2: She gained favor with the king, as did her uncle Mordecai. However,
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  Speaker 2: a wicked noble had the king's power, Haman. Haman sent
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  Speaker 2: out a decree for every Jew in the nation to
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  Speaker 2: be killed. The time was drawing near and the Jews
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  Speaker 2: were in great danger. Esther learned of Haman's plot and
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  Speaker 2: now had to risk her life by approaching the king.
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  Speaker 2: Now we learn of Esther's plan to expose Haman and
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  Speaker 2: save her people, inspired by the book of Esther.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org. In our last episode, we learned how
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  Speaker 3: Esther was made queen, one of the wives of the
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  Speaker 3: unpredictable and cruel King Xerxes. God was working through her, however,
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  Speaker 3: and her uncle Mordecai to pave the way for a
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  Speaker 3: rescue of the Jews from the hand of Haman, a
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  Speaker 3: hateful man, one of Xerxes' evil counselors. And so when
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  Speaker 3: Haman convinced Xerxes to issue a decree to kill all
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  Speaker 3: the Jews in the capital, Esther is faced with a decision.
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  Speaker 3: to remain silent and watch as her Jewish kin are slaughtered,
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  Speaker 3: or speak up and risk angering Xerxes and endangering even
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  Speaker 3: ending her own life. For Esther, the choice was clear.
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  Speaker 3: She had to act. And in today's reading, we'll see
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  Speaker 3: how God works through the wisdom of Mordecai and the
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  Speaker 3: courage of Esther to save his people from certain annihilation.
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  Speaker 3: Here is the Word of God for today.
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  Speaker 2: Esther dressed herself quietly in her room. She draped herself
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  Speaker 2: with royal robes and held her head up high. This
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  Speaker 2: was no time for groveling or flirting. She had to
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  Speaker 2: walk into the presence of King Xerxes as a strong leader.
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  Speaker 2: To enter into the king's courts uninvited meant certain death,
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  Speaker 2: but she was prepared to die if it meant protecting
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  Speaker 2: her people. She walked the halls. The sound of her
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  Speaker 2: footsteps echoed as she walked with purpose. She stopped outside
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  Speaker 2: the doors of the royal throne room, took a deep breath,
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  Speaker 2: and stepped inside. The halls were laced in gold, and
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  Speaker 2: ivory pillars held up the high ceiling. In the middle
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  Speaker 2: of the throne room, the king sat with his commanders
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  Speaker 2: facing him. The king looked surprised to see Esther, but
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  Speaker 2: not angry. He raised his golden scepter towards her and smiled.
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  Speaker 2: My queen, he said. Please come in. What can I
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  Speaker 2: do for you? Esther was surprised at the favor the
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  Speaker 2: king was displaying. He was joyful and sober. It was
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  Speaker 2: almost as if his heart and mind had been softened
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  Speaker 2: before she came in. Esther bowed and said, If it
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  Speaker 2: pleases you, my king, I would love for you and
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  Speaker 2: Haman to come tonight for a banquet. I have prepared
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  Speaker 2: a fine array of food for you. The king was
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  Speaker 2: elated at her request and immediately sent for Haman. Later
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  Speaker 2: that night... Esther was dining among Xerxes and the wicked
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  Speaker 2: man Haman. While they were drinking and enjoying their meal,
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  Speaker 2: the king asked, Is there anything you need of me,
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  Speaker 2: my queen? I will give you anything up to half
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  Speaker 2: my kingdom. Esther smiled at the gesture and simply asked
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  Speaker 2: that he and Haman return the next day for another banquet.
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  Speaker 2: Esther was careful to gain more favor from the king
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  Speaker 2: before requesting something so large. Plus, she wanted Haman to
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  Speaker 2: feel safe with her. Later that night, Haman was walking
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  Speaker 2: back from the banquet. He saw Mordecai in the streets
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  Speaker 2: and scoffed at him. Have you no respect, he spat.
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  Speaker 2: Still you don't bow to me, Haman yelled. So Haman
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  Speaker 2: gathered his servants to prepare a large wooden pike. Tomorrow
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  Speaker 2: he would find Mordecai and impale him on the end.
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  Speaker 2: That same night the king tossed and turned in his bed.
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  Speaker 2: He was uneasy and his heart felt heavy. He called
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  Speaker 2: for one of his servants to tell different stories and
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  Speaker 2: recount good events. The servant read out loud tales of
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  Speaker 2: military exploits, successful building projects, and good works the king
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  Speaker 2: was a part of. Xerxes began to drift as the
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  Speaker 2: servant sang his praises. Then the servant recounted noble acts
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  Speaker 2: done for the king by others. He spoke of Mordecai
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  Speaker 2: saving him from assassination. At these words, the king leapt
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  Speaker 2: out of his bed, He had forgotten to reward Mordecai
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  Speaker 2: for his loyalty. The next morning, Xerxes ordered Haman to
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  Speaker 2: parade Mordecai around in the city streets and sing his praises.
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  Speaker 2: Haman held the reins of the horse Mordecai sat on. Haman,
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  Speaker 2: to his shame, was forced to praise the man he
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  Speaker 2: planned to kill. He was forced to celebrate his sworn enemy.
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  Speaker 2: Mordecai was the reason Haman wanted the Jews executed. He
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  Speaker 2: would dance on Mordecai's corpse once the Jews were exterminated
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  Speaker 2: for good. Later that night, Haman and Xerxes joined Esther
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  Speaker 2: for another banquet. Haman stood in bitterness as he sipped
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  Speaker 2: his wine. He had hated the events leading up to
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  Speaker 2: the banquet. The king laughed with his queen and asked
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  Speaker 2: once again, How can I bless you, my love? What
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  Speaker 2: is it that you would ask of me? Esther looked
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  Speaker 2: deeply into the king's eyes. Her seriousness caught him off guard.
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  Speaker 2: She sighed and held his hand. Have I found favor
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  Speaker 2: in your sight? she asked. Of course, what is it?
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  Speaker 2: the king responded. I have been told that one of
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  Speaker 2: your men has sent a decree for the Jews in
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  Speaker 2: the land to be slaughtered, but they are my people.
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  Speaker 2: I am a Jew. Her comments surprised the king, not
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  Speaker 2: because Esther was a Jew, but because such a hideous
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  Speaker 2: decree was made in his name. Who would do such
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  Speaker 2: a thing, he demanded. Who would dare lay a hand
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  Speaker 2: on my queen's people without my permission? The king's rage boiled,
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  Speaker 2: and Haman shrunk where he sat and then attempted to
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  Speaker 2: slip out of the room silently. Esther saw Haman making
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  Speaker 2: an escape and said, This man before you was the one.
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  Speaker 2: He is a wicked man and your adversary. The king
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  Speaker 2: turned to Haman. His eyes were red with rage. The
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  Speaker 2: king stepped outside for a moment to yell at the stars.
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  Speaker 2: While the king was outside, Haman fell onto Esther's lap
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  Speaker 2: and begged for mercy. The king stepped back inside and
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  Speaker 2: found Haman on top of Esther. You dare touch my wife,
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  Speaker 2: he yelled. Haman's eyes widened. He could not speak. The
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  Speaker 2: king gestured for his guards to take Haman. Without a word,
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  Speaker 2: he was taken and thrown onto the wooden pike he
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  Speaker 2: set up for Mordecai. Yet the decree to kill the
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  Speaker 2: Jews could not be reversed. The decree was final. The
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  Speaker 2: day was fast approaching, and Xerxes had no idea how
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  Speaker 2: to save the people from certain death. However, Mordecai and Esther.
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  Speaker 1: Had a plan.
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  Speaker 2: If Xerxes would allow for the Jews to defend themselves,
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  Speaker 2: then they could battle against Haman's nobles. This would protect
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  Speaker 2: the Jews and get rid of the men loyal to Haman.
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  Speaker 2: So the decree was sent out, and the Jews were
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  Speaker 2: armed with swords and shields. The day came when the
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  Speaker 2: nobles sent their men to slaughter the Jews. but they
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  Speaker 2: were met with strong defenses. Together, the Jews were able
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  Speaker 2: to defend themselves from the onslaught. Victory was shouted in
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  Speaker 2: the streets of Susa. Families shouted for joy. Not only
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  Speaker 2: were they spared, but they were able to play a
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  Speaker 2: role in their own liberation. They were afforded the opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to defend themselves. They felt empowered for the first time
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  Speaker 2: since captivity. This was all thanks to the noble character
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  Speaker 2: of Esther. She would remain in the palace and watch
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  Speaker 2: over her people. She would create a legacy of kindness
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  Speaker 2: and establish a kingdom that looked towards Jerusalem with favor.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, Esther is preparing for the most important
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  Speaker 3: meeting of her life. On her shoulders rests the fate
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  Speaker 3: of the Jews in the capital region of Susa. At least,
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  Speaker 3: that's what it surely must have felt like to this
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  Speaker 3: young woman. But I imagine that Esther also understood that
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  Speaker 3: this was much bigger than her. Much bigger. Her fate
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  Speaker 3: and that of her people rested not on her shoulders,
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  Speaker 3: or in the hands of Xerxes, or even hateful Haman,
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  Speaker 3: but the Most High God, who'd placed her there by
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  Speaker 3: his providences and in his plans. Esther made herself beautiful,
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  Speaker 3: appealing to the desires of Xerxes. She was young but
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  Speaker 3: not foolish. She was never to approach the king without
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  Speaker 3: being summoned, but she dared for the sake of her
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  Speaker 3: people to approach him. She boldly approaches the throne room
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  Speaker 3: to his great surprise. It bears mentioning what a sharp
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  Speaker 3: contrast this scene draws to our situation. Esther was the
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  Speaker 3: wife of Xerxes, a human ruler in a kingdom that
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  Speaker 3: in the timeline of humanity was just a blip on
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  Speaker 3: the radar. And she had to approach him yet with
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  Speaker 3: caution and fear. Any request could not only be denied,
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  Speaker 3: but met with harsh punishment, even capital punishment. When you
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  Speaker 3: think about this, we have an even greater promise when
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  Speaker 3: we approach our King, Jesus. Through our Savior, the Lord
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ, we come to the throne room of God.
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  Speaker 3: He has made it available to us. We come to
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  Speaker 3: his throne with boldness, as the scripture says. and we
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  Speaker 3: have access to him because of what Christ has done
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  Speaker 3: for us. We can go at any time and pray
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  Speaker 3: and ask God for what we need. What a wonderful promise.
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  Speaker 3: So Esther enters Xerxes' throne room, and he expects her
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  Speaker 3: to make a request. Rather than ask for something, she
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  Speaker 3: tells the king she wants to throw a banquet for
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  Speaker 3: him and Haman. No doubt this would appeal to both
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  Speaker 3: men's pride and sense of superiority. They both gladly attended
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  Speaker 3: the banquet, eating and drinking their fill. A pleasured king
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  Speaker 3: then asked Esther what she wanted. No request would be
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  Speaker 3: denied her, he promised. But she knew this trap needed
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  Speaker 3: to be set with care. She proposed a second feast,
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  Speaker 3: another night of honoring these men. Later that same night,
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  Speaker 3: Haman saw Mordecai, who refused still to bow down before him.
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  Speaker 3: So Haman ordered a gallows built on which he would
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  Speaker 3: hang Mordecai. He had had enough, he thought, of this
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  Speaker 3: Jew's disrespect. And as Xerxes slept that night, he was troubled.
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  Speaker 3: So he called a servant in to tell him stories
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  Speaker 3: and soothe him. One of the stories that was read
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  Speaker 3: to him recounted how Mordecai saved him from assassination. At
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  Speaker 3: that moment, the king remembered he had never rewarded Mordecai.
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  Speaker 3: So he called Haman and asked what should be done
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  Speaker 3: to honor someone the king wished to honor. Haman, of course,
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  Speaker 3: thought it was him the king wanted to honor. So
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  Speaker 3: he proposed a lavish display, then watched as all he
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  Speaker 3: had proposed was given to Mordecai. That next night, Esther
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  Speaker 3: held another feast, and this time when she was asked
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  Speaker 3: what she wanted, she spoke clearly and forthrightly. She told
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  Speaker 3: the king that she had heard of the decree to
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  Speaker 3: exterminate the Jews, then revealed that she was Jewish herself.
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  Speaker 3: Xerxes was livid and wanted to know who wished harm
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  Speaker 3: upon his wife. Esther pointed to Haman and told the
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  Speaker 3: king it was all his idea. So we read in
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  Speaker 3: Esther 7 and verse 10 a bit of biblical poetic justice,
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  Speaker 3: powerful poetic justice. So they hanged Haman on the gallows
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  Speaker 3: that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of
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  Speaker 3: the king abated. Here you have the story of the
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  Speaker 3: horrible hanging of hateful Haman. Haman was dealt with but
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  Speaker 3: the decree still stood and couldn't be retracted, but Xerxes
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  Speaker 3: allowed the Jews to defend themselves and fight. To commemorate
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  Speaker 3: their rescue from annihilation, Mordecai and all the Jews inaugurated
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  Speaker 3: the festival known as Purim, still observed to this day.
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  Speaker 3: Though it may seem at times that evil has its way,
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  Speaker 3: God's justice will always be satisfied. He had worked through
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  Speaker 3: Esther and Mordecai to bring rescue to his people. But
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  Speaker 3: there was an even greater rescue coming, not just for
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  Speaker 3: the Jews, but for all the world. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you for the faith and the witness of Esther
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  Speaker 3: and Mordecai. What a tremendous story. Thank you for including
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  Speaker 3: it in God's Word. We see your providence. And even
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  Speaker 3: though your name is never mentioned in the book of Esther,
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  Speaker 3: your hand is at work, your providence is sure, and
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  Speaker 3: your judgments are given. Lord, you are always present. Your
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  Speaker 3: invisible hand is always working. Your invisible hand of providence
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  Speaker 3: is always working. And for this, we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would love to
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  Speaker 3: send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
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  Speaker 3: every single day. So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's JackGraham.org.