ESTHER

     There are only two books of the Bible named for women;  Esther and Ruth.  Both books are filled with love and courage.  And, both are about God's love and faithfulness to His people.  But Esther and Ruth's stories are very different.  Ruth's story is a sweet love story, while Esther's is more of a drama... filled with intrigue, irony, and treachery...

vintage poster, artist unknown

 The characters of this story:
     Esther, orphaned at a young age, was brought up by her only living relative, her cousin Mordecai..  Esther was extremely beautiful, and, apparently very smart too.  She made brave decisions when it would have been much safer to take the easy way out.
     Mordecai was a devout Jew who worked for the king. He lived in Susa, the Persian capital, during the reign of king Xerxes.  When his Uncle and Aunt died, he took in young Esther and raised her as his own.  He was a good man; he had prevented the king's assassination many years prior, but had never received recognition for it.  This good deed was, however, recorded in the king's logs.
     King Xerxes was the king of Persia.  At the end of a week-long banquet, he demanded that his beautiful queen, Vashti, "reveal herself" to all the drunken men at the banquet.  When Vashti refused,  he could have legally had her killed, but he did not.  He did, however, declare her no longer queen, and set out to find a new queen. There was a year-long process of special baths, oils, and other beautification processes that all these prospective queens went through before being presented to the king.  Each had one opportunity to meet and impress the king.  Out of all these girls, the king chose Esther, unaware that she was a Jew.


      Haman is the last main character in the story. He was second in command to king Xerxes.  Haman wasn't a very nice man... He purposely hid from the king the fact that Mordecai had prevented the assassination.  He hated the Jews, and formulated a plan to kill them.  He tricked the king into signing a treaty which would include the slaying of the Jews. He was a brute.

      Haman had a law passed that forced everyone to bow down to him when he walked through the palace. Mordecai, out of respect for God, refused to bow down to a man.  Haman held a grudge against Mordecai for this perceived disrespect, and tricked the king into signing a decree ordering the massacre of all the Jews in Persia.
  

    Delighted with himself, Haman built a twenty-five foot tall gallows next to his house.  He intended to execute Mordecai there as an example of what would happen to anyone who failed to bow down to him.  He cast lots - called "pur" - and thus selected March 13th as the day for the execution and massacre.
     When queen Esther heard of this, although she feared for her own life, she did the right thing.  First she fasted and prayed (and had many other Jews do so as well). Then, she went to the king, revealed her true identity, and begged him to prevent the massacre.
     Suffering from insomnia, king Xerxes spent the night reading record books about his earlier years as king.  Within these books he found records of the incident in which Mordecai had prevented his assassination.  He also found evidence that Haman had covered up the incident, preventing any reward for Mordecai.  Mordecai's good deed had gone unacknowledged and unrewarded for many years due to Haman's hatred.
     Angry over Haman's selfish plot, king Xerxes had Haman and his sons executed on the giant gallows which Haman had built for Mordecai's execution.  King Xerxes then appointed Mordecai to fill Haman's job - second in command to the king!
     What a twist of fate.  Now in this land of Jewish captivity, the king of Persia had a Jewish queen and a Jew as his top advisor!
  

     To celebrate her people's deliverance from the intended massacre, queen Esther created the holiday "Purim", named after the "pur" used for the casting of lots.  And, of course, this holiday is celebrated on the intended date of the massacre.
     The book of Esther has no "3:16", but one of the key verses of this book is Esther 4:16, which reads,
"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.  I and my maids will do as you do.  I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.  And if I perish, I perish."
     Another interesting thing about the book of Esther is that the word "God" does not appear in it.  Yet, God is so present in Esther's story.  God placed Esther, a Jew, in the palace as queen of Persia.   God put Mordecai in the right place and time in several instances in this story. And, who but God could arrange for king Xerxes to have insomnia on exactly the right night, and to read exactly the right words on exactly the right page of a huge set of historical record books?
     God if faithful.  He doesn't always present himself through a burning bush or a clap of thunder.  Often He is in the quiet presence of a fellow-believer, or the rustle of a page of a book...

 

NEHEMIAH 3:16

     "Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the house of the heroes."  (NIV)

     The book of Nehemiah was originally in the Hebrew scriptures as one book with the book of Ezra; both Ezra and Nehemiah were written by the priest Ezra.  Because of the very similar writing style, many scholars also believe that Ezra was the author of I and II Chronicles, and that the four books all belonged together.

Modern-day walls of Jerusalem

     Although Nehemiah was born and raised in Babylon, he was brought up with strict devotion to Jewish tradition and laws.  Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to the king of Persia - a job of responsibility and trust. The cupbearer tasted and served wine to the king.  Ancient kings had to be extremely cautious about what they ate and drank.  They used trusted servants such as Nehemiah to taste everything before they did; if the servant did not get sick, then the king and queen ate and drank.  Nehemiah held this highly trusted position under King Artaxerxes. While serving the Persian king, Nehemiah learned that Jerusalem remained in ruins after nearly a century and a half.  The temple had been rebuilt after seventy years, but the remainder of the city was in ruins;  thus, the temple overlooked broken walls and destroyed buildings.  Nehemiah was so distressed when he learned of the condition of the holy city that he went to the king and asked for funding to rebuild the city walls.  Nehemiah must have been in good graces with the king and/or very persuasive, because the king immediately agreed to help!

  So Nehemiah went to Jerusalem.  He had an absolutely inspired way that he convinced the people to rebuild the city walls.  He convinced each man and his family to work on the portion of the wall nearest their own home.  This created a greater enthusiasm and spirit of pride in workmanship,  It was also much more convenient that having people travel to do the work of rebuilding.  And, when the wall needed to be defended, each man was defending his own work.
     During the rebuilding process, the people of Jerusalem endured ridicule and raids from nearby Samaritans.  But they persisted and the city became a proud city once again. Miraculously, the wall was rebuilt in only fifty-two DAYS!!!  Nehemiah was a courageous and prayerful leader!  He remained in Jerusalem as Persian governor of the area for the next twelve years, teaching and leading the people in several important religious festivals which they had forgotten or abandoned over the years.
     The Bible describes Nehemiah as small of stature.  He may have been a small man, but he had a big idea and a big influence on the people of God.
     Isn't it interesting how God can take one little person and make a big difference?  Y'know, that one little person could be you...

I CHRONICLES 3:16

          "The successors of Jehoiakim:  Jehoachin and Zedekiah."   (NIV)

 

   King Josiah, who can be read about in previous chapters, was one of the greatest kings of Judah. However, when his son Jehoiakim inherited the throne from his father, the son proved to be unfaithful in his kingly responsibilities.  He was, in fact, evil. I think it's a shame when it happens that a good man raises up a completely rotten descendant.  Did the success of king Josiah come at the cost of his family?  Did he ignore his sons in order to advance his career? Or did Josiah give too much materially,  thereby erasing ambition and discipline from his sons?  I don't know... just guessing.  We can inherit our parents' title, money, and property.  But we must develop our own character by making the right choices and by forming our own relationship with God.
       Well, anyhow, Jehoiakim's first son later inherited the throne, and he was even more evil than his father!  In reference to this, Jeremiah 22:24 reads: " 'As surely as I live,'  declares the Lord, 'even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.'"   In those days the king's signet ring was a VERY valuable object.  It was used to seal and authenticate all important documents. God was saying to Jehoaichin, "I have no use for you.  Even if you were one of my most valuable possessions, I'd rather throw you away than have you near me.  Because of the extent of your evil I am getting rid of you.  You are not salvageable."  Jehoaichin was exiled to Babylon at the end of his reign as king.

     Next in line for the throne was Jehoiakin's second son, Zedekiah.  There isn't a lot written about him;  he took over a king when his older brother was exiled to Babylon.  He was weak and easily tricked by false prophets and self-serving assistants.  He believed lies, but didn't believe the truth when he heard it.  He died before his exiled brother did.  He was the last of Israel's old testament kings from David's line.
     While it is sad that these kings were so vile,  it remains interesting that God used them in His master plan.
  

      I guess, that being the case, He can still use you and me...

JUDGES 3:16

     "Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing."  (NIV)

     This  verse is at the very core of an odd little story; it's one of my favorite Bible stories because of its oddness...

obesity...

         Eglon was a foreign king who reigned over the Israelites for 18 years during the period of the judges.  Allied with  the Ammorites and the Amalakites, Eglon invaded the land of Israel.  His army captured Jericho, and he enforced taxation upon the Israelites. After the 18 year reign, God raised up Ehud to deliver Israel.  Ehud stabbed Eglon with his foot-and-a-half dagger, and did not draw the sword back out. Now, king Eglon was very obese.  When the sword went in to him, his fat closed over it - even over the handle. ( I'm not sure why this detail was included in the scriptures, but it was.  My guess is that's why he didn't pull the sword back out...he couldn't!)

         Ehud, the hero of our story, was left-handed.   In those days left-handedness was a handicap and was considered  a curse.  Being left handed generally meant ostracism from society.  But, as often is the case, God took a weakness (or a perceived weakness) and turned it into a strength. How did Ehud manage to get past the king's guards?  They  "frisked"  him as usual to check for weapons... Ah, but Ehud taped his sword to his right thigh.  Had he been right-handed, the sword would have been taped to his left thigh and the guards would have found it! ( God thinks of everything, doesn't he?)
     In II Corinthians 12:7, the apostle Paul says that he was given a "thorn in the flesh".  Many have speculated on what Paul's "thorn" was;  but no one knows.  We all could probably name something about ourselves which holds us back and keeps us from doing our best.  We are all "handicapped".  Limited.  Mortal.  Some handicaps are obvious: blindness, paralysis, or a missing limb for example.  Others are much more insidious: self-doubt, low self-esteem, or lack of direction in life.  With any of these challenges it would be easy to give in to negative feelings such as bitterness, rebellion, or self-pity.  But it is much more productive to accept ourselves the way we are.
     Yes, Paul mentioned his thorn in the flesh, and he prayed that it be removed, which it never was.  BUT  HE  KEPT  ON  WITH  HIS  MISSION.  He looked past his problems.  Didn't let them hold him back. Paul never mentioned what his "thorn" was.  He wrote a lot about Christ's suffering, about the cross.  A lot about the burdens of his fellow Christians.  Not much at all about himself.  Think on that.
     The Bible truly has a bit of everything in it, doesn't it?  I've heard people say they get bored reading the Bible.  My reply, "Well, you ain't readin' the same BIble I'm readin'?"  Seriously, read the Bible prayerfully; ask the Holy Spirit to open up the scriptures to you.  Read it with the eye of a detective.  Read it as your life depends on it...
     So, in spite of shortcomings, both Ehud and the apostle Paul changed history.  With God, in spite of our limited selves, we  CAN  make a difference.  Whose life could you change if you were willing to give up your handicaps?