Bible Memory Verse:
“The Lord watches over all who love him…” Psalm 145:20
Today’s Bible story is about how God watched over His chosen people, the Jews, even when they were not in the land of Israel. We are going to learn about Esther, a Jewish girl who was used by God to save her people from destruction in the land of Persia.
Our story takes place at the time of King Xerxes. He was a powerful ruler over the large Persian Empire. In the third year of his reign King Xerxes gave a large banquet or feast for all his nobles and officials.
For 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people in the citadel (fortress, especially in a city) of Susa. The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a pavement of costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each different than the other.
The wife of King Xerxes, Queen Vashti, also gave a banquet for the women of the royal palace.
On the seventh day of the banquet, King Xerxes commanded his servants to bring in Queen Vashti wearing her royal crown for the people to see how beautiful she was because she was very beautiful. However, she refused to come. The king was furious and burned with anger.
Since it was customary for the king to ask experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the laws. He said, “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti. She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes…”
One of the wise men replied, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but against the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end to disrespect and discord.
Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed (once a law is made, it cannot be changed), that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she…” Esther 1:16-20
The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice and Vashti was vanished and it was proclaimed that every man should be ruler over his own household.
Later when the king’s anger had cooled, he remembered Queen Vashti and the law he had made concerning her. Then the kings personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made for all the beautiful young virgins (women) for the king…” The king decided this was a good suggestion. Beautiful women were found and taken to the king’s palace where they were given beauty treatments and the king would decide who should be queen instead of Vashti.
Now in the citadel of Susa there lived a Jew named Mordecai. Mordecai had a cousin named Esther whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl was lovely in form and features.
When the king’s order was given, Esther was also taken to the palace. Esther did not tell anyone that she was a Jewess because Mordecai had told her not to do so. Every day Mordecai walked back and forth before the palace to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
When Esther’s turn came to go to the king, she won the favor of everyone who saw her. The king was attracted to Esther more than any of the other women, so he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king gave a great banquet for Esther.
During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, two of the king’s officers who guard the doorway, became angry and planned to kill King Xerxes. Mordecai found out and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. And the report was investigated and found to be true, the two men were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.
After these events, King Xerxes gave Haman, the Agagite a position higher than the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, but Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. Day after day the royal officials spoke to Mordecai, but he would not kneel down to Haman.
When Haman heard that Mordecai would not kneel down and pay him homage, he was enraged. Having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, he looked for a way to destroy all Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.
Haman said to King Xerxes, “There are a certain people (scattered throughout your kingdom) who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a degree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.”
So the king took the signet ring off his finger and gave it to Haman. He said, “Keep the money, and do with the people as you please.”
So that day Haman wrote a law that on a certain day all Jews were to be killed and their goods were to be taken, and sent a copy of this law throughout the land.
When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king’s gate because no one clothed in sackcloth and ashes was allowed to enter.
Throughout the land there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many law in sackcloth and ashes.
When Esther’s maids and servants told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. She asked her servant, Hathach, to find out what was troubling Mordecai.
Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the law that said all the Jews were to be killed. He also asked Hathach to ask Esther to go into the king’s presence and beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.
Hathach reported to Esther all that Mordecai had said. Then she told him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception for this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” Esther 4:11
When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 house will perish. And who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
So Mordecai went away and carried out all Esther’s instructions.
Next time we will learn what happened to Esther and to the Jews.
Our Bible memory verse today is: “The Lord watches over all who love him…” Psalm 145:20 God was watching over Mordecai and Esther because they knew Him and trusted in Him. People that know God are the ones who love Him. They are the ones He watches over. They are the ones who can call Him Father; they are His children.
QUESTIONS:
1. What had Queen Vashti done to have King Xerxes banish her from his presence?
2. How was Mordecai related to Esther?
3. Why did Haman have King Xerxes make an order to kill all the Jews?
4. What did Mordecai do when he heard about the order to kill all the Jews?
5. What did Mordecai ask Esther to do?
6. Why was it dangerous for Queen Esther to appear before King Xerxes without being asked?
ESTHER–PART 1
Bible Memory Verse:
“The Lord watches over all who love him…” Psalm 145:20
Words to choose from: JEWISH, COUSIN, SAVE, BOW, BANQUET, FAST, DANGEROUS, QUEEN, BANISHED, KILLED
1. King Xerxes asked Queen Vashti to appear at a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ or great feast.
2. King Xeres had Queen Vashti __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ or sent to another land when she would not obey him.
3. The king wanted to choose between all the beautiful women to find a new __ __ __ __ __.
4. Mordecai was a __ __ __ __ __ __ to Esther, and he looked after her.
5. Mordecai asked Esther not to tell anyone that she belonged to the __ __ __ __ __ __ race.
6. Mordecai would not __ __ __ before the wicked Haman.
7. Haman plotted to have all the Jews __ __ __ __ __ __.
8. Mordecai asked Esther to appear before the king to __ __ __ __ her people.
9. It was __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ for Esther to appear before the king without being asked.
10. Esther had the Jews __ __ __ __ before she went to see the king.