Question / Discussion on the Book of Ester

[Laela]

ITA... esp at the bolded. Well said indeed!!

There are times I don't agree with some things my pastor says or even how he says it. Like with anything, I listen... chew the meat and spit out the bones. This is critical, I believe, to church going. Be led by God first, then man (spiritual leaders).

Laela- I like what you wrote here. I had the same thoughts when I was reading about Mordecai refusing to bow down to Haman. What you wrote is very powerful. "What God says trumps what religious action calls for." I know that Mordecai's situation was on the large side of the sprectrum, meaning him against the law of the land. His actions put an entire group of religious believers in danger, but this scripture made me think of how this applies to us on a smaller scale.

At times, we get so caught up in what our church tells us we should and shouldn't do that we forget we have a personal relationship with God. Our churches are there for guidance but God is our ultimate leader. His orders come first and foremost which is why it's important that we stay tuned in to his still small voice. We shouldn't be more dedicated to our church than we are to God. God gave us commandments and rules to live by in the Bible which can be considered the large side of the spectrum as with Mordecai and the laws of the King. We have to obey these well-known commandments, but God speaks to us everyday also on a smaller scale. He tells us bit by bit what his plan is for us. He gives us our own personal laws and commandments on how to accomplish his plan for us. How many of us are doing exactly what he tells us to do? Is someone pushing you to join one committee in your church but you know in your heart that God is telling you he needs you on a different committee? In this case "it is better to obey than to sacrifice" applies as well. In order to obtain your full blessing from God, you have to do what he asks of you.

I'm not saying that our churches are giving us bad guidance or anything like that. I just want to point out that God is the only one who knows the plan he has for us. It's great to receive advice or to hear someone else's vision for you but we need to always cross-reference it with what God speaks to our hearts. Our connection with our churches or any other organization should not trump our personal relationship with God. Obey the laws of the land yes, but be in tuned with God also so that first and foremost you're always obeying him.

Every time I'm going through something God gives me a scripture that confirms what he's saying to me. And this one was right on time. I was being led the wrong way on a church committee but God reminded me of his true purpose and plan for me.

 

[PinkPebbles]

At times, we get so caught up in what our church tells us we should and shouldn't do that we forget we have a personal relationship with God.

Our connection with our churches or any other organization should not trump our personal relationship with God. Obey the laws of the land yes, but be in tuned with God also so that first and foremost you're always obeying him.

.

This really stood out to me...and I had to say AMEN!!!!!

As someone previously stated Mordecai was indeed in tuned with God, he took a risk not to bow down to man (Haman), or compromise his beliefs. As a result, the Lord worked on his behalf - saving his people.

This brings us back to Laela's statement about the critical lesson learned in the the book of Ester! Seeking the Lord, and allowing God to lead and guide us....

 

[loolalooh]

Can't wait to get to the Book of Ester. Subscribing to this thread.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I heard a pastor preach on this once. His conclusion was that the King was actually making an unreasonable request of his wife. He wanted to flaunt her beauty in front of a bunch of drunk men and be objectified. This kinds of jives with the fact that after he sobered up he regretted his behavior. He said that often women were called to those types of parties wearing no clothes. She basically told him that she would not be disrespected. It was only because of his pride and drunk state that he was decided that she was being unreasonable.

oK, you must have been at my church huh. I was just about to come in and mention this exact idea that was preached to us one Sunday.

If you read early on, the king and the queen both had been partying for days on end and it was said that the king had this brilliant idea of summoning his wife while he was "high in spirits from wine". This makes total sense to me.

If i can recall, the title of the sermon was something like "You can't treat me like that" or something to that nature.

 

[Reminiscing]

Hi Ladies,

I've been reading more of Esther and I just wanted to share with you what the footnotes of my bible say regarding how Esther responded to Mordecai asking her for help to save the Jews. This is from the "Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation."

Esther 4:11-5:2 FOOTNOTE
Esther risked her life by coming before the king. Her courageous act gives us a model to follow in approaching a difficult or dangerous task. Like Eshter, we can: (1) Calculate the cost. Esther realized her life was at stake. (2) Set priorities. She believed that the safety of the Jewish race was more important than her life. (3) Prepare. She gathered support and fasted. (4) Determine a course of action and move ahead boldly. She didn't think too long about it, allowing the interlude to lessen her commitment to what she had to do.

Do you have to face a hostile audience, confront a friend on a delicate subject, or talk to your family about changes to be made? Rather than dreading difficult situations or putting them off, take action with confidence by following Esther's inspiring example.

I had to ponder this footnote for a little bit because I wasn't sure how I felt about it. We hear so much "wait on the Lord, wait on the Lord" but in this footnote it's actually promoting the fact that Esther didn't really wait. She weighed the prose and cons, fasted and prayed, then moved right into action. I understand why Esther had to act quickly but in my life I'm leery of making hasty decisions. I like to be rational and make sure that I'm not acting out of emotion.

But, then this started making sense to me. There are times when I know what needs to be done but I drag my feet with it. I say "I'm still waiting on God" but really deep down I know that God has already spoken to me. I'm just dragging my feet because I may not be too happy with His direction or possibly scared to act on it. This footnote is encouraging us to be bold in our obedience to God. Esther acted quickly because she knew without a doubt what had to be done. Even though it put her life at risk, she knew she had to go before the king to plead for the safety of the Jews and she was obedient to this.

So to sum this all us... Yes, we must wait on the Lord but make sure you're really waiting. Be real with yourself. If you know he's already spoken to you, don't let your own personal hesitations turn into disobedience to God. We must act quickly on his directions before the enemy can intervene and throw us onto the wrong path. The enemy will seize every opportunity he can get and hesitation is certainly an open door for him.

It was on my heart to share this with you but please let me know your thoughts on this. I had to ponder this for a while so I hope I got the right message.

 

[JinaRicci]

^^ I think that's an awesome word from God!

 

[PinkPebbles]

Hi Ladies,

I've been reading more of Esther and I just wanted to share with you what the footnotes of my bible say regarding how Esther responded to Mordecai asking her for help to save the Jews. This is from the "Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation."

Esther 4:11-5:2 FOOTNOTE
Esther risked her life by coming before the king. Her courageous act gives us a model to follow in approaching a difficult or dangerous task. Like Eshter, we can: (1) Calculate the cost. Esther realized her life was at stake. (2) Set priorities. She believed that the safety of the Jewish race was more important than her life. (3) Prepare. She gathered support and fasted. (4) Determine a course of action and move ahead boldly. She didn't think too long about it, allowing the interlude to lessen her commitment to what she had to do.

Do you have to face a hostile audience, confront a friend on a delicate subject, or talk to your family about changes to be made? Rather than dreading difficult situations or putting them off, take action with confidence by following Esther's inspiring example.

I had to ponder this footnote for a little bit because I wasn't sure how I felt about it. We hear so much "wait on the Lord, wait on the Lord" but in this footnote it's actually promoting the fact that Esther didn't really wait. She weighed the prose and cons, fasted and prayed, then moved right into action. I understand why Esther had to act quickly but in my life I'm leery of making hasty decisions. I like to be rational and make sure that I'm not acting out of emotion.

But, then this started making sense to me. There are times when I know what needs to be done but I drag my feet with it. I say "I'm still waiting on God" but really deep down I know that God has already spoken to me. I'm just dragging my feet because I may not be too happy with His direction or possibly scared to act on it. This footnote is encouraging us to be bold in our obedience to God. Esther acted quickly because she knew without a doubt what had to be done. Even though it put her life at risk, she knew she had to go before the king to plead for the safety of the Jews and she was obedient to this.

So to sum this all us... Yes, we must wait on the Lord but make sure you're really waiting. Be real with yourself. If you know he's already spoken to you, don't let your own personal hesitations turn into disobedience to God. We must act quickly on his directions before the enemy can intervene and throw us onto the wrong path. The enemy will seize every opportunity he can get and hesitation is certainly an open door for him.

It was on my heart to share this with you but please let me know your thoughts on this. I had to ponder this for a while so I hope I got the right message.

Right on time!

You have raised some excellent points. Knowing when and how to take action definitely requires a sincere relationship with God, and being in tuned with the Holy Spirit. For one it's going to require trust, faith, and obedience.

Your post is indeed right on time.

A day or two ago the Lord placed on my heart to contact someone from my church to see if they would be interested in serving in a particular ministry.

Last night the person responded back to my email enthusiastic about the idea. Firstly, she let me know that this ministry aligns with her spiritual gift. Secondly, she gave me an update on how she was doing. Surprisingly, she was affected by a natural disaster that took place several months ago. I had no idea.

Not only did I want to pray for her restoration, but I received a vision to help bless this woman financially. I have already contacted someone to help put this plan into action.

The moral of the story is that this woman kept her faith. When I asked her about serving in this ministry she was not bitter, and did not allow her circumstances to dictate the opportunity to use her spiritual gift to bless others. She knows that serving in this particular ministry focus a lot on others, and you have to put your needs aside. I applaud this lady for her strength and trust in the Lord.

She does not know the plan that God has given me to help bless her. It just goes to show when you're operating inside of God's will, His purpose and plan for your life will prevail. We will know when to take action to manifest His promises.

And we are blessed to be a blessing.

Thank you for posting. I agree that you shared an awesome word!

 

[Reminiscing]

Right on time!

You have raised some excellent points. Knowing when and how to take action definitely requires a sincere relationship with God, and being in tuned with the Holy Spirit. For one it's going to require trust, faith, and obedience.

Your post is indeed right on time.

A day or two ago the Lord placed on my heart to contact someone from my church to see if they would be interested in serving in a particular ministry.

Last night the person responded back to my email enthusiastic about the idea. Firstly, she let me know that this ministry aligns with her spiritual gift. Secondly, she gave me an update on how she was doing. Surprisingly, she was affected by a natural disaster that took place several months ago. I had no idea.

Not only did I want to pray for her restoration, but I received a vision to help bless this woman financially. I have already contacted someone to help put this plan into action.

The moral of the story is that this woman kept her faith. When I asked her about serving in this ministry she was not bitter, and did not allow her circumstances to dictate the opportunity to use her spiritual gift to bless others. She knows that serving in this particular ministry focus a lot on others, and you have to put your needs aside. I applaud this lady for her strength and trust in the Lord.

She does not know the plan that God has given me to help bless her. It just goes to show when you're operating inside of God's will, His purpose and plan for your life will prevail. We will know when to take action to manifest His promises.

And we are blessed to be a blessing.

Thank you for posting. I agree that you shared an awesome word!

PinkPebbles,

Your story also reminds me of when the King read the history books and discovered that Mordecai had saved a previous kings life from men who were plotting to kill him. At the time of reading, the King had no idea that Haman was going to ask him the next day to kill Mordecai. But by the grace of God, the next day the king was so impressed with Mordecai's heroic orders that instead of issue orders for his murder, he issued orders of celebration and Haman (who plotted against Mordecai) was ordered to lead this celebration. God's work comes full circle. Nothing can interrupt his plan. At the time that Mordecai was protecting the previous king, he had no idea that his actions then were going to save him from being killed by Haman in the future.

The sister you contacted had no idea that her faithfulness to God at the time of her loss and then her obedience to God when she accepted the offer to work on your ministry team were going to give her a financial blessing in the very near future. And in turn, you had no idea that when she first came to your mind for your ministry that it would lead to organizing financial relief for her.

God is so awesome! His plan is far more detailed than any of us can imagine. We are so intertwined with each others lives. Our actions affect someone else. God designed us so that we have to rely on our brothers and sisters. We truly are our brother's keeper. It's all a part of God's wonderful plan!

Beautiful story PinkPebbles!

 

[PinkPebbles]

PinkPebbles,

Your story also reminds me of when the King read the history books and discovered that Mordecai had saved a previous kings life from men who were plotting to kill him. At the time of reading, the King had no idea that Haman was going to ask him the next day to kill Mordecai. But by the grace of God, the next day the king was so impressed with Mordecai's heroic orders that instead of issue orders for his murder, he issued orders of celebration and Haman (who plotted against Mordecai) was ordered to lead this celebration. God's work comes full circle. Nothing can interrupt his plan. At the time that Mordecai was protecting the previous king, he had no idea that his actions then were going to save him from being killed by Haman in the future.

The sister you contacted had no idea that her faithfulness to God at the time of her loss and then her obedience to God when she accepted the offer to work on your ministry team were going to give her a financial blessing in the very near future. And in turn, you had no idea that when she first came to your mind for your ministry that it would lead to organizing financial relief for her.

God is so awesome! His plan is far more detailed than any of us can imagine. We are so intertwined with each others lives. Our actions affect someone else. God designed us so that we have to rely on our brothers and sisters. We truly are our brother's keeper. It's all a part of God's wonderful plan!

Beautiful story PinkPebbles!

Thank you Reminiscing!

The Lord is truly using you in this thread. Your words of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are blessing all of us. You are putting things into perspective.

I'm glad that you pointed out the following:

- Mordecai had saved a previous kings life from men who were plotting to kill him.

-At the time of reading, the King had no idea that Haman was going to ask him the next day to kill Mordecai.

-At the time that Mordecai was protecting the previous king, he had no idea that his actions then were going to save him from being killed by Haman in the future.

-God's work comes full circle.

-His plan is far more detailed than any of us can imagine.

The above are definitely critical key points.

And it makes me think of the scripture in 1 Corinthians 2:9 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

We all are here on a divine assignment with a purpose. And I believe it's imperative to have a relationship with the Lord. I agree that we are our brothers (sisters) keeper...well said!

 

[Reminiscing]

The Lord is truly using you in this thread. Your words of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are blessing all of us. You are putting things into perspective.

And it makes me think of the scripture in 1 Corinthians 2:9 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

Thanks PinkPebbles! The Lord is truly using you as well. First with Proverbs and now with Esther. The Lord lets you know what books we need to read and I follow obediently. There goes that intertwining again! Thanks for guiding me through the bible sis!

And, I love that scripture! I'm about to add it to my list of favorites. Thanks for sharing!