Esther 8-10
The Self Sacrificing Woman
Don't you love happy endings! Today, we finish with the book of Esther, and it is just that, a happy ending.
Yesterday, we left off with the hanging of Haman, but, even though he was dead, his evil scheme to destroy the Jews was still in place. Queen Esther knew that she had to stop the destruction of her people. Queen Esther, being as tactful as she was, worked the king to stop the evil scheme, the Jews were saved.But, that was not the end of the story. Through Queen Esther's efforts a new Jewish Holiday; Purim was created, and Mordecai was exalted to greatness.
Bringing the Bible Alive
The month of Sivan 23 fell in the month of June 474BC. (8:9)
Since the first decree to destory the Jews could not be revoked. The second decree allowed the Jews to form their own militia group. (8:11)
Did you notice while you were reading the humility of Queen Esther? Even though she was Queen, she was extemely humble and servant hearted towards the king. When she was given Haman's estate, she passed it on to Mordecai. When asked what she wanted by the king, she wanted the safety of her people. Even in the end of the story it tells the greatness of Mordecai while Queen Esther remians quietly in the background.
Scripture
16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. - Esther 9:16
Thought For the Day
Did you notice that this phrase appears 3 times in chapter 9 (Verses 10, 15, 16)? When you are reading the Bible and something appears once, you might take note of it. If it appears twice, there might be something there, if it appears three times or more, GOD really wants you to understand this point.
So, when I read this phrase I started asking myself, what is GOD trying to tell us? Here is what I believe HE is speaking to us. As we have read in the Old Testament, when an army would conquer another army, they usually had the right to plunder that conquered army. Unless directed not to by GOD, as we saw with king Saul. But, in this case they were even GIVEN the right to plunder by the king (8:11). So why did they not plunder?
I believe they were not greedy and did not want greed to cause them to sin, they wanted to keep their hearts in the right place with GOD. Try and put yourself in their shoes and imagine if you would have had the same attitude? They had a decree that it was open season on all Jews, I can imagine that they were in fear for their lives and maybe went into hiding. Then the decree came, to protect themselves, the Bible tells us it was a time of celebration (8:15-17).
So what lesson can we pull from this? There are going to be bad times, good times, and great times in life. It is easy to stay close to GOD and keep all HIS commands when things are not going good. We are trying to get back into HIS protection and blessing. But, when things are going well it is easy to forget to stay connected, or maybe it is not that important. I know that I have done this in the past.
We need to strive to stay close to GOD when things are going well. This means keeping HIS commands, praying, reading HIS word. Challenge yourself, see how long you can stay in the LORD's blessings!
Thursday, we start a book that is close to my heart; Job. I became very sick as Job did, I must have read it 3 times searching for an answer...... I hope that you will join me as we take a look at this book! May you have a Blessed Day!! - Jim
Closing Prayer
Dear Jesus
Thank You Father for Your great word. Father I pray that I can apply this to my life everyday and continue to connect and seek You in good and bad times. I pray for those that are struggling Lord and I pray that they will come to know the AWESOME love You give, and ONLY You can give.
I love You and I pray in Jesus' name,
Amen.
Bible Trivia:
ReplyDeleteThe Feast of Unleavened Bread began:
a) The day after Passover
b) The day before Passover
c) On Moses's birthday
d) When everyone ran out of yeast
ANSWER: b) The day before Passover
Scriptures:
Exodus 12:15
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Exodus 12:17
So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
Exodus 12:18
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
Exodus 12:20
You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
)
Exodus 12:39
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.
Exodus 13:3
[ The Feast of Unleavened Bread ] And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
Exodus 13:6
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.
Exodus 13:7
Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters.
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna Hullett
Ok I hope you don't mind I am going to post some more information on the preparations that is followed by the Jews for Passover.
ReplyDeleteI am getting this information from a site that I love on Jewish teachings, beliefs, holidays and etc. The site is:
chabad.org
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna
1. What is Chametz?
ReplyDeleteChametz is "leaven" -- any food that's made of grain and water that have been allowed to ferment and "rise." Bread, cereal, cake, cookies, pizza, pasta, and beer are blatant examples of chametz; but any food that contains grain or grain derivatives can be, and often is, chametz. Practically speaking, any processed food that is not certified "Kosher for Passover" may potentially include chametz ingredients.
Chametz is the antithesis of matzah, the unleavened bread ate on Passover is to recall the haste in which we left Egypt, and the humble faith by which we merited redemption. Matzah is the symbol of the Exodus, a central component of the Seder rituals, and the heart of the "Festival of Matzot" (as Passover is called in the Torah). And the flip-side of eating matzah is getting rid of chametz -- and the egotism and spiritual coarseness it represents.
2. What to do--and Not Do--With Chametz
ReplyDeleteFrom the morning of Passover eve until the conclusion of the festival -- for approximately eight days and eight hours -- we avoid eating chametz or anything containing the slightest vestige thereof. It is also forbidden to own chametz, to derive benefit from chametz in any way, or to have chametz physically present in our domain, during this time.
Because chametz forms such a pervasive part of our lives during the rest of the year (try imagining a human habitat without a single cookie crumb!), getting rid of it for Passover is no easy task. Preparations to make the home "kosher for Passover" begin days, even weeks, before the festival. But for those who make the investment, the reward is an especially meaningful Festival of Freedom.
Attaining a chametz-free Passover includes six basic steps: cleaning the home, setting up the Passover kitchen, and selling, searching for, burning, and nullifying chametz.
That is fine. There is alot that we can learn from our roots.
ReplyDelete3. Cleaning the House
ReplyDeleteSimply stated (though not so easily done) -- give your home a thorough, top-to-bottom, cleaning. Vacuum the carpets and floors, wipe clean the cupboards and bookshelves. Make sure you get into all those hard-to-reach places: under the sofa cushions, the spaces between the floorboards. Move aside furniture and kitchen appliances to get behind and underneath. Bottom line: if that proverbial cookie crumb could be hiding there, go after it!
As each area of the home gets cleaned, make sure that everyone knows that it's "kosher for Passover" and absolutely off-limits for any food to be brought in there. Practical advice: start with the bedrooms, then proceed with the living room and other common rooms, leaving the dining room and kitchen for last, so that you can use these spaces for eating chametz as close as possible to the "deadline."
Other places that need to be cleaned: office, car, pocketbook -- any space that is yours by ownership, lease, or right of use.
Places you don't have to clean: a) Rooms and areas where you're absolutely certain that no food was ever brought. b) Rooms and areas that will be sold (see step 5).
4. Preparing the Kitchen
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen is where you prepare chametz food all year round. So it's obviously the most difficult part of the house to make "kosher for Passover." It's also the most important part, since that's where you'll be preparing your kosher for Passover food.
Give the kitchen an extra careful cleaning. Line the cabinets and food storage units with cardboard, silver foil, or paper. Cover all countertops and tables.
It is preferable to have separate sets of pots, dishes, cutlery, etc., designated for Passover use only. Many also have special range tops, toaster ovens, microwaves, etc., designated for Passover use. If this is not possible, cooking utensils, cutlery and certain types of dishes can be "koshered" by immersing in boiling water. Ovens and cooking ranges can be koshered by heating. See the Readings and Resources below for the appropriate procedure for each item.
THIS ONE IS ONE THAT I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND PARTICULARLY INTERESTING, OFTEN TIMES IT BRINGS A CHUCKLE FROM ME.
ReplyDelete5. Selling Your Chametz
Let's say that you own a liquor store. Or that you just bought a three-month supply of breakfast cereal on special. Or you live in a 40-room mansion and don't want to clean the whole thing this year. Is there some way of avoiding the ownership of chametz on Passover without getting rid of your chametz forever?
There is. Since the commandment to rid one's domain of chametz is binding only on a Jew, you can sell your chametz to a non-Jew, and then buy it back from him after Passover. The area where the chamatz is held is leased to the non-Jew for the duration of the festival. It is important to realize that the sale is not symbolic, but a 100% legally binding transaction.
Designate the areas where you'll be placing the chametz you're selling. These can be cupboards, closets, rooms, or an entire house. Remember that you will not be able to use or enter these areas for the duration of the festival. Your local rabbi can transact the sale for you, after obtaining power-of-attorney from you to sell your chametz. You can also sell your chametz online via our website (see Readings and Resources below).
6. The Search
ReplyDelete(Note: When Passover begins on Saturday night, there are several significant changes in steps 6 through 9.
On the night before Passover, we conduct a solemn candle-lit search for any remaining or forgotten chametz. You'll need: a candle (to illuminate the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies), a feather (to sweep up the small crumbs), a wooden spoon (to hold the chametz and facilitate its burning), and a paper bag (to hold all of the above).
By this time, the house should be completely cleaned for Passover; hopefully there's no chametz to be found. It is therefore customary to prepare ten carefully wrapped pieces of bread to be hidden throughout the house for the searcher to find (the kids love this part!), in order that we can fulfill the mitzvah of searching out and destroying our chametz before Passover.
Gather the family, light the candle, and recite the blessing:
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us concerning the removal of chametz.
Carefully search the entire house for any chametz that may have been missed in the cleaning, and collect the ten hidden pieces. Put the chametz, the feather, the wooden spoon, and the remains of the candle in the paper bag, tie securely, and store in a safe place for burning tomorrow morning. Now recite the "nullification statement," renouncing all ownership of any chametz you may have missed:
All leaven and anything leavened that is in my possession, which I have neither seen nor removed, and about which I am unaware, shall be considered nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth.
7. Chametz-Eating Deadline
ReplyDeleteThe absolute deadline for eating chametz is the morning before Passover, two "seasonal hours" before midday (a "seasonal hour" is 1/12 of the time between daybreak and nightfall). Click here to obtain the precise time for your location.
Past this time, is it forbidden to eat chametz until the close of the festival in eight days. You still have one more hour in which you can use chametz for non-eating purposes, and handle the chametz in order to sell it or destroy it.
I LOVE THIS STEP BECAUSE IT TALKS ABOUT "thinking also about our personal chametz"
ReplyDelete8. Burning the Chametz
Take the bag with chametz from last night's search, plus any other leftover chametz that you're not going to sell, make a fire, and burn it. As you watch the chametz go up in smoke, think also about our personal chametz -- the self-inflating pride and egotism that impede our relationships with our Creator, our loved ones, and our fellows -- and about how you're eradicating it, too, from your heart.
The deadline for chametz removal is one "seasonal hour" before midday -- click here to obtain the precise time for your location. By this time, the chametz should be burned; the final "Nullification of the Chametz" (see step 9) should have been said; the areas holding the sold chametz should be sealed; and there should be no chametz remaining in your possession.
AS I READ THIS ONE I THINK OFTEN OF THE SALVATION PRAYER.
ReplyDelete9. Nullifying Your Chametz
After the chametz is burnt, recite the following "nullification statement," renouncing all ownership of any chametz that may still remain in your possession:
All leaven and anything leavened that is in my possession, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have observed it or not, whether I have removed it or not, shall be considered nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth.
(The nullification statement recited last night was only for chametz that was missed in the search, but did not include chametz set aside to be sold or eaten in the morning. Today's statement covers any and all chametz that may still be in your possession, and serves as a final "safety measure" for a chametz-less Passover.)
Remember that both the burning and the nullifying of the chametz must be concluded before the deadline for getting rid of chametz, which is one "seasonal hour" before midday.
You are now chametz-free, physically and spiritually -- and free to fully enjoy the liberating experience of the Seder rituals and the eight-day Festival of Freedom
Ok, hope you have a good time reading.
ReplyDeleteHe He He He :) as you say and hope substituting scriptures from Exodus for 1 Chronicles 6:3 is ok :)
Love Ya'll
AND
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna
I know this is rather long but I thought it worth posting. Rhyme is found in alot of Jewish teaching.
ReplyDeleteThe Book of Esther in Rhyme
By Fay Kranz Greene
Purim means 'lots' chance and conjecture
G-d's name was absent, concealed
But Esther means hester--hidden, obscure
Unmask and all is revealed
It happened in the days of Achashverosh the King
A boor and a fool to boot
He made a great feast for the nations he ruled
To display his treasures and loot
He had no shame, did not fear G-d's name
The fortune was not his to keep
It was stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem
Which lay in a sorrowful heap
Yet invitations were sent addressed to the Jews
At the palace to celebrate
Though they were warned, they did not stay away
And G-d's anger was kindled, irate
The festivities lasted one hundred eighty days
The wine and the spirits flew
Destruction and deliverance were being prepared
But at the time, nobody knew
The drunken king ordered Queen Vashti to appear
She refused him unceremoniously
Upon advice from his court he cut her head off
And regretted it almost instantaneously
So a beauty pageant was quickly announced
To choose a new queen in her stead
All the maidens vied for this honor so great
But beautiful Esther was filled with dread
Her kinsman was Mordechai, a Jew so renowned
Her lineage from King Saul's royal gene
She tried to hide, but fate would not be denied
Achashverosh chose her as his new queen
Mordechai gave her instructions precise
To the palace he came every day
Esther was not to reveal her nation of birth
Yet remain Jewish in every way
The stage was now set for Jewish salvation
Esther was a powerful force
She urged Acheshverosh to choose an advisor
The Jew Mordechai, of course
One day Mordechai heard two soldiers plot
To kill the king was their aim
He told it to Esther who saved the king's life
But gave credit to Mordechai by name
Now an ill wind was brewing for the Jewish nation
In the guise of Haman the Aggagite
The royal ring was bestowed on him by the king
Though he was a wicked anti-Semite
Haman was proud, he preened at the gates
He commanded all to bow
But Mordechai refused, he said I'm a Jew
And my G-d does not allow
Haman wanted revenge on all the Jews
To annihilate them was his vow
He'd slaughter them all on one bloody day
The only question was how?
But this evil man thought of a plan
He devised a kind of lottery
To determine the date for the poor Jews' fate
The thirteenth of Adar it was to be
Now Haman pleaded his case to the King
That the Jews were of no use at all
Achashverosh agreed, and it was quickly decreed
That our people were slated to fall
When Mordechai learned of this treachery
Sackcloth and ashes he donned
Weeping and wailing he ran through the streets
Knowing Esther would surely respond
Dear Esther, he said, your time has arrived
For this you were chosen as queen
To plead on the throne on behalf of your folk
Divine providence can clearly be seen
For her people Esther would risk her life
She had but one request to make
For three days the Jews must fast, regret their past
And all other gods forsake
Esther and her maidens would likewise fast
Then make a move so bold
To see the king unbidden was forbidden
Unless he extend his scepter of gold
Dressed in royalty and cloaked in Divinity
Esther was grace personified
Her prayers were answered, hope was at hand
The king invited her inside
Half of my kingdom is yours he said
Esther should have been delighted
But she was waiting for a sign Divine
So to a party she invited
Not only the king but Haman too
A move calculated to distress
The Jews would put their trust in G-d
And the king would become jealous
Esther waited for an opportunity
But there was no sign in sight
She had to stall and risk it all
With a party a second night
Haman was gloating 'the queen chose me'
It was just the King and I
But his bubble bursts and his anger spurts
When he sees the Jew Mordechai
His wicked wife Zeresh comes up with a plan
Build a gallows about fifty feet
Go ask the king, to let Mordechai swing
And your joy will then be complete
What a night was ahead, the kingdom's astir
No one is sleeping it seems
Esther is planning, Mordechai is praying
And the king has disturbing dreams
In the very heavens the angels are weeping
G-d hears his children in need
The king is awakened, his sleep is forsaken
From his royal book he begins to read
The pages turn as if on their own
To an entry long ago recorded
Mordechai the Jew saved the life of the king
But his loyalty was not rewarded
Achashverosh hears Haman in the courtyard
And calls him in post haste
How can I honor a man who's deserving
I have no time to waste
Haman lays out a course of grand action
All the while thinking it's he
A gala parade astride the king's horse
Who else would he honor but me?
But his downfall was near, his end was in sight
Imagine his horror and dread
When the king said go do, to Mordechai the Jew
Exactly the things that you said
When Esther heard this turn of events
She knew it was her cue
And that it was right at the party that night
To reveal that she was a Jew
If I have found favor in the eyes of the king
And your highness will agree
Please spare my life and the lives of my people
From death by an evil decree
Who would dare to threaten my queen
Asked Achashverosh in a great fright
It is none other than your trusted advisor
Haman the Aggagite
The king was enraged, he needed air
From the room he quickly fled
And on the gallows intended for Mordechai
He had Haman hanged instead
Now letters were swiftly dispatched
To all the kingdom near and far
For the Jews to prepare, their foes to beware
On the thirteenth of Adar
The Jews were triumphant against the enemy
They fought bravely for their nation
And the days that were slated for destruction
Became days of celebration
Now proclamations were sent to all the Jews
Rejoice and be of good cheer
Remember these days of Purim
And commemorate them every year
By sending mishloach manot, food gifts to your friends
And eating a feast galore
By reading the megillah not once but twice
And giving charity to the poor
Purim means 'lots' chance and conjecture
G-d's name was absent, concealed
But Esther means hester hidden, obscure
Unmask and all is revealed
HAPPY PURIM