Song Of Songs (or Song of Solomon)

The Song of Songs is a love dialogue between a man (King Solomon) and a woman. We will take a brief overview of the book.... and when you are old enough.... you can read it more in depth.

 The author of this book is King Solomon..... probably written early in his reign.

 The purpose of this book is to show that God is not only interested in who we fall in love with, He initiates it and blesses it. God is love (1John 4:8)

Song of Songs is the story of a young couple. It begins with dating(courtship), then the wedding, the wedding night and finally the marriage. Many believe it is a picture of God and his love for the church.

 The plot and storyline of this book is this: It is a drama about the relationship between two people in love. The story is very romantic. The man uses many comparisons in nature to describe and compliment his bride-to-be and then his bride. He describes her sixteen times using, fruit, trees and flowers. Then he describes her eleven times using animals. (Some of the beautiful compliments he paid her would not really be compliments today. Like for instance: Chapter 4 verse 1: "your hair falls in waves like a flock of goats") 

The story continues when Solomon, a wealthy shepherd meets a country girl. They fall in love and he asks her to marry him. She has to decide if being a queen is something she really would desire for her life. Finally she agrees, and the wealthy shepherd sends a wedding procession to escort her.

 The second half of the book is about their married life and the many problems and temptations they encounter.

 The Song of Songs is a beautiful book that teaches us many things. For instance: God's plan for us is to wait to be married before we sleep with someone of the opposite sex. "Do not awaken love till the time is right." 2:7 Also, if we face hard times or temptation, we don't have to do it alone. The end of Song of Songs describes how the woman's brothers came along side of her and helped her through a difficult time. Are you struggling? look for support. Are you not struggling? look for someone who is and support them. Finally, Loving others sometimes means looking past their faults and mistakes. Jesus loves us in all our failures, sins and mistakes. It's called unconditional love. Or "agape" love in Greek. Imagine if Jesus only loved us when we were doing right? I know for myself... he would be loving me for only a few minutes a day. Love others like Jesus loves. It's not easy.... but it is right.

Proverbs Pt. 2

We will look at a few more proverbs. Remember what we said about the Book of Proverbs? The main purpose is to teach wisdom to God’s people. Proverbs are short clever explanations, which are easy to remember. They contain truisms. These are things which are typically true however, not always. They deal with life, principles, good judgment, and perception. They often draw distinctions between a wise man and a foolish man with parable type examples.


                                                        Proverbs 1:17
                                The bird see a trap and goes the other way,
                                A greedy man sets a trap, then gets caught
                                in it himself.
In other words, the deeds that go along with being greedy are actually self-destructive.

                                                       Proverbs 17:12
                                Trying to rob a mama bear of her cubs is safer
                                than confronting a fool caught in his own folly.
In other words, pointing out a stupid mistake to someone is not a very good idea.

                                                        Proverbs 24:16
                                A Godly man may trip 7 times, but he always gets up.
                                Just one trip-up and the ungodly man is down and out.
In other words, When God is on our side, we see obstacles as opportunities and brush ourselves off and try again, but the person that doesn't know God, gets totally discouraged after one failure and gives up.

                                                        Proverbs 26:17
                                Yanking a dog's ears is as foolish as interfering 
                                in someone else's argument.  
In other words, When we get in the middle of two people arguing, we could be the one that ends up getting "bit." The Bible does say "Blessed are the peace makers", but it does not say blessed are the peace keepers. 

Next time we will be reading another book written by King Solomon called "Ecclesiastes".

Psalms 98, 114 and 139

There are many example of different types of Psalms. Here are three.

Psalm 114:
A Psalm of remembrance. It is good for us to remember the amazing things that God has done in the past. This Psalm depicts the time God rescued the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. God wants us to remember these biblical stories, but also to remember the times God has been there for us. Stop right now and think of when God protected you, comforted you and made a way for you. It is good to just stop and remember these things because it grows our faith and it draws us nearer to the Provider, Comforter and Protector.

                                                        Psalm 114:1-4
          When the Israelites escaped from Egypt, when the family of Jacob left that 
          foreign land, the land of Judah became God's sanctuary, and Israel His kingdom.
         The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the
         Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like sheep.


Psalm 98:
A Psalm of praise. Did you ever hear the birds singing? did you ever thing that their song is a song of praise to God? If the little birdies can sing praises to the Lord, what should prevent us from doing the same. Psalm 22 says that "God inhabits the praises of His people". Which means God lives in our praise! If you want to be closer to God.... praise Him.... sing to Him. He loves it!

                                                       Psalm 98:4-8
          Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.
          Make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing.
          With trumpets and the blast of a ram's horn, Shout for joy to the Lord, the King.
          Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all that live in it.

Psalm 139:
A Psalm of thanksgiving. Nothing in this life is guaranteed. God is the provider of everything, including our next breath. God was there at the beginning. (While we were still in our mom's tummy) He created us with a purpose. He knows everything about us... and He STILL loves us! There is so much to thank God for. We can use the thanksgiving Psalms to show our gratiude for His love, His provision, His protection etc....

                                                       Psalm 139:13-18
                        You made all the delicate , inner parts of my body and 
                        knit me together in my mother's womb.
                        Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
                        Your workmanship is marvelous. How well I know it.
                        You watched me as I was being formed in seclusion,
                        as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
                        You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life
                        was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid
                        out before a single day had passed.
 

       

The book of Psalms

We can't illustrate every Psalm, so we are going to pick a few to draw and give an overview of the whole book by asking questions, and answering them.

 (1)Who wrote the Book of Psalms?
 The Book of Psalms was written by Moses, King David, Heman, Ethan, King Solomon, Asaph and the son's of Korah. So a lot of people were involved. Although King David wrote almost half of the Psalms.... and there are a few that we don't know who wrote them. What is nice is that, a lot of the Psalms give the author and a brief story of what was happening, and the significance of each one.

(2) How many years did it take to write the Book of Psalms?
 Believe it or not, Psalms was written over a span of nearly1000 years! From 1440 B.C. (during the time of Moses) to 586 B.C. The Psalms cover most of Israels history. (While they were in Egypt, when they escaped into the wilderness, and during the reign of their judges and kings, until the time of their captivity by the Babylonians.

(3) What is the purpose of the Book of Psalms?
 In the New testament, Psalms is referred to many times. It was and is considered a book of wisdom, teaching about God and getting to know God personally. It was actually written in song form. So, many of the Psalms read like poems, with stanzas, alliteration and rhyming. However, since they were translated from Jewish, they lost some of their rhythm.

(4) How are the Psalms applicable to me?
 The Book of Psalms are so full of prayers for many situations. We can read the Psalms from our own perspective and pray them back to God. (By the way, He loves when we pray His words back to Him) The Psalms express a wide range of emotions, from Joy, hope, trust, gratitude and praise, to despair, fear, and sorrow. We can use the Psalms to pray, worship, confess and praise God.

So as we mentioned in question/answer #3, Psalms teach us. What are some of the things that we
can learn from the Book of Psalms.
(A) It's OK to express how we feel to God, whether positive or negative.
(B) God cares for each of us. The Psalms reinforce our understanding of His love.
(C) The Psalms teach us that serving God and doing right is worth it.
(D) Some Psalms like Psalm 22 point to the coming of Jesus. So we can trust them.
(E) We learn what God desires from us in prayer and worship.

                                               PSALM 23
                                          a Psalm of David

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. .

Job's Friends Just Keep on Talking and Talking (Job 4-37)

 Words are powerful. They can build people up or they can tear people down. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue." (Proverbs 18:21). In this next section of the Book of Job. Our poor friend Job, who has already suffered great loss and is in the middle of an excruciatingly painful health issue, is now subjected to speech after speech from his so-called friends. You have to give them credit though. They did keep their mouths shut for the first seven days, which is exactly what Job needed at the time, someone to share in his grief.

When a friend or family member is hurting, sometimes the best thing we can do is put our arm around them and not say a word. There are situations that no words could ever make better. But knowing that someone cares enough to be there in a hard time is comforting.

Job's friends took turns sharing their thoughts on life, God, and Job's situation. But they only made Job feel worse. Paraphrasing Bildad, he told Job that his children probably deserved what happened to them. And things will get even worse, so Job better talk to God and tell Him that he promises to do things differently if He will heal him.

  God is not a deal maker. We can't tell God, "I will listen to my parents if you help me pass this test." Or any other difficult things that pop up in our lives. God ALWAYS does the right thing, and as followers of Jesus, we should do the right thing, not because we want some favor from God, but because we love Jesus and it's the right thing to do.

Job answers Bildad. "What you say is not true, and even if it was, who am I to bargain with God. Everything was created by God and for God (Col 1:16).... including me." Then Job cried out to God again.
 When Job stopped to catch his breath, Zophar chimed in. "Just because you say you are righteous, doesn't make it so, Job. You talk a good game, but you are not so innocent or this would have never happened. I think it is time for you to repent and quit talking about how you didn't do anything to deserve this."
  Job responded to Zophar. "You act all high and mighty, but you are no better than I am. If your logic is true, this could have easily happened to you. My fate could be your fate!" Then Job cried out to God again pleading God to free him from his agony.

The three men continue to attack Job's character for the next 17 chapters, and Job continues to defend his character for the next 17 chapters. Finally in chapter 32 another man shows up. He had been there listening all the while. His name is Elihu. He scolds Job's friends for putting God in a box and trying to explain the ways of our Heavenly Father. Then he tells Job that the more he defends himself, the more arrogant he sounds. Elihu tells  Job.... and his friends, "Cry out to God. Not with explanations or justifications, but praise God for who He is. Don't try to make deals with God, but trust Him. God cares. God is understanding. God is just. And God is all powerful." Job and his friends grew very quiet and pondered what Elihu said. Then in chapter 38, the Lord challenges Job.

Elihu's advice for Job and his friends is great advice for us. Simply put:  Praise God, pray, and trust God because He loves us, He is good and all- powerful. We will wrap up the Book of Job next time with God's challenge, Job's response and how it all works out.

Job and Eliphaz finally speak. (Job 3-6)

 After seven days of sitting with their friend, Job (who was struck with a terrible case of boils after he had lost all his children and wealth), they were beginning to wonder if they should break the silence. However Job was the first one to speak. He began letting out all his frustrations. He cursed the day he was born. He wished he had never even been conceived. He said he would have been better off if he had died as he was being born than to live through what had had gone through and now is dealing with.

  Sometimes when we are in a lot of pain, our memories get clouded. It seemed that Job had forgotten all the good years he had. He forgot about all the people that loved him and all the people he loved. We can be so wrapped up in the pain that we forget too. But hang in there. You will get through it. Remember that it hasn't always been this bad and that it probably wont't always be.

 Job was just letting off some steam, but one of his friends, Eliphaz, thought it was the perfect opportunity for him to chime in. He stood up and began to tell Job that he had heard God whisper to him, and that he had a special vision one night while everyone was asleep. Be very careful if anyone tells you that God has told enlightened them about your direction in life. Run everything you hear through the scriptures and pray about it. Sometimes people think they are helping you in this way, but God doesn't like when they use His name to get across their own advice.
 Eliphaz continued to tell Job that on the outside Job seemed like a good man. He would help people, comfort them and point them to God. But he added that God sees all, and He knows when their is secret since that needs punishing. Eliphaz said he knew how God worked and Job is being punished.
 So his advice for Job was to go before God. Tell Him that the punishment was just and that now he repents. Then God will begin to ease his pain.

  Eliphaz had a skewed idea of God. He put God in a box and made God think the way we do. But guess what? God's thoughts are above our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)  3-6)Our brains cannot even think the things that God does. That is why He asks us to trust Him.... in everything. Eliphaz was right in one thing. We should go before God and repent when we sin. Not so that God will make everything all better, but so that our relationship with him will be restored. 

 Now it was Job's turn to respond to Eliphaz. "You think you know God, but you don't. He doesn't work that way. And even if He did punish us like you say.... it still does not make sense, because, you can believe me or not, God knows the truth, I haven't committed and sin that is even close to what this kind of punishment would warrant." Job continued. "So if you were trying to help, or make me feel better.... you didn't. You made me feel better by just sitting with me."
 Then Job cried out in anguish to God again. He said that he hated his life. He had nothing to live for and that the pain was stealing and hope of joy in his life. He asked God why doesn't he just take his life instead of letting him go through this.

 We can feel Job's pain. And now to top it all off. The friend that had sat quietly with him and comforted him for the last week, has said some things that make Job feel even worse. We have to choose our words carefully when one of our friend is going through a loss or something painful. Sometimes it is better to keep quiet on purpose, than to say something hurtful by accident.

More Pain and Suffering for Job (Job 2)

 Once again the angels came to present themselves before the LORD..... and once again Satan was there as well. Satan told God that he was continuing to move across the earth, checking things out.
  "Well, you must have seen that Job, the man you tested, has still not sinned, even though I allowed you to do some terrible things to his property and his family." God said.
  "Of course he didn't curse you or sin against you!" Satan retorted. "You have protected him from harm. A man would gladly trade everything he has as long as he is safe and in good health." Satan continued, "If you let me inflict his body with some disease or malady..... then I'm sure he will curse you and turn his back on you!"
  "Job is upright and blameless. He fears God and shuns evil. I will let you do what you have said, however, do not kill him." God responded.
 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from his toes to the top of his head. Job was in such intense pain that he went and sat on the ashes at a garbage dump. He found something and began scraping his skin because the boils were so itchy.

 How would you respond if you were Job? Of course we all feel like there are times when everything seems to be hitting us all at once. In Job's case, it really was! There are many choices we can make when facing the difficulties of life. 1. We can feel sorry for ourselves. 2. We can get angry at the situation, people around us, or God. 3. We can throw our hands up in the air and give up. 4. We can trust God (Proverbs 30:5), know that He loves us (1 John 3:1), and that He would never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

Job chose to trust God. He knew that God loved him and that God would not leave him. Job's wife on the other hand chose differently. We cannot be too hard on Job's wife though. Remember, she too lost all her possessions and her children.  Now she was watching her husband suffering right in front of her! So I can understand her response to Job's pain when she said to him, "Job! Are you still clinging to your integrity? Enough is enough! Just curse God and die!"
  Job answered his wife,  "My dear wife, you are  foolishly speaking out of anger and fear. Are we supposed to accept all the good things that God gives us, but not accept His decision when He takes things away?" In all his suffering, Job did not sin with his lips.

 Job realized that God does not owe us anything and that every good thing that God gives us is a gift. (James 1:17) 

Three of Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar heard about all that had happened to Job and decided to go as a group to comfort, console, and mourn with their friend. They heard that Job was sitting near the garbage dump and headed toward it. While they were a distance off, they saw a man sitting there, but he was covered by so many boils that they did not even recognize him.  When they finally realized that it was Job, tears filled their eyes. They tore their robes and put ashes on their foreheads. Then they sat down with Job in silence for seven days. Seven days was the customary time of mourning for the dead. (Genesis 50:10) Job's friends joined him in mourning for his children as well as for his circumstances.
  Job's friends had good intentions. They loved their friend.  Their compassionate presence was just what Job needed at the time. We can learn from them. Sometimes a ministry of presence is just what a person needs when they are mourning of suffering. No words, just compassion and care. 
  In the next 35 chapters we will see how Job's friends opened their mouths and messed up the good they had done by initially sitting with Job in his grief.

Introduction to Job and (Job 1)

 The book of Job is believed to be one of the, if not, the oldest book in the Bible. It was probably written in Abraham's lifetime during the Genesis time period. It is also believed to be written by Job himself as he recorded his own experiences.
  The story of Job is a hard one. He suffers many losses and experiences deep pain, but the story is not really about Job's suffering, but more about how we tend to put God in a box. We expect God to think like we do and to act like we do. But His ways are way above our ways and His thoughts are way beyond our intellectual capacity. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

                                                                        JOB
  In the land of Uz there was a very rich man named Job. (pronounced jobe) He was not only the wealthiest man in the region, he was also blameless, upright, feared God and shunned evil. Blameless doesn't mean that Job never sinned, it means that he would confess his sins, offer sacrifices and repent. Job had ten adult children, thousands of sheep, camels, oxen and donkeys, and many hired hands to help with the farm and many servants. Job would pray for his family and ask God for forgiveness on a regular basis.....just in case they had sinned.

 One day the angels were presenting themselves before God and Satan was there. God looked at Satan and asked him was he had been doing. "Oh, just going back and forth over the earth." Satan Replied. "I have been watching everything that has been going on."
 "Well then, I am sure that you noticed my servant Job." God said and then continued. "He is the finest man on the face of the earth. He is full of integrity and will have nothing to do with evil at all."
  "Of course not!" Satan retorted. "You shield him and his family from any adversity. You protect them all and you have given Job amazing wealth! That is why he loves you! Take away his stuff and we will see what Job is really made of. I'm sure he will curse you to your face!"
  God answered, "Alright! You may test him. Now you have access to all he has. Do what you will, however, do not touch a single hair on his head."

  One day a messenger arrived at Job's house. "Job, the Sabeans raided your land! They stole all the oxen and donkeys and killed all your farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
  While he was still speaking, another messenger showed up. "Fire has consumed the sheep pen. All the sheep and the shepherds have been killed. I am the only one left to tell you what happened."
  And while he was still speaking, a third messenger came in. "Three bands of Chaldean raiders have come onto your property. They have stolen your camels and killed all your servants except me."
  I'm sure by this time, Job was thinking what else could happen. Sure enough, before the third messenger was finished speaking, another came in with the worst news of all. "Your sons and daughters were having a party at the oldest brother's house when a fierce wind stirred up from the desert. It swept across the farm and leveled the house. All inside were killed. I am the lone survivor to tell you of this devastating news."

 Job stood up, obviously in deep heartbreaking grief. He tore his clothes and let out a loud cry! He shaved his head and fell on the floor before God. "I came into this world completely naked, and I will be stripped of everything when I die." Job cried out and then continued "The Lord has given me everything I have, and now He has taken it all away..... Praise the name of the Lord!"
 Even though Job was in deep sorrow, he never sinned by cursing or blaming God.

  It is really hard for us to understand why bad things happen. People get hurt. Things are destroyed. Hopes and dreams are crushed. And people die. God knows we are sad when these things happen, and He is right there with us as we grieve through it. God wants us to love Him, obey Him, worship Him and trust Him. Sometimes trusting Him is the hardest when bad things happen. But God delights in our praises, and if we can still trust him and praise Him in the midst of suffering, I'm sure He cherishes that kind of praise even more.

The Festival of Purim (Esther 8-10)

  So Haman was hanged that day. The Jews didn't have to worry about his evil schemes any more, but even though Haman was gone, his law was still in effect. The king gave all of Haman's property to queen Esther, and she in turn put her cousin Mordecai the Jew in charge of it. Then Esther brought Mordecai to the palace and introduced him as her cousin, and she once again addressed the king. "If my lord is pleased with me, please reverse the decree that Haman instated, that all Jews would be killed on March 7th."

"I wish I could my dear Esther," the king responded. "But you see, I gave Haman my signet ring and he stamped the decree with it. No one.... not even I can reverse the law." He looked at queen Esther and Mordecai for a while, then he said. "Haman is dead because he wanted to annihilate the Jews. Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king's name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king's ring.  Remember, whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with this signet ring, cannot be revoked."

  On June 25th, Mordecai summoned the king's secretaries and had them write down the new decree that was to be instated. He had the decree translated into the language of the different territories. He then sealed the decree with the king's signet ring and sent if off swiftly on horseback tall all 127 provinces of the kingdom.
  Mordecai was smart. He wasn't able to stop Haman's law into going into affect. But he was able to instate an new law that said.... On March 7th of next year, all Jews can band together and fight or kill in order to protect their families. Mordecai knew that a lot of people in the kingdom would not risk their lives against a group of Jews.And he was right. On March 7th of the next year, the Jews banded together in large numbers to protect themselves and their families. Well not very people dared to attack the Jews. Even the governors, princes and royal officials sided with the Jews, because they all feared how powerful Mordecai the Jew had become.
  There were a few violent outbreaks for the next two day.s The Jews ended up killing a couple hundred people, including Haman's sons. Finally when the decree time had passed, the Jews rested and celebrated., with a festival and gift giving.

  Mordecai knew that this was an important 2 day event for the Jews. He sent out a decree that these two days should be celebrated every year with large festival and gift giving to each other and to the poor. This would commemorate a time in Jewish history when they gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned to gladness and their mourning into joy.
  They needed a name for this new holiday. Mordecai thought for a while, then he remembered how Haman had decided on which day to have the Jews killed. Haman cast lots. The lots were called purim. (It was sort of like rolling the dice in biblical times) So, in agreement with Queen Esther, the two day feast was called the Festival of Purim (named after the lots).

 The Jews agreed to celebrate the Festival of Purim every year. They would tell their children to continue the festival, and to tell their children to continue and so on. And now, the Festival of Purim is still celebrated till this day.
  King Xerxes promoted Mordecai to prime minister. He was second in authority to only the king himself. Mordecai was revered throughout the kingdom as a man who not only looked out for his people, the Jews, but also as a friend to all the people in the kingdom.

  The book of Ester is an amazing true story. Even though God was never mentioned in the entire story, He was at work all along. Sometimes we feel like God is not present.... but He definitely is. He has a plan and sometimes things get worse before they get better. But even when it is worse, He is right beside you.

Next time we will begin the fascinating Book of Job.

The Tables Are Turned on Haman (Esther 6 and 7)

  The king had just asked Haman what should be done for the man that the king wishes to honor. Haman, thinking that the king was talking about him, gave the king a very impressive list of things he could do. The king loved all Haman's ideas. Haman could not wait to tell his friends and family about this!
  King Xerxes said to Haman. "All these things will be done!" The king continued as Haman grinned from ear to ear, "Hurry and get the robe and my horse and do all the tings just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew who is sitting at the gate of the palace."
  Haman was speechless. "Mordecai the Jew?"He thought to himself. "I had gallows built to hang him and I was going to ask the king's permission, and now he wants to honor him?.... and I am the one that is going to carry it out?! This is terrible!" Haman grumbled to himself as he made it way out of the palace and to the palace gate to get Mordecai.

  Haman took the robe and put it on Mordecai, placed him on the king's own horse and led him through the city square. As Haman led Mordecai around the square, he shouted, "This is what  happens to those the king wishes to honor!" Haman did as the king asked, but on the inside, he was feeling humiliated, dejected, unappreciated and like a fool.
   When it was over, Mordecai returned to the city gate and Haman hurried home. When he got home, Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened. Haman went on for hours, telling everyone how humiliated he felt and that Mordecai the Jew did not deserve any of it. If anyone did, it was he himself. While Haman and his friends were still talking, one of the king's servants arrived to take Haman to Queen Esther's banquet. "I don't even feel like going now." He thought to himself.

  So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Queen Esther had prepared for them. After a while the king asked Esther, "So what is it you want my dear Queen Esther? Please tell me."
 

Esther answered him, Please my lord, if you are pleased with me, please spare me and my people. If we would only be taken as slaves, we could live with that, but a decree has been sent out to kill me and my people. I hate to bother the king, but it really is a matter of life and death."
  "Who would do such a thing?!" the king demanded. "Who would dare touch you?"
  Esther relied, "It is the evil Haman, my lord. He is our enemy." Haman grew pale with fright right before the king and queen. Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went into the palace garden to think. Haman and the queen stayed behind.
  Haman began to plead with Queen Esther, "Please my dear queen, this is all a big misunderstanding. We can work this out. Please tell the king to have mercy on me!" Esther didn't say a word, but Haman could tell that his his words were not reaching her heart. He fell on the couch where Esther was reclining, then he grabbed her arm. She pulled back and he was leaning into her. Just then the king returned and saw Haman nearly on top of the queen. "Will this evil man even assault the queen right here in the palace before my very eyes?" The king shouted in anger.
  The kings attendants moved in quickly and grabbed Haman. The servants knew that the king was wondering what should be done to Haman. Then Harbona, one of the servants spoke up. "Haman has set up a Gallows seventy-five feet tall in hi own courtyard. He was determined to use it to hang Mordecai the Jew, the same man who saved your life."
  "Then hang Haman on his own gallows!" the king ordered. So they did as king commanded.
  The story is not over however, the decree that Haman issued was sealed with the signet ring of the king. No one can over rule the law. Not even the king himself. So the date was still set for the annihilation of all the Jews. We will see what happened next time.

The Pride and Prejudice of Haman ( Esther 5 and 6)

   King Xerxes turned to Haman after queen Esther had invited them to another banquet and told Haman to be back again tomorrow. Haman left the palace on cloud nine. The king and queen have included him in their inner circle! He couldn't wait to get home and brag to his family and friends about how important he was. The only thing that interrupted his joy and excitement momentarily was Mordecai who was sitting along the wall of the palace in his sackcloth. He didn't stand or bow for Haman. This infuriated Haman.

  But by the time Haman made it home, he was bubbling over with pride and joy. He gathered his friends and family and told them all about how he was not only rich and that he had been promoted to be prime minister, but now the king and queen have invited him to, not one, but two dinner parties! He told them that the only thing that would make this day complete would be to get rid of Mordecai the Jew.
 One of Haman's friends spoke up. "Why don't you hire some carpenters to build and set up a gallows that stands seventy-five feet tall tonight, and in the morning, ask the king to hang Mordecai. Then you can enjoy your banquet without any aggravation."
  "I love that idea!" Haman exclaimed." With gallows that tall, everyone will be able to witness the hanging of Mordecai the Jew!" So Haman went right away and got his evil plan started.  The carpenters worked well into the night as Haman supervised the operation.
  Meanwhile, King Xerxes was tossing and turning all night. For some reason,(God), he just couldn't sleep. Finally, in the early morning hours, he asked a couple of servants to come and read the historical records of the kingdom. "If that doesn't bore me to sleep, nothing will." He thought to himself. So the servants began to read. The king was beginning to get a bit sleepy, when something from the records caught his attention. It was the account of how Mordecai exposed the plot of two palace guards to kill the king.
  "Yes, I remember that! Mordecai saved my life that day!' The king shouted as he sat up in bed. "Has anything ever been done to honor Mordecai?" He asked.
  "Nothing at all has been done for him. No reward or recognition has been given him" Answered one of the king's servants. Now the king was more awake than ever.

  Just then the king heard footsteps in the outer court and asked his servant to go see who was there. Now as it just so happened, Haman had arrived at the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai that morning. "It is Haman." One of the servants replied.
"Oh good, send him in." The king ordered his servant. "I need some advice."
 So the servant escorted Haman into the presence of the king.
 "You are just the man I wanted to see." Said the king as Haman cracked a smile. "What should be done for a man that pleases me?" Now Haman's slight smile became a full-face grin. "Whom should the king want to honor more than me?" He thought to himself as ideas of how he would want to be honored by the king danced around in his head.
  "First of all," Haman stated, " He should bring out one of the kings royal robes as well as the king's  own horse with the royal emblem on it's head. Instruct one of the king's most noble men to place the robe on the honored person and then lead him through the city square." Haman was really dialing it up now. "Then have that noble man shout out as he leads the horse, 'This is what happens to the man the king wishes to honor!'"

 Sometimes our emotions (whether positive or negative) skew our perception of things. Haman's anger and pride blinded him to what was really going on. Ask God yo help you put you emotions aside and focus on the truth. He is the truth the way and the life. (John 14:6)
 Next time we will see how the tables were turned on Haman, and how God had everything in control all along.

Mordecai Implores Esther to Petition the King (Esther 4&5)

 

  When Mordecai found out about the new law, he was dismayed. He and all his fellow Jews were going to face annihilation at the hands of all the people in 11 months because of it. Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes. (sackcloth and ashes were symbols of mourning and despair) He stood outside the gate of the palace wailing and crying bitterly. News of the king's decree swept through the kingdom and soon there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept and put on sackcloth and ashes.

   Some of queen Esther's maids saw Mordecai outside the city gates. They returned to Esther and told her how he was dressed and that he was weeping bitterly. Queen Esther sent some clothes with one of her servants for Mordecai to wear, because no one was allowed inside the palace walls in sackcloth, but he refused to wear them. So Esther ordered her servant, named Hathach, to go find out what what distressing Mordecai.
  Hathach went back and forth bringing messages to Queen Esther and Mordecai. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree that called for the death of all Jews to give to Esther. Esther didn't even know about the law and she was shocked and upset. Mordecai urged Esther to go to the king and beg for mercy for her people.
  "The whole world knows that anyone who approaches the king without being invited is doomed to certain death, unless the king holds out his gold scepter." Esther explained.
  Mordecai returned a message to the queen. "If you do not stand up for your people to the king, someone else will. But it could be certainly possible that you have been raised to royalty for such a time as this."

  Have you ever thought that maybe God put you in a certain uncomfortable situation for His purpose? Sometimes we try our hardest to get out of a situation, when God has worked it out to get us there! Don't ask God why.... ask Him what He wants you to do or to learn.

  Esther realized that Mordecai was right! "Go throughout the kingdom and ask all the Jews to fast and pray." She told him. "My maids and I will do the same. Then. even though it is against the law, I will approach the king. ...... and if I die..... I die."

  Three days later, Esther put on her royal gown and entered the inner court, which was just across from the king's hall. The king was sitting on his throne and looked in Esther's direction. She felt a lump in her throat and her legs felt weak as she wondered what fate awaited her.......Then..... the king held out his gold scepter to her. She let out a silent sigh of relief and glided toward the king.
  Then the king asked her, "What is your request my queen? Anything up to half my kingdom!"
  Esther responded, "If it please the king, let Your Majesty and Haman come to a special banquet I have prepared."
  The king turned to his attendants, "Tell Haman to come quickly. The queen has prepared a special banquet." So they went and brought back Haman for the banquet. They were all enjoying the banquet when the king turned to Esther and said, This banquet is nice, but please tell me what you really want. I will give you anything up to half my kingdom!"
  Esther replied. "This is my request and my deepest wish. If you are pleased with me and you want to grant my request, please come with Haman to another banquet that I will have prepared for you tomorrow. At that time I will explain everything."
  Esther wasn't afraid to ask the king. God was working behind the scenes and he put it in Esther's heart to delay her request another day. Next time we will see what God was up to.

Haman's Plot Against the Jews (Esther3)

  So, several years went by and Esther remained queen of Persia. She continued to keep her silence about her Jewish heritage. Her cousin, Mordecai, kept his position patrolling the palace grounds. Meanwhile, the king promoted a man named Haman to Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was the second most powerful position next to the king. Haman was an evil man. He was a descendant of Agag, who was the king of the Amalekites, the people who were Israel’s sworn enemy for generations (Exodus 17:14-16).

 Everyone was expected to bow down before Haman as he passed by, but Mordecai refused to bow. This made Haman very angry, and when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, it made him even madder! Right then and there, Haman decided that it was time to get rid of not only Mordecai, but eliminate all the Jews.









  Haman approached King Xerxes, "It seems that there is a race of people scattered throughout your kingdom. They are disrespectful to the king and even their laws are different from ours. Sooner or later, they will cause big problems for you and the entire kingdom."

  "What do you suppose we do, Haman?" The king asked.
  "We must eliminate them completely!" Haman quickly replied with a slight evil smile across his face. "I have 375 tons of silver I'd like to donate to the royal treasury if this can be done."
  "Let it be done as you wish." The king replied. "But keep your money. Also here is my royal signet ring. You will need it to issue any decrees pertaining to the elimination of these people." 
  The king did not ask Haman for any details about the people that he was referring to. If he had, the king would have realized that he had many Jews as royal subjects and that the Jewish laws in no way interfered with the people obeying the laws of the kingdom. King Xerxes probably had no idea what he agreed to. He probably thought that he merely agreed to the execution of a handful of dangerous revolutionaries in his kingdom.

  Lots were cast to determine the best day of the year to execute all the Jews. It was determined that it would happen on March 7, almost a year later. Haman wasted no time in using the king's signet ring. So on April 17 the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of all the provinces, and the leaders of each province in their own language. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the next year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. 

 The people of the kingdom were very confused. The Jews were their neighbors. Their children played together. Now they were supposed to kill them? It didn't seem right.

  God is always in control and every aspect of this time in history is no exception. He had a glorious plan. Right now it doesn't seem like it, but this is an amazing story. God allowed Haman to become prime minister. God already had Esther in place as queen and Mordecai in the king's circle. God allowed almost a whole year for the plan to be carried out through the casting of lots. (sort of rolling of the dice). 
  God had a plan then, and He has a plan today. He has a plan for your life and mine. He is in control of circumstances and He will give us opportunities to follow His will. Getting in on God's plan is not only being obedient, but it is also an exciting adventure! Pray for God to reveal complete knowledge of His will to you and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Col 1:9)

Esther Becomes Queen (chapter 2)

 When we left off last time, the king's men were getting ready to comb the countryside for the most beautiful virgins for the Miss Persia competition.
  Now there was a man named Mordecai that lived very close to the palace. He had a cousin named Esther, who was very beautiful. Esther's parents died when she was young, and her cousin, Mordecai took on the responsibility of raising the young girl as his own daughter. As a result of the "Miss Persia" contest, Esther had no choice but to be brought to the king's harem with many other young women. Mordecai warned her not to tell anyone that she was a Jew.
   Esther was placed in the care of a man named Hegai. Hegai was one of the king's top advisers and he was very impressed with Esther from the start. He treated her kindly and immediately ordered beauty treatments and assigned her the seven best maids to care for her..He also moved her and the maids to the best chambers in the palace.

  Why was Hegai so impressed with Esther right off the bat? Yes, she was beautiful, but I'm sure there were many beautiful girls that were brought to the palace. Beauty is not only an outward thing, it is also what is on the inside. Mordecai raised Esther to be a God-serving humble girl and Hagai noticed that right away. What do others notice about us right away? Does the beauty of God's presence in our hearts shine, or do we hide behind a proud attitude?

  Esther had not told anyone of her Jewish heritage, just as Mordecai suggested. Every day he would visit the palace and ask about Esther and how she was doing. The beauty treatments were very intense, and the continued for one full year! Finally it was time for the "Miss Persia" contest to begin. The women were given their choice of clothing and jewelry, but Esther accepted the advice of Hegai and wore what he picked out. The women were presented to the king one by one,  and when Esther's turn finally came, she was admired by everyone. The king was so taken with her, that he placed the crown on her head right then and there! All the rest of the women were taken to the king's harem and were cared for there for the rest of their lives, never to marry. It was very sad for them, so it was really a big deal to be selected by the  king.

   So Esther became queen and Mordecai became a palace official. All the while they kept Esther's nationality and family background a secret. As a palace official, Mordecai would basically patrol the palace grounds, making sure everything was in order. One day while he was on duty, he overheard two of the guards that were outside the king's private quarters talking. They were very angry with King Xerxes and planned to have him killed. Mordecai quickly passed this information on to his cousin, Esther, the queen. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for unearthing the plot. The king launched a thorough investigation into the allegations, and it was found to be true. The two men were then hanged in the gallows.

  The book of Esther is very unusual in the fact that it never mentions God once! As we read the story, we can see God at work. He is using situations and circumstances to allow people to be in the right place at the right time. As the story continues, observe how much God is involved in the whole book. Aren't our lives like that. We don't see God, but He is there, touching hearts, touching lives and using circumstances to further His plan of redemption. It is God's will that everyone come to a saving knowledge of him. (1Timothy 2:4)

The Book of Esther (1-2) Vashti Banished

  Wasn't Nehemiah a great story? And it is all true....it really happened all those years ago. Now we are going to go back in time a little bit to  about 40 years before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem. The Bible is not in chronological order. Which means it isn't in order of how things happened. The book of Ester is set in Persia after Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon were overthrown by the Persian Empire. The story of Esther is set about 30 years after the temple in Jerusalem was built and Ezra was the prophet of the time. At this time most of the Jews are still scattered throughout Persia.

   Now there was a king of Persia named Xerxes. Here ruled over all 127 provinces, from India down to Ethiopia. He had been king for 3 years when he decided to throw a huge party for all the princes and military officials. The party lasted 6 months! Then just when you think the party was over, the king throws a 7 day party for his palace servants and immediate officials. In the meantime, Queen Vashti was throwing her own party for the women of the kingdom.
  On the seventh day of the party, after the king had a little too much to drink, he started bragging about what a beautiful wife he had. Then he sent some of his servants to go bring the queen to him so he could show off her beauty in front of all the other men. When the message was conveyed to Queen Vashti that the king wanted her to parade around in front of a bunch of men who had been drinking for seven days, she refused. Disobeying the king was unheard of at the time. A queen would never refuse the request of the king!
  As soon as King Xerxes heard about Queen Vashti's response, he became infuriated and called his consultants together and asked their advice, because they were experts in Persian laws and customs.
 "What must be done with Queen Vashti?" The king asked. "What does the law say about a penalty for a queen who disobeys her king?"

  One of the king's consultants whose name was Memucan answered. "Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but she has also wronged all the princes and the male subjects in the kingdom." He continued. "The queen's behavior will become known to all the women in the kingdom, and before you know it, they will begin disrespecting their husbands which will lead to disorder and chaos in your kingdom."
  One of the other consultants spoke up. "If it please the king, let Queen Vashti be banished from the kingdom and never come before the king again! ... And let her position be given to another who is more worthy! Also send out a decree that all wives must honor their husbands because he is the master of the household."
  King Xerxes agreed and the queen was banished from the kingdom, never to be heard from again. Soon the king began to regret what he had done. If he had not acted so prideful, he would have not requested that the queen come before him and all the men then she would not have had to refuse. He was sad because he missed her.

 The Bible says that pride leads to destruction. (Prov 16:18) and patience is better than pride. (Eccles 7:8) God does not like pride. Pride hurts us and God doesn't want that. If we humble ourselves, God will lift us up. (James 4:10) The next time you feel like showing off or bragging about yourself... remember that it may make you feel like a big shot at the time, but eventually regret will set in, just like it did for King Xerxes.


  Some of his advisors saw that the king was down in the dumps over the whole situation and one spoke up. "May your servants travel to each of the 127 provinces of Persia and bring back to most beautiful virgins. We will hold a Miss Persia contest and whom ever you choose, will be the next queen of Persia!" The king liked the idea and the servants were dispatched to find the most beautiful virgins in all the land.

  Next time we will get an inside look at the Miss Persia contest.

Against All Opposition, The Wall Is Completed (Nehemiah 4-13)

As soon as I, Nehemiah, had assigned each person or family a section of the wall, they immediately began construction.  And as soon as Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem saw that the people were beginning to build, they became furious. "We have already tried to discourage them." Geshem said.
"Yes, Nehemiah prayed and talked to the people and they were not discouraged." Tobiah added.
"We need to get others on our side." Sanballat said as he pounded his fist on the table.
  So the three men went to a section of the wall that we were building. I could see they were up to no good as they stood among a crowd of onlookers and began to make fun of us, hoping the others would join them. Tobiah pointed and shouted, "That wall is so weak that if a fox tried to walk along the top of it, the wall would crumble to the ground!" I prayed that my people would ignore the comments and that the crowd would not go along with Tobiah. And so we continued to build the wall.
 After a few weeks, the wall was about half complete. Saballat, Tobiah and Geshem were fuming! They sent messengers to the wall and handed me a letter. Here is what it said. "We have the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites on our side. If you do not cease in your attempt to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, we will attack." I prayed to the God of heaven that the threats were only just threats and that God would give me wisdom. So I stationed half the men as guards with shields and swords along the wall and armed the men that were working  on the wall with swords as well.

 The three evil men saw that we were not deterred. Progress on the wall continued and the they devised another plan. Again they sent messengers and handed me a letter. Here is what that letter said. "It has come to our attention that you are building the wall in order to rebel against your king in Persia and then name yourself as king over Jerusalem. If you do not stop construction of the wall immediately, we will inform the king of Persia of your plan and he will have you arrested and the people charged with treason." I sent a message back saying it was all lies and then I prayed for strength. Then we continued to build.
 We finally had the wall up, but still had not put up the gates and doors, which were important to secure the city. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem knew they had one last chance. They managed to bribe a man I knew named Shemaiah to try to trick me into meeting him inside the temple. I prayed, and God revealed to me that Shemaiah was working for Tobiah and Sanballat in order to discredit me. We continued to work on the wall. We hung the gates and doors. The wall was complete. And in only 52 days! The neighboring countries became fearful because they knew it was impossible to complete a project that would normally take a few years in only 52 days, and that God must be on our side. They were right!

  I called the prophet Ezra to read the law of God in front of the wall. Then the Levites reminded the people about how God was with us. Not only in the building of the wall, but throughout our history. From Abraham to Moses to the promised land until now, God has been with us the whole way. The people began to weep and confessed their sins. Then they made a vow to love God with their whole body, soul strength and mind, and to obey Him. Then we dedicated the wall to the God of heaven and rejoiced with songs, music, dancing, praying, worshiping and praising our God.
  I became governor of Jerusalem for 12 years the finally returned to king Antaxerxes. He was very happy to see me. I shared stories with him about how God has inspired, protected and been with us. I don't know if he realized that I would be gone for 12 years when I first left, but he received me back with open arms and he let me return to Jerusalem for a visit whenever I wanted. On one return visit, I found out that Eliashib the priest had emptied out one of the temple rooms and rented it to Tobiah for some of his personal belongings. As soon as I found out. I threw all of Tobiah's things out of the temple and replaced Eliashib with a Levite, a scribe and a priest, I knew all three men and trusted them. I also found out that some of the people and merchants were not honoring the Sabbath day. Before I returned to Persia, I prayed and then implemented some new rules.
  During the building of the wall, something that God inspired Nehemiah to do, there was so much opposition. There was an attempt to discourage the workers and they were made fun of, threatened, lied to and tricked. Notice what Nehemiah did each time. He prayed, then he planned and then he pushed forward. We should remember these three Ps when we are doing things for God and opposition arises (and it will). Pray, Plan, Push forward. God is on our side when we are called according to His purpose. He will guide you, protect you and give you wisdom.