In Conclusion……
The final chapter of the Book of Esther is very short – more of a Conclusion or an Epilogue than a full chapter. It wraps things up. King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire,...
Monthly Archive: January 2016
Purim then and now
Because of all that has happened in the Book of Esther, the festival of Purim is established so that future generations can remember and celebrate God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from the evil...
The tables are turned!
How quickly things have changed! It’s all completely different in Esther chapter 8. The tables have turned. The king now knows that Esther is a Jew – and is OK with that. More than...
Hoisted by his own petard
I won’t apologise for this. You need to read this chapter in its entirety too. So the king and Haman went to dinner with Queen Esther. At this second dinner, while they were drinking...
Avoiding the whole ‘Pride comes before a fall’ thing
Esther 6 is pure gold. A wonderfully engaging story with such a clever twist that made me chuckle. Truly comical and yet with murderous thoughts at its core. Worthy of a sitcom or a...
It’s what you do with what you have……
On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in...
For such a time as this…..
This is Esther’s moment. She’s been told that Mordecai is in great distress at the king’s gate. She finds out why. She discovers Haman’s plan to exterminate all the Jews. Which will include her....
When we are bewildered……..
The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered. Esther 3:15 That’s the very last sentence of Esther 3. The people of Susa are bewildered. And who can...
Mistrust and stereotypes…….
So. Moving on. The king is happy. He has a new queen. Esther is his new Queen of Hearts. A plot to end his life has been thwarted. Esther and her uncle Mordecai are...
Acting with integrity
Meanwhile…….. During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found...
