Esther Esther. Prayer. The Story - Esther 1-10 paraphrased

Transcription

1 sther sther his drawing shows someone s life being spared. Do you know whose life it is? his is sther. hat do you know about her? e ll read her story today to find out more. rayer Dear eavenly Father, hank You for again bringing us together to study Your ord in unday chool. Be with our teacher so that the lesson may be taught to Your glory and with us so that we will listen and learn about the truths of Your cripture. e ask this in Jesus name. men. he tory - sther 1-10 paraphrased here was a king of ersia named hasuerus, also known as erxes. e was ruler over 127 provinces from ndia to thiopia. is palace was in hushan. nce he made a feast and invited all his officials, nobles, princes and important powers of his kingdom. he feast lasted 180 days, and the king showed off his riches and splendor of his kingdom. ear the end of the feast days he had a special celebration for all his people with much expensive food and drink served in golden vessels. he queen of ersia, ashti, was commanded to come before the king to show off her beauty to the people. But Queen ashti refused to come at the king's command, and the king was furious. t would be a bad example for others if the wife of the king did not listen to her husband; therefore, Queen ashti was never allowed to come before the king again. new queen was needed. beauty contest was held to find a new queen. any beautiful, young, unmarried women were brought to the palace including a young Jew named sther. he had been raised in the house of her cousin, ordecai. ordecai worked in the king s palace. fter a year of beauty treatment, each young woman was brought before the king. o sther was taken to King erxes, and he loved sther more than all the other women and so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of ashti. ne day while near the gate of the palace ordecai overheard a plot to assassinate the king. e told sther who told the king. he two gatekeepers who plotted God s and in ur ives ld estament sther - evel 4 1/8/04

2 the assassination were hanged. ll of this was written down in the history book of the king. fter these things, King erxes promoted a wicked man named aman and set him above all the princes. ll the king's servants bowed and paid homage to aman, but ordecai would not bow or pay homage because he was a Jew, and it was forbidden by God. his made aman very angry, and he planned how he might destroy ordecai and his people, the Jews, who were captives in ersia. aman went to the king with his plan and said to the king, "here is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people's, and they do not keep the king's laws. herefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. f it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed." o the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to aman saying,"he people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you." aman made the decree that in one year s time all the Jews in the provinces of King erxes were to be killed. hen ordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth and ashes. ll Jews everywhere mourned. sther was also distressed. ordecai asked that sther go before the king and plead for her people. King erxes did not know she was Jewish. t was also dangerous to go before the king without being invited. You would be killed for bothering him unless he holds out his golden scepter to you, then you would live. sther was afraid to go to the king, but ordecai reminded her that she was a Jew. e also said, "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" sther said, "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in hushan, and fast for me for three days. y maids and will fast likewise. nd so will go to the king, which is against the law; and if perish, perish!" fter three days sther put on her royal robes and went before King erxes. o it was, when the king saw Queen sther she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to sther the golden scepter. hen sther went near and touched the top of the scepter. he king said to her, "hat do you wish, Queen sther? t shall be given to you; up to half the kingdom!" sther answered, "f it pleases the king, let the king and aman come today to the banquet that have prepared." he king and aman went to Queen sther s feast. gain the king asked what sther requested. he asked that they again come to a banquet the next day and she would then tell her request. aman felt great pride that he was important to the king and queen but later when he saw ordecai who did not bow down to him he was angry. e planned to ask the king to have ordecai killed and even had a gallows built that would hang ordecai one day. But that night the king could not sleep. e commanded that the book about his history be read to him. here he heard and was reminded of how ordecai saved his life from the two gatekeepers who were planning to kill him. he king said, "hat honor or dignity has been bestowed on ordecai for this?" he servants said that nothing had been done to honor him. o the king asked aman, "hat shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" ld estament 2 sther - evel 4

3 aman, thinking the king was talking about him, said, "et a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden be delivered to the man. hen parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: 'hus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!'" he king said, "urry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do this for ordecai the Jew." o aman took the robe and the horse, arrayed ordecai and led him on horseback through the city square. fterward ordecai went back to the king's gate. But aman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. ater the king and aman went to dine with Queen sther. he now told the king her request, "f have found favor, king, please spare my life and the lives of my people. For we are to be destroyed because of the wishes of someone." King erxes answered, "ho is he who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?" aman!" sther said, "he enemy is this wicked hen the king saw the gallows and said, "ang aman on the gallows!" o they hanged aman on the gallows that he had prepared for ordecai. n that day King erxes promoted ordecai to the position aman had held. sther then went again to the king, and he again held out the golden scepter for her. he said, "f it pleases the king, and if have found favor in his sight let it be written to take back the letters sent by aman ordering the death of the Jews." hen King erxes said to Queen sther and ordecai the Jew, "You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke." o the king's scribes were called at that time and it was written that the Jews were permitted to gather together and protect their lives and to kill all the forces of any people or province that would assault them. he Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. hen the time came for the enemies of the Jews to carry out the order of aman, the Jews gathered together and defeated their enemies, killing thousands. ll the officials of the provinces even helped the Jews defeat their enemies and followed the order given by ordecai and sther. aman s ten sons were also hanged. ordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces. special day of celebration was established for the Jews to remember this time when God spared is people from destruction. t was called urim. uter im - God, through sther, saved srael from destruction so that the promised essiah could come from Judah. nner im - God, through the oly pirit in the ord, has led us to Jesus. ld estament 3 sther - evel 4

4 ld estament 4 sther - evel 4 hat the tory ells s - nswer the following questions then find the answers in the D. 1. here was a king of named, also known as. 2. Queen did not come when summoned by the king. 3. he was replaced by Queen, a Jew. 4. he had been raised by, her cousin upon the death of her parents. 5. he capital city was. 6. ne day ordecai uncovered a plot to the king by the gatekeepers. 7. wicked man,, ordered every one to honor him and down to him. 8. sther said, f,. (he word will only be found one time in the puzzle.) 9. he king held out his to receive sther when she went in uninvited to see him. 10. sther invited the king and aman a. 11. aman had built to hang ordecai. 12. he Jews made a celebration called to honor the day the Jews were saved from destruction. Y F G K J B Y G D

5 hat God s ord ells s - Find the missing words in the Bible assages below. hen discuss the questions together in class. cts 5:29 - e ought to obey rather than. hen did ordecai do what this passage said? salm 37:5 - your way to the D, also in im, and e shall bring it to pass. hen did sther remember these words? salms 65:2 - You who hear, to You all flesh will come. hat is God s promise to believers who pray to im? 1 orinthians 10:12 - herefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. his passage points to aman. From what sin did aman suffer? Your urn - Find these Bible references and match the God-fearing leaders. 1. Genesis 41:41 2. xodus 4:21 3. Judges 6: amuel 16: Kings 5:15 6. Daniel 2:48 7. sther 10:2. David B. oses. ordecai D. Daniel. aaman F. Joseph G. Gideon ymn & rayer- orship upplement 2000 #785 hildren of the heav nly Father afely in is bosom gather; estling bird nor star in heaven uch a refuge e er was given. God is own doth tend and nourish; n is holy courts they flourish. From all evil things e spares them; n is mighty arms e bears them. either life nor death shall ever From the ord is children sever; nto them is grace e showeth, nd their sorrows all e knoweth. hough e giveth or e taketh, God is children ne er forsaketh; is the loving purpose solely o preserve them pure and holy. men. ld estament 5 sther - evel 4