2nd Evangelical Free Church

What does Mordecai’s grief reveal about him?

Esther 4-5

Mordecai is quite upset at the decree of Haman but his actions do not indicate any great faith in the Lord. He grieves and fasts but does not pray. Yet his exhortation to Esther for her intercession seems to betray a sense of trust in the Lord’s sovereignty. He acknowledges that she has been placed in this position of influence at the right time. The godly reader will realize that this is the Lord’s doing though Mordecai does not state it. Still, if she had not been made queen, Mordecai and the Jews would not have been in this predicament at all. So we can readily see that the ends never justify the means. Compromise with the world may at first bring comfort and ease, but eventually things will turn sour and troubles will ensue.

The wicked never prosper in the long run. Haman was at the peak of his power and was ready to wield it to take his revenge. He failed to realize that he was not facing the Jewish people, he was opposing God Almighty. This is important for us to see for it tells us that God has sovereign power over all that goes on in the world. Princes and presidents, generals and politicians, celebrities and CEOs all make their plans based on their resources and personal desires yet they too are only allowed to act within the parameters set for them by the Lord. The same goes for us regular folk too.

Meditate & Apply: What plans have you made or are you making that you think God need not know about? Is it even possible for you to hide things from Him?

Why was Haman so upset?

 

Esther 3

The events regarding Haman took place 4 years after Esther became queen. Haman was a descendant of Agag, an Amalekite king whom King Saul had failed to execute. Mordecai was a descendant of Kish, the father of Saul. His refusal to bow to Haman may have stemmed from this age old feud and ethnic rivalry, and was not the result of any religious conviction. This was not a question of worship but mere respect and honor for all that was required of Mordecai was to bow. This he refused to do and his stubbornness placed all the Jews in jeopardy.

Haman cast the lot, Pur is the Persian word for "lot", which means he cast stones or dice to find out the best day to wipe out the Jews. In ancient times it was common practice to cast the lot in the first month of the each year to determine the course of action for that year. In this case we know, though it is not stated, that the Lord controlled the lot-casting giving the Jews almost a year to prepare for their conflict with Haman. Ahasuerus allows his servant to carry out such a foolish and costly request because he will benefit financially. He is not even aware that the Jews are involved. He is the example of a leader who lets others control him rather than take time to think things out and make wise choices.

Meditate & Apply: How do you make important decisions? Do you cast lots? Do you ever allow prejudice and thoughts of greed and vengeance to determine how you act? Are these wise methods of making choices?

A Persian beauty pageant.

Esther 2

Vashti’s loss was fortunate for Esther, Mordecai and all the Jews. Ahasuerus sought out a new queen through a rather ridiculous and quite excessive manner which brought hundreds of unfortunate virgin women to “audition”. The whole manner in which this was accomplished makes it seem as a rather sick and twisted beauty pageant where the women were judged on looks and sexual performance. After one night with Ahasuerus each was banished to the harem where they stayed until summoned, if ever, for, as we note, Esther’s turn came up 4 years after Vashti had been banished.

Esther, also known as Hadassah, a Hebrew name that means myrtle, a beautiful fragrant tree, was quite beautiful and wise. For these reasons she found favor in the eyes of Ahasuerus. Yet her name Esther is derived from Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love. In addition she actively engaged in unholy practices including marrying a pagan and eating unclean food, all at the advice of her cousin Mordecai. His name is derived from the Persian god Marduk. The Persian names were used to cover up their Jewish identity and do not necessarily indicate they were apostate though their actions were certainly questionable.

Meditate & Apply: Resistance to compromise brought blessings to Daniel and his companions, but here accommodations were made by Jews in order to survive in a pagan environment. Do Esther and Mordecai set a bad example? Why or why not?

Why was Ahasuerus so upset?

Esther 1

Some question whether the book of Esther has a proper place in the canon of scripture for it does not once mention God or the name of the Lord. In addition, in contrast to Ezra and Nehemiah, nothing is said about the sinfulness of the marriage of a Jew, Esther, to a pagan, King Ahasuerus. Rather it is viewed as a blessing for it is the means by which the Jews are delivered. Nevertheless the Jews included it as Scripture because it explains the origin of their popular holiday Purim and demonstrates that deliverance is wrought by hand of the Lord who is always faithful to His covenant even when His people are not.

 

Ahasuerus was in some sort of planning session with his generals and leaders, which probably degenerated into a drunken orgy. He wanted to display his queen, Vashti before them, yet, for an unknown reason, she refused. In this the writer of this book sees a satire. The king who boasted in great power, who ruled over a vast empire and a huge number of people all of whom were subject to his every whim, could not control his wife. This disrespect to the king was inexcusable and dangerous to the patriarchal society. Ahasuerus had to deal with it decisively. Vashti was condemned to a life of loneliness.

Meditate & Apply: It is possible that Ahasuerus wanted to display his wife as a trophy, to boast of her beauty. Do you think he responded properly to her refusal to appear? Why or why not? How do the people in the world treat other human beings? How should we in God’s kingdom treat them?

 

Why was Nehemiah so upset?

Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah had returned to Artaxerxes for it was required that he return periodically to reaffirm his loyalty. After some time, perhaps years, when he returned to Jerusalem he found that the revival and the reforms he had instituted had ended. The Jews had strayed from their faith in God and had violated the covenant which they had entered into. This was indicated by different incidents mentioned here each of which made Nehemiah very angry. He was zealous for the purity of the faith which had to be maintained at all costs. It just shows us once again that the Jews were weak and sinful and susceptible to pagan influences even as their ancestors had been.

Some of Nehemiah’s actions may seem to us to be bizarre and rude. Perhaps we feel that way because we are not as concerned for the purity of our faith as he was. We do not want to behave in ways that seem rude and offensive. We do not want to reveal to others their faults. This is because we have compromised with the world and accepted its ideas as to what is good, politically correct and polite. But there is nothing polite or acceptable about sin or its consequences. Inside the community of faith we must root out sin. Sin in the kingdom of God must be revealed and soundly rebuked for it dishonors the Lord. We should have no relationships with those who claim to be brethren but who are engaging on lifestyles that are hostile or dishonoring to the Lord.

Meditate & Apply: Nehemiah made rules to insure obedience to God’s word. Do you think that in the long run, these rules made people more godly? Is it possible to legislate morality?

Who are all these people?

 

Nehemiah 11-12:26

When the Jews returned from exile to the land most of them stayed out of Jerusalem because it was dangerous. Now that Ezra and Nehemiah had completed their tasks, the Temple and the city walls had been rebuilt and it was a more attractive and safer place in which to live. Nehemiah saw that there was great wisdom in settling Jerusalem, the city dedicated to the Lord with pure-blooded Jews who were dedicated to the covenant of the Lord. These all had to support their lineage. This is why Nehemiah drew up this list of the names of those families who descended from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, the only tribes who still existed.

 

Of great importance was the list of the names of the priests and Levites. This shows us that it is important to know those who are in authority over us. This does not mean we must know their ancestry or nationality, but it does mean we must be aware of their testimony, how they came to enter into a relationship or covenant with the Lord. We must also know their schooling, their training, their grasp of the scripture, prayer life, family life and their personal obedience. It is also important to remember that they are not perfect so that we must respect their authority, support their decisions and work and always pray for them.

Meditate & Apply: In what other ways can you support those in authority over you? How should you respond if you do not agree with their decisions?

Revival!

 

Nehemiah 9:38-10:39

The people felt so convicted and so overwhelmed by the Lord’s goodness that they decided to enter into a relationship with Him. Throughout the Scripture the Lord is the one who always initiates a covenant with His people. He promises to bless and care for them while they pledge obedience and worship. The Jews also promised among other things not to intermarry with pagans which, as we have already seen was a major problem in Ezra’s account. They also pledged to keep the Sabbath day and the sabbatical year, and to support the temple and those who served in it.

 

What took place here was not a new covenant but a renewal or revival of the one still in effect. Even though the Jews had broken the covenant the Lord had kept it and abided by its principles. He still blessed and took care of them which included disciplining and punishing their disobedience. Even under the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood the Lord remains faithful though we prove faithless. We should take time in our lives every so often to renew our own covenant with the Lord, to see how far we have strayed from our original promises and to ask for the Lord’s help to get us back on His path. This is not to say we earn salvation by our actions for the Lord enables us to do those works that glorify Him.

Meditate & Apply: What must we do to allow the Lord to work righteousness in our lives?

What was the cause of grieving?

 

Nehemiah 9:1-37

In response to the reading of the Law of God, the people gathered after their time of feasting for a special day of mourning to express grief and repentance over the sinful rebellion of the nation. They knew that they had to get right before the Lord. Led by 2 teams of Levites the people prayed to the Lord a prayer that confessed their sins as well as the sins of their ancestors. The prayer confessed their faith in God as it magnified His greatness and His grace by delineating all the wonderful deeds He did for Israel starting with His sovereign choice of Abram through His just punishment of their sins. The people grieved through all this because their ancestors had rejected God’s love by willful disobedience.

 

This prayer reminds us that another important aspect of worship should be a reminder of all that the Lord has done for us. He chose us as He chose Abram, not because of any value or worth or merit in us, but because of His sovereign will. Thus all we have has been given us by His grace including our salvation and eternal life. As we look at what the Lord has done for us, we will mourn over the way we behave, the way we ignore Him and worship and serve self.  Thus worship should not be all one joyous celebration as is the predominant format of most contemporary services. As we look at God we rejoice in His glory but we also cannot help but mourn and weep for our sins for we have broken faith with Him.

Meditate & Apply: Look at all that the Lord has done for you. How do you respond when you look at the way you think and live?

What was the cause of celebration?

 

Nehemiah 8

Ezra the scribe now reappears on the scene as the main leader in this section and Nehemiah is of secondary importance. This is because the Law of God is exalted here as is it reemerges to be the central focus of Jewish life that serves, worships and obeys Yahweh. The people celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles which commemorated the wilderness wanderings of Israel after she had left Egypt. At this time they hear the Word of God spoken, perhaps the first time for most of them, read by Ezra. Though this caused them to weep because of their sins and those of their ancestors, Nehemiah encouraged them to celebrate together as God’s people with joy as the appropriate way to worship for this feast and the way to show praise to God for the Word which He has graciously spoken.

 

As we note the importance of the Word of God and the reverence it is shown here, we should take this as a model for our own worship service. The word of God is the focus of the service as it is His Word and carries His authority and holiness. We should show it as much honor and respect as we show God Himself. That means we do not misquote it or twist it to suit our own desires and whims. Instead we should listen to it read and explained by God’s chosen leaders who have studied it and made it their life’s work. They can help us to understand it and apply it to our lives.

Meditate & Apply: How long did the reading of the word last? Could you endure a worship service for that length of time? Why or why not? What makes the ancient Israelites more willing to listen then we modern 21^st Century Christians?

Why do we need another list of names?

 

Nehemiah 7

Although the walls of the city were complete, security still remained an issue. People had not wanted to live in the city because it was so vulnerable to attack so it had been sparsely populated. Once they began to move back in it would be foolish to think that they were safe because of the walls. Guards had to be appointed to watch and protect these citizens and to tend to the gates and ensure that no enemy would sneak in or attack in any way. Nehemiah ordered that the gates be opened only during the busiest hours of the day. That meant they would be closed at night and also during the heat of the day when it was customary to rest.

 

This list here contains the names of those who had returned about a hundred years earlier and is nearly the same as that of Ezra 2. Nehemiah repeats these names in order to remind their descendants the resettlement of the city of Jerusalem had been one of the goals that their ancestors had worked toward but abandoned. Thus it serves as encouragement to them to once again take up residency for the list confirms the faithfulness of the Lord toward His chosen people none of whom He has forgotten. They should not fear to dwell with in the walls of Jerusalem for the Lord would watch over them.

Meditate & Apply: Why do we hesitate to trust in the Lord’s promises?