The Thread that Runs so True-Esther
Learner objectives: (1) Identify what each of he characters of the book of Esther did (2) name these characteristics of Esther and Mordecai: courage, self-sacrifice, faith, desire to do right. (3) tell of a plan for the Christian life that includes these characteristics: faith in God, boldness in doing what is right, willingness to take personal risks for the benefit of what is good, persistence.
Memory verse: Esther 4: 14--" For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Narrative: The book of Esther is a very unusual one in that the name of God is not found anywhere in it. Noble themes are presented, but the value of the book is in its application.
It is through Esther that the lineage of Christ is preserved. Had she not done what she did, a key prophecy about the lineage of Jesus Christ would not have been fulfilled.
Time: tradition dates the book between 465 B. C. and 424. It was during the time that the Israelites were in exile to Persia.
The Bible Story:
I. The rash vow and its consequences
A. Esther 1: 1-22.
B. The power of peer pressure The king had made a drunken oath from which he felt that he could not back down.
C.Rash vows should always be avoided. Ask Jepthah! Judges 11: 34-40.
D. Ask Herod! Mark 6: 14-29.
II. Esther becomes queen (2: 1-18.
A. This was a harem situation. But fornication was not necessarily inevitable. There is no direct evidence in Esther to show that Esther did anything with the king that should have been reserved for marriage. Esther became queen and Ahasuerus' wife.
B. Even queens had limitations in those days. If she went in to see the king and he did not raise his scepter, she could be killed.
C. Mordecai distinguishes himself (Esther 2: 19-23).
III. The plot against the Jews
A. Haman's sin of pride (Esther 3).
B. Mordecai appeals to Esther for help (Esther 4).
C. Esther's solution: You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar (Esther 5).
IV. Downfall of Haman (Esther 7). His pride became his undoing.
V. The counteractive order
A. Kings were "never wrong" in those days
B. But they could issue opposite orders. That is what he did.
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