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Discovery of Esther

Using the GODcha Bible Guide

 

Why Discover the Book of Esther?

This book is extremely relevant for today because we live in a day much like Esther’s. 

–Like the Jews in exile – we who follow Jesus are in exile, strangers, aliens in a foreign land. This earth is not our home. We live today w/no earthly King, Prophet or Kingdom.

–Like them we live in a highly politicized world w/leaders who have questionable character. 

–Like them we face difficult, ethical decisions, struggling with how to best respond. 

–Like them we face hostility and animosity for our faith.

–Like them we are caught up in circumstances that are out of our control. 

–Like them our motives can be mixed, and our lives become assimilated and acclimated to the world, and we end up comfortable and compromise.

 

This book is indeed ‘for such a time as this’. 

So join me as we go verse by verse, word by word, through Scripture. We do this because the Bible says that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, (2Ti 3:16-17) and that includes Esther.

 

Alright, here we go. Let’s dive right in and Discover the Truths of Esther.

Week 1 DAY 1

This Week: We are going to move slowly!

In order to LEARN how to use the tools of  GODcha. 

Today

Our FOCUS is on the Overview of Esther, The Blueprint for the Book.

 

Open GODcha to the Book of Esther

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NOTE:

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Or, use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.

You can print off this week’s posts and put in a notebook!

First. . .Let’s Pray

Truth is Revealed By the Holy Spirit!

Just as the Lord opened the minds of the 2 on the road to Emmaus to understand the Scriptures, He will open ours, (Luke 24:44-47).

So, when you and I come to the Word of God, always go to the Lord in prayer asking for His wisdom and help.

Perhaps. . .

O LORD, GRACIOUS GOD, what a privilege to have this time, time You have given us to be in Your Word, Your Word that has been preserved for us, now for such a time as this so we can love You and have a relationship with You. As we learn why this book was written, soften and open our hearts to see how involved You are in our ordinary lives. Please grant us the understanding we need. Thank you so much.

Open the Door 

To The Purpose of the Book

The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by different authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, each with a divine motive.

Thus, each Book of the Bible has its own unique purpose and message! 

Once we can determine a book’s purpose, then understand and remember everything written in the book points back to that purpose!

Consider the Overview

To Find the Purpose of Esther

If you open the Overview in GODcha, it will help you understand:

1. Who the author is;

2. Who the author wrote to;

3. What type of literature the book is;

4. When/Where the book was written;

5. Why the author wrote the Book. 

The Overview Tells Us

1. WHO/Author

We know ultimately God, through His Holy Spirit wrote this book 2Pe 1:20-21, but the individual that God used is unknown.  Scholars suggest Mordecai, and others suggest Ezra or Nehemiah because of the timing. 

2. WHAT Type of Literature. 

It is HISTORICAL. The book is named after Esther a Jewish orphan, who was chosen to be Queen of Persia and used to deliver the Jews in exile. It is one of the five scrolls (Megilloth) which are read by the Jews at various feasts: Song of Solomon is read at Passover, Ruth at Pentecost, Ecclesiastes at Tabernacles, Esther at Purim, and Lamentations at the Ninth of Av, which remembers the destruction of Jerusalem. Esther and Ruth are the only two books of the Bible named after women. Ruth was a Gentile who married a Jew; Esther was a Jewess who married a Gentile. Both were used of God to save the nation of Israel.

3. WHEN was it written.

The events in Esther happened between Ezra Ch. 6 and Ezra Ch. 7. Between the 1st return of the exiles from Babylon under Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple (Dan 9:1-19); (Ezr 1-6) and the 2nd return under Ezra (Ezr 7-10).

Esther begins with the Feast of Ahasuerus, in the 3rd year of his reign, 483 BC (Est 1:3) and ends with the Feast of Purim, 473 BC (Est 9:26-32).

4. WHERE take place. 

Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire (Est 1:2). Persia today is the country of Iran.

5. WHY was it written.

To reveal how the Jews, living in exile throughout all the king’s provinces, were protected and delivered from annihilation by God’s divine power and control even though God is never mentioned in this book (Est 4:14); (Gen 12:1-3); (Jer 31:31-40 ); (Eze 37:21-28).

What about these Cross References above?

Let’s Check Em Out 

Because

Other Truths Explain Truth!

Learn More>

We are still in the Overview in GODcha, now opening up the Cross References in ‘Why‘.

All At the Touch of a Finger!

Tap on the Cross References (aka CR) for Esther in GODcha and/or here in GODchats, and voila they will open up for you.

Get in the habit of asking the who, what, where, when, why and how questions when reading God’s Word.

1. This is Mordecai speaking, what does he believe?

Est 4:14

 

2. Why would Mordecai believe this?  What might have been the promise that Mordecai remembered?

Gen 12:1-3

 

3. What do you learn about God and His New Covenant with Israel? What will He do?

Jer 31:31-40

 

4. What else do you learn about God and His New Covenant with Israel? Do you see ‘everlasting‘?

Eze 37:21-28

What Did You LEARN

THINK about what God just revealed to you about Himself!

In Est 4:14 Mordecai suggests to Esther that if she remains silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place. This reveals to us that he believes in God’s Sovereign Rule and the promise of Gen 12:1-3 that would assure the Jews of His deliverance somehow, some way.

Gen 12:1-3 is the promise to Abraham for blessing and protection whose fulfillment extends throughout Scripture, known as the Abrahamic Covenant which was made in Gen 15, and confirmed in Gen 17 which explained it is unconditional and everlasting!

In Jer 31:31-40 and Eze 27:21-28 Israel can expect God to be faithful as He promises them His New Covenant.

You and I must understand God is faithful, even when we are not.

TIME OUT: GODcha has a fantastic tool for you to search any word – the Word Search.

Try searching out ‘faithful‘.  Every Scripture verse that faithful is used in will pop up. See what all God has to say, and cement what you learn down deep into your heart, (Rom 3:3); (1Co 1:9); (2Ti 2:13).

 

Awesome! Great Start!

We have just surveyed the blueprint of the book, seeing it’s divine purpose.

UNDERSTAND: Everything written in this historical account will point back to the purpose.

A Quick Snapshot!

We Now Have

A Glimpse of the Book of Esther.

Imagine the setting of this time period. The same time as Ezra when a remnant of the Jews had returned to Judah to rebuild the temple, but Esther and Mordecai, along with most of the Jews chose not to go back. You might think about why that would be? It seems they were content to stay in Susa, the capital city of Persia.

This drama brings us face to face with characters and events much like ours today. A time when:

nothing made sense and everything seemed out of control;

leaders had questionable character and decreed the ruin of God’s people;

there was mass confusion and chaos; and

it looked as if evil would triumph;

BUT THEN THERE IS GOD!

The book of Esther is really all about God, The King, who by His divine design is never mentioned, but is faithful working behind the scenes engineering circumstances and events to make His will happen using two imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will!

1. Is life hard?
2. Have difficult times hit, and none of it makes sense?
3. Does God seem silent?

Then Join Me and Encounter God

See and hear the wonders contained in this book, and be encouraged in those dark times. Closely watch how God silently oversees and orchestrates the events in Esther’s day. And know and understand He is just as faithful today working behind the scenes of our lives for His glory and always for our good.

Now be aware, Satan may turn up the heat, bringing every obstacle to cause you to quit this discovery. Don’t do it!