Sabbath: Esther and Mordecai
Read for This Week’s Study: Esther 1-10; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; John 4:1-26; Acts 17:26; Matt. 22:21; Rom. 1:18-20.
Memory Text:
(Esther 4:14 NIV).For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this
Esther was used to carry out a high-level, specialized mission within the dangerous political heart of the Persian Empire.
Esther and the scepter
Her mission involved her in a series of striking contrasts. An orphaned female member of a despised ethnic and religious minority living in the superpower of her day, she became the wife of the Persian king. This was no rags-to-riches fairy tale. Rather, she was lifted from obscurity and groomed to carry out a highly specialized mission. It required of her the risky strategy of working, at first, undercover. Later she had to make a perilous full disclosure of her ethnicity and faith.
Supported by her cousin and foster father Mordecai, her daring witness at the intrigue-ridden court of the Persian Empire saved her people, reversed their low social status, and made them empire-wide objects of admiration.
No doubt as a result of her faithfulness, knowledge of the true God became more widespread among their heathen captors. Though not your typical
missionary story, the narrative of Esther and Mordecai does present some interesting principles that can help us to understand what it means to witness in peculiar circumstances.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 8.
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As in the book of Daniel in the book of Esther royal decrees were used against God’s people before divine intervention led to state decrees in favor of God’s servants (Daniel 3:28, 29; Esther 8:10-17). Yet God is not expected to use (work through) the heathen state to make laws in favor of one religious group.
It is also unusual that Vashti, an honorable woman acting on principle was as a result removed from her position apparently to make way for God’s chosen (Esther 1:10-12; 19-21). Then a godly woman under disguise (concealed identity) entered an arranged worldly beauty contest to obtain the pagan king’s favor and become unequally yoked together with an unbeliever, a position apparently intended by Jehovah (Esther 4:14). Through all this God seems to be working.
Hence it is understandable that the Book of Esther can be a little challenging for some Christians who understand Jehovah to be strict with law and commandments. However God is actually above the written law and at times appears to make allowances concerning the letter requirement of law and practice in certain situations while pursuing a greater good. He sometimes works with mankind’s distorted arrangements to achieve His will, but remains true to divine principle.
While the saints do their best to observe the letter and spirit of the law they ought to pray to understand the divine principle of the law better, so they will appreciate more God’s action in the past and His current work in their lives.
God always works in a way that will only benefit His children in the long run but its incumbent upon us as His to children to exercise patient and to have those spiritual eyes which sees beyond and have an happy ending despite the present seemingly oppresion
God has told us His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. We look from only what's in front of our faces and even then we don't know the end from the beginning, but He does. "Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him, how I've proved Him o'er and o'er, Jesus Jesus precious Jesus O for grace to trust Him more." Let God be God!
The Mighty Power of God; Who can fathom?
How He reverses a hopeless, helpless and a horrific situation of; Esther as an orphan, Mordecai who was on a death row, and the Jews whose condemnation was looming into hope, joy & a song of praise!!!
What a Mighty God!!!
CHORUS
And He'll do it again
He'll do it again
If you'll just take a look
At where you are now
And where you've been
Well hasn't He always come through for you
He's the same now as then
You may not know how
You may not know when
But He'll do it again
The Bible tells us that with God nothing is impossible and for us to experience it we need faith that never sakes and earnest prayer.
I love this site it really helps me in my study of the lesson , I am so excited that I found it just a blessing to me.
We just never know when we will be used for such a time...we may see it as a trial but it may just be a blessing in disguise to save others.
Blessings to all the Esthers out there.
"God said it and I believe it,and that settles it for me... I've chosen to believe it!And how about you?"