Not Even Feet Obey

Esther 7:1-10

Last week we didn’t end on a cliffhanger, but we definitely were left with a “to be continued” feeling.  At this point in our study of the book of Esther, we have four key people.  First of all, Esther, of course.  She is the queen of the Persian Empire.  She is also Jewish, a fact which not even the King knows.  Then, we have the king.  He, like many kings, has more than one name.  In some translations he is referred to by his Greek name Xerxes.  In others, he is referred to by his Hebrew name Ahasuerus.  Until I was working on this message, I hadn’t really thought about the fact that neither of these is Persian.  I went looking for his Persian name, and found one Iranian writer who called Xerxes a ridiculous simplification.  But when I stumble over the Persian, I think you will appreciate the benefit of simplification.  His Persian name is Khshāyarsha.  The king is a rather static person in Esther.  He doesn’t appear to change over the course of the book which covers a period of 10 years.

"Coincidences"

Esther 6:1-14

We are continuing in our series “Days to Be Remembered,” which is a study of the book of Esther.  Last week’s message brought us up through the midpoint of the series, and also the point of maximum suspense and tension in the story.

Never Enough

Esther 4:15-5:14

One of the email exchanges I had this past week was with one of our workers in South Asia, encouraging her to help set up a meeting with certain church leaders for when I visit next in May. I knew that she would not be keen on the meeting due to conflict in the past, but I thought she would agree to participate for the good of the overall work. We have to maintain these relationships and learn how to work together. I was surprised to receive quite an emotional response, and my adding rational explanations of why the meeting was important seemed to do no good. It seemed like she was just not hearing what I was trying to say, despite claiming no lack of forgiveness on her part.

For Such a Time as This

Esther 4:1-14

Welcome back to our series titled “Days to be Remembered: the Book of Esther.”  I think we’re all pretty familiar with the story of Esther, but I’m going to review a little because Carl left us hanging off a cliff last week.